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Home , Dawn Chatty, Felicity Heal, Lynne Brindley, Nuneham House, Sally Shuttleworth

blueprint Staff magazine for the University of | October 2015

Family support in Africa | Arboretum opportunities | Inflammation excellence news in brief u The Bodleian’s rich collections of digitised help address the systemic failings of the food books, manuscripts, maps, art and other system, which have resulted in about one materials can now be explored through a single billion people being hungry, two billion lacking website, digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. The online sufficient nutrients, and over two billion being portal contains more than 100,000 digitised overweight or obese. items and images, ranging from Victorian playbills and board games to the medieval u A new set of University security policies Gough Map, which is believed to be the earliest has been approved by Council. Available at map of the UK. The publicly accessible site, www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ouss, the policies set which brings together the Bodleian’s digital out how different aspects of security will be collections under a single interface, allows users managed across the University and provide

to download images for non-commercial use, guidance on how the University aims to ensure Alves Gaspar Alves share images on social media and make private the security of its staff and students, its estate notes and annotations. and information. The Security Services website also provides advice on keeping yourself and u A University spin-out developing new ways your belongings safe, as well as information

of controlling disease-carrying insects and pests on building security plans and emergency Alcock Robotics / Ed Aldebaran is to be sold to a major US corporation for action plans. $160m. In a deal worth £9m to the University, Intrexon Corporation has agreed to acquire u Do you have any ideas about innovative Oxitec, which was founded in 2002 by two ways in which the University can reduce its Zoology researchers, Luke Alphey and David carbon footprint? If so, take part in the Carbon Kelly. The company uses a genetic modification Innovation Programme, which is being run technique they invented to design strains of by the Environmental Sustainability team insects which are incapable of reproducing in conjunction with academic departments effectively. The technology has implications for including the Environmental Change Institute the control of disease-carrying mosquitoes. and New Energy Systems Thinkers. The programme is designed to support staff u The Oxford Graduate Scholarship Matched and students in producing a business case Fund has been extended by a further £20m. for a carbon reduction project. A judging Launched in 2012 to build an endowment panel will review the proposals and funding that will fully fund over 165 graduate students will be allocated to the best projects for at any one time for the expected duration of implementation. Email sustainability@admin. their courses, the fund now supports over 120 ox.ac.uk for details. new scholarships each year. Including top-ups in July 2014 and February 2015, this new u Did you know that you can save tax and release of matched funding will double the national insurance on your childcare costs by initial allocation of funds, producing a total using the workplace salary-sacrifice scheme or iStockphoto/mediaphotos endowment of £200m for graduate scholarships. childcare vouchers? The salary-sacrifice scheme is for those who use University nurseries, while u The Environmental Change Institute has childcare vouchers can be used towards fees From top: digital delights; control that launched a training programme for graduate for private nurseries, childminders, nannies, pest; food for thought students to improve understanding of the food holiday play schemes and breakfast and after- system. Run in partnership with four other school clubs. Information about both schemes, UK universities and with core funding from together with an overview of the new tax-free HEFCE, the Innovative Food Systems Teaching childcare scheme that is being introduced in blueprint Staff magazine for the and Learning programme is designed to equip 2017, is available at www.admin.ox.ac.uk/ | October 2015 Family support in africa | Arboretum opportunities | Inflammation students with the knowledge and skills to childcare. excellence

u Getting help and support for IT has become easier with the advent of a single phone number for the central IT Service Desk. Simply call 12345 (01865 612345 from an external line) for any queries relating to central IT support. Existing methods of contact for specialist IT support teams will continue to operate. These include DARS, Financials, Student Systems, HRIS, NSMS and ITS3. Central IT support will continue to be

Credit:Botanic Garden Call 12345 provided in partnership with departmental or Cover: Seasonal splendour at the college IT support staff. (see pp14–15)

2 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint research round-up

u Large crystals of graphene can now be produced in minutes, not hours, using a new technique developed in the Department of Materials. The carbon-based material is attractive because of its high strength, impressive flexibility and low weight – but

