Frontiers Week concludes with Sixth Form lectures

As Frontiers Week draws to a close, Sixth Form pupils were invited to consider the boundaries of two very different frontiers.

First, the Lower Sixth heard a fascinating lecture from Google DeepMind senior software engineer Peter Danenberg, whose work in rapid prototyping for the Gemini AI platform is pushing the boundaries of how we develop and use artificial intelligence. Peter spoke about his ethical decision-making when developing Large Language Models (LLMs), rooted in a background of Classical Greek. Pupils were (perhaps unexpectedly) tested on their knowledge of Homer and Plato, whilst grappling with the complexities of how AI shapes, and is shaped by society. Pupils then asked testing questions concerning the role of AI in human wellbeing, the economy, the environment, and the Arts, and Peter offered equally interesting answers.

Later, Upper Sixth pupils were joined by Jonathan Prentice (OW, 1989). Jonathan has worked for the United Nations since 1994, including postings in Baghdad, Dili, Geneva, Jakarta, New York, and Phnom Penh, for the last decade has specialised in migration. Leaving MCS in the historically significant year of 1989 led to a degree in law, and Jonathan’s introduction to the interface – or the frontier, as he described it – between the law and human rights: a concept he has returned to throughout his career and one he continues to consider in his current role as head of the secretariat for the new United Nations Network on Migration. Jonathan’s thought-provoking insights covered sovereignty, state-hood and self, and challenged pupils to consider international borders through a human lens.

The sessions built on some of the themes raised by Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Prize winner and education activist, who appeared ‘in conversation’ with Emma Watson at the Sheldonian Theatre earlier in the week. MCS Politics pupils had the opportunity to attend the event and to consider her first-hand account of the human cost of global conflict and cultural division, as an extension to their focus during Frontiers Week.

Nick Marshall, Geography Teacher and Head of Lower Sixth, who directed Frontiers Week, said: “Throughout the week, pupils have grappled with the concepts of current and historical physical and human frontiers, alongside boundaries in knowledge and how to push against any limits in their own learning. It has been fantastic to see them challenged to think in new ways and to see the curriculum brought to life through thoughtful discussion and exploration.”