Young Lancashire scientist set to represent Britain in contest

1:52pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

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A LANCASHIRE student faces the 'experience of a lifetime' after being selected to represent Britain in an international physics competition.

Harry Eakins, from Preston, credits his scholarship to Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School (QEGS) in Blackburn as the reason he has got the chance to take part in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Vietnam this July.

Harry, 17, joined the West Park Road school in sixth form under the Ogden Trust Science Scholarship scheme.

The scholarship aims to help able state-educated students who wish to pursue a career in the sciences - particularly maths and physics - to benefit from attending an independent school sixth form, and pays up to 100 per cent of fees.

Harry started his secondary education at a grammar school but financial trouble meant he had to move to a state school in Broughton after two years.

He said the Ogden Trust had allowed him to pursue his flair for physics more than he would have been able to at his previous school.

His place is funded partly by the Ogden Trust and J R Taylor, the St Annes-on-Sea department store.

"The college I would have otherwise gone to didn't have the extra-curricular physics activities I can do at QEGS, such as an engineering scheme," Harry said.

"And I definitely wouldn't have got the chance to enter the olympiad."

Harry had to complete a gruelling four-day "training camp" in Oxford in March as part of the olympiad selection process, and he and four others were chosen out of 15 talented young scientists across the country.

Harry, who is studying for maths, further maths, physics and German A-levels and plans to study electrical engineering at university, said: "I was surprised to make it after assessing the ability of the others there, and the exams were pretty difficult, so I was really pleased to be selected."

The IPhO, is from July 20 to 29 in Hanoi. Now in its 39th year, the event has teams from 50 countries competing to show their abilities in physics.

Harry and the rest of the team will face two, five-hour exams, but will also have opportunities to explore the area and meet other students.

"I've never been out of Europe, so I can't wait," said Harry, who lives with his mum Ann and brothers Tyler, 11, and Bradley, six.

"The exams will be very difficult, covering topics we don't do on the curriculum such as calculus, but there'll be excursions too."

QEGS headmaster Simon Corns said: "This is a quite magnificent achievement and going to Vietnam for the Olympiad will be the experience of a lifetime for Harry."