THREE St Cyres students have beaten off more than 200 applicants to be awarded a Nuffield Bursary.

Safwan Iqbal, Ewan Salter and Martin Sharratt were among the 68 A Level students awarded a Nuffield Bursary this year.

The students carried out original research over their summer holiday and then wrote up their findings before presenting them to an audience at Techniquest. The audience included the Nobel Prize winner Professor, Sir Martin Evans, who pioneered research into stem cells. He even brought along his Nobel medal to the event.

Safwan was based at the Wales Heart Research Institute and carried out research into how neutrophil volume affects the number of microbes that are able to phagocytose. This will help in understanding of how the immune system fights pathogens.

Ewan carried out a range of techniques at the nephrology department of the Heath Hospital. He researched micro RNA and their potential as a biomarker for chronic kidney disease.

Martin was based at Cardiff University School of Biosciences and researched the distribution of dog parasites in the parks of South Wales, contributing to a national survey of the incidence of parasites.

The students were able to explain their findings to Sir Martin - a phenomenal achievement. Students in Year 12 can apply for next year's Nuffield Bursaries early in 2015.