The 17-year-old Illawarra Grammar School year 12 student plans to use the grant to attend a prestigious course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Research Science Institute.

Parliamentary Secretary for Education and the Illawarra, Gareth Ward praised the young Mangerton inventor.

“Macinley Butson is a remarkable young woman – she is the 2018 NSW Young Australian of the Year, a prolific inventor and one of the state’s brightest young minds,” he said.

“Macinley won first place in the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair last year for her development of a radiation shield, called ‘SMART Armour’, used by breast cancer patients to protect their non-treated breast during radiotherapy treatment.

“I’m delighted to announce her as the first to receive a grant from our new Supporting Young Scientists Program.”

Acting NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer Chris Armstrong said the new program was backing the state’s best young scientists to pursue STEM-related careers.

Read more: More international success for teenage Mangerton scientist Macinley Butson

“We’re providing funding to support NSW high school students to participate in prestigious STEM-related competitions, events and courses, both in Australia and internationally,” Dr Armstrong said.

“With industry and the research sector embracing digital and technological advancement at an astonishing rate, it’s really important that we start to prepare our next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians as early as possible.”