it is currently difficult to produce in large iStockphoto/MartinMcCarthy quantities at low cost. The new method, developed in Nicole Grobert’s laboratory, uses a layer of liquid platinum silicide to smooth the surface of platinum foil. When methane gas touches that surface, the smooth layer encourages it to form large flakes of graphene. The resulting crystals are 30 times bigger than those produced using existing techniques, of equal quality, and can be made in 15 minutes rather than 19 hours. The research appears in Nature Communications. Graphene can be grown more quickly u Penalties don’t really work; people only obey norms if they feel the rules are applied audio recordings of simple words in modern disorders are potentially responsible for up fairly and accord with their own moral Indo-European languages to regenerate to a fifth of violent reoffending by former code – and that is likely to go for bankers audible spoken forms from earlier points in male prisoners and two-fifths by female too. That’s the conclusion of Christopher the evolutionary tree.’ In 2013 the project ex-prisoners. ‘One in seven prisoners have Hodges, Oxford’s Professor of Justice reconstructed the pronunciation of spoken a psychotic illness or major depression and Systems, who has researched corporate Latin words for numbers. Professor Coleman around one in five enter prison with clinically behaviour, looking at theories of deterrence, now has an AHRC grant to extend this to significant substance abuse disorders,’ says behavioural psychology and what regulators Germanic languages like English, German Seena Fazel, Professor of Forensic Psychiatry. and companies do to achieve compliance. dialects and Dutch, as well as Modern Greek. ‘As these disorders are common and mostly He found that cultures based on blaming treatable, better screening and mental health people for doing the wrong thing do not u Nearly half of all edits to articles about services before and after release are essential foster an environment where people volunteer places on Wikipedia were made by people to prevent future violence and improve information to allow the performance in the UK, US, France, Germany and Italy, both public health and safety.’ He adds: management system to operate. That has according to Oxford Internet Institute ‘It underscores the importance of treating been convincingly shown in the aviation researchers who geocoded Wikipedia edit alcohol and drug misuse actively and with industry where a ‘no-blame’ culture keeps entries on articles mentioning places. They evidence-based therapies.’ planes flying safely in the sky, he says, adding also found there were more editors in the that his research shows every other sector Netherlands than all of Africa combined. It is and regulatory system needs to apply the assumed that Wikipedia, the world’s largest same approach. and most used repository of user-generated u An Oxford project is using scientific content, offers a platform for ‘local voices’. methods to investigate what ancient words However, this study maps where Wikipedia spoken in Europe and Asia over 6,000 editors live and finds that local voices rarely

years ago actually sounded like. Professor represent and define their own country. iStockphoto/caracterdesign John Coleman, Principal Investigator of Digital connectivity is only one factor, it the Ancient Sounds project in the Faculty concludes, with the network effects of the of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, internet crowding out less ‘visible’ parts of presented his findings to the British Science the world. Festival in Bradford last month. ‘We are taking a revolutionary new approach which u Ex-prisoners with common psychiatric combines acoustic phonetics, statistics and disorders such as bipolar disorder and alcohol comparative philology,’ he said. ‘Rather and drug abuse are substantially more likely than reconstructing written forms of ancient to commit a violent crime after release than words, we are developing methods to other prisoners. A study of almost 48,000 ex- triangulate backwards from contemporary prisoners suggests that diagnosed psychiatric

For more information, visit www.ox.ac.uk/news and www.ox.ac.uk/staffnews Better screening and mental health services could help prisoners avoid reoffending www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 3 people and prizes royal Society Professor Sir Tony Luciano Floridi, Professor recognition Atkinson of the Institute of of Philosophy and Ethics New Economic Thinking at of Information, Director The achievements of several Oxford the Oxford Martin School of Research at the Oxford scientists have been recognised by Royal has won the Outstanding Internet Institute and Fellow Society medals and awards. Contribution Award of of St Cross, has received the Prestigious the European Investment Copernicus Scientist award for his work on the Royal Medals have Bank for research on the foundations of the philosophy of information. been awarded to: Economics of Inequality and Economic Growth. The award is given by the Institute for Higher Dame Jocelyn Bell Professor Atkinson established the modern Studies within the University of Ferrara in Burnell, Visiting British field of inequality and poverty studies and recognition of academic excellence. Professor in Physics his work is predominantly focused on income and Professorial distributions and the economics of public policy. Dr Ester Hammond, Fellow at Mansfield An inequality measure – the Atkinson index – is Associate Professor in College, for her pivotal contribution in named after him. the CRUK/MRC Oxford observing, analysing and understanding Institute for Radiation pulsars, one of the most important James Binney, Professor of Oncology, is the recipient astronomical discoveries of the 20th Physics and Head of the of the 2015 Michael Fry century; Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, Rudolf Peierls Centre for Research Award from the Honorary Fellow at Jesus College, for her Theoretical Physics, has Radiation Research Society. work on the prediction and discovery of been awarded the 2015 The award recognises junior scientists who have telomerase and the role of telomeres in Occhialini medal and prize made extraordinary contributions to the field of protecting and maintaining the genome; ‘for his work on galaxy radiation research. and Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith, dynamics, in particular for Director of Energy developing an understanding of how galaxies Glyn Humphreys, Watts Research and exchange gas with the intergalactic medium Professor of Experimental Visiting Professor and how this exchange controls the evolution Psychology, has won in Physics, for his of galaxy morphology’. The award is presented the British Psychological major contributions jointly by the Italian Physical Society and the Society’s lifetime to the development Institute of Physics. achievement award. of the Standard Model, particularly Martin McLaughlin, Dr Oliver Cox, Knowledge his success in making the case for the Agnelli–Serena Professor Exchange Fellow at building the Large Hadron Collider. of Italian Studies, has TORCH, has been The Michael been elected President of appointed to Arts Council Faraday Prize the Modern Humanities England’s designation and Lecture has Research Association. The panel. The designation been awarded to scheme aims ‘to identify Association encourages and Stuart Bebb Stuart Katherine Willis, promotes advanced study and celebrate collections Professor of and research in the field of the modern humanities, of outstanding resonance that deepen our Biodiversity, for which includes the modern and medieval understanding of the world and what it means to her excellent work European languages, literatures and cultures. be human’. in science communication. Dame Kay Davies, Gesine Reinert, Professor of Dr Lee’s Professor of Statistics, has been named Anatomy and Director a Fellow of the Institute weston nominated of the MRC Functional of Mathematical Statistics The Weston Library, which has undergone an Genomics Unit, has been for her fundamental £80m transformation, has been nominated announced as the 2015 contributions to probability for the ‘Building Project of the Year (£10m recipient of the annual and asymptotic statistics, to £50m)’ award at the British Construction William Allan Award of and their important Industry Awards. The winner will be the American Society of Human Genetics. applications in the life sciences. announced on 14 October.

