Congratulations to Year 8 pupil, Alishba Khalid who was placed in the top 10 out of 500 finalists across the country in the GSK Young Scientist of the Year 2018 competition. Alishba also won the runner-up prize in the Junior Science Category, where she was invited to present her research about treating heart disease at the recent Big Bang Fair at the NEC in Birmingham.

The Big Bang UK Young Scientist competition aims to recognise and reward young people's achievements in all areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and provide them with the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in project-based work.

Alishba said: “I was motivated to research heart disease as this is a condition my grandfather has been suffering with. After a year of research I developed a preventative drug and a surgical technique for A and E situations. The Big Bang Fair was a great platform to showcase my project, it was an amazing event with an extensive range of science events and performances.

I also had the opportunity to meet representatives from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, who are eager to fund my project and facilitate it so it can progress in terms of development. I hope to further my research and help the people struggling with this disease.”

Mrs Wathen, Head of Biology adds: “We are very proud of Alishba’s achievements. She has spent several years developing this project. Hopefully Imperial College London will help develop this further and move it towards clinical trials. This is an amazing accomplishment for a Year 8 student. We look forward to seeing Alishba’s interest in medicine develop as she moves up through the Senior School.”