Williams Project

This half term we started the Williams Project with a visit from Dr Rob Calder, King’s College London, who works on an esteemed Addiction Journal, and is researching the causes and characteristics of drug addiction. We debated the credibility of the Peer Review process in producing scientific knowledge. Dr Calder provided us with further research on topics students discussed such as: genetic underpinning of addiction, reversing addiction, withdrawal being different among different people and neurodiversity and addiction (brain structure making people more susceptible) - a fascinating and very understudied area.

We finished this year’s meetings with our own eclectic and witty Mr Richard Maynes, who aimed to debunk popular reasons for believing in ghosts through the analytical and scientific presentation of proofs for certain brain and mind anomalies.

The Williams Project welcomes all year groups in the Senior School. We would like to encourage our most curious and academically minded students to attend these inspiring and mindopening lectures on every second Tuesday after school. Next school year will bring yet another fully packed programme, with provoking LGBTQ campaigner Mr Peter Tatchell, and among others also former Chigwellian and professor of economics at UCL, Tomas Cvrcek, who will prove to us that behind dating there is not just physical attraction but also economy. Do watch the space for the upcoming events.