Marcus du Sautoy, Charles Daniel Wakelin, Jeremy Simonyi Professor for the Griffiths Professor of Medieval English

Public Understanding of Cairns John Science, has received the Palaeography, is the joint award of Doctor of Science winner of the 2015 DeLong of the University of South Prize awarded by SHARP Wales for his outstanding for the best monograph research record in on the history of the book mathematics and his exceptional contribution from 2014, for his book Scribal Correction and to the promotion of the public understanding of Literary Craft: English Manuscripts 1375–1510 mathematics and science. (Cambridge University Press, 2014).

4 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint arrivals board new Heads of House Four new Heads of House took office this term. Regius Professor of Greek Gregory Brasenose College Jesus College Hutchinson, John Bowers QC Sir Nigel Shadbolt Professor of Greek became Principal of took office as and Latin Languages Brasenose College Principal of and Literature, on 1 October. Jesus College on University of He is a leading 1 August. He Oxford, and human rights and was previously Fellow and Tutor employment lawyer Professor of Artificial in Classics, Exeter with particular Intelligence at College, has, with focus on matters the University of the approval of Her Majesty the Queen, taken of equal pay, Southampton. up this post in the Faculty of Classics on discrimination, minimum wage and unfair He has been an advisor to the UK 1 October. He also became a Student of dismissal, and sits as a Deputy High Court government across a range of data-related Christ Church. Judge. He is an approved counsel for the topics since 2009 and in 2012, with Sir Professor Hutchinson’s work ranges across Equality and Human Rights Commission, Tim Berners-Lee, founded the Open Data classical literature; his interests include and has written numerous books on human Institute. He was knighted in 2013 for the relationship between Greek and Latin rights and employment law, including services to science and engineering. In literature, and between poetry and prose. He standard texts on whistleblowing and addition to his role at the college, Sir Nigel has written eight books: Aeschylus; Greek industrial action. takes up a professorship in the Department Lyric Poetry; Propertius: Elegies Book IV; of Computer Science. Hellenistic Poetry; Latin Literature from Green Templeton College Seneca to Juvenal: A Critical Study; Cicero’s Correspondence: A Literary Study; Talking Denise Lievesley Lady Margaret Hall Books: Readings in Hellenistic and Roman CBE, formerly Alan Rusbridger Books of Poetry; and Greek to Latin: Professor of Social became Principal Frameworks and Contexts for Intertextuality. Statistics and of Lady Margaret Executive Dean of Hall on 1 October, Professor of Economic Policy the Faculty of Social having stepped Stefan Dercon, Science and Public down from his Professor of Policy at King’s 20-year role as Development College , Editor-in-Chief of Economics, became Principal of the Guardian this University of Green Templeton College on 1 October. summer. Oxford, Professorial A social statistician, she has contributed During his editorship he led the paper Fellow of to the formulation of national and to numerous awards, including the 2014 Wolfson College, international policy on statistics. She Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, the Burton and Chief is active in developing social research Benjamin Award, the Ortega y Gasset Economist, UK methods and research ethics and is an avid Award, the European Press Prize and the Department for International Development, campaigner for evidence to be used as the 2014 Right Livelihood Award. He took up this post in the Blavatnik School basis for the development of sound public has been appointed the next Chair of the of Government and the Department of policies both within the UK and more Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian Economics on 1 October. He also became widely. She was the first Chief Executive and whose purpose is to preserve its a Fellow of Jesus College. of the NHS Health and Social Care editorial freedom and independence in Professor Dercon is a development Information Centre; the founding Director perpetuity. He is a Director of the National economist applying microeconomics and of UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics; Theatre. Mr Rusbridger is a visiting statistics to problems of development. and Director of UK Data Archive. More professor at Queen Mary (University Despite his current post as Chief Economist recently, she was a UN Special Adviser on of London), LSE, the Asian College of at DFID, he remains actively engaged in Statistics, based in Addis Ababa. Journalism and Cardiff University, and research and his diverse interests include Professor Lievesley has served as was formerly a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield research on risk and poverty, the foundations President of the Royal Statistical Society College. He holds honorary degrees from of growth in poor societies, agriculture (1999–2001), the International Association the universities of Oslo, Lincoln and and rural institutions, migration, political for Official Statistics (1995–97) and the Kingston; and honours from Harvard economy, childhood poverty, social and International Statistical Institute (2007–9), (the Goldsmith Career Award), Columbia geographic mobility, micro-insurance, and of being the first woman to hold this last University and the City University of New measurement issues related to poverty and office. She holds honorary York. He is a graduate of Magdalene vulnerability. from City University and the University College, Cambridge, where he studied of Essex and is a Fellow of UCL and of , English, and is the author of Play it Again,

