mas essay competition 2021

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Monetary Authority Of Singapore - Economic Society Of Singapore Essay Competition 2024

Date 08/01/2024

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Economic Society of Singapore (ESS) today launched the MAS-ESS Essay Competition 2024. To encourage debate on the future economy of Singapore, the theme for this year’s competition is “The Impact of Global Industrial Policies on Singapore’s Economy”.    2   Submissions should explore the positive and negative effects of key global industrial policies impacting the Singapore economy, and the potential policy options for Singapore to remain resilient, and attractive to businesses and investments.  3   The essay competition is open to all pre-university students studying in Singapore regardless of nationality, as well as all pre-university Singaporean students studying abroad. This includes students from Polytechnics, Centralised Institutes, International Schools, and Junior Colleges as well as pre-university full-time national servicemen. The following prizes will be awarded for the three best essays:

• First Prize:   S$3,000
• Second Prize:   S$2,000
• Third Prize:   S$1,000

4   The terms and conditions as well as entry forms for the MAS-ESS Essay Competition are available on the ESS website (http://www.ess.org.sg). The closing date for the submission of entries is 15 April 2024.

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The Goi Peace Foundation

International Essay Contest for Young People

This annual essay contest is organized in an effort to harness the energy, creativity and initiative of the world's youth in promoting a culture of peace and sustainable development. It also aims to inspire society to learn from the young minds and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the world.

* This program is an activity within the framework of UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs ( ESD for 2030 ).

Click here to send your essay online

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The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, Japan Private High School Federation Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, Nikkei Inc

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SEIKO GROUP CORPORATION, PLUS CORPORATION

For further inquiries concerning the International Essay Contest for Young People, please contact [email protected]

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Young Economist of the Year competition sponsored by KPMG

The 2024 Young Economist of the Year competition is held by Discover Economics , sponsored by KPMG. Read the press release here and view the Young Econ webpage here .

The Young Economics of the Year Competition is our annual student-based competition, to encourage students to think about current economic issues and promote the study of economic science.

The competition aims at encouraging Year 10 – Year 13 students (in England and Wales, or equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland) to produce their own ideas in analysing contemporary economic problems facing the UK and the world.

Stay tuned to find out more about the 2024 competition, and sign up to the Discover Economics newsletter here !

More information below.

Previous winners

Royal Economic Society announces Young Economist of the Year

Winners of the Young Economist of the Year competition 2022

Winners of the Young Economist of the Year 2021

Winners of the Young Economist of the Year 2020

Young economist news.

Discover Economics launches 2024 Young Economist of the Year Competition

Winner of Young Economist of the Year 2022 competition: cryptocurrency

Winner of Young Economist of the Year 2022 competition: value of education

Winner of Young Economist of the Year 2022 competition: cost of living crisis

Greater Lincolnshire: A Plan for Economic Development – overall winner of Young Economist of the Year 2022 competition

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office launches Next Generation Economics Competition

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Congratulations to the Macao-wide English Essay Competition 2021 Winners! 

A big thank you to all that have participated in this competition – for learning about the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and thinking about the impact you can make in your community. When we all work together for a better future, everyone is a winner. 

The judging panel read every one of the essays and we are very proud of all the hard work students have placed into writing their works. 

Winners are listed alphabetically.  Winners will be notified of our award ceremony date and time once details are finalized.  

Si Tou Wendy

Huang xin ni.

Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai

Lam Chan Wai

Lao chit bryan, pun chi hou, wong in seong, fong chi cheng, ho charisse, yuen lap hong william.

Pui Va Middle School

Leong Hoi Kei

Ooi shirshyn, upper primary category, li julianna.

Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School

Sherriff Autumn

The International School of Macao

Santa Rosa de Lima Chinese Section

Chang Chi Ieng

Chen jayden, chin pereira norte vitória cristal, ieong pek lam.

Hou Kong Middle School Primary Section

Choi Sio Fong

Leong sam ut, low yu tong desiree, ng pak wai sofia, tang weng lam.

