[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 101 (Thursday, June 23, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S4548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO TAYLOR WILSON

 Mr. HELLER. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a Nevada 
student, Taylor Wilson, who has gone above and beyond in his academic 
pursuits. Taylor built a nuclear reactor in his parents' garage and is 
1 of only 32 people in the world to achieve a nuclear fusion reaction. 
Even more impressive, he achieved this feat at only 14 years old, 
making him the youngest individual in the world to create nuclear 
fusion.
  From a young age, Taylor showed an interest in nuclear science. By 
age 10, he had already hung a periodic table in his room and memorized 
all of the atomic numbers, masses, and melting points. By age 13, he 
had set up his own nuclear laboratory in his family garage. Around this 
time, his family had heard about the Davidson Academy of Nevada in 
Reno, which educates some of the Nation's brightest and most determined 
students. Shortly thereafter, the Wilson family decided to make the 
move to the great State of Nevada and allow Taylor to attend school at 
the academy.
  Upon arrival at the Davidson Academy of Nevada, Taylor began his work 
to build a nuclear reactor. By this time, he had acquired one of the 
most extensive collections of radioactive material in the world and 
began to gather pieces for his machine to attain his goal of nuclear 
fusion. With the help of numerous mentors from the University of 
Nevada, Reno and the Davidson Academy of Nevada, Taylor was successful 
in his endeavors. Shortly after his 14th birthday, Taylor and a mentor 
loaded deuterium fuel and powered his machine, ultimately confirming 
the presence of neutrons and nuclear fusion.
  Taylor later decided his nuclear fusion machine would be best 
utilized as a bomb-sniffing application, using the fusion reactor to 
produce weapons-sniffing neutrons to scan containers as they passed 
through ports. In just a few weeks, Taylor continued his research and 
developed a concept for a device that would use a small reactor to 
indicate whether or not a weapon was inside. He was later contacted by 
the Department of Homeland Security for his innovative application.
  For the last 3 years, Taylor has led major science fairs across the 
Nation and around the world and has been awarded nine prestigious 
accolades for his work. Without a doubt, Taylor's efforts are truly 
remarkable. I am proud to have a student of such unwavering dedication 
representing Nevada and would like to extend my sincerest 
congratulations to him for his numerous awards.
  Today I wish to recognize the incredible work of one of Nevada's own, 
Taylor Wilson. I ask my colleagues to join me and all Nevadans in 
recognizing him for his many achievements, and I wish him the best of 
luck in all of his future endeavors.

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