the Academy of Social Sciences. She was viewfinder found

a memoir of amateur music-making and House. Stephen’s St at cloisters the

appointed CBE in 2014 for services to

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journalism. (1967–) Vanstone Paul by marble

social science. (2010), a sculpture in Portuguese Portuguese in sculpture a (2010), Head Winged

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 5 new Fellows of the British Academy A number of Oxford academics were elected Bank Director of the interests lie in the field of Anglo-Saxon, in July as Fellows of the British Academy University of Oxford Norse and Celtic languages and literatures. in recognition of their research in the China Centre. A is humanities and social sciences. Fellow of St Cross Professor of English College, he works Literature and a on the emergence of is Professor of Professorial Fellow nationalism in modern Anthropology and at St Anne’s College. China, both in the Forced Migration She has published early 20th century and in the contemporary and a Fellow of St widely in the field era. He is particularly interested in the Cross College. She is a of medicine, science impact of China’s war with Japan in the social anthropologist and literature, particularly in the Victorian 1930s and 1940s and in the development of whose ethnographic era, and is currently investigating 19th- Chinese politics, society and culture. interests lie in the Middle East, particularly century perspectives on diseases of modern with nomadic pastoral tribes and refugee Kia Nobre is Director life, and the growth of citizen science young people. Her research areas include of the Oxford Centre communities. conservation-induced displacement, tribal for Human Brain is resettlement, modern technology and social Activity, Professor of Professor of Medieval change, gender and development and the Translational Cognitive German Literature impact of prolonged conflict on refugee Neuroscience and a and a Fellow of Oriel young people. She was Director of the Professorial Fellow College. Her research Refugee Studies Centre from 2011 to 2014. at St Catherine’s centres on medieval College. She seeks to understand the Dr is an German studies and principles of the neural systems that support Emeritus Fellow at she has a particular cognitive functions in the human brain Jesus College, where interest in later medieval religious, mystical, and investigates how neural activity linked she was formerly philosophical or allegorical writing. to perception and cognition is modulated Fellow and Tutor in according to memories, task goals and In addition, Dame Modern History. Her expectations. , research interests Master of Pembroke include British is College and formerly Reformations; the English Gentry, 1500– Rawlinson and Chief Executive of the 1700; and Gift-exchange in Early Modern Bosworth Professor , was Culture. of Anglo-Saxon and made an Honorary a Fellow of Pembroke is Professor of the History and Fellow of the British College. His research Politics of Modern China, and Deutsche Academy.