The Affiliated Primary School of Lou Hau High School

Wong Sam I Madelyn

All qualifying essays were judged blind through several rounds of judging. Each essay was scored by multiple judges using the competition judging rubric.

The decision of the judging panel on the results and rankings of the contest is final. Individual inquiries concerning contest results will not be answered.

Immerse Education Essay Competition 2021: What makes a good Doctor?

Four highly motivated Grade 10 students spent a portion of their Christmas holiday writing submissions for the Immerse Education Essay Competition in the hope of winning a 100% scholarship to attend a summer course at Cambridge University in the UK.  The competition is a challenging one: entrants must pick one question from a list of eighteen controversial topics and have only 500 words to defend their answer.  Essays must be fully referenced with footnotes and bibliography.  While we all have our fingers crossed for their success, we are quite simply hugely proud of them for taking the initiative to enter this competition – well done!

Below are two entrants’ essays on this topic ordered alphabetically by name of author:

What makes a good doctor.

Being a medical professional is considered one of the noble and ancient vocations in society. However, considering the plurality of people who become doctors, there must be a plethora of ways to go about being a doctor. This raises the question – what makes a good doctor?

It appears to be universally agreed upon and that medical professionals must put the patients well-being before all else in a quest to minimise suffering. The Hippocratic oath is, despite its age, considered an ethical benchmark even today. It seems so ingrained in all our understanding that it is barely questioned by patients and doctors alike. So when people, be it doctors or patients, talk about ‘good doctors’, what do they actually expect to see from them? More often than not, one will hear the words ‘competence’ and ‘empathy’ being muttered. Although this may seem a bit simplistic, come to think of it, those concepts may well be more intertwined than meets the eye. A competent doctor arrives at a correct and timely diagnosis, initiates an adequate and effective treatment. Key to what patients and their relatives consider great consultations is that their respective concerns, ideas and expectations are addressed, respected and incorporated into the decision making. Empathy forms the missing link. It can allow for a more profound rapport to be established between doctors and patients, helping to obtain a more detailed medical history and aid diagnostics. Obedience to a certain treatment can be improved by tailoring it to a patient’s needs, which, in turn, will improve outcomes. Maintaining a patient centered approach will help decide upon an adequate treatment in the first place. It is safe to say that throughout all stages of the patient’s journey, the idea of empathy has the potential to make the difference between a doctor and a good doctor. Having said all this, it seems by no means easy to display empathy at all times. Increasing specialisation and ever more detailed knowledge and understanding of subspecialities causes ever steeper knowledge gradients to make communication between doctors and patients difficult. This in turn prevents medical professionals from being able to fully dedicate themselves to patients. The increasing availability of in part questionable information and data can both empower patients or destroy the doctor-patient relationship. Similarly, the uncontested status of doctors as ‘demigods in a white coat’ appears to slowly decrease, rendering them to be seen as service providers rather than allies at times. These are changes that affect multiple aspects of society. Therefore, I would conclude that a doctor, as a person and profession, is a reflection of society as a whole. Hence, apart from detailed knowledge and profound understanding of their scientific field, traits that make a good doctor are the same that make a good person and empathy is found at the very core of it. A good doctor is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty to put the well-being of his or her peers above their own. Someone who, regardless of their own cultural background, political ideology and ethnic heritage, goes out of their way to understand their patients. Finally, someone who, when needed, even forgoes the very science they dedicate their lives to, in order to make a patient feel well. After all, doctors treat patients, not conditions.

Bibliography:

• Dr. med. B. Hibbeler, “Was ist ein ‘guter’ Arzt”, Ärzteblatt 51-52 (2011) 28th December 2020
• Saint George University. Unknown Author, “What makes a good doctor?”, 04.02.2018 [ https://www.sgu.edu/blog/medical/what-makes-a-good-doctor/ last accessed: 3rd January 2021]
• Harvard Blogs. Unknown Author, “What makes a good doctor? Can we measure it?”, 20.03.2014 [ https://blogs.sph.harvard.edu/ashish-jha/2014/03/20/what-makes-a-good-doctor-and-can-we-mea sure-it/ last accessed: 3rd january 2021]
• The Lancet. Unknown Author, “What makes a good doctor?”, 28.08.2010 [ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61317-7/fulltext#articleInfo rmation last accessed: 29th December 2020]
• Physicians Practice. M. Byington, “What are patients looking for in a doctor?”, 10.05.2017 [ https://www.physicianspractice.com/view/what-are-patients-looking-physician last accessed: 2nd January 2021]

