…has been showing up in the news lately…
A couple of stories percolated around the Interwebs over the past few weeks about Taylor Wilson, who, at the age of 14, claimed the mantle of "World's Youngest Fusioneer" – i.e. the youngest person to build a fusor (or any kind of fusion device) and produce neutrons – the evidence of actual fusion.
Looks like stories about Taylor first appeared late last spring on the web at Gizmodo.com after he demonstrated his nuclear weapons detector at the Intel International Science Fair:
…his science project…was titled “countering nuclear terrorism”, and was designed to make checking cargo containers for weapons a much easier job. The detector acts like an X-ray, scanning containers for fingerprints or traces of radioactive materials without having to even open them. With 35 million cargo containers going through customs each year, a device like this will definitely make the lives of cargo inspectors much easier.
More recently, Taylor has raised eyebrows after testing his nuclear fusion reactor, as reported at TheBlaze.com:
Wilson was 14 when he became the youngest person in the world to build a nuclear fusion reactor. Getting his start on Fusor.net, Wilson joined the ranks of only 30 hobbyist ‘Fusioneers’ before him who were able to fuse two atoms together.
We're probably a little late to Taylor's party. He's been a active member of the fusor.net forums for several years, it's about time he got some attention here on the front of the site.
So, what were you building when YOU were 14 or 15 years old? Me, I was building model cars… didn't find out about fusion until several years later…
Let us all raise a glass to Taylor, who has elevated the level of teenage geekdom to heights that can only be imagined by your average teen hacker.
I guess Taylor's glass will have to be root beer for a few more years..
–PS