LECTURES AND TALKS
Our speaker programme this year has covered a wide and fascinating range of topics , with talks and workshops delivered by key figures from the worlds of cybersecurity , climate action , art history , conflict resolution and science communication . We were also delighted to host a poetry reading by our Head of ToK , Neetha Kunaratnam , upon the launch of his second book , Cauc / asian .
HOW THE EARTH SHAPED HUMAN HISTORY : PROFESSOR LEWIS DARTNELL
Lewis Dartnell is Professor of Science Communication at the University of Westminster and a prolific science writer . Sevenoaks School was glad to welcome him to speak to Year 9 and the Sixth Form , and to give a public lecture on ‘ How the Earth shaped human history ’.
I was invited to join his workshop , which focused on astrobiology and how life on other planets could be detected . Initially , we discussed what makes a living organism , then conditions for survival and methods of testing life elsewhere , for example , the analysis of amino acids or carbon dioxide levels . It was interesting to learn how oxygen may not be as impactful for life , as for half of the Earth ’ s existence , oxygen levels were very low , and many organisms did not require oxygen . An eye-opening part of the workshop for many of us was dissecting a classic textbook acronym ‘ MRS GREN ’ for what makes a living organism . Having dissected it , we realised that a lot of the factors depend upon each other , such as nutrition leading to growth or causing excretion , and movement is required in reproduction etc . This helped us to think more critically about what we learn at school . Overall , the interactive nature of the workshop , coupled with Dartnell ’ s expertise on the topic , made for a fascinating learning experience about life elsewhere .
Later , I went to the lecture , which was about how many historical events were shaped by geology and other natural processes . Having taken IGCSE Geography , it was intriguing to learn how US and UK election voting patterns correlated with tectonic movements and the presence of old rock . Other examples included why Brazil speaks Portuguese in a primarily Spanish-speaking continent – apparently wind movements caused Portuguese travellers to ‘ discover ’ Brazil – or how human evolution in East Africa was driven by geological movements . Overall , it was fantastic to learn about how geology has helped shaped past and current events , but also how the future may be shaped by the presence of life on other planets , such as Mars .
Abishaik Gnanenthiran , Upper Sixth
CYBERSECURITY : TECHNOLOGICAL RISKS AND RESILIENCE : BILL MEW
One of the world ’ s top campaigners for digital ethics and a well-respected figure in the field of data security , Bill Mew is an Old Sennockian ( OS 1986 ) and we had the pleasure of welcoming him back to school for two presentations .
In a Sixth Form workshop on social media regulation and holding big tech to account , he discussed the dangers of data collection by social media companies , and the importance of laws which protect user privacy . When asked why data privacy matters – particularly for the ordinary majority , who have nothing to hide – Bill made the following comparison : why should you care about freedom of speech , even if you have nothing provocative to say ? Just as every
10 ACADEMIC REVIEW