Talented young Mangerton inventor Macinley Butson is living up to the hype of being a rising star in the world of science.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
So much so organisers of TEDx Youth Sydney have invited the 16-year-old to present at the event at Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday, September 6.
Macinley will be the youngest presenter at TEDx Youth, a platform for young change makers, thinkers, innovators, activists and entrepreneurs between the ages of 16 and 26 to discuss ideas worth spreading.
‘’It’s pretty cool. I’m a little bit nervous but I think it is a really great opportunity,’’ Macinley told the Mercury.
‘’I think TEDx is such a great platform for people like me and speakers who may not normally get their voice out to really be heard.’’
Like TED, TEDx Youth Sydney covers almost all topics including science, business and global issues, covered with a youth focus.
I’m excited to be involved in an event which has so many amazing young people.
- Macinley Butson
The opportunity to present for Macinley comes on the back of the success the Year 11 The Illawarra Grammar School (TIGS) student had earlier this year when she made history by becoming the first Australian to win a top prize in the prestigious INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair 2017.
Macinley was named First Award winner in the Translational Medical Science category for her Smart Armour project, which looks at improving outcomes for radiotherapy breast cancer patients.
Macinley also represented Australia at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition in Sweden, only returning home last Saturday.
‘’I looked at creating a device for developing communities which is able to create both possible filtered water safe for drinking and also medical grade sterile water which is to be used in hospitals and clinics,’’ she said.
‘’This was all done in a self-sustainable device called The Solar System.’’
Macinley isn’t the only TIGS student presenting at TEDx on Wednesday. TIGS class of 2015 student Titus Grenyer will also feature at the Sydney event.
Grenyer is nowadays studying organ at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has performed recitals at Wollongong Town Hall and also at St Andrew’s Cathedral, University of Sydney’s Great Hall and St James King Street Church.
Macinley said rehearsals on Monday were a ‘’little difficult’’ but she was looking forward to the big day on Wednesday.
‘’I’m excited to be involved in an event which has so many amazing young people,’’ she said.
‘’I hope it encourages more young people to get involved in STEM. There are so many opportunities and competitions out there for young people. They just need to grab them.’’