A doctor is defined as a person who has been trained in medical science, whose job is to treat people who are ill or injured. According to this definition, what makes you a doctor is clear: the licences and certificates. However, the question of what makes a good doctor is much broader, and for this reason this essay will focus on the comparison between empathy, objectivity and technical competence in relation to the patients recovery and well-being. Firstly, objectivity helps doctors, to a certain extent, to be professionally distant from their patients and apply skills and knowledge rather than emotions to make judgements about treatment for an effective recovery. For example, a heart surgeon uses high amounts of skill during a surgery. When getting emotionally engaged with a patient, the physician can make a biased decision that might not be helpful towards recovery. Emotional detachment is helpful for the doctor too, as the involvement can be difficult to handle mentally. Nevertheless, professionals have stated that complete objectivity is not even possible to achieve and that physicians will always make decisions slightly based upon emotions, experiences and their view of right and wrong. However, people have argued that empathy should be desired rather than objectivity anyways. This consists of listening to a patient but also communicating in a way that can be understood. Medicine should be about treating a person rather than simply curing an illness, and should be taken with a more holistic approach, as our emotional side is what makes us differ from a computer. Whilst a machine might have the technical competence to recognize symptoms and cure the illness, we as humans should ensure that we cure the patient. Many patients want an understanding physician, as this gives them a sense of security. Studies have shown that when this is achieved, the recovery process has a higher chance of being effective. This is partially because up to 30% of all illnesses are somatization, where the mind is involved in the physical condition and only when we relieve the mind we can treat the illness. Moreover, when we look at the patients as people we can prevent further illnesses in the long term by treating more than just the symptoms. A doctor can be differentiated from a good doctor by the balanced coexistence of objectivity and empathy. Whilst the objective side of a person is needed in making effective decisions, the empathic side is what distinguishes between treating a condition and curing a person. However, this must be carefully balanced, for too much objectivity leads to being very distant and too much empathy leads to faulty decision making, both ultimately being harmful to a patient. How this is balanced, however, ranges based on which field you are in, as a cardiologist performs a different job than a family doctor. With this in mind, we should evaluate the contents of studying medicine and consider teaching the students how to reach their own balance, by letting them deal with patients at an early stage, as there is no blueprint to becoming a good doctor. Each individual must find a balance of their own, to make a positive impact on the field and to become the best doctor they can possibly be.

Maren S. Bibliography: “Doctor_1 Noun – Definition, Pictures, Pronunciation And Usage Notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary At Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.Com”, Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.Com , 2021 https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/doctor_1 [accessed 21 December 2020] Hirsch, Elliot, “The Role Of Empathy In Medicine: A Medical Student’s Perspective”, Journal Of Ethics | American Medical Association , 2021 [accessed 20 December 2020] Ross, Donald, “The Objectivity Illusion In Medical Practice”, Association For Psychological Science – APS , 2021 https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-objectivity-illusion-in-medical-practice (accessed 22 December 2020)

“What Makes A Good Doctor, And Can We Measure It?”, An Ounce Of Evidence | Health Policy , 2021 <https://blogs.sph.harvard.edu/ashish-jha/2014/03/20/what-makes-a-good-doctor-and-can-we-measure-it/ (accessed 20 December 2020)

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WINNERS OF THE QUEEN'S COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION 2021

In 2021 we were thrilled to announce that a record-breaking 25,648 children entered The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2021 from every Commonwealth region. The 2021 winners and runners-up are:

Senior Winner: Kayla Bosire aged 16 from Nairobi, Kenya

Kayla Bosire is an 11th grade student at Maxwell Adventist Academy in Kenya, and she loves writing, a passion she has pursued for a good portion of her 16 years of life. Her love for words was developed while she was a student at Cavina School a prep school in Nairobi Kenya, where she developed a love for creative writing, Shakespeare and theatre. Kayla’s love for the arts is nurtured at her current high school; where she plays three instruments (piano, violin and flute) and enjoys performing in her schools’ orchestra and as a member of the Wind Ensemble.

