Taylorian

10

NEWS

Imperial College Science Competition We finished runners-up in a bio-engineering competition hosted by Imperial College London and aimed at A-Level students across the UK. We chose to tackle stress – one of the 21st Century’s most prominent problems – and engineered a device to treat mild tachycardia (high heart rate). After delivering a pitch to Imperial academics about its benefits to the medical industry, we were delighted to be informed that we had finished as runners-up. This was a great moment for us, and we now look forward to developing the idea by creating a prototype. We would like to thank Mrs Stuteley for all her support. Samay Kachalia (Divs) Team: Samay Kachalia, Rayyan Taha, Noah West, Xander Mardle.

2xford 8niYersity (ssay Competitions Last summer I was awarded prizes in two essay competitions run by St Hugh’s College, Oxford. In my entry to the Julia Wood History Competition (for which I was awarded Fourth Prize), I investigated how the Supreme Court’s undisturbed memory of Reconstruction impacted their rulings. My submission to the Mary Renault Classical Reception Competition (which was Highly Commended) concerned the reception of Tacitus’s Germania , an ancient text which sparked fierce debate between fifteenth-century Italian and German humanists concerning their relative superiority, contributing to the rise of nationalism in Western Europe. Indeed, at the dawn of the Third Reich, Tacitus’s reference to the purity of the Ancient German people was used to justify antisemitism, leading to its reputation as “a most dangerous book”. Tilak Patel (U6th)

8pper 6ixth )ormer Attends House of Lords Last summer I entered the Supporters of Nuclear Energy Silver Jubilee essay competition and finished runner-up. The question was: The date is 2073 and your essay tells the story of what has happened in the fifty years since the British Government finally started to take on board the superior benefits of nuclear energy... Part of my research included reading Arthur Turrell’s The Star Builders, which highlighted some fascinating solutions to our energy problems; for example, thorium fission can reduce waste by a factor of 10,000. Nuclear energy is, I believe, imminent, thanks to AI and other rapidly advancing technologies. There is much scope for optimism. As runner-up, I was invited to the House of Lords where I had the opportunity to meet and listen to leaders in the field of nuclear energy. Shaan Fisher (U6th)

(xeter 8niYersity Ecology Essay Competition

This year Sohan Desai won an ecology essay competition run by the University of Exeter, which focused on the timely issue of how humans’ eating habits have affected the environment.

Public Speaking Competition

On Friday 22nd March both Benyamin Ahmed and Rien Dattani represented the school in the Worshipful Company of Educators Public Speaking Competition. Benyamin launched a defence of procrastination, while Rien discussed whether doctors should be allowed to strike. Both boys performed incredibly well in a highly competitive field of both independent and state schools across London. Benyamin was ultimately awarded the runner-up prize.