want to confer? Conference Oxford was set up over 20 of years. ‘Booking dining rooms, particularly years ago with 38 members, all of them in term time, can be incredibly difficult,’ she colleges. Today it represents 55 venues says. ‘So we’ve used Conference Oxford across the collegiate University, from the to help us. Not only is the process really Ashmolean to the Saïd Business School. The easy – you only have to fill in one form for

iStockphoto/NewCollege team, comprising Sally Dunsmore, Marie responses from a wide range of venues – but O’Connor, Matthew Morgan and Matt the team are hugely knowledgeable about Brown, handles over 2,000 enquiries each their venues and care deeply about providing year for a wide range of events, from small the best service to their clients.’ dinners to large residential conferences. If you’re interested in finding out more, The service provided by Conference why not sign up to one of the familiarisation Oxford makes it easy to find the perfect visits that Conference Oxford organises each venue for your event. Just contact the team, year. You’ll have the opportunity to visit Have you ever struggled to find a suitable tell them what you need and they will contact three venues to view the facilities available, venue for a conference or spent hours a range of venues on your behalf. They can including accommodation. Programmes ringing round for a meeting room? If so, also arrange for you to visit the venues and are published regularly at www.conference- look no further than Conference Oxford, view the facilities to help you decide on the oxford.com, or contact Marie O’Connor the central conference and events marketing best option. on 01865 287378 for more information. office for the collegiate University, which Clara Bowyer, Events and Venue Manager Please also contact Marie if you’re provides a free venue search for the colleges, at the Oxford Martin School, has been using interested in joining Conference Oxford as departments, museums and collections. the Conference Oxford service for a number a member venue.

6 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint Abi Adams Abi

experienced any flight delays this summer? Jeremias Prassl tells Maria Coyle how EU law can help

Much of Jeremias Prassl’s research relates to then, if your flight was late, the airline would Two years ago Jeremias co-founded a European Union law, including aviation law. say “Sorry, but the weather was bad.” EU series of edited volumes exploring the As Associate Professor of Law and a frequent rules have tilted the balance back in favour operation of EU Law in the Member States. traveller himself, his interest in the rights of of passengers: there is an obligation on ‘We often assume that EU law applies equally passengers seeking redress after flight delays carriers to provide you with food and drink, across the 28 member states,’ he notes, ‘when comes as no surprise. Despite boarding planes as well as hotel accommodation and financial in reality the very opposite is the case’. The next at least twice a month, however, he comments compensation if your flight has been cancelled volume will deal with how European passenger that: ‘Curiously, I have never had a delay long or delayed by more than three hours.’ rights are enforced in a dozen different countries. enough to trigger passenger rights protection, Jeremias wants to raise awareness of some ‘One of the things I like about researching and so I haven’t personally been able to put my legal of the positive aspects of these changes. ‘You teaching law are the many opportunities to knowledge to the test.’ encounter quite a bit of resistance, particularly collaborate with practitioners and academics His other research interest is in employment when you go to industry conferences,’ he from across the EU and beyond,’ says Jeremias, law, in particular the legal definition for the admits, as disgruntled passengers can expect who also serves on the committee of the Royal employer, which can be complicated in cases compensation of between 250 and 650 euros Aeronautical Society’s Air Law Group. such as agency staff and online platforms such So if you’ve suffered any delays this summer, as Uber. He has also tracked what he describes ‘The passenger lawyers sit on what’s his advice? ‘The first port of call is as the ‘fig-leaf’ effect of the financial crisis in always the carrier who operated the flight in eroding employment rights across Europe – one side, the airline lawyers on question. If you don’t have any joy with them, a project which has taken off this year with the other, and the academics the Civil Aviation Authority’s website is a good a British Academy Rising Star Engagement guide through the next steps, as with certain Award to further his work in European forlornly in the centre’ operators you might still be in it for the long employment law. haul!’ Jeremias was first inspired to become an depending on the distance of their flight and the academic by his tutors while an undergraduate length of the delay. He explains there at Oxford. ‘I think both of the areas I work in – have certainly been discussions ‘where the EU law and employment law – have extremely passenger lawyers sit on one side, the airline supportive communities of scholars here,’ he lawyers on the other, and the academics says. ‘This is one of the things that I value most forlornly in the centre’. Jeremias’s favourite about being in Oxford.’ His interest in EU law case is that of Ryanair arguing that the eruption was fired after a year of study in Paris as part of of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland was his four-year law course. After taking a master’s a ‘super-extraordinary circumstance’, relieving at Harvard Law School he returned to Magdalen it of any care obligation towards its passengers. College for his , where he is now He sums it up as ‘a brave argument, but one teaching and researching following a three-year which the court fortunately dismissed rather stint at St John’s. swiftly’. Ten years ago the European Union waded into the field of passenger rights, which until then had been largely determined by conventions More information at www.law.ox.ac.uk/profile/jeremias.prassl dating back to 1929 that were heavily weighted in favour of the air carriers. He explains: ‘Back and www.law.ox.ac.uk/projects/EU-labour-law