She holds positions of leadership and responsibility as a tutors assistant math grader, Class Secretary and as a member of the school magazine team (The Maxwell Mirror). Her dream is to pursue a career that allows her to advance justice and fairness in the world for both humans and animals. She is yet to decide whether she is a cat or dog person. Kayla chose to write about it being 30 years since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and what the world looks like….through the eyes of the COVID-19 virus.

Senior Runner-Up:

Aditi Nair Aged 15 from New Delhi, India

Aditi S Nair is an 11th grade student of Sanskriti School in New Delhi. She has always had a passion for writing, and ever since she was young, has enjoyed writing stories and poems. 

Apart from writing, her hobbies include reading, dancing and gardening. A few of her favourite authors are Khaled Hosseini, Celeste Ng, Ruskin Bond and Madeline Miller.   

Junior Winner: Ethan Charles Mufuma  Aged 13 from Mukono, Uganda

Ethan is 13 years old and is the third borne in a family of four children. He is proud to say that he is 'still the only boy child in this family'. His father is Mr. Wilson Mufuma and his mother is Mrs. Sarah Beatrice Wamakoto. His ancestral village is Bumayoka found in Bududa District in Eastern Uganda.  

He started his early education (nursery) at three years at Joy Nursery and Primary School, located near Makerere University. In 2014 when he was six years old, he joined Namilyango Junior Boys School for his primary education. He was there for the entire primary education until 2020 when he did his Primary Leaving Exams (P. L. E) and scored aggregate (5). 

Ethan started creative writing at the age of ten through the school writing club. Here all learners compete to publish in the school publications. (a termly newspaper and an annual magazine. Ethan mainly writes poetry where as he feel it's easier to have both the message and art flow better. His teacher tells them to choose what one feels free with (prose or poetry). 

Ethan first participated in The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition in 2020. He was greatly inspired by one writing club member (Michael Victor Mugerwa) who had won a Silver Award in 2019. This was the first Award for their school and he really felt proud. 

In 2021, Ethan is the the happiest to add this record (winner) of the Junior category to his biography.

Junior Runner-Up: Raisa Gulati Aged 14 from Amritsar, India

Raisa is an all rounder, performing well both academically and in her co-curricular activities. She is very passionate about sports. From a very young age she has played at the National level for chess and equestrian. In 2019 she was declared Junior State Champion of Lawn Tennis in Rajasthan and she was also awarded with the award for being the most promising Equestrian rider in her school. However, the pandemic brought a halt to all her outdoor activities.

She is also adept in playing tabla and drums. During her free time she likes to sketch and she is also a recipient of the Piccaso award for her sketch besides winning various drawing competitions.

Life for her is full of things to learn and she enjoys navigating the uncharted terrain.

Home › Essay Competition 2024 › Essay Competition Winners › 2021 Essay Competition Winner – Riya R

2021 Essay Competition Winner – Riya R

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Take a look at one of the winning entries to the Immerse Education Essay Competition from the Medicine category. Congratulations to all participants and in particular to those who won 100% scholarships!

by Riya R . Read Riya’s Scholarship Story Here.

How important are soft skills for medical professionals?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines soft skills as ‘personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people’. Soft skills, often referred to as transferable or professional skills, are intangible, non-technical, and are the personal character traits or qualities to help succeed in any profession. 1 For medical professionals, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, patience and compassion are vital to effectively engage with patients, their families and coworkers.

In 2007, a study of 240 medical errors by trainees, including 167 breakdowns in teamwork, identified poor non-technical skills as the main cause. By contrast, 139 errors were attributed to lack of technical competence. 2

Teamwork is a critical soft skill for medical professionals to safely and compassionately deliver patient care. In surgery, increasing effective teamwork between multi-disciplinary teams is found to decrease patient mortality rates. 3 This shows the significance of soft skills in saving lives.

