blueprint Staff magazine for the | October 2014

Chu’s views | Vegetables propagate smiles | Women on the wall news in brief u The Dickson Poon University of Oxford u Make sure you’re effectively engaged in China Centre Building was formally opened social media by taking advantage of this by the Duke of Cambridge on 8 September. term’s Engage (#oxengage) programme The centre, which is in the grounds of run by IT Services in partnership with the St Hugh’s College, brings academics with Bodleian Libraries. Now in its third year, an interest in China under the same roof. the programme comprises a series of talks, The five-floor building houses a dedicated seminars and workshops to explore social library and reading room, which will provide media strategies and digital tools, and is a permanent home for 60,000 volumes and designed to inspire academics, researchers UniversityOxford/Jonathanof Hordle a significant part of the Bodleian Libraries’ and graduate students to consider using Chinese book collection. It also features a social media and digital technology to lecture theatre, language laboratory, study develop their online presence for outreach areas and a dining room. The £21m cost was and public engagement. Sessions range from largely met through benefactions, including academic blogging and tweeting to sharing £10m from Hong Kong philanthropist research findings via infographics. View the Mr Dickson Poon CBE. programme at blogs.it.ox.ac.uk/engage/social-

media-michaelmas/programme-2014. Alcock Robotics / Ed Aldebaran u 15 September saw the inaugural Oxford India Lecture take place in New Delhi. u A new bus service linking the University The lecture, entitled ‘Mobilising healthcare’, Science Area and the John Radcliffe hospital was delivered by Professor Robyn Norton, is set to cut the journey time between the two Principal Director of the George Institute to just 14 minutes. The 600 service operates for Global Health and James Martin from Pear Tree Park & Ride to the JR, via Professorial Fellow. Speaking to an invited Parks Road, South Parks Road, Longwall audience, Professor Norton discussed Street, St Clement’s and Headington Road. how the transformative change needed in The service runs Monday to Friday every half healthcare – in the UK, India and globally – hour, with departures from Pear Tree from will need to harness science, technology and 09:50 until 15:20, and from the JR from entrepreneurship. The lecture follows last 10:20 until 15:20. If it proves popular, the year’s inaugural Oxford China Lecture in Oxford Bus Company will look at extending Shanghai and builds on the annual Oxford the hours and days of operation. Details at London Lecture series, which aims to connect www.ox.ac.uk/staff/news/new_bus_service. the widest possible audience to some of html. Oxford’s ground-breaking research. u Did you know that Oxford has been u Are you interested in finding out about ranked as one of the safest universities in intellectual property, technology transfer or the UK for crime? According to the latest Ashworth/OxfordPhil CompanyBus academic consultancy? Isis Innovation, the University City Crime Statistics for England University’s wholly owned technology transfer and Wales, Oxford University was placed 6th From top: Royal opening; the 1st Oxford company, has opened a series of hot-desks in out of 120 entries – a significant improvement India Lecture; new bus joins up the JR University departments, designed to serve as on last year’s position of 31st. A key factor easy access points for researchers and support in this improvement has been the reduction staff to talk to Isis staff. The hot-desks are in property crime, particularly bike thefts. currently in six locations: Begbroke Science Help keep your bike safe with a good-quality blueprint Staff magazine for the University of Oxford | October 2014 Chu’s views Park, DPAG, the Kennedy Institute, Plant D-lock, which you can buy at the discounted | Vegetables propagate smiles | Women on the wall Sciences, Research Services (Worcester Street) price of £15 from Security Services. Phone and the Saïd Business School. Details are at (2)72941 or email security.control@admin. www.ox.ac.uk/staff/news/bringing_isis.html. ox.ac.uk for details.

u The University has launched a Returning Carers’ Fund to support researchers and academics who are returning to work after a career break. The small grants scheme is intended to support women and men who have taken a break of at least six months for caring Photo by Oxford University Images/Jill Walker responsibilities. Eligible staff will be able to apply for grants in the region of £5k to assist them in the way they feel will best support their return to the Cover: workplace. Details at www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/ Botanic Garden produce is helping people thevice-chancellorsdiversityfund/returningcarersfund. in need (pp10–11)

2 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint research round-up

u A new treatment programme could help Stowe’s story is revealed by students reduce depression and improve quality of life among cancer patients, a study led by Oxford University has found. The Depression Care for People with Cancer (DCPC) programme includes both antidepressants and psychological therapy. It is delivered by a team of cancer nurses and psychiatrists working in collaboration with the patient’s cancer team and GP, and is given as part of cancer care. After 6 months, the Oxford and Edinburgh researchers found that 62% of patients receiving DCPC responded to treatment compared with only 17% of those who received usual care. Professor Michael Sharpe from the Department of Psychiatry says: ‘The huge benefit that DCPC delivers for patients with cancer and depression shows what we can achieve for patients if we take as much care with the treatment of their depression as we do with the treatment of their cancer.’ iStockphoto u Differences between the brains of individual primates have been discovered which depend of 16. The nationally representative sample scientists monitor the health of penguin on their social status. The research, led by of children who had received a preschool colonies in Antarctica. Penguin Watch Dr MaryAnn Noonan of the Decision and education was then compared with a group (www.penguinwatch.org), led by Dr Tom Action Laboratory in the Department of with no or minimal preschool experience. Hart from the Department of Zoology, gives Experimental Psychology, determined the ‘The EPPSE study is unique because it citizen scientists access to around 200,000 position of 25 macaque monkeys in their provides valuable evidence in Europe on the images of penguins taken by remote cameras social hierarchies. The team then analysed long-term value of preschool,’ says Professor monitoring over 30 colonies from around the non-invasive scans of the monkeys’ brains. Sylva. Southern Ocean. Recent evidence suggests The findings show that brain regions in one that populations of many species of penguin, neural circuit are larger in more dominant u A visitor leaflet about Stowe House and such as chinstrap and Adélie, are declining animals. Previous research has shown that Gardens compiled by two Oxford students fast as shrinking sea ice threatens the krill these regions are involved in learning and in has been launched at the historic property. they feed on. By tagging the adults, chicks processing social and emotional information. Alice Holohan and Eleanor Bland, who have and eggs in remote camera images, Penguin The MRI scans also revealed that another recently completed undergraduate degrees in Watch volunteers will help scientists to gather circuit of brain regions, collectively called English and History respectively, produced information about penguin behaviour and the striatum, was found to be larger in more the leaflet while on internships in the Thames breeding success, as well as teaching a computer subordinate animals. The striatum is known Valley Country House Partnership scheme how to count and identify individuals of to play a complex but important role in (TVCHP), which is a collaboration between different species. learning the value of our choices and actions. the University and some of Britain’s great country houses. The students used a variety u A child is likely to do better in their of sources to research the history of Stowe GCSEs and ultimately earn more if they

and the free leaflet tells the story of the Hart Tom went to preschool, a new study suggests. The house and gardens in the 18th century, while research for the Effective Pre-School, Primary they were owned by the soldier and Whig and Secondary (EPPSE) project was led by politician Richard Temple, Lord Cobham. Professor Kathy Sylva and Professor Pamela ‘The challenge is to make these properties, Sammons from the University’s Department and the stories they contain, more accessible of Education. They found that the benefits of and relevant to a broader section of Oxford’s going to preschool translated into an average population,’ says Dr Oliver Cox, an Oxford of 41 extra points per child – the difference historian who set up the TVCHP scheme between getting, for example, seven grade Bs in 2013. versus seven Cs at GCSE. The EPPSE project, launched in 1997, followed 3,000 children u Online volunteers are being asked to from 141 preschool settings up to the age classify images of penguin families to help

For more information, visit www.ox.ac.uk/news and www.ox.ac.uk/staffnews Watch out – an Adélie penguin needs your help www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2014 BLUEPRINT | 3 people and prizes

Tom Cavalier-Smith, Emeritus Professor Tom Povey, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, has been elected of Engineering awards a Fellow of the American Academy for Science, has been Sir Paul Collier, Microbiology. His work focuses on the awarded the 2014 Professor of evolution, ecology and biogeography of Hawley Award by The Economics and amoeboid and flagellate free-living protozoa. Worshipful Company Public Policy, has of Engineers for ‘the been awarded Ramin Golestanian, most outstanding World Economic Forum Economic World the President’s Professor of engineering innovation Medal, which was Theoretical Condensed that delivers demonstrable benefit to the introduced in 2010 Matter Physics, has environment’. The prize recognises his to reward signal service to the cause of the been awarded the invention of the ‘flare pan’, a new energy- humanities and social sciences. Professor 2014 Holweck Medal efficient design of saucepan with cast Collier’s medal recognises his pioneering ‘for his pioneering aluminium channels built into the side; the contribution in bringing ideas from contributions to the product is now being sold by Lakeland. research into policy within the field of field of active soft African economics. matter, particularly microscopic swimmers Dr Martin Ruhs, and active colloids’. The gold medal and University Lecturer Dr Hannah Sullivan €3,000 prize is awarded jointly by the in Political Economy of the Faculty of Institute of Physics and the Société Française at the Department for English has won de Physique. Continuing Education, has won the 2014 Best the Rose Mary Miles Hewstone, Book Award by the Crawshay Prize, the Professor of Social American Political Academy’s oldest Psychology, has been Science Association’s prize, established in awarded the Codol Migration and Citizenship Section for 1888. The prize is Medal of the European his book The Price of Rights: Regulating awarded to a woman of any nationality for Association of Social International Labour Migration (Princeton ‘an historical or critical work of sufficient Psychology, along with University Press, 2013). value on any subject in English Literature’. Wolfgang Stroebe of Dr Sullivan wins for her book The Work of the Universities of Boudewijn Sirks, Revision (Harvard University Press, 2013). Utrecht and Groningen. The medal recognises Regius Professor outstanding service to the Association and is of Civil Law, has Chris Wickham, awarded to a member that has significantly been made a knight Chichele Professor advanced the cause of social psychology in in the Orde van se of Medieval History, Europe. Nederlandse Leeuw – has been awarded the the Order of the Serena Medal, which Nigel Hitchin, Savilian Professor of Netherlands Lion. He recognises ‘eminent Geometry, has been awarded an Honorary was presented with the services towards the Doctorate of Science by the University honour by the Ambassador of the Kingdom furtherance of the of Warwick. of the Netherlands to the Court of St James’s. study of Italian history, literature, art or economics’.

mathematical role model The Mathematical Institute’s Andrew Wiles Building (left) has scooped a Highly Commended award in the Environment and Sustainability category of the 2014 Institute of Civil Engineers Awards. The building has also been shortlisted for the Construction Industry Awards, as has the Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM) Research Building. In these, the Andrew Wiles Building is shortlisted for Major Building Project of the Year (£50m+) and the NDM for Building Project of the Year (£10m–£50m). John Cairns John

4 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint new British Academy Fellows Nine Oxford academics have been elected European Research Council-funded research history of China from the Qing through to as Fellows of the British Academy, in programme ‘Music, Digitisation, Mediation: the present. She is currently conducting a recognition of their outstanding research in Towards Interdisciplinary Music Studies’ study of the interpreters for the first British the humanities and social sciences. (MusDig). embassy to China in 1793.

Francesco Billari is Dr is Stephen Smith is Professor of Sociology Langford Fellow and Professor of History and Demography and Tutor in History at and Senior Research John Cairns John a Fellow of Nuffield Lincoln College, and Fellow at All Souls College. His main Reader in History. College. He studies research interest is the Her principal research the history of modern study of population, interests are the early Russia/the Soviet Union, family and the life course, and he is currently Reformation and Renaissance in England, the history of modern President of the European Association for particularly the great transformation in China, and comparative history. Population Studies. ideas, belief, social relations and political practice brought by the Reformation. is is Professor of Medieval Professor of Philosophy is Professor Philosophy and a and Senior Research of Hindu Studies and Fellow of All Souls Fellow at All Souls Comparative Religion, College. She studies College. Her work and Academic Director the reception of in contemporary of the Oxford Centre Aristotle’s philosophy philosophy focuses on for Hindu Studies. in the Middle Ages, and natural philosophy, the philosophy of Professor Flood’s main metaphysics and epistemology in the logic and language, particularly on vagueness research has been on South Asian traditions, Middle Ages. and paradoxes. Her work in the history of particularly Hindu Tantra, and he is interested philosophy focuses on ancient logic and in sacred texts, phenomenology, asceticism, Sarah Whatmore theories of determinism and freedom. and theory and method in the study of is Professor of religion. His current research is re-visiting the Environment and is idea of ‘comparative religion’ and exploring Public Policy and Professor of Music and the relation between self, text and tradition a Fellow of Keble Anthropology and a across cultures. College. Her research Fellow of Mansfield is concerned broadly College. She researches Henrietta Harrison is with cultures of nature, focusing particularly the anthropology Professor of Modern on the relationship between environmental and sociology of Chinese Studies and science and democratic governance and music, media and culture, currently with a Fellow of St Cross understanding how expert knowledge is a focus on music in the late 20th and 21st College. Her research produced, circulated and contested in the centuries. Earlier she researched the BBC and is centred around the management of environmental risks and public service broadcasting. She directs the social and cultural hazards.

royal society honours Professor Alex Halliday, Head of the Dr Rob Klose of the Department of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Biochemistry has been awarded the 2015 Division and Professor of Geochemistry, has Francis Crick Lecture for his research to been elected as the next Physical Secretary and understand how chromatin-based and epigenetic Vice-President of the Royal Society. He will processes contribute to gene regulation. The take up the post at the beginning of December. award is given annually to an outstanding early career stage scientist in any field in the biological sciences, with Three Oxford scientists have also been honoured by the Royal Society preference to the general areas in which Francis Crick worked. in this year’s Awards, Medals and Lectures. Dr Faith Osier has won the Royal Ben Green, Waynflete Professor of Pure Society Pfizer Award for her research on Mathematics, has been awarded the Sylvester understanding the mechanisms of immunity Medal ‘for his famous result on primes in to malaria infection in humans. The prize arithmetic progression, and his subsequent is awarded annually to a young scientist proofs of a number of spectacular theorems based in Africa. Dr Osier works at the KEMRI over the last five to ten years’. The Sylvester Wellcome Trust Research Programme, a partnership between the Medal, which was created in memory of James Joseph Sylvester, University of Oxford, the Wellcome Trust and the Kenya Medical Oxford’s Savilian Professor of Geometry in the 1880s, is awarded Research Institute (KEMRI). She is also an honorary research fellow biennially ‘for the encouragement of mathematical research’. at Oxford.

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2014 BLUEPRINT | 5 new Heads of House

Three new Heads of House have taken office this autumn. read modern history at Merton (where he is an Honorary Fellow). After a master’s degree at Princeton, he became a research student Christ Church at Nuffield, a junior research fellow at Wolfson and a lecturer at The Revd Professor Martyn William Balliol and took an Oxford DPhil. From 1979 he was an academic Percy became Dean of Christ Church at Glasgow University, where he was latterly professor and Vice- on 1 October. He has for the past ten Principal. Between 2000 and 2004 he was Vice-Chancellor of years been Principal of Ripon College the University of Greenwich. Cuddesdon, one of the world’s leading An expert on 19th- and 20th-century British elites, and a prominent Anglican theological colleges. He is a advocate of innovative methods in university teaching, he served as member of the Faculty of Theology and President of Universities UK 2007–9 and was knighted for services writes and teaches on modern ecclesiology. to higher education in 2010. His wife, Professor Marguerite Dupree, Professor Percy has undertaken who also holds an Oxford DPhil, is a historian of medicine. a number of roles in public life, serving as a Director of the Advertising Standards Authority, and as an Adjudicator for the St Hilda’s College Portman Group (the self-regulating body for the alcoholic drinks Sir Gordon Duff took office in August as industry). He is currently a Commissioner of the Direct Marketing the 11th Principal of St Hilda’s College. Authority as well as an Advisor to the British Board of Film He was previously Lord Florey Professor Classification. He is married to the theologian The Revd Dr Emma of Molecular Medicine at the University Percy, who is Chaplain and Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. of Sheffield. Sir Gordon, an Oxford graduate, has Exeter College had a distinguished career in medical Professor Sir Rick Trainor became Rector research and as a government advisor on of Exeter College on 1 October, having a range of public health matters. He was for the previous ten years been Principal Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines and its predecessor, of King’s College London, where he was and currently chairs the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products also Professor of Social History. Regulatory Agency (MHRA). In 2007 he was knighted for services Born and raised in the USA, he to public health. He continues to have research interests in stratified graduated from Brown University before medicine and public health. His wife, Lady Duff, is an alumna of coming to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar to St Hilda’s.

Editor’s note rrivals board • Blueprint is indebted to Dr Stephanie West, a Emeritus Fellow of Hertford College, who commented on the WW1 article in the July issue: ‘The sentence “By 1918 virtually all Oxford Professor of Translational Cognitive Regius Professor of Hebrew scholars were in uniform” is highlighted in Matt Neuroscience Jan Joosten, Pickles’ article. This generalisation curiously Anna Christina Professor of Old ignores women undergraduates and tutors. Contrast J M Winter, in the chapter which Pickles (Kia) de Ozorio Testament Exegesis, cites: “The very existence of women’s colleges and Nobre, Director University of women undergraduates was of great importance of the Oxford Strasbourg, took up to Oxford during the war. Their presence helped to preserve the rhythm of the academic year and Centre for Human the post of Professor gave the impression that not everything was being Brain Activity of Hebrew in the consumed by the war” and “The integration of and previously Department of women into the University moved forward during the war” (with details).’ Our thanks to her for Titular Professor Oriental Studies on pointing out this important omission. in Cognitive 1 September and became Regius Professor • Profuse apologies are due for two errors in Neuroscience and Tutorial Fellow of New of Hebrew on 1 October. He is also a Student the Queen’s Birthday Honours listing in the July College, took up this post in the Departments of Christ Church. issue. John Simpson, formerly Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and Emeritus Fellow of Psychiatry and Experimental Psychology His chief areas of research include the of Kellogg College (not Hertford College), was on 1 July. She also became a Professorial Septuagint (a translation of the Hebrew Bible made OBE (not CBE) for services to literature. Fellow of St Catherine’s College. and related texts into Koine Greek), and the Inadvertently omitted from the list was Dr Damian Jenkins, lecturer in medicine and biomedical Professor Nobre seeks to understand language and textural history of the Syriac sciences at St Hugh’s College, who was appointed the neural systems that support cognitive version of the Bible. He also studies the MBE for his service as Major in the Royal Army functions in the human brain. Her current biblical manuscripts found at the Qumran Medical Corps. research looks at how neural activity linked archaeological site, and the Diatessaron to perception and cognition is modulated (a prominent early Gospel harmony in which according to memories, task goals, and Tatian sought to combine the textual material

expectations. She is also interested in found in the four gospels into a single viewfinder found

how these large-scale dynamic control coherent narrative of Jesus’s life and death). Library. Centre China Chen

mechanisms in the brain develop over the He is currently President of the KB Bodleian new the houses which Building, Dickson Poon University of Oxford China Centre Centre China Oxford of University Poon Dickson lifespan, and how they are disrupted in International Organization for Septuagint the at is (p20) Courtyard Lee Wei Quo Sir The psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. and Cognate Studies.

6 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint iStockphoto from Nobel prize to public policy Steven Chu, Professor of Physics and Molecular & Cellular Physiology at Stanford University, is a man of many talents. In 1997 he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for the laser cooling and trapping of atoms, but from January 2009 until April 2013 he was the 12th US Secretary of Energy, in the Obama administration. It’s perhaps no surprise that he’s been chosen to give this year’s Romanes Lecture, the University’s annual public lecture in Oxford, first given in 1892 by William Gladstone. Here, he talks to Jamie Condliffe about academia, climate change and their intersection with public policy

You were the first Nobel Prize winner to Also China is becoming very serious about and policy nudges are essential to help hold a government executive post in the US. combating climate change and may soon accelerate this progress, so that clean energy How important is the role of scientists in put a meaningful price on carbon. However, and energy efficiency become the indisputably public policy? I’m also worried because we’re not moving low-cost option. It’s very important to have scientists – fast enough – and the longer we delay, the How has your time in government preferably active, practising scientists – in harder it will be to properly mitigate the influenced your current academic work? high positions in public policymaking. Science growing risks. During that time, and also during nearly five affects so many areas in policy that go well Aside from government, who else is well years as the director of Lawrence Berkeley beyond science funding. During my time in placed to help reduce the effects of climate National Laboratory, my scientific interests office, we considered issues ranging from the change? and knowledge broadened considerably. I government response to the Macondo oil leak Non-government organisations and industry now also have a better grasp of what’s needed through to how to best deal with our nuclear leaders are very important. Educating citizens to transition discovery into innovation and waste issues from the Cold War and spent fuel and industry so that they understand the risks significant deployment. I’m using my physics from civilian nuclear reactors. of climate change, for instance, is especially training in battery research, as well as biology Do you think the Obama administration important to future generations. There’s also and biomedical research. is delivering effective climate change a gap between the perceived and actual costs You’ve been invited to give the Romanes policies? of mitigation and adaptation. People and Lecture. Are you looking forward to visiting Within the constraints of Congress, which has organisations that can present a clear-eyed Oxford? become unusually deadlocked during his time view of these issues are important in dealing My wife, Jean, is an Oxford graduate – she in office, President Obama has done what with the risks of climate change. Just as the was at St Hugh’s and has a DPhil in Physics he can do. While comprehensive energy and tobacco industry successfully muddied the from the University – so I’ve been many times. climate mitigation legislation is not possible waters about the risks of smoking, there are I always look forward to each visit! now, he has used – and continues to use – his some individuals and organisations that are executive authorities to advance clean energy trying to do the same about the risks of human This year’s Romanes Lecture, Our Energy and mitigate climate change. greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. and Climate Change Challenges and How hopeful are you that national What’s the most fundamental change we Solutions, will be given in the Sheldonian governments can deliver policies in time to need to make to mitigate climate change? Theatre on Tuesday 11 November by The most important change is to recognise prevent catastrophic climate change? Professor Steven Chu. I remain hopeful, especially with California, the relative costs and benefits of mitigation. To book a free ticket for the lecture, visit New York, Massachusetts and many other While it’s OK to hope for the best, it is foolish states in the US taking leadership roles. to plan for the best. Research, development www.ox.ac.uk/romanes www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2014 BLUEPRINT | 7 A new home for special things: a volvelle showing planetary movements and solar and lunar eclipses, from Astronomicum Caesareum (Astronomy of the Caesars) by Peter Apian, 1540 a world-class centre for scholarship Its reading rooms are already open to staff and soon the new Weston Library will showcase the Bodleian’s special collections alongside first-rate facilities, as Matt Pickles reveals

The New Bodleian Library closed its doors building will also house a centre for visiting on 29 July 2011 to undergo a major refurbish- scholars. ment. Next March the building will reopen Unlike in its previous life as the New to the public as the Weston Library, named in Bodleian Library, parts of the Weston Library honour of the Garfield Weston Foundation, will be open to visitors. A new colonnaded which gave £25m towards the library’s entrance on Broad Street will allow general refurbishment. The new library, however, access to a large atrium, called the Blackwell recently opened its reading rooms to Oxford Hall, with a café, shop and exhibition staff, students and researchers. galleries regularly featuring some of the The building was designed in the 1930s treasures of the Bodleian’s collections. The by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and its original first exhibition, ‘Marks of Genius’, will open purpose was very different to that of the in March 2015. refurbished Weston Library. ‘The building ‘We’ve opened up the ground floor area to was originally designed as essentially just create something comparable to an Oxford a place for storing collections and it was quadrangle but indoors,’ explains Toby deliberately designed to keep the public Kirtley. ‘The Blackwell Hall is a large publicly and, indeed, the scholars out,’ says Richard accessible space and we hope members of Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian. ‘Of course we staff, members of the public and visitors to are in a different phase of development for the Oxford will come and have a look when it Bodleian now, and because we have our new opens in March.’

book storage facility in Swindon we no longer Read all about it Cistone Nick need to keep so much material in central ‘During the refurbishment, Oxford. That has given us the opportunity to in Italy. ‘It’s a great image of librarians reuse some of that space, giving access to not workers stumbled across transcending international boundaries during just the community inside the University but three items hidden behind conflict,’ says Mr Kirtley. the citizens of Oxford more generally – and radiators which tell an The refurbishment has been on a major also the many thousands of visitors who come scale, costing around £80m. The original to Oxford – and providing more space and a interesting story’ book stack was removed down to the lowest better-quality environment.’ basement level, with 84 kilometres of shelving A major aim of the refurbishment was The building has an interesting history. removed from the building altogether. 6,500 to provide a new home for the Bodleian’s Upon completion in 1940, it was immediately tonnes of concrete and 1,000 tonnes of steel special collections, comprising rare books, called into service in World War Two, when were stripped out of the building and a crane manuscripts and maps, which are among the it housed the Inter Service Topographical towered 37 metres above the building during most important in the world. Collections will Department (whose work was important to the works. ‘The heart of the building has been be moved from the basement of the Radcliffe the planning of D-Day), the Royal Observer completely demolished and we have rebuilt Science Library, the Book Storage Facility, Corps, and agencies such as the Blood it through all 11 storeys, right down to the the University Archives in the Examination Transfusion Service. The bottom floor was foundation slab,’ says Mr Kirtley. ‘This was Schools, the Rhodes House library, the fitted out as a large air-raid shelter for the necessary for storage of the special collections Chinese Studies library and the Oriental city of Oxford. because the previous structure was very Institute library. Last year, during the refurbishment, vulnerable to fire. Now we have modern, Keeping these collections under one roof workers stumbled across three items hidden up-to-date fire protection around the stacks will be valuable to specialists in these fields behind radiators which tell an interesting so that the building is suitable for our rarest, but, of course, people with other interests can story of another role of the building in most precious documents.’ still use the library. Toby Kirtley, the Bodleian the war, when it housed the Red Cross The building’s listed status means that the Libraries’ Estates Project Officer, says: ‘Any Educational Book Section. The workers majority of work is internal, apart from the Bodleian reader can use the reading rooms found a typewritten response from the Red new entrance on Broad Street. But Mr Kirtley because they will also hold reference material Cross to a British prisoner of war (POW) in reveals there is another, more subtle change which is often of more general relevance for Germany asking for books about mechanical to the building. ‘In the 1960s an extension those who are interested in, for example, local engineering, engines and electricity; a receipt was put in place on the rooftop and we have history and genealogy.’ from Blackwell booksellers for a book to be removed this so that for the first time in half a The library will be a world-class centre sent to a POW in Italy; and a handwritten century the original façade of the stack tower for scholarship. Its modern facilities for note containing the address of a POW camp can be seen,’ he says. readers include three reading rooms, open- shelf galleries, and reference areas with study carrels across five levels. A lecture For more information on the Weston Library, plus a time-lapse video theatre, seminar rooms and tools for digital scholarship have also been created. Wi-Fi will of the construction and an animated walkthrough of the new library, be available throughout the building and the visit www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/weston Headley Tearoom will be available to all. The www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2014 BLUEPRINT | 9 harvest lends a helping hand Produce from the Botanic Garden’s vegetable beds is making a real difference to those in need, as Sally Croft discovers

As home to some 5,000 plant species, the University Botanic Garden is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world. Its valuable collections have been used for centuries for research, education and conservation purposes, but in recent years a new area of the Garden has attracted considerable admiration: its

vegetable beds. Oxford University Images/Jill Walker In 2009 vegetable beds were introduced as part of a major redesign of the Lower Garden, the intention being to introduce an element of sustainability as well as provide a useful teaching resource, particularly for school and family activities. In addition to a fruit tree area, there are four allotment-style plots, which are used in a classic four-year crop rotation. ‘Crops are grouped by their common growing needs and every year we move what was growing in a particular bed round to the next bed clockwise,’ explains Jim Penny, the botanical horticulturalist who looks after the vegetable beds. ‘That means that all the soil gets treated in the same way and we avoid diseases that can build up in the soil.’ There Education aside, a major benefit of the taking in a whole stalk of Brussels sprouts are four vegetable groups: brassicas (such vegetable beds is of course that they produce and people sitting down and drawing it as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels food. It’s all given, free of charge, to people in before the sprouts were cooked.’ Community sprouts, kale); legumes (peas and beans); need, and is reinforcing connections with the outreach activities have also resulted, with roots and salads (carrot, parsnip, onion, local community both via the Oxford Food some vegetable growing at The Mill and lettuce, etc); and potatoes, which are followed Bank (OFB) and in some less expected ways. members of Donnington Doorstep and The by pumpkins and gourds. All the crops are For several years the vegetables were Mill visiting the Botanic Garden to see the grown without the use of any chemicals or harvested by food bank volunteer Lucinda vegetable collection and make a picnic. sprays. Lewis-Crosby, who took produce directly to ‘I’ve been trying different varieties of crops three local projects: Donnington Doorstep, ‘The sight of people’s smiles to find the ones that do best here,’ says Jim. a community centre in East Oxford that when they see this amazing ‘The Garden is championing biodiversity and provides a friendly environment and informal the conservation of biodiversity, so I’m using support for families; The Mill, a drop-in veg being delivered is a sources like the Real Seed Catalogue, which centre run by Oxfordshire Mind, the mental revelation’ supplies heritage vegetable seeds selected health charity; and The Porch Steppin’ Stone for small-scale growing in different British Centre, which provides day-long support As of this year the produce is being conditions. I’m aiming to produce a staggered for homeless and vulnerably housed people harvested by Botanic Garden volunteers and cropping season, rather than the all-at-once who want to move away from street life is collected by the OFB and distributed as crop commercial growers want and, in the and addiction. For all three charities, the vegetable boxes amongst 60 or so charities longer term, to grow open-pollinated varieties provision of meals is central to their activities, (including those above). ‘The produce is so that we will be able to harvest the seed.’ so fresh produce is welcomed with open arms. absolutely first class,’ says Robin Aitken, an He’s also trying out some unusual crops ‘The sight of people’s smiles when they OFB director. ‘Much of the fruit, veg and this year, to see how they fare in Oxford soil. see this amazing veg being delivered is a dairy produce we collect from supermarkets As well as gourds and squashes, he’s planted revelation,’ says Lucinda. ‘It’s all so delicious and wholesalers is at the end of its useful quinoa, the South American grain crop that and gets used in all kinds of ways before life, so I think it’s great that we can take is currently largely exported from Brazil, and it’s eaten. At Donnington Doorstep, they food of a quality that you probably couldn’t oca, an Andean crop related to wood sorrel get the children engaged in preparation like even purchase in Oxford to the homeless and that produces small edible tubers. podding peas and any unusual new vegetables those in unfortunate circumstances. It’s fresh, The vegetable beds in full production are a are put on a display table for people to look wholesome and of very high quality. It really real show-stopper and attract much attention at and play with. At The Mill, I remember makes the charities feel that someone cares.’ from visitors. As well as showing school parties what vegetables look like in the garden, the produce is used to explore issues like More information at www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk/vegetable- growing your own food, buying local produce collection and reducing food miles and packaging.

10 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint Oxford University Images/Jill Walker picture this Why is Hertford replacing its historic hall portraits with photos of women? Julia Paolitto investigates

Hertford College’s new-look dining hall celebrates co-education

year) was a humbling and thought-provoking process for many of the women as well. College Fellow and anatomy professor Dame Kay Davies says: ‘It’s amazing to reflect on how Robert Taylor Robert much has changed for

women in my field over the years. It was only You’re never far away from a historic of co-education. Some were nominated by in 1917 that facilities were built in Human milestone in Oxford – just about any given colleagues or peers, others chosen because Anatomy at Oxford, with the admission of year marks a major anniversary of a college or their personal stories drew on their experience the first female medical students. Women still a groundbreaking discovery in a department. of the college in different ways. The portraits have to fight hard to make it to the top, but This year marks arguably one of the most by photographer Robert Taylor include it is getting easier because of awareness of important moments in the University’s story, rowing world champion Stephanie Cullen, the challenges and the increasing profile of but one with only a 40-year history under curator Xanthe Brooke, and broadcaster successful women, of which this exhibition its belt: the transition of the first five colleges Natasha Kaplinsky. Many of the names and is part.’ (Brasenose, Hertford, Jesus, St Catherine’s faces on display will be unfamiliar to those Such reflections on what has been achieved and Wadham) to full co-education, including outside their fields – which is part of the since women were first fully incorporated co-residence. into college life at Oxford have been So how do you commemorate less than half ‘We are as proud of unsung occurring throughout the University this a century’s worth of history in a 900-year-old year. A series of events coordinated by institution? At Hertford College, it means achievement and of potential colleges with the University’s Alumni Office transforming one of the most iconic symbols as we are of high office or was launched on International Women’s Day of the Oxford college experience and tradition: salary’ in March. These have included a ‘Women in its dining hall. For the next 12 months the hall Law’ event at Wadham College, a ‘Women in will no longer feature its painted gallery of Politics’ symposium at St Catherine’s College, Britain’s historic elder statesmen. In its place project’s message, says Dr Smith. ‘It’s not just and a ‘Women in Media’ event at Jesus will be a photographic collection of female that our previous portraits were all of men,’ College. Further themed panel events include fellows and alumni from all professions and she comments, ‘but more that they represented ‘Enterprising Women’ at St Catherine’s, walks of life. a narrow definition of achievement, and a very hierarchical one. Our new portraits show that and commemorative dinners at all the The project was nearly a year in the we are as proud of unsung achievement and of participating colleges. making. It was commissioned by the college’s potential as we are of high office or salary.’ The common denominator for the governing body and coordinated by Dr Many of the portrait sitters have found commemorations is a focus on the impact Emma Smith, Fellow and Lecturer in English. the experience a challenging one – getting of women in the workplace – not just past ‘Marking the co-education anniversary gave comfortable in front of a camera is not easy. milestones, but what progress still remains us the opportunity to make a big statement,’ Becoming a public symbol of achievement for the future. The new hall portrait gallery she says, ‘not only about the importance of replacing the likes of John Donne (one of the at Hertford is a striking visual reminder that women to Hertford’s successes since 1974, men whose portraits will be retired for the inclusiveness is part of the tradition at Oxford. but about the range of careers and lives our students – both women and men – go into.’ The gallery, which was unveiled in More about the project at www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/portraits September, includes women from every decade

12 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint what’s on

become an OSPS trustee Are you a member of the University of OxfordUniversity Images/Greg Smolonski Oxford Staff Pension Scheme (OSPS) and

would you like to become involved in Brier-Remner Collection Brier-Remner Lectures and talks how it is run? OSPS is for support staff at Women in academic science: role models the University and many of the colleges. of success at Oxford Humanitas Visiting Professor in Classical The scheme has over 12,000 contributing Thursday 6 November, 5.30–7.45pm Music Ian Bostridge performs Schumann, or pensioner members and it would like Lecture Theatre 2, Maths Institute Strauss and Lizst. to encourage more members to become www.alumniweb.ox.ac.uk/alumni-/events/ trustees. Pensions are an important part of alumni-events/womeninsciencemain Special events Eight female academics talk about their the benefits provided for University and experiences of navigating career paths in LiveFriday: Egyptomania college employees. Member-nominated academic science. Panel discussion followed Friday 31 October, 7–10.30pm trustees, together with trustees appointed by drinks and networking. Ashmolean Museum by the University, help safeguard the www.ashmolean.org/livefriday scheme for fellow members by ensuring Can you have a good bank? Late-night event exploring the 1920s that it is properly run and decisions Friday 21 November, 5.30pm fascination with Egyptology. are made in the best interests of the Mawby Room, Kellogg College beneficiaries and the scheme. www.kellogg.ox.ac.uk/bynum-tudor-sants Northern Lights As a trustee, you would be a member of Sir Hector Sants, former CEO of the Friday 21 November, 7–10pm the trustee board that meets four times a Financial Services Authority, discusses Pitt Rivers Museum year and also participate in one of the sub- whether it is possible to have a good bank www.prm.ox.ac.uk/specialevents.html committees that meet around nine times that generates real value for the communities Immerse yourself in an Arctic soundtrack, a year. You don’t need to be a pensions it serves. explore the galleries by torchlight and come expert – you just need to have good face-to-face with polar creatures. Part of judgement and be fair, open-minded and Award of the Papal Legate – 800 years old Oxford’s city-wide Christmas Light festival. willing to learn. Training is provided and Wednesday 26 November, 1pm the OSPS advisers are there to help when Convocation House Roadshows you need it. www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/whatson/whats-on Kate Kele, Graduate Accommodation Keeper of the University Archives Simon Welcome event for research staff Officer in Estates Services, is a member- Bailey will discuss the oldest document in Thursday 9 October, 9.15am–12.30pm nominated trustee. ‘I was only 24 or the archives: the Award of the Papal Legate, Medical Sciences Teaching Centre, South 25 when I joined the University, and I issued in 1214. Parks Road didn’t really know where my pension www.learning.ox.ac.uk/support/research/new contribution was going each month,’ she For new researchers, covering professional Music and film says. ‘Being a trustee has given me a much development opportunities and the services greater understanding of pensions and We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks and support available at Oxford. helped me build financial skills.’ She adds: Tuesday 21 October, 7.30–10pm ‘I’ve taken on more responsibilities over Leonard Wolfson Auditorium, Wolfson College Family friendly the years and I’m now part of the General www.fljs.org/we-steal-secrets Purposes Committee, which oversees the Free screening of Academy Award-winner Beauty and the Beasts scheme rules. But really you can give as Alex Gibney’s documentary, preceded by Monday 27–Wednesday 29 October, 1–4pm much as you want.’ a short talk by Dr Jonathan Bright of the Oxford University Museum of Natural There is currently one vacancy, with Oxford Internet Institute. History and Pitt Rivers Museum another likely to arise in April 2015. www.prm.ox.ac.uk/events.html To find out more, visit www.admin.ox. Ian Bostridge recital with pianist Julius Drake Celebrate the gross and the gorgeous. ac.uk/finance/pensions/osps/thetrustees or Wednesday 19 November, 5pm Touch some repulsive museum objects from contact the Scheme Secretary, Jan Killick, Holywell Music Room the Museum of Natural History and find out at [email protected]. www.humanities.ox.ac.uk/humanitas what makes us beautiful in the Pitt Rivers.

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2014 BLUEPRINT | 13 supporting the skeleton staff Oxford medics are providing training in trauma and orthopaedic surgery in ten sub-Saharan countries, discovers Jonathan Wood

