A 14-year-old South African, Luke Taylor, has been selected as one of 60 top young scientists in the inaugural Google Science Fair.
Taylor, a Grade Nine learner at the German International School of Cape Town, competed against over 7 500 entrants from more than 90 countries, to become one of only 60 semi-finalists.
The Google Science Fair targets students between the ages of 13 and 18 from around the world. Entrants submitted their science projects on a Google site in order to compete for internships, scholarships and other prizes.
Taylor describes himself as a “robotics junkie” who is passionate about computer science and artificial intelligence. His project, “Programming in Pure English”, aims to help robots understand commands written in natural human language.
“I'm proud to put Africa on the map by making the semi-finals,” says Taylor. “It is my dream to win a scholarship one day that will allow me to study at a top university and connect with the most brilliant minds that will take robotics into the future.”
Communications manager for Google Sub-Saharan Africa Julie Taylor says: “We're delighted to have a South African student in the semi-finals - and what's more, Luke is one of only two young scientists selected from the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. We wish him the very best of luck.”
The Google Science Fair was launched on 11 January, and judges will choose five finalists in each category. The public will, however, also vote for the People's Choice Award. The team or individual with the most votes will win the People's Choice Award and a $10 000 scholarship.
The 15 global finalists will be announced on 23 May, and will be flown out to Google's headquarters in California for the final round of judging conducted by Google's panel of renowned scientists and innovators on 11 July.
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