Effective communication skills can help identify patient needs. Medical professionals communicate with one another and patients in various ways including written, face-to-face, and virtually. Written communication is key to making referrals, updating patient records and prescribing medication. 4

“When I define communication, I think of a new grad who is proactive, direct, open, honest, thoughtful and it’s not just about what they say, it’s how they say it,” says Jennifer O’Leary, Faculty, Genetics Technology at The Michener Institute, Canada. 5 Good communication skills include actively listening to others, processing feedback received, and reflecting on the feedback.

Surgeons are among those most resistant to acknowledging the need to brush up their speaking skills and a cause of concern for the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), UK. According to Charles Collins, Chair of the Patient Liaison Groups at RCS, “Only around 25 per cent of a surgeon’s job requires technical expertise, even less in many specialties. The rest is about communicating with patients.” 6 Surgeons need communication skills to discuss complicated procedures and help patients make informed choices. 7

Patience is an essential soft skill for medical professionals. Whether guiding a patient and family through a challenging illness, or managing staff members during a period of heavy admissions, having patience can help decompress stress and enable more effective problem-solving. 8

As medical professionals continually adopt new technologies to engage remotely with patients – as seen during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – there is an increasing reliance on soft skills. In light of COVID-19, the NHS has turned to remote consultations to minimise the risk of infection for staff and patients. 9 Such consultations using live video conferencing highlight a clinician’s body language and facial expressions, enabling a patient to clearly understand the message being conveyed. 10

To summarise, soft skills for medical professionals are more important than ever to deliver safe and effective patient care. An increasing dependency on technology and virtual interactions make it imperative for soft skills to be taught as part of medical and associated healthcare curricula globally.

Bibliography

1 Ashley Rego. “Soft skills: Who says they can’t be taught?” Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 79:2 (2017): 11

2 Hardeep Singh, Eric J. Thomas, MD, MPH, Laura A. Petersen, MD, MPH, “Medical Errors Involving Trainees: A Study of Closed Malpractice Claims from 5 Insurers” JAMA Internal Medicine 167:19 (2007): 2030-2036

3 Andrew Jenkinson. “Teamwork in Surgery” The Laparoscopic Consultant

https://www.laparoscopicconsultant.co.uk/pdf/teamwork-in-surgery.pdf [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

4 Evie Lee. “Effective Communication in Health and Social Care” CPD Online College (2021) https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/care/effective-communication/ [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

5 Ashley Rego. “Soft skills: Who says they can’t be taught?” Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 79:2 (2017):11

6 Jane Feinmann . “Brushing up on doctors’ communication skills.” The Lancet. 360:9345 (2002)

7 Wendy Levinson, Pamela Hudak, Andrea C.Tricco. “A systematic review of surgeon–patient communication: Strengths and opportunities for improvement” ScienceDirect 93:1 (2013): 3-17

8 Bushardt, Reamer L. “Patience is still a virtue” JAAPA (Journal of the American Academy of PAs)

29:5 (2016): 13-14

9 British Medical Association ( BMA ) “COVID-19: video consultations and home working” (2021) https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/adapting-to-covid/covid-19-video-consultations

-and-homeworking [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

10 P. Vermeir, D. Vandijck, S. Degroote, R. Peleman, R. Verhaeghe, E. Mortier, G. Hallaert, S. Van Daele, W. Buylaert, D. Vogelaers. “Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations” IJCP (The International Journal of Clinical Practice) (2015) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijcp.12686 [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

British Medical Association ( BMA ) “COVID-19: video consultations and home working” (2021) https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/adapting-to-covid/covid-19-video-consultations

Bushardt, Reamer L. “Patience is still a virtue” JAAPA (Journal of the American Academy of PAs)

May 2016 29:5 13-14

https://journals.lww.com/jaapa/FullText/2016/05000/Patience_is_still_a_virtue.1.aspx

Feinmann , J “Brushing up on doctors’ communication skills.” The Lancet. 360:9345 . 16 Nov. 2002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11592-3

