Grant McNaughton by Mark Anderson

Top Young Scientist discusses Science with Government Officials

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Board of Trustees Student Rep, Grant McNaughton, Year 12, won a Treasury Scholarship at the Sir Paul Callaghan National Eureka! Science Symposium in Wellington, late last year. In February he was invited to Wellington to discuss with senior government officials, ways to improve New Zealand's living standards.  

Grant believes a greater understanding of science is the key to improving the quality of life for Kiwis. His winning presentation was judged to have the most potential to improve the living standards of New Zealanders and focused on the importance of scientific literacy. "Learning sciences creates minds which are objective and critical, and having these lenses to see the world is very useful in everyday life."  

As representatives of Eureka, which is focussed on increasing engagement in science, officials were interested in hearing the views of young people. 

The Alumni Conference involved internal discussion about the future of Eureka, and what the roles for Alumni, like Grant will be. A key focus will be on increasing engagement with people, and providing ways for those who are engaged in science to provide a two way conversation with scientists and the general public. 

 Grant met with representatives from the Treasury, Ministry of Education, Innovation, Patent Office and government ministers. His tips for the Prime Minister include: Teach the ideals of science rather than just the facts, put more funding into science education, put more funding into science research and New Zealand needs to pull its weight in science research.