A TAUNTON student has won a prize after taking part in a science competition in Oxford.

Marco Luthra, a Chemistry, Biology, and Psychology student at Richard Huish College, has been awarded second prize in the ‘Unsung Heroes of Science’ video competition organised by The University of Oxford’s Hertford College.

The international competition, open to 16-18-year-olds, challenged entrants to make a two-minute video aimed at Year 6 pupils that celebrated a hero of science they thought deserved more recognition.

Marco chose to focus his entry on Narinder Singh Kapany, an Indian American Physicist who played a fundamental role in developing fibre optics.

To make an engaging video that successfully highlighted Kapany’s work, Marco commented that he “wanted to strike a good balance between using visuals and text, as that is how I like learning myself”.

All 23 shortlisted entrants were invited to a celebration day at the college at the end of June.

This involved a tour, lunch in the Old Hall, and a science-based scavenger hunt around Oxford – which Marco won.

All of the shortlisted videos, including Marco’s, can be viewed on Hertford College’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLisUC5ZtlywVT_2anU75knb4NuQH-wXkF&feature=shared