Jenkinson, A. “Teamwork in Surgery” The Laparoscopic Consultant

Lee, E. “Effective Communication in Health and Social Care” CPD Online College (2021) https://cpdonline.co.uk/knowledge-base/care/effective-communication/ [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

Levinson, W. Hudak, P. Andrea C.Tricco. “A systematic review of surgeon–patient communication: Strengths and opportunities for improvement” ScienceDirect 93:1 (2013) 3-17 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2013.03.023

P. Vermeir, D. Vandijck, S. Degroote, R. Peleman, R. Verhaeghe, E. Mortier, G. Hallaert, S. Van Daele, W. Buylaert, D. Vogelaers. “Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations” IJCP (The International Journal of Clinical Practice) 6 July, 2015 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijcp.12686 [Last Accessed: 3rd Jan 2020]

Rego, A. “Soft skills: Who says they can’t be taught?” Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 79:2 (2017):11

https://www.proquest.com/docview/1917630414?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true

Singh, H. Eric J. Thomas, Laura A. Petersen, David M. Studdert Arch Intern Med. JAMA Internal Medicine 167:19 (2007):2030-2036.

Why Apply To The Immerse Education Essay Competition? 

Are you a highly motivated student aged 13-18? Have you ever wanted to experience studying at Cambridge or Oxford? 

The Immerse Education essay competition allows you the chance to submit an essay for the chance to be awarded a scholarship to the award-winning Cambridge summer school . 

How To Apply To The Immerse Education Essay Competition? 

The Immerse Education annual essay competition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win a scholarship to a Cambridge or Oxford summer school . 

If you’re aged 13-18 and you’re interested in applying to the Immerse Education essay competition then please visit our essay competition page for more details.

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Tackling homework anxiety: your guide to a calmer study life.

Keynote Speeches by 10 Nobel Laureates

We are beyond excited to announce that multiple Nobel laureates have confirmed to attend and speak at this year’s ceremony on 30th July, 2024 .

They will each be delivering a keynote speech to the attendees. Some of them distinguished speakers will speak virtually, while others will attend and present in person and attend the Reception at Cambridge.

Why has religion remained a force in a secular world? 

Professor Commentary:

Arguably, the developed world has become more secular in the last century or so. The influence of Christianity, e.g. has diminished and people’s life worlds are less shaped by faith and allegiance to Churches. Conversely, arguments have persisted that hold that we live in a post-secular world. After all, religion – be it in terms of faith, transcendence, or meaning – may be seen as an alternative to a disenchanted world ruled by entirely profane criteria such as economic rationality, progressivism, or science. Is the revival of religion a pale reminder of a by-gone past or does it provide sources of hope for the future?

‘Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Jürgen Habermas (European Journal of Philosophy, 2006)

In this paper, philosopher Jürgen Habermas discusses the limits of church-state separation, emphasizing the significant contribution of religion to public discourse when translated into publicly accessible reasons.

‘Public Religions in the Modern World’ by José Casanova (University Of Chicago Press, 1994)

Sociologist José Casanova explores the global emergence of public religion, analyzing case studies from Catholicism and Protestantism in Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the USA, challenging traditional theories of secularization.

‘The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere’ by Judith Butler, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, and Cornel West (Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Columbia University Press, 2011)

This collection features dialogues by prominent intellectuals on the role of religion in the public sphere, examining various approaches and their impacts on cultural, social, and political debates.

‘Rethinking Secularism’ by Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, and Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Oxford University Press, 2011)

An interdisciplinary examination of secularism, this book challenges traditional views, highlighting the complex relationship between religion and secularism in contemporary global politics.

‘God is Back: How the Global Rise of Faith is Changing the World’ by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (Penguin, 2010)

Micklethwait and Wooldridge argue for the coexistence of religion and modernity, suggesting that religious beliefs can contribute to a more open, tolerant, and peaceful modern world.

‘Multiculturalism’ by Tariq Modood (Polity Press, 2013)

Sociologist Tariq Modood emphasizes the importance of multiculturalism in integrating diverse identities, particularly in post-immigration contexts, and its role in shaping democratic citizenship.

