What is QCS?
Oxford has a rich academic culture, spanning a great many disciplines. The Queen’s College is no different! Interdisciplinarity is a key aspect of college life, rooted within the friends we make all the way to the termly interactive talks that are shared by college researchers. I am responsible for organising the latter. This is my second year running it, and it is by far my favourite contribution to wider college life – but why do I think it’s so valuable?
Oxford is a leading research institution; being here is an immense privilege and an opportunity to learn far beyond the confines of our course or programme. Indeed, that is central to an Oxford education! Firstly, QCS is organised so that the speakers are from distinct fields – typically one humanity and one social or natural science. This means that there is almost always something for everyone, but more importantly everyone is exposed to something new – both topics and people. Secondly, both through the Q&A and the post-QCS dinner, the College community get to probe the latest research.
Lastly, my twist to QCS is to have a themed evening each term, typically exploring a particular concept. My favourite one was on “Exploration”, which brought together an archaeologist, an ornithologist, and a marine biologist to share what life is like being out in the field (or ocean!).
Seb Wilkes, QCS Co-ordinator 2023-24