Waikanae Beach youth Cullen Tran has been selected to represent New Zealand at the London International Youth Science Forum.
Cullen, 17, who is starting Year 13 at Scots College this year, gained selection after attending a Rotary National Science and Technology Forum hosted in Auckland by the University of Auckland, Auckland University of Technology, and Massey University.
Attending the Auckland forum had been on Cullen's radar for a few years.
"One of my science teachers told me to keep an eye out for the opportunity.
"And then when it came up this year one of my teacher's at Scots College gave me the application form and said she thought I would be the ideal student to go."
Cullen got in touch with the Waikanae Rotary Club, had an interview with Richard Campbell, before being selected along with another student, Kiera Weber-Sparrow, from Waikanae, to go up to Auckland.
The pair were among 174 students who attended the forum held over two weeks.
Cullen Tran. Photo / David Haxton
The forum featured various lectures and modules at the three universities and visits to various companies such as TVNZ, Beca Engineering, Landcare Research.
He said the London forum was held in July every year although it might be deferred until next year because of Covid-19.
"It's a 15-day forum, where about 500 students attend from about 70 different countries, and you get to visit all the different laboratories at Cambridge and Oxford and a few other universities.
"It's similar to the forum here but on a much bigger scale.
"I really hope I can go at some point hopefully. I think next year would be realistic."
If the forum doesn't go ahead the pair could use the award as a scholarship to pay for university course fees.