Jason Z.'s dreams of becoming a rocket scientist have reached new heights. The Grade 11 student, who is the current president of Morven's rocketry and drone clubs, will present his three-metre tall rocket at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in L.A., the world’s largest high school STEM competition.

For the lay-person, just getting a home-built rocket off the ground is cause for celebration, but Jason has aimed higher... and higher. His rapid-response rocket shoots 3km into the sky and launches a custom-built drone, designed to aid firefighters in battling wildfires. 

This solves a unique problem with current drone technology - battery life. 

Jason told CTV News, "The problem with just making a big drone is that a drone needs battery and flying it into a forest wastes a lot of battery life and it's also very slow. The specialty of my project is how I put the rocket and the drone together to get this thing to be very fast and also very safe."

Jason's academic record is STEM-heavy with courses in AP physics, computer science and chemistry. Outside of school, he's worked with the UBC Rocket team. 

Youth Science Canada selected Jason as one of eight high school students across the country to represent the country at the international science fair, coming up in May. 

"These students exemplify the best of Canadian ingenuity and the spirit of scientific inquiry. We are confident that their pioneering projects will compete globally and contribute to solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges," Youth Science Canada said in a press release.

Students from over 80 countries will attend the fair and vie for $9 million in awards and scholarships.

Read more about Jason's project and how he got started in rocketry, in the North Shore News or watch the clip below to see Jason featured on CTV Vancouver.

Featured image courtesy of Paul McGrath/North Shore News