Steven Udotong, a junior at Cinnaminson High School, is building a nuclear reactor in his home after spending a week abroad this past summer.
Udotong is one of five boys in a first generation Nigerian-American family. He has three older brothers who graduated from the high school and a younger brother who goes to school in the district.
Steven was accepted into the Yale Young Global Scholars Program, which enabled him to take part in an engineering workshop in Singapore this past summer.
“200 people from around the world, rising sophomores and juniors in high school, were invited to the Yale Singapore campus,” Udotong said.
“They immersed us with other students who were really successful. The trip there changed me a lot. I went to three, two-hour classes each day for a week.”
Udotong was one of three students from New Jersey who went to Singapore.
“I think putting yourself in an environment completely different from the high school one is important, Udotong said of his trip to Singapore. “It was a lot of work and it showed me all the work you have to do in college. This is easy right now.”
“So far I’ve been motivated by family members. I’m interested in sustainable energy, alternative sources aside from coal we’ve been using in factories.”
Udotong has already spent 20-30 man hours on the project and still has a lot more to accomplish.
“I would like to get it done this school year. I think a couple more months of work is needed for this.”
“Most of the people I tell are like, ‘Wow, you’re building a nuclear fusor,’ even if they don’t know anything about it.”
Udotong has not decided on where he will attend college, but knows what he wants to study.
“I know that when I go to college I want to get a science-based degree. Something centered around scientific research.”
Udotong plans to enter his reactor in competitions and showcases once it is complete.
He acquired the guidelines for building the reactor online and has also received plenty of guidance and feedback online.
“There’s a website called fusor.net (The Open Source Fusor Research Consortium). It’s basically a consortium of people who’ve built fusors like this one. They show off what they’ve built and help others who are building them now.”
Udotong has set up a page on Generosity that outlines his project and the parts he still needs. If you wish to donate to his project you can do so on the page. He is $210 away from his goal.
Follow Cinn City News for all the news stories in and around Cinnaminson, including exclusive coverage of Pirates sports at the high school and in-town levels. We are on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to sign up for our daily newsletter on the homepage.
