The Big Think | 2024 Winners
St Edmund Hall’s Big Think Competition invites students across the UK to tackle one of our academics’ ‘big’, tutorial-style questions. The high standard of entries blew us all away with so many creative and clever responses! Our panel of tutors had a tough time choosing our prizewinners, but we are delighted to announce the winning entries…
First prize: Oluwatewamise Oni (Modern Languages)
Oluwatewamise answered the question ‘Is there such a thing as an untranslatable word?’. St Edmund Hall tutor Dr Holly Langstaff praised Oluwatewamise’s ability to explore different perspectives and challenge what we mean by ‘good translation’.
Second prize: Natalie Wang (History)
Natalie answered the question ‘Historians disagree all the time, so how can we trust what they write?‘. Professor Filippo de Vivo commented that Natalie’s video was very engaging, using a thoughtful and balanced analogy of baking.
Subject Winners
- Biochemistry
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
- English
- Geography
- History
- Law
- Languages
- Materials Science
- Mathematics
- Medical Sciences
- Physics
- Politics
- Psychology
Biochemistry
Evie answers the question ‘Do our genes define who we are?’.
Chemistry
Amara answers the question ‘Last year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots. Why?’.
Earth Sciences
Carys answers the question ‘When did complex life on land evolve?’.
Engineering
Bianca answers the question ‘Should we let robots do all the driving?’.
English
Mya answers the questions ‘Is Shakespeare better than Taylor Swift?’.
Geography
Ayaad answers the questions ‘Can development ever be sustainable?’.
History
Lottie answers the question ‘Historians disagree all the time, so how can we trust what they write?’.
Law
Charlotte answers the question ‘What is the role of law/lawyers in addressing climate change?’
Languages
Livia answers the question ‘Is there such a thing as an untranslatable word?’.
Materials Science
Sophie answers the question ‘How and why can new materials contribute to the clean energy revolution?’.
Maths
Zoe answers the question ‘Is maths created or discovered?’.
Medical Sciences
Zihan answers the question ‘How is artificial intelligence shaping the future of medicine and biomedical sciences?’.
Physics
Likhita answers the question ‘Is Pluto a planet?’.
Politics
Tamar answers the question ‘Is online anonymity a threat to democracy?’.
Psychology
Elena answers the question ‘Why don’t people do what they know they should?’.
Special Commendations
We’re also delighted to note that the following entries received a Special Commendation for their high quality:
- Aleksandra Gelemenova, Maths
- Rosie Neville, Maths
- Leo Chen, Maths
- Aidan Diamond, Chemistry
- Daisy Stewart, English
- Daniel Partington, English
- Oliver Marques, History
- Sophie Partis, History
- Harry Haggerwood, Medical Sciences
- Mia Lloyd-Thomas, Medical Sciences
A huge congratulations to all our winners, but also a massive thank you to all our entrants this year! Our tutors were thoroughly impressed and hope to see many of you at university (and maybe even at St Edmund Hall…) in the future.