Taylor Wilson
Taylor Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 7, 1994 Texarkana, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Nuclear physicist, science advocate |
| Known for | Achieving nuclear fusion at age 14; developing compact radiation detection devices; designing modular nuclear fission reactors |
Taylor Wilson (born May 7, 1994) is an American nuclear physicist and advocate for science. At the age of 14, he successfully conducted controlled nuclear fusion and later engineered a compact radiation detection device aimed at improving airport security measures. His work primarily targets the advancement of nuclear medicine and the creation of modular power reactor systems.
Personal life and education
Wilson was born in 1994 in Texarkana, Arkansas, to Kenneth, who owns a Coca-Cola bottling company, and Tiffany Wilson, a former yoga instructor. Initially interested in rocketry and space exploration, he shifted his focus to nuclear science by the age of 10. He attributes much of his success to strong family support and currently lives in Reno, Nevada.
In June 2012, Wilson was awarded a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship for two years, which required him to pause his college education during that time. By 2017, he became a member of the Helena Group, a think tank concentrating on projects with global impact.
Fusion reactor
In 2008, Wilson achieved nuclear fusion by reaching temperatures approximately forty times hotter than the sun using an inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) device—a variation of the fusor originally developed by Philo T. Farnsworth in 1964.
Nuclear detection
At the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2010, Wilson earned several awards for his project titled "Fission Vision: The Detection of Prompt and Delayed Induced Fission Gamma Radiation," which focused on identifying proliferated nuclear materials.
Competing against 1,500 participants at the 2011 Intel Fair in Los Angeles, he secured a $50,000 prize for his radiation detector project called “Countering Nuclear Terrorism: Novel Active and Passive Techniques for Detecting Nuclear Threats.” This project received First Place in Physics and Astronomy, Best of Category, and the Intel Young Scientist Award. Wilson’s goal is to rapidly implement these detectors at U.S. ports to enhance counterterrorism efforts.
Federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Energy have provided funding to support his research into affordable Cherenkov radiation detectors.
Fission reactor
During TED 2013, Wilson unveiled designs for compact, subterranean nuclear fission reactors that operate independently and utilize down-blended uranium and plutonium sourced from retired nuclear weaponry, emphasizing their tactical advantages.
In popular culture
Wilson's life story is chronicled in the biography The Boy Who Played with Fusion by Tom Clynes (2015), which has had its film adaptation rights acquired by 20th Century Fox.