Predicting the future – Science Challenge winners announced

Imperial student wins essay competition with description of the possible future of the human brain - News

Thursday 15 March 2007
By Naomi Weston

What will be the most significant scientific breakthrough of the next hundred years? This was the question facing Imperial College students and secondary school children taking part in the Imperial College essay writing competition.

The Imperial College Science Challenge 2007 attracted nearly 400 entries with a wide range of ideas of what the future may hold, from saving the planet and reconstructing human cells to developing anti-ageing therapies.

Brain-Computer Interfaces, a mix of human and man-made brains, could be the future, says Imperial entry winner Naaman Tammuz, a physics postgraduate. He predicts that by the mid 2030s scientists will possess a complete model of the human brain with ample computing power to simulate its activity. By the 2040s, he says, there will a significant number of human brains containing man-made components, radically changing the way man and machine interact.

Humans will be able to store and retrieve huge amounts of data in their memory and sharpen their senses predicts Naaman. In addition by the 2060s the brain will be able to download software like a machine. For example, downloading 'Skillware' will enable the human to aquire new skills from playing the violin to performing heart surgery.

Naaman was awarded £2,500 for his winning entry and will spend a day shadowing Dr Roger Highfield, science editor of The Daily Telegraph. He said: "I think the next big development in science will be bridging the gap between humans and the technology they have created, and what better place to do it than inside the human brain? I would like to thank the RCSU committe for organising this competition. I really enjoyed taking part and winning was just an added bonus."  

Mark Nicholson, 16, from The Reading School, won the secondary school essay competition with his idea on revolutionising computer technology by using quantum physics to speed up processors and shrink the size of the PC.

The Science Challenge was organised by the Royal College of Science Union. It aims to promote science communication and creative thinking amongst young individuals. Students and school children were invited to submit an essay of 800 words describing a future scientific breakthrough or major development. They were challenged to answer this question: 'The previous hundred years of science have had a huge impact on society and human civilisation. What scientific development or breakthrough do you think will prove to be the most significant within the next hundred years?'

RCSU president and Science Challenge Chair, Jad Marrouche, said: "Although we can only guess what the most significant advance over the next 100 years will be, we do know that scientists will have to communicate their work more clearly than ever before. We had a huge range of excellent entries from over 180 schools and 200 Imperial students, demonstrating an optimism and ingenuity to meet the challenges of the next century."

As the College celebrates its Centenary year, organisers of the Challenge decided to adopt a Centenary theme for the competition. The grand final and announcement of the winners was held at the Ritz in London on Friday 9 March. Judges on the panel included Lord Robert Winston, Professor of Fertility Studies at the College, Dr. Roger Highfield, science editor on The Daily Telegraph, Dr. Raj Persaud, broadcaster and journalist and Dr. Simon Singh MBE, science writer.