13 year-old Jackson Oswalt, of Memphis, Tennessee became the youngest person to build a functioning fusion reactor last year.
After reading about a 14 year-old named Taylor Wilson who completed the difficult task in Arkansas in 2008, Jackson determined to beat the record. He then proceeded to gather the supplies necessary to build a machine capable of releasing measurable fusion energy through smashing atoms together inside a hot plasma.
He transformed his old playroom into a laboratory, with some help from his parents, who put up 10 grand towards his science project! As always, a scientist requires ample funding.... Using knowledge and schematics gained from an online physics forum called the Open Source Fusor Research Consortium, and parts bought off of ebay and in some cases self-modified, Jackson began the painstaking assembly process, learning a great deal through trial and error.
After a year of dedicated work, on Jan. 19, 2018 Jackson’s reactor successfully combined atoms of deuterium gas in its plasma core, causing the detectable ejection of neutrons. The successful fusion was recorded and verified, making Jackson a world-record holder on top of his impressive achievement.