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Highland Boy Takes Science World by Storm

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Callum Ullman-Smith proves young genius still exists with his study of Palmate newts.


Photo; Callum Ullman-Smith with best friend Smudge, playing on an x-box 360 in his family home.

A 12 year-old schoolboy is making a name for himself in the scientific world after delivering a talk to experts at a conference in Edinburgh this week. (19th of October)
Callum Ullman-Smith, age 12, gave a talk about his study of the Palmate Newt to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Symposium in Edinburgh, on Sunday.
Callum, who stated monitoring the unusual Palmate Newt population when he discovered it at the age of seven, has found fame on the BBC News, newspapers and online sites across the nation and some globally, including the New York-based online news site The Dodo.

“I feel like I’ve done something important”

For a near teenage boy this virtual fame has not gone to his head, he said: “I feel fine about it [fame], it was actually quite good fun.
“I feel known. I feel like I’ve done something important. I don’t exactly feel famous as such.
“I would like to be kind of famous. I don’t really want to be a super star, I just want to be known.”
Callum is now most defiantly ‘known’, although did not expect this fame, saying: “It was normal for us I just thought it would continue with us studying them. I never thought this would happen”. Callum and his mother Janet Ullman, who has supported him throughout the development of his research, have achieved and discovered a great amount about the Palmate newt and the newt in general through their commitment to this project, which they thought they would never get anything out of.


Photo; Callum Ullman-Smith searching for Palmate Newts in costal pools.

As a team Callum and Janet have worked exceedingly hard on this project, managing to juggle Callum’s schooling and social life as well and Janet’s job heading up the Highland Seashore Biodiversity Project, which takes up most of her free time. Callum said: “We go out once a month, every month, well we try. So we see what changes there are in the pools every month."

“I suppose it’s easy because I enjoy it”

Janet said: “I enjoy it when he [Callum] is happy, so it’s all rather enjoyable.
“There’s times when it’s a month where it’s pouring down with rain and we can’t get out, so the weather is frustrating.
“I suppose it’s easy because I enjoy it.”
Callum, who spends his time gaming when he isn’t studying News, says: “I would like to write books about prehistoric and European animals. And I want to continue studying until I have more answers than questions. I hope to one day work with bigger animals, like Rhinos, but the Palmate Newt shall always be my favourite.”

Read more about this story at;
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/372154/junior-newt-spotter-takes-findings-to-the-capital/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-29630678
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/local-lifestyle/scots-schoolboy-share-stage-top-4451173
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/environment/rock-pool-newts-put-naturalist-aged-12-in-the-academic-spotlight.25607333
https://www.thedodo.com/tag/callum%20ullman-smith




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