NOOSA District State High School Year 12 student Matthew Craigie received the opportunity to travel to Boston in the United States for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research Science Institute (RSI) program during term three.
Matthew joined 80 of the top young scientists from around the world in the program, designed to provide enthusiastic science students with access to a real world science research environment.
Matthew spent the first week in Boston learning his way around the MIT campus and networking with some of MIT’s students and professors, as well as meeting his RSI student peers.
Matthew worked in the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics within the grounds of Harvard University for five weeks under the mentorship of Dr Slepian and Dr Eisenstein.
The focus of Matthew’s project was calculating the baryon-dark matter relative velocity within the Milky Way as a result of Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations.
“Working in a real laboratory, especially one as prestigious as the Harvard CfA, was absolutely phenomenal. Experiencing a true research environment surrounded by scientists leading the world in their respective fields was unforgettable,” Matthew said.
All students enrolled in the program were required to produce a scientific paper on their work to the standard of a paper published in a scientific journal by the conclusion of the five weeks and they reported their findings in a presentation to their peers.
Matthew was selected as one of the top 10 oral presentations, which allowed him to present again in front of an audience of over 300, including renowned scientists.
“This program has been invaluable, and the experiences and connections I’ve gained will be so useful in a future scientific career. I now have friends from Bulgaria to Singapore, a range of scientific contacts at Harvard and MIT, and experiences in a leading research science centre in the United States,” Matthew said.
Matthew was supported and sponsored by the local community, including the Cooroy Rotary Club, Cooroy-Pomona Lions Club, Tewantin-Noosa RSL and the Thursday Girls, who all provided financial assistance.
Matthew was the recipient of the Peter Doherty Outstanding Senior STEM Award, which is awarded to 15 high school students across Queensland in recognition of outstanding achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