‘God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England’ by Matthew Engelke (University of California Press, 2013)

In this ethnographic study, Matthew Engelke explores how a group in England seeks to expand the role of religion in the public sphere, challenging perceptions of religion in post-secular England.

Gene therapy is a medical approach that treats or prevents disease by correcting the underlying genetic problem. Is gene therapy better than traditional medicines? What are the pros and cons of using gene therapy as a medicine? Is gene therapy justifiable?

Especially after Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, gene therapy is getting more and more interesting approach to cure. That’s why that could be interesting to think about. I believe that students will enjoy and learn a lot while they are investigating this topic.

The Hall at King’s College, Cambridge

The Hall was designed by William Wilkins in the 1820s and is considered one of the most magnificent halls of its era. The first High Table dinner in the Hall was held in February 1828, and ever since then, the splendid Hall has been where members of the college eat and where formal dinners have been held for centuries.

The Award Ceremony and Dinner will be held in the Hall in the evening of  30th July, 2024.

Stretching out down to the River Cam, the Back Lawn has one of the most iconic backdrop of King’s College Chapel. 

The early evening reception will be hosted on the Back Lawn with the iconic Chapel in the background (weather permitting). 

King’s College Chapel

With construction started in 1446 by Henry VI and took over a century to build, King’s College Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings in the world, and is a splendid example of late Gothic architecture. 

Attendees are also granted complimentary access to the King’s College Chapel before and during the event. 

Confirmed Nobel Laureates

Dr Thomas R. Cech

The nobel prize in chemistry 1989 , for the discovery of catalytic properties of rna.

Thomas Robert Cech is an American chemist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sidney Altman, for their discovery of the catalytic properties of RNA. Cech discovered that RNA could itself cut strands of RNA, suggesting that life might have started as RNA. He found that RNA can not only transmit instructions, but also that it can speed up the necessary reactions.

He also studied telomeres, and his lab discovered an enzyme, TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), which is part of the process of restoring telomeres after they are shortened during cell division.

As president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, he promoted science education, and he teaches an undergraduate chemistry course at the University of Colorado

Sir Richard J. Roberts

The nobel prize in medicine 1993 .

F or the discovery of split genes

During 1969–1972, Sir Richard J. Roberts did postdoctoral research at Harvard University before moving to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he was hired by James Dewey Watson, a co-discoverer of the structure of DNA and a fellow Nobel laureate. In this period he also visited the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology for the first time, working alongside Fred Sanger. In 1977, he published his discovery of RNA splicing. In 1992, he moved to New England Biolabs. The following year, he shared a Nobel Prize with his former colleague at Cold Spring Harbor Phillip Allen Sharp.

His discovery of the alternative splicing of genes, in particular, has had a profound impact on the study and applications of molecular biology. The realisation that individual genes could exist as separate, disconnected segments within longer strands of DNA first arose in his 1977 study of adenovirus, one of the viruses responsible for causing the common cold. Robert’s research in this field resulted in a fundamental shift in our understanding of genetics, and has led to the discovery of split genes in higher organisms, including human beings.

Dr Aaron Ciechanover

The nobel prize in chemistry 2004 .

F or the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation

Aaron Ciechanover is one of Israel’s first Nobel Laureates in science, earning his Nobel Prize in 2004 for his work in ubiquitination. He is honored for playing a central role in the history of Israel and in the history of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Dr Ciechanover is currently a Technion Distinguished Research Professor in the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute at the Technion. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Russian Academy of Sciences and is a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences. In 2008, he was a visiting Distinguished Chair Professor at NCKU, Taiwan. As part of Shenzhen’s 13th Five-Year Plan funding research in emerging technologies and opening “Nobel laureate research labs”, in 2018 he opened the Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen campus.

Dr Robert Lefkowitz

The nobel prize in chemistry 2012 .

F or the discovery of G protein-coupled receptors

Robert Joseph Lefkowitz is an American physician (internist and cardiologist) and biochemist. He is best known for his discoveries that reveal the inner workings of an important family G protein-coupled receptors, for which he was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry with Brian Kobilka. He is currently an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as a James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry at Duke University.

