CERN project student achieves first class results

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A Swansea University Physics student who was chosen to work on a project at the groundbreaking European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva has achieved first class results despite suffering a chronic health condition.

Silvia NapoliTwenty four year old Silvia Napoli has graduated from Swansea University’s College of Science with a First Class MPhys in Physics and has also been awarded the WC Price Prize for the best student in experimental physics.

Silvia, who is from Turin in Italy, moved to Swansea to do her ‘A’ levels and stayed on to study physics at Swansea University.  Her proud parents travelled from Turin to join her at her at her graduation ceremony at the Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall.

Silvia said: “Swansea’s University’s involvement with the CERN project was one of the reasons that I choose to study here. Last summer I worked as an intern with the ALPHA anti-hydrogen project led by Professor Mike Charlton which resulted in my being a co-author of a paper published in the prestigious Nature journal which announced the first discovery of a substructure of anti-hydrogen.

“Whilst my health problems do impact on some aspects of my work, I am determined that they will not be a barrier to success.”

Professor Simon Hands, Director of Research for the College of Science said:  “Silvia is an outstanding student and has consistently performed well throughout her time at Swansea despite her health problems.  Now she is heading to the University of Stockholm to undertake her PhD studies and I wish her all the very best of luck – she has a very bright future ahead of her.”

For more on Swansea Summer Degree and Award Congregations 2012 (Monday, July 16 – Friday, July 20) and details of this year’s Honorary Awards and Distinguished Teaching Awards, visit www.swansea.ac.uk/graduation/


For more information about the research project that Silvia contributed to please visit http://www.swan.ac.uk/science/news/swanseaphysicistsgroundbreakingresearchreceivesinternationalnewscoverage.php

For more information, please contact Delyth Purchase, Swansea University Public Relations Office, Tel: 01792 513022 , or email: d.purchase@swansea.ac.uk