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 7 Oxford University Images South Africa to learn about Professor Lucie Cluver’s StephenRouse work on an innovative parenting programme travelled to poverty-stricken rural A

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partnership

iStockphoto/ Warchi Oxford University Images University Oxford

‘Take a look around. It’s impossible not to get Shortly after the visit Lucie became, at 35, one lightens, they gain weight. You can see them involved.’ Professor Lucie Cluver and I are of the youngest female academics at Oxford to become a community, taking care of each other. talking in Rhamnyiba, a small village in one be awarded the title of full professor through the It’s amazing.’ of the poorest areas of South Africa’s Eastern recognition of distinction awards. She is now Professor Cluver adds: ‘Over the course of Cape. Homes are often two rooms under a Professor of Child and Family Social Work in the the 12 weeks families learned about positive corrugated metal roof without power or running Department of Social Policy and Intervention. parenting, such as how to praise one another, water. Unemployment is high, reaching 90% in For the past two years her team have been and manage anger without resorting to some places. Gun and knife crime are constant investigating child abuse in the Eastern hitting or beating. They were encouraged to dangers. Teenage girls can be sexually abused Cape and a remarkable new intervention to create a warmer, more loving relationship just walking to school. Only a few overworked tackle it. Teenagers and their parents or carers with one another. This in turn means that the social workers are available to help. meet in local churches or community centres teenagers may be at less risk of being involved These threats cause stress, and that stress can every week to sing songs, learn relaxation in community violence because they’re more directly damage family life. Sub-Saharan Africa techniques and take part in discussions and role likely to enjoy spending time at home and is one of the worst affected regions in the world therefore spend less time in risky community for the physical abuse of children. Sub-Saharan Africa is environments.’ Professor Cluver explains: ‘It’s not because one of the worst affected A larger-scale evaluation is under way, the people are worse, but because of the scale involving 1,200 participants in the township of of the problems they face. The parents are regions in the world for the King William’s Town and surrounding villages. poor, the children are sick; it all becomes a very physical abuse of children The programme has been extended to include stressful combination.’ Hence her answer – ‘It’s workshops on budgetary planning, in an area impossible not to get involved’ – to my question plays about the daily challenges they face. The where many have never held a bank account. about what drives her to research such seemingly sessions are led by community workers from the The South African government, encouraged intractable problems. charity Clowns without Borders South Africa. by the pilot results, already wants to roll the She has a record of effective impact on Working with the University of Cape Town, programme out in the Eastern Cape. Other low- support for vulnerable African communities. UNICEF and the South African government, and middle-income countries are also interested A classics graduate, she was working as Professor Cluver’s team have been evaluating in the programme, which is free, for high-risk a social worker in South Africa when her the success of the programme. Results from communities of their own. employers suggested she take a DPhil at Oxford. last year’s pilot 12-week programme have been The programme shows just how rigorous, Her subsequent work on the educational, striking. The proportion of teenagers reporting evidence-based science can make a difference psychological and sexual health impacts on physical abuse dropped from 42% to 12%. The to policy and to the lives of some of the children orphaned by AIDS has influenced proportion of carers reporting rule-breaking poorest communities in the world. As Professor South African government policy, health and among their teenagers, such as carrying guns, Cluver says: ‘Some people believe that, because community worker training and child protection stealing and fighting, dropped from 65% to it’s Africa, you don’t need the best-quality policies developed by Save the Children, USAID 39%. Carers also reported feeling less stressed science. But we believe that families here and UNICEF. One Save the Children adviser and less inclined to turn to drink to cope. deserve the best.’ describes her work as ‘a clear example of Sibongile Tsoanyane, one of the Clowns how a true partnership between researchers, without Borders session leaders, says: Above and left: Life is getting better for policymakers and implementers can result in ‘When people start, they look dark, they’re students at Charles Morgan School, King programmes that actually make a difference in frowning, stressed. But you can tell a very big William’s Town, South Africa, thanks to children’s lives’. change comes over them. Their appearance changes instigated by Lucie Cluver (inset) I was in South Africa as part of a tour made by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew More information at www.spi.ox.ac.uk/people/profile/cluver Hamilton, to see research results on the ground.

