Gates scholars host international scholarship symposium

  • June 25, 2009

Global Scholars Symposium photo

Gates Cambridge Scholars hosted the second annual Global Scholars Symposium on 24 June at Murray Edwards College (formerly New Hall).  The symposium brings together many of the major international scholar groups in the UK to foster friendship, cooperation and lasting ties between students of diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.

Attendees included Commonwealth, Fulbright, Churchill, National Institute of Health, Marshall, Rhodes, Clarendon, Jack Kent Cooke and Gates Cambridge Scholars.

During the day-long conference scholars shared innovative ideas, networked, celebrated the unique experience of studying in the UK and discussed how they might work towards solutions to some of the world’s major problems.  The program also emphasized the value of establishing interdisciplinary dialogues to tackle 21st century problems, from small scales to big global issues.

The guest speakers for the event included Vivienne Cox (the Executive Vice President and CEO of BP Alternative Energy), Alan Blackwell (Reader in Interdisciplinary Design at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory), and Simon Blackburn (Distinguished Author and Professor of Philosophy at University of Cambridge), who spoke on topics ranging from slowing down climate change with a viable business model, joining science, humanities, and the arts collaboratively to solve modern problems, and the 21st century interpretation of the enlightenment.

It is hoped that the conference will grow in future years, becoming a collaborative effort from all of the scholar groups involved.  More details about this year’s Global Scholars’ Symposium may be found at http://www.globalscholarssymposium.org/.

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