Nick's drug idea's a fair sensation

    A DOVER Grammar School pupil has won a top award and international recognition for his science research project at the National Science Fair.

BREAKTHROUGH: Schoolboy Nick Hayward

    As reported in last week's Mercury, Nick Hayward, 18, who lives at Kingsdown and is head prefect of Dover Boys' Grammar School, was invited to the science fair to demonstrate his successful drug development procedure which he devised while undertaking a five week research project with Pfizer.
    At the fair, held at the Royal Society in London, he was one of two students to be awarded the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Prize.
    He has also been chosen to represent Britain at the 53rd International Science and Engineering Fair in Louisville, Kentucky, in May with support from Intel.
    Officially, Nick's project "researched a pioneering method of amide reduction, screened reactions using many analytical methods, automation chemistry and robotics and contributed to frontier organic synthesis".
    In plainer English, Nick came up with a revolutionary method for carrying out one of the steps of drug development from raw material to drug substance. It is a new pharmaceutical process with both financial and environmental benefits.
    As far as we know, the new chemical process I achieved had never been successfully performed in the world before," he said,
    What made his achievement even more amazing was that he succeeded where older and more experienced university graduates had failed.
    Normally, Pfizer would not take on a student as young as Nick for such a project - It's usually a post graduate placement, or taken by someone studying for a science degree.
    But they were impressed with his references and qualifications and took him on, funded by a Nuffield Science Bursary.
    The prizes at the National Science Fair were presented by Nobel Laureate Dr Tim Hunt to 15 young people at a reception attended by eminent scientists, educationalists and government representatives.
    The winners were selected from 36 outstanding science projects exhibiting at the fair.
    Dr Hunt commented: "The standard and range of projects was impressive and it was good to see so many young people engaging enthusiastically in science."
    Dr Peter Briggs, chief executive of the British Association which organised the fair, was equally impressed with participants
    "The BA believes in the importance of encouraging young people to gain real scientific and technological experience through involvement in project work.
    "Those we have chosen to represent the OK at international events are just the lip of an iceberg of thousands of participants in the BA's CREST Awards, the Nuffield Foundation Bursary scheme and other initiatives.
    "I'm sure that they will be excellent ambassadors for our country and will enjoy the opportunities they will have to experience the international dimensions of science and technology at first hand,"