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 9 nights out at the Museum Matt Pickles shines a light on nocturnal goings-on in spooky surroundings

LiveFridays at the Ashmolean: (from left) Heaven and Hell pervade the building; The Spirit of Oiwa by Utagawa Kuniyoshi shows up for DeadFriday; making music at the Music Technologies evening

In the Hollywood filmNight at the Museum, as I often find them a bit static, but with work closely with academic departments the exhibits at New York’s Museum of the LiveFridays, it really brings the museum across the University. LiveFridays are a good Natural History come alive at night. On to life and helps a wide variety of visitors way of doing this because many events 30 October the Ashmolean Museum will offer to appreciate its treasures and understand have been curated by Oxford academics. In its own spooky late-night experience with a them better,’ says Dr Alexandra Lumbers, May 2015 there was a LiveFriday on the Halloween-themed event called DeadFriday. Academic Director at Jesus College. ‘I really theme of ‘Social Animals’, in collaboration From 7pm to 10.30pm visitors to the museum like the diversity of those who attend – it’s with the Social Sciences Division. Eric will be able to watch performances and hear great to see all from young children right Clarke, Heather Professor of Music, was the music and talks related to ghosts and spirits through to quite elderly guests mingling and guest curator for a LiveFriday on musical across cultures and through time. enjoying the evening together. There’s a great technologies old and new in February DeadFriday is part of the highly successful buzz with all the music, dance and interactive 2013. ‘The event was very popular and a LiveFriday series, which was started by activities and that brings out the best in the great example of how Oxford’s academic the Ashmolean in January 2013. Visiting a museum and those who attend – it brings all departments and collections can work so well museum is usually a passive experience of these wonderful artefacts and treasures back together,’ he says. ‘Visitors had a go at DJing looking at objects behind glass cases, but to life.’ and learned about the way that all kinds of LiveFridays are different. They are held in sounds – music and environmental – can be the evening and involve dance, music, magic, ‘It’s a brilliant way to bring brought together.’ fancy dress and all kinds of games, which the collections to life and the give visitors a different experience of the collections. atmosphere is always buzzing Book now! ‘I went to a LiveFriday recently where soul and fun’ samba played,’ says Victoria Bullett, a PA in Bookings for DeadFriday can be made the Development Office. ‘They also had live The events are popular with younger in advance on the Ashmolean’s website: performers doing comedy and two “quack people who do not usually visit museums. www.ashmolean.org/livefriday/2015-10. doctors” prescribing things to the public for It is hoped that by bringing them into Entry is £5 per person. The Rooftop Bar their various ailments, which was very funny. contact with the museum’s collections, they and Vaulted Café will be serving drinks I would definitely go again. It’s a brilliant will want to visit again in future. Alice until 10.30pm. way to bring the collections to life and the Priestley is a Prospect Research Associate On the same night, the Pitt Rivers atmosphere is always buzzing and fun. I think for the University. She attended last year’s Museum is hosting an event called it’s probably one of the best budget nights out Halloween LiveFriday event. ‘It was full of ‘Day of the Dead’ in collaboration in Oxford!’ students so certainly a younger audience than with The Oxford Research Centre in The first LiveFriday event was ‘An Evening usual – I guess as it was Halloween,’ she the Humanities (TORCH), as part of With The Gods’, in association with the says. ‘The atmosphere was great – a brilliant its AfterHours series (www.prm.ox.ac. Faculty of Music, in January 2013. It involved mixture of music, the exhibits and activities, uk/afterhours.html). The evening will a Greek choir, Roman pantomime, Roman including Charleston dancing. I think the explore cross-cultural responses to board games and toga fittings. In January success of this one was the 1920s theme – death, mourning, memorialisation and of this year a ‘Heaven and Hell’ LiveFriday, people were wearing 1920s chic: flapper celebration with talks, music, workshops which was inspired by an exhibition of dresses, a fez, and then others had Halloween and performances. Oxford researchers William Blake’s art, included shadow puppets, linked in. We felt as if we should have dressed will give short talks on different objects improvised comedy and a magician. up!’ in the museum’s collections. 7pm to ‘Generally I am not a huge museum-goer One of the Ashmolean’s priorities is to 10pm, entry £5.

