Triple Helix Conference

Science in society, Cambridge conference

On the 13th and 14th of February, I attended the Triple Helix conference 2013 at Newnham College, Cambridge. Website for the conference- http://tthssc2013.weebly.com/.

I found out about the conference from a pupil at my school in the year above, whom attended the previous year and was enthusiastic to encourage me to go...I can see why she was so eager after attending, myself! Science has always been my greatest passion, so it was an obvious decision to register asap- and, of course, encourage my peers to look into it. 

As I arrived in Cambridge, I was gazed awe at the wonderful architecture and was delighted to see so many bikes about- a keen cyclist myself, and most interested in Cambridge for my studies. The town centre was a near perfect size: not too big, not too small; although my friend and I did manage to get quite lost in our desperation to find a chip shop, typical. 

Day 1- Technology
On arrival at Newnham hall, we were handed our conference packs: editions of the Triple Helix magazine, quick-fire questions and a name tag. I was pleasantly surprised, I must admit, that there were not that many people in total attending- a select bunch of teenagers equally as 'geeky' as myself. We discussed in small groups a selection of the questions handed to us upon arrival before joining with the other groups as a whole to report back; it was then I realised that I would enjoy the days there- discussions are one of my favourite activities.
Chris Mannerings: 'Technology in education/development' was our first talk- where we were encouraged to remember our ability as humans to think, our "best ability". The main focus was on mobile phones and other types of technology and their effect on development (e.g. activism like the Arab Spring, education like MoMaths, and economics like M-PESA). We also touched on healthcare, sanitation, disease, and how technology can help. This was certainly an eye-opener.
Prof Peter Gruthie gave the next talk, explaining sustainable development and how needs are different in difference places (e.g. in developing countries). This really did make me realise how subjective technologies are in aiding development.
Krishna Mahbubani: 'Biotechnology in genetic modification and human enhancement' was our last talk before lunch, so the majority were losing concentration - but this speaker really stood out to me, helped greatly by her contagious enthusiasm. We followed her path in developing an oral vaccine; of particular interest to me, wanting to study Medicine. It was refreshing to see a problem identified, worked on as a team and eventually sold on as an idea.
After lunch and the 'poster session', we were informed of the careers in science- I myself, greatly surprised with the range of career prospects post-doc. Although this did just confirm my desire to study medicine- I concluded that I belonged not with test tubes, but with people!
The challenge of a debate was thrown at us next- a challenge because we were fighting our side as a group, and not necessarily the side that we agreed with personally.It was quite heated, but nevertheless enjoyable.
Day 2- Mental Health
Following the discussion ice-breaker (same to previous day) to include the people who had not attended the first day, we were made audience to a panel discussion.
Student mental health was the topic of one speaker- my friend frequently looking accusingly over at me at any mention of stress, anxiety or depression. Jokes aside, I did ponder at whether I would be mentally stable enough to survive the pressures of studying at Cambridge...Of course, not enough to put me off. I was very impressed with the support system that the university had in place for students- something I count quite highly in reasons to apply to Cambridge now. We were left with the message of "expect change" for university.
Next, we learned about learning difficulties- or as possibly concluded, learning differences. The education system is built with one ideal learning style in mind, purely for the ease of it. However there is great variation, and Cambridge has a wide range of services to provide for anyone struggling or with a specific learning disability.
Anthropology was the topic of the next speaker- looking into Alzheimer's. I found this entirely fascinating, a brilliant speaker. I will not go into detail for fear that I cannot put over the desired information. It was food for thought- how has modern society meant that more elderly people have the disease than earlier? This was of particular interest as I am currently writing a research paper on exercise's effect on the brain and how it can be used to help with dementia.
After lunch and the poster session, we were given a talk on applying to Cambridge- certainly the most informative activity of the conference for me. I will not try to recreate or summarise my notes as I got rather excited when scribbling down every word. All I can say is that Cambridge seems like the perfect option for me and I honestly cannot wait to apply.
An interesting activity followed- developing a policy for ADHD in schools. We were divided into groups such as teachers, parents, scientists etc and had to outline a policy for tackling the problems that can arise from ADHD children. I enjoyed this, but realised how complicated things like this get when looked at in depth.

I met some amazing people: speakers and my peers from the UK and USA. I learned a great deal. And I developed many skills. Overall, an invaluable experience for me.