It is so difficult to describe the London International Youth Science Forum, but some of the words that come to mind are: magical, unforgettable, inspiring, humbling, incredible and enriching.

I’ve learnt more than I had expected, from aspects that I hadn’t imagined. All of the lectures that I attended were inspiring and mind-blowing, given by the top leaders on the subjects that they were talking about. All of the lecturers had had so many achievements, so many PhDs, prizes and a couple of them had even been named Sirs.

It was such an incredible opportunity to talk face to face with them, and they were all so encouraging and highly knowledgeable that it felt so strange to be talking to such incredible people. We were able to visit some of the top centers of scientific investigation and various universities, which helped me understand more on how science is carried out today and just fueled all of my desire to continue on the path of science.

On the other hand all of the participants I got to meet were full of energy and passion that just being in a roomful with such people was enough to make one love science. I am sure that some of the friendships that I developed during these two weeks will last forever, and furthermore I now have a network of passionate scientists who are willing to collaborate with each other.

The opportunities arising from that are endless. I got to learn about so many different cultures (people from 65 different countries attended the forum) the way science is viewed in many of these countries, and certain problems facing the scientific community nowadays.

One of my personal favourite days was when all of the students that had ongoing research projects could present them to us at a bazaar. I couldn’t believe the quality, creativity and the diversity of the projects that had been created by young adults. The projects ranged from monitoring pollution using snail embryos or discovering a nanovaccine for HIV to creating a new security system using advanced mathematics.  It was humbling in so many ways and it made me believe that science has a future ahead, a very bright one.

Finally, I would just like to say thank you to everyone who made these two life changing weeks possible.

Miranda Sessarego - Y 12