Page 11 - The Malvernian - July 2022

THE MALVERNIAN
Wheeler-Bennett Society
The second talk in the current series of Wheeler-Bennett Society meeting took place on 6 June. Sardes Strolz gave an insightful talk on the History of Formula 1, presenting her knowledge on the different eras of the sport by describing the evolution of each of the ten teams. She explored the career of the great drivers of the past in detail, which evoked some great questions of who the greatest driver of all time is and what the role of females is in Formula 1. She showed great personal engagement when presenting on her favorite driver Daniel Ricciardo and gave examples of how Formula 1 gained a huge fanbase due to the Netflix hit series ‘Drive to Survive’. Anyone who knew nothing about the sport before Sardes’ talk got a good overview of the sport as she explained the basics of qualifying and the races well and demonstrated how Formula 1 has changed since the sport’s first race at Silverstone in 1950.
In the second talk Alexander Clarke spoke about the book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Apart from advice relating to war strategies, the book also provides advice to guide people through their daily lives. There are eight different principles one should follow to fight their daily battles, the most important one being preparedness. The book has sparked attention amongst influential people such as politicians, sportsmen, and CEOs. Even though the book was written all the way back in the 6th century, it is still relevant to this day. The tactics used by the manager of the Brazil National Football Team at the World Cup 2002 was inspired by The Art of War.
Both talks engaged the audience well and gave rise to many and varied questions.
On Monday 20 June, Wheeler-Bennett Society Vice-President Elizabeth Lusser kicked off the third and final Wheeler-Bennett Society meeting of the term, entitled; “Can a Moment of Crisis become a moment of Opportunity?”. The talk was confidently delivered, and Elizabeth showed great fluency of knowledge, and provided a very insightful talk, which touched on many aspects and forms of crises, from Japanese earthquakes to Indian technology innovation, and the subsequent responses and economic growth. Following this, the question-and-answer session was rich with thought-provoking questions from the audience to which Elizabeth answered in detail, including subjects which were not directly related to her title. Elizabeth offered a very well-prepared talk, and as a society, we are keen to see where she may take this research further, if she so chooses.
Samuel Cook gave a presentation titled “Something to do with science”. In this, he talked about a range of relevant scientific topics that were of personal interest to him. The topics ranged from the psychology of disappointment to the Leidenfrost effect. Throughout his presentation, Samuel efficiently explained topics that are difficult to understand, in a clear and concise manner. Furthermore, Sam’s use of humour made the explanations relatable and kept the audience engaged for the duration of his presentation.
David Ibbotson | College Chaplain
THE MALVERNIAN
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