‘Since the story of those in power throughout history is so
S Y M P O S I U M S C I E N C E
often a story of men, it was significant that a woman was
chosen as this Symposium’s opening speaker’
The Symposium also included seminars given by Dulwich College teachers. Alfie Curry (Year 12) attended two that saw how the day’s theme could be applied to scientific concepts A t first glance, the theme of ‘power’ perhaps looks as if it lends itself more to the humanities. But it is easy to forget that power has a scientific meaning – the rate of transfer of energy. It is this sort of power that was discussed by Dr Galloni in her talk entitled ‘Fusion Power.’ Fusion is the method by which the sun gets its energy, and, since it leaves no harmful waste, it offers a possible solution to the world’s energy problems. It involves fusing lighter elements to form
Below : Jo Brand addresses the Upper School Symposium and Martin Rowson leads a caricature workshop.
larger elements, which releases energy. Generally, Hydrogen isotopes, such as Deuterium and Tritium, are fused to form Helium. Dr Galloni described the two most promising methods for obtaining industrial scale fusion: magnetic and inertial confinement. Magnetic confinement fusion uses magnetic fields to contain super- heated plasma, the collisions in which will cause fusion reactions. A huge step in this field will come in 2019 when the ITER reactor in France is completed. This aims to demonstrate that more energy can be gained from fusion than is put in – a significant step to allow it to become an energy resource. Inertial confinement fusion involves compressing and heating a fuel cell containing Deuterium and Tritium in order to initiate fusion, achieved by using high-energy laser beams. The largest inertial confinement experiment is the NIF in the US. ‘The power to change the world: the remarkable history of the transistor,’ by Mr Whittaker interpreted power in a different way. The transistor is arguably the most powerful invention of the modern age, but not because it converts a large number of joules per second. Thousands of this electrical component are in every computer, underpinning the whole of modern life. A transistor’s power stems from the way it can be used as an electrical switch: current can only flow across two of its terminals if there is a voltage on its third. It can also be used to amplify a signal. Mr Whittaker’s talk started with the cathode ray tube that led onto thermionic valves, the forerunner of the transistor. He went on to tell the story of its invention by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley in 1947. Finally, its use in computing was demonstrated through a description of AND and NAND logic gates.
‘The transistor is arguably the most powerful invention of the modern age’
Blair, with his signature ears and teeth, to demonstrate how this can allow cartoonists to reapply the features of public figures to animals and inanimate objects, in the service of the lampooning. He showed us the development of the ‘Cleggnochio’ character, as an illustration of how to develop a memorable representation of a politician who is distinctly unmemorable in both appearance and personality. But perhaps the most revealing story Rowson told was that of the piece that won him the 2002 Political
Cartoon of the Year Award. In the aftermath of its publication, The Guardian received myriad complaints from people who apparently found a depiction of Tony Blair and George Bush’s bottoms more offensive than the unjust war these men were inflicting on hundreds of thousands of innocent people. This, Rowson said, ‘shows how easy satire can be’, and how crucial his role is, in ruthlessly exposing to the public in the clearest terms the shortcomings of those who exercise power over us.
27
26
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs