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Floreat Domus BALLIOL COLLEGE NEWS | ISSUE NO.21 MAY 2015 New kitchen p7 Graham Greene papers p10 Student Dervorguilla A musical Alumni successes p20 discoveries p26 physicist p28 abroad p38 Contents 10 18 News 1 From the Master ........................................... 1 New Fellows ................................................. 2 New Development Director ....................... 4 Awards ........................................................... 4 Outreach activities ........................................ 5 Douglas Dupree’s retirement dinner........... 6 The Kitchen Project ...................................... 8 Graham Greene acquisition ....................... 10 Thomas Hodgkin Lecture .......................... 13 8 Balliol Interdisciplinary Institute .................. 14 Portrait of Don Harris ................................ 15 Masonry work ............................................. 15 Library internships ...................................... 16 Student news .........................................18–21 Alumni news ..........................................22–23 Features 24 Mothing in and around Oxford .................. 24 33 There is no fun like Chebfun ...................... 25 Lady Dervorguilla and medieval Scotland’s treasures .................................... 26 26 Music and physics ........................................ 28 Balliol maths: a plurality of women ........... 30 Balliol’s modernist venture ......................... 32 A Balliol link 1943 to 2014 ......................... 33 Chalet questions ......................................... 34 University Challenge update ...................... 35 Balliol College Oxford OX1 3BJ Pathfinder adventures ................................. 36 01865 277777 Global Balliol: China .................................... 38 www.balliol.ox.ac.uk Rethinking economics ................................. 40 Editor: Anne Askwith Intelligent computers .................................. 41 (Publications and Web Officer) Editorial advisor: Nicola Trott Bookshelf 42 (Senior Tutor) Design: RBDA Studio Development news 44 Print: Hunts Front cover photograph: Rob Judges We are most grateful to all who have kindly written articles, agreed to be Pathfinders anniversary year interviewed, provided photographs or information, or otherwise assisted in The year 2015/16 will be one of celebrations for the Pathfinders Programme: the 60th the preparation of this magazine. anniversary of its creation by Bill Coolidge, and the 10th anniversary of Matthew and Siân Westerman’s support for it. For a feature in next year’s Floreat Domus, and We are always pleased to receive anniversary celebrations commencing in the autumn, we would love to hear from former feedback and suggestions: Pathfinders and Pathfinder hosts about their experiences and what the programme has please send these by email to meant to them. If you would like to share your memories and reflections, please go to [email protected] www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/Pathfinders@60 or write to the Editor at the address above. or to the Editor at the address above. IIFLOREAT DOMUS BALLIOL COLLEGE NEWS news From the Master ast year I wrote about the Sporting success has ranged from for use in technology; Edith Elkind (Research departures of Judy Longworth and Cuppers wins in football, rugby and cycling Fellow in Computational Game Theory) and L Douglas Dupree, and signalled that for the men, through the Cuppers final in John-Paul Ghobrial (Lucas Fellow and Tutor Judy’s successor as Development Director women’s squash, to wins in both the League in History) won major European Research was to be Richard Norman from the and Cuppers for frisbee (almost as unknown Council awards; and Tom Melham (Professor University of Reading; this year I can write as a College sport in my time as was karting of Computer Science and Tutor in about the arrival of Bruce Kinsey, too, as our last year). Perhaps the biggest success, Computation) played a key part in the new Chaplain and Welfare Officer. Bruce though, thanks to a generous anonymous University’s selection as a founder of the comes to us from the Perse School, donation to sports, has been the huge £40M-plus Alan Turing Institute for Data Cambridge, where he was Chaplain and increase in lacrosse participation, which will Science. The Royal Society honoured Senior Tutor, but he also has long experience surely lead to success in the future. Balliol Emeritus Fellow Denis Noble’s pioneering as the Chaplain at Downing College, members were also in the Oxford teams work on the heart by including his article in Cambridge. As well as his Chapel duties he which won this year’s Varsity matches in its 350th anniversary publication. Ofra leads a welfare team which includes another rugby, golf and women’s rowing. Magidor (Fairfax Fellow and Tutor in new arrival, Denise Barulis, as Academic In Michaelmas Term and Hilary we had Philosophy) won a major Philip Leverhulme Work Counsellor, a new part-time position a wonderful range of good research news. Prize, for her work in the philosophy of logic shared with St John’s College. And of course David Lucas (Tutor in Physics) and Dominic and language, metaphysics, epistemology and Bruce works closely with the equally new O’Brien (Eastern Electricity Fellow, philosophy of mathematics, and Andrew Dean, Rachel Quarrell, who has been a Professor of Engineering Science and Tutor Hurrell (Professorial Fellow and Montague chemistry Lecturer in College for a good in Engineering Science) had a major role in Burton Professor of International Relations) number of years. securing an over-£30M grant for quantum was given the Susan Strange Award. Not only do we have these crucial new computing, as part of the Quantum The Buttery has now reopened in its new members of College, but equally crucially, Technology Hubs programme, which will splendour (stamps still affixed to the ceiling, you might think, we have a new kitchen, and explore the properties of quantum however) – come to see it and visit the the lawn has been once again revealed from mechanics and how they can be harnessed College for one of our many alumni events. under the temporary structure. The College R has also carried out a major survey of its ob Judges buildings on the Broad Street site, and now has a plan in place to catch up on maintenance over the next ten years – of the order of £10M worth – and, even more importantly perhaps, a rolling programme which should ensure that it does not fall behind again, though of course we are in about as much control of the financial context as anyone else in a not very stable environment. The upcoming election has a number of serious variables built in, and what look like significant rises to both National Insurance and USS employers’ contributions will add to our pay bill. Our undergraduate performance in Final Honours Schools has been almost as unstable as the financial environment in recent years, and after a couple of years back in the top ten, we slipped again last year. Small differences can have large effects on the Norrington rankings, which mean little – but the fact of it is that we must ensure that all our students fulfil their promise, and from this year on we are making significant changes in the way they are supported in a number of subjects, where the College will provide more back-up to teaching provision supplied by the University’s academic divisions. We also have longer-term plans to increase our tutorial strength by possibly as many as 12 young high-fliers in both research and teaching. Again, I fear these plans are dependent on the continuing generosity of our alumni and we are discussing them with a number of you, I know. ISSUE NO.21 MAY 2015 1 news New Fellows David Clifton Richard Ovenden Balliol’s new Research Fellow Professorial Fellow Richard Ovenden is in Engineering is a graduate Bodley’s Librarian, which is the senior of Oxford’s Department of executive position of the Bodleian Rachel Quarrell Engineering Science, where Libraries. His previous roles include Rachel, now Fellow Dean, is no stranger to he specialised in information positions at the House of Lords Library, Balliol, having taught organic chemistry at Balliol engineering. After his the National Library of Scotland, and the for 15 years. As a postdoctoral researcher in doctoral degree, during University of Edinburgh, after which he medicinal chemistry at the Dyson Perrins which he was a Doctoral joined the Bodleian Libraries in 2003, Laboratory from 1994 to 2004, she published Research Fellow of Kellogg becoming first Keeper of Special papers on combinatorial chemistry and the College, David became a Collections and Western Manuscripts, inhibition of enzymes, with a particular focus Junior Research Fellow of then Associate Director, and, from 2011, on the discovery of lead compounds with the Mansfield College. His Deputy Librarian. He is active in the sphere potential to be used against targets including appointment in 2013 as a of libraries, archives and information emphysema, malaria, the HIV virus and human Research Fellow of the Royal science, being a member of the Board of dihydrofolate reductase (implicated in cancer Academy of Engineering will the Legal Deposit Libraries and the Expert growth). As well as being a Balliol Lecturer lead to a permanent position Panel of the National Heritage Memorial she teaches at Worcester and in the Department of Fund; Chair of the Digital Preservation Corpus Christi Colleges. Judges Rob Engineering Science. His Coalition 2009–2013;