Dr Lefkowitz made a remarkable contribution in the mid-1980s when he and his colleagues cloned the gene first for the β-adrenergic receptor, and then rapidly thereafter, for a total of 8 adrenergic receptors (receptors for adrenaline and noradrenaline). This led to the seminal discovery that all GPCRs (which include the β-adrenergic receptor) have a very similar molecular structure. The structure is defined by an amino acid sequence which weaves its way back and forth across the plasma membrane seven times. Today we know that about 1,000 receptors in the human body belong to this same family. The importance of this is that all of these receptors use the same basic mechanisms so that pharmaceutical researchers now understand how to effectively target the largest receptor family in the human body. Today, as many as 30 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs are designed to “fit” like keys into the similarly structured locks of Dr Lefkowitz’ receptors—everything from anti-histamines to ulcer drugs to beta blockers that help relieve hypertension, angina and coronary disease.

Dr Lefkowitz is among the most highly cited researchers in the fields of biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical medicine according to Thomson-ISI.

Dr Joachim Frank

The nobel prize in chemistry 2017 .

F or developing cryo-electron microscopy

Joachim Frank is a German-American biophysicist at Columbia University and a Nobel laureate. He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson. He also made significant contributions to structure and function of the ribosome from bacteria and eukaryotes.

In 1975, Dr Frank was offered a position of senior research scientist in the Division of Laboratories and Research (now Wadsworth Center), New York State Department of Health,where he started working on single-particle approaches in electron microscopy. In 1985 he was appointed associate and then (1986) full professor at the newly formed Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University at Albany, State University of New York. In 1987 and 1994, he went on sabbaticals in Europe, one to work with Richard Henderson, Laboratory of Molecular Biology Medical Research Council in Cambridge and the other as a Humboldt Research Award winner with Kenneth C. Holmes, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In 1998, Dr Frank was appointed investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Since 2003 he was also lecturer at Columbia University, and he joined Columbia University in 2008 as professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and of biological sciences.

Dr Barry C. Barish

The nobel prize in physics 2017 .

For the decisive contributions to the detection of gravitational waves

Dr Barry Clark Barish is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. He said, “I didn’t know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough.”

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university’s second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Dr Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

Dr Harvey J. Alter

The nobel prize in medicine 2020 .

For the discovery of Hepatitis C virus

Dr Harvey J. Alter is an American medical researcher, virologist, physician and Nobel Prize laureate, who is best known for his work that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. Alter is the former chief of the infectious disease section and the associate director for research of the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In the mid-1970s, Alter and his research team demonstrated that most post-transfusion hepatitis cases were not due to hepatitis A or hepatitis B viruses. Working independently, Alter and Edward Tabor, a scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, proved through transmission studies in chimpanzees that a new form of hepatitis, initially called “non-A, non-B hepatitis” caused the infections, and that the causative agent was probably a virus. This work eventually led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus in 1988, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 along with Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice.

Dr Alter has received recognition for the research leading to the discovery of the virus that causes hepatitis C. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award conferred to civilians in United States government public health service, and the 2000 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research.

Dr Ardem Patapoutian

The nobel prize in medicine 2021 .

For discovering how pressure is translated into nerve impulses

Dr Ardem Patapoutian is an Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterising the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pressure, menthol, and temperature. Dr Patapoutian is a neuroscience professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California. In 2021, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with David Julius.

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The Wonder by Michelle Redo Daring to Tell

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My essay that won #19 in the 2021 Writers Digest Personal Essay Competition! Today's guest host is Melanie Brooks... author of Writing Hard Stories. This month's spotlight bookstore is Twice Told Tales on Maine St. in Brunswick. Quality used books run by the Friends of Curtis Memorial Library. If you're curious about the Bugzooka, heard about in today's episode, here's what it looks like. I receive no proceeds from any Bugzooka sales (But I probably should!) And check out the #Amwriting podcast's Blue Print for a Book Challenge happening this summer!

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