Sheffield High Sixth former Maneesha Silva has won a most prestigious prize from Cambridge University!

Maneesha from Heeley was presented with a certificate and cheque for £500 by Professor Parker (his designation is 'Professorial Fellow') at Peterhouse College, Cambridge for her essay "If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't".

Professor Parker read the following comments at the presentation:

‘Maneesha composed a beautifully written essay that indeed cover our current understanding of the brain. She identified the limitations to both our knowledge and attempts to artificially recreate the brain, Maneesha's essay had excellent structure that relies beautifully on her ability to identify simple examples around which she constructs mature arguments. Her essay isn't a factual regurgitation but a very personal critical appraisal of the research she has performed. Her essay has a sense of personality about it that doesn't distract from what she is trying to say, but rather makes you want to read on. I can honestly say that I enjoyed reading most because of its novel approach to conveying the material.’  This was written by Sam England who marked the essay.