10 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint what’s on

Exhibitions Concerts

The Selden Roll: a painted roll from Mexico The Turn of the Screw Until 1 November 2015 Thursday 22 to Saturday Proscholium, 24 October, 8pm www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/whats-on St John the Evangelist Church, To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Oxford’s Iffley Road Latin American Centre, the Bodleian is Tickets £20 / £15 / £12 / £5 displaying a spectacular painted roll from the www.sje-oxford.org Mixtec culture of 16th century Mexico. Oxford-based opera company Faded Ink Productions presents Illegitimate objects Benjamin Britten’s adaptation of Until 12 November 2015, Mon–Fri, 9am–7pm Henry James’ ghost story. Andrew Wiles Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Lectures and talks Family friendly www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/14879 Researchers at the Mathematical Institute Colliding worlds: how cutting-edge science is Egyptastic have worked with artists and poets to create redefining contemporary art Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, 1–4pm an exhibition inspired by the plaster-model Friday 30 October, 5pm Pitt Rivers Museum collection of mathematical surfaces owned by St Cross College www.prm.ox.ac.uk/events.html James Joseph Sylvester (1814–1897), Savilian www.stx.ox.ac.uk/happ/events Discover more about Ancient Egypt at this Professor of Geometry. Professor Arthur Miller discusses how drop-in event. Meet the Ancient Egyptian artists are working with scientists to make mummy and make an amulet. extraordinary creations that may well change the world as we know it. Owls for October Tuesday 27 October, 1–4pm ‘We do not want to become refugees’: human Harcourt Arboretum mobility in the age of climate change www.harcourt-arboretum.ox.ac.uk Wednesday 4 November, 5pm Find out about the resident barn owl and get Oxford University Museum of Natural History creative with some owl-related and autumnal www.rsc.ox.ac.uk/events crafts to take home. Drop-in event for children Professor Walter Kälin discusses the different aged 4 to 11. tools available to address displacement and other forms of disaster-related human mobility. Special events

How do antidepressants work? DeadFriday Friday 6 November, 5pm Friday 30 October, 7–10.30pm Oxford University Museum of Natural History Ashmolean Museum www.some.ox.ac.uk/about-somerville/ Tickets £5 events www.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/livefriday Catherine Harmer, Professor of Cognitive In the run-up to Halloween, come along to this Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry, spooktacular late-night event, exploring ghouls gives the Monica Fooks Memorial Lecture. and spirits across cultures and through time.

Conferences and symposia Pitt Rivers AfterHours: Day of the Dead Friday 30 October, 7–10pm Dignity and the novel since 1948 Pitt Rivers Museum Saturday 7 November, 10.30am–5.30pm Tickets £5 St Cross Building, Manor Road www.prm.ox.ac.uk/afterhours.html www.torch.ox.ac.uk/fiction-and-human- Late-night event exploring how communities rights across the globe celebrate, mourn and One-day symposium exploring how the remember their dead. concerns and forms of the modern novel may inform debate about the status and function of The Oxford dodo: culture at the crossroads human dignity. Wednesday 18 November, 5.30–7pm Oxford University Museum of Natural History From top: Celebrate the Day of the Dead; http://torch.ox.ac.uk/dodo examine the Selden Roll; be inspired by Event celebrating the life and legacy of the mathematical models dodo at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which is home to the world’s only preserved dodo remains.

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 11 Oxford University Images/Nasir Hamid Images/Nasir University Oxford a multidisciplinary medical powerhouse A move to Oxford is enabling the Kennedy Institute to expand networks and focus on a range of chronic inflammatory diseases, says Tom Calver

Let’s start with the obvious – it has nothing to enter the Kennedy Institute’s building on the new labs in Oxford. The Kennedy Trust for do with a US president. The Kennedy Institute University’s Old Road Campus. The modern Rheumatology Research, the successor to for Rheumatology has been a UK institution architecture highlights the fact that this is a the charitable organisation that once ran the since its inception in 1965, with an historical purpose-built facility, only completed two years institute and which still provides significant link to that most British of brands, M&S (see ago, and Kennedy Institute director Professor support, made a strategic decision that box). But it has only been an Oxford institution Fiona Powrie initially confirms that impression: recognised how medical research was changing. for the last four years and physically in Oxford ‘This is a wonderfully designed building. The Multidisciplinary research, bringing together for the last two. labs are state of the art. That’s what you’d specialists from across the sciences, is now In 2011, when it became part of the Nuffield expect if you want to do world-class research.’ critical. Professor Powrie explains how the Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology She points to the development of a germ-free Oxford move has enabled the institute to and Musculoskeletal Science (NDORMS), the increase its opportunities to collaborate with Kennedy brought with it a record of top-class ‘I’m not going to recruit other medical and non-medical researchers: research. The world’s first centre dedicated ‘We are broadening the scope of what the to arthritis was responsible for much of our five of the world’s top smaller Kennedy Institute in London could do. understanding of human cartilage, paving the researchers, but I am Those people who moved here have embraced way for today’s osteoarthritis research. In the interested in recruiting the opportunities to diversify their work. We are 1980s and 1990s its research into Tumour building networks with structural genomics and Necrosis Factor (TNF) found that anti-TNF five of their top people computational biology, for example. Access to treatments were effective in tackling the who show great potential’ that wider research environment is important.’ destructive inflammation that causes rheumatoid She adds: ‘Physically, we are located next arthritis. That research led to a licensed facility as an example of the resources that have to the Target Discovery Institute [which treatment