The Beit CURE International Hospital in COSECSA being the College of Surgeons The benefits aren’t all one-sided, Professor Blantyre, Malawi, opened its doors in 2002. of East, Central and Southern Africa. Lavy is quick to point out. There are very Established by Oxford orthopaedic surgeon The college exists to provide training and tangible benefits back home in the UK, he Professor Christopher Lavy, it now sees 8,000 education across the region, and includes says. Many NHS staff from the Nuffield patients and performs about 1,500 operations 10 sub-Saharan countries: Burundi, Ethiopia, Orthopaedic Centre have travelled to every year. It treats children with physical Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Africa to lead training courses and learnt disabilities throughout Malawi for free, and Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. much themselves. ‘More than a dozen have also offers hip and knee replacement surgery – It was formed 15 years ago because there were got stuck in, perhaps wanting to expand one of the few places where this surgery is so few surgeons in this region of Africa and horizons,’ Professor Lavy says. ‘And it’s really available in sub-Saharan Africa. because those who went outside the region to happened. Many have made several trips. It’s ‘Even when I was a doctor in training and get training tended not to come back. massively changed many people’s outlook and spent time in parts of Africa, it was clear that the things they are focused on doing here.’ the need was enormous,’ says Christopher ‘The COOL team say they have The COOL team say they have definitely Lavy, Professor of Orthopaedics and seen improvements in surgical care and Global Surgery in the Nuffield Department definitely seen improvements provision through their work in Southern and of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and in surgical care and provision’ East Africa. Grace Le says: ‘Our Zambian Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) and a trainees tell us how much of a difference their surgeon at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. ‘The COOL project is an attempt to create training fellowship has made to their work ‘One of the reasons I went into medicine – something sustainable: one way of helping in rural outreach clinics where most of their like so many – was a desire to help people. COSECSA strengthen its training programme patients are children – they feel much more Seeing that there are millions of people with for surgeons across the region,’ says Professor confident and equipped to care for these enormous need, that stayed with me.’ Lavy, who was one of the group who founded children.’ Links between Oxford and Malawi, and COSECSA while in Malawi. Professor Lavy adds: ‘I can show you the the wider region across Southern and East The three-year COOL programme began numbers of people who have learnt how to Africa, continue today through the work of in 2012 and is funded by the Department for deliver new treatments. I can show you the Professor Lavy, Hemant Pandit, and many International Development. It offers courses log books of doctors who have learnt new others in the COOL project, a partnership in primary trauma care, training fellowships operations. But these are just numbers on a which offers research and training in trauma in children’s orthopaedics of up to six months, bit of paper. The thing for me is seeing and and orthopaedic surgery for doctors in the and week-long training courses in specialist hearing the difference it makes for young region. It’s a part of the globe and an area of areas. Finally, the Oxford–Africa project doctors we come into contact with. Recently, medicine where there is real need for more is carrying out epidemiological research to a young female doctor in Zimbabwe came trained health workers, explains Grace Le, give comprehensive, accurate figures for up to me and said: “This is so exciting; this COOL project manager in NDORMS. ‘There the first time on the level of clinical need is what I want to do. What are the next steps is great opportunity to improve survival from for orthopaedic surgery among children for me?”’ serious injuries and improve care for children in Malawi. with clubfoot and other bone and joint impairments,’ she says. COOL is the rather neat acronym for Find out more about the project at www.ndorms.ox.ac.uk/cool the COSECSA Oxford Orthopaedic Link,

14 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint Helping hands at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa and (left) a hip and knee orthopaedic surgery course at CURE Ethiopia Children’s Hospital advertisements

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www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2014 BLUEPRINT | 19 why am i here?

Nina Tomlin Senior Strategy Officer, International Strategy Office

What does the International Strategy Your childhood ambition? And what Office do? actually was your first job? We work to strengthen the University’s When I was really young – astronaut! international relationships, international But later on I was keen either to join character and international profile. Mainly an NGO overseas or the Foreign Office. we support colleagues across the University My first proper job was as Head of Office to develop and grow international to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs

RobJudges links, including research and education Committee of the European Parliament collaborations. We undertake strategic in Brussels. projects on issues such as the support So how did you get from there to here? provided to international students at After the European Parliament, I worked Oxford, the international opportunities in London, first at the Home Office, then Blueprint is published bimonthly for the staff of the on offer to students, the recruitment of in Amnesty International’s International University of Oxford by the Public Affairs Directorate international academics, benchmarking of Secretariat, and finally at the Electoral Editor: Sally Croft activity against international peers, and fee Designers: Laëtitia Velia/Nadja Guggi Commission. I then looked for work near Picture research: Janet Avison levels for international students compared Oxford as my husband was starting a DPhil Items for possible inclusion are welcome and should with peers. here and became Deputy Director of the be sent to [email protected] We also host and advise incoming Ditchley Foundation, a small foundation If you would like to receive an email alert when future issues are published, please send a blank email delegations from higher education convening conferences of senior experts to [email protected] institutions and governments abroad and on international public policy issues – a Advertising support some of the VC’s international wonderful experience, which allowed To advertise in Blueprint, please contact Rosalind Cuomo on 01865 280548 trips, and we maintain a database and me to develop professionally in so many or email [email protected] publicise Oxford’s international links. ways. When I was looking to move on, The University accepts no responsibility for the content of any material in Blueprint. Plus we keep an eye on trends in higher the exciting opportunity to work in the Readers should note in particular that the inclusion of news, editorial items education globally and have recently been International Strategy Office presented itself and advertisements does not imply the and I was delighted to get the job. endorsement by the University of the deeply involved in the University’s activities matters reported, the views expressed or the goods or services advertised. in support of higher education in Myanmar What’s the most unexpected thing (Burma). you’ve found yourself doing? Sitting at a small primary school desk, What’s your own role? As one of two strategy officers, I lead on the playing memory games in English with a viewfinder activities above for Latin America, Europe 9-year-old Brazilian schoolboy – during the last trip to Brazil, we visited a school using and Africa and on international student Where’s this characterful courtyard? OUP English language textbooks. Answer on p6. experiences, international academics, and student exchanges. Favourite activities outside work? Number one is definitely spending time So lots of exciting foreign travel? with my 18-month-old son. He is a joy

Definitely exciting, but not lots. Since I Joshua Seufert every day and weekends often centre on started in 2011, I’ve been abroad twice a taking him to the park, a child-friendly year. Highlights have been a trip to Hong concert, or meeting up with friends and Kong, Beijing and Tokyo, and two trips to family. I also love the cinema, reading Brazil. historical novels, going for a run or a Tell us about some recent activities swim, or playing the piano. We’ve had visits over the past six months Finally, which three people would you from institutions in China, Switzerland, invite to a dinner party? Belgium, India, Japan, France, the US and Angela Merkel: being half German, I take many others and the Vice-Chancellor has a keen interest in German politics and I travelled to China, South Korea, Brazil admire her leadership style and the way she and India. We published our first annual seems to rise above it all – she would be report on ‘Trends in the Globalisation of a fascinating dinner companion. Frédéric Higher Education’, organised a trip by the Chopin: definitely my favourite piano music Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Development and composer and I’ve enjoyed playing lots of External Affairs) to Myanmar, convened his pieces over the years – he could serenade Interest Groups on a range of countries and us and maybe even give me a quick lesson! published brochures highlighting our links And Paul Newman: simply the most with key countries and regions. beautiful man ever, in my view.

20 | BLUEPRINT October 2014 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint