The Lower 6th Science Committee Trip to Eton
The Etonians gave two of the lectures; the first lecture drew from both biology and philosophy and looked into whether or not human beings had free will. This was a fascinating topic and we learned that before one decides to do an action, for example to move one’s arm, the brain is already prepared for the action to take place. Therefore, it is argued that one, instead of deciding to do the action is probably deciding not to do the action for which the brain has already prepared.
The second lecture was physics-based concerning black holes within the universe. We learned that a black hole consisted of two boundaries: one where matter can enter and escape, and the second where matter can enter but can never escape. Interestingly, we learned that if a human were to enter they would be ripped apart by the sheer strength of the forces.
After this lecture we had a short break, where we were lucky enough to get to meet the Eton Science Committee and discuss the many questions that had arisen from the lectures. Then we were taken to the Science Lecture Hall where we enjoyed two further lectures given by professors from Imperial College, London. These lectures involved the bio-engineering of synthetic materials and we heard about the amino acids of genes and also we learned about the possibilities of entering a career in this field.
The Lower 6th Science Committee thoroughly enjoyed the evening and we all felt that we had gained enormously from the varied and interesting programme of lectures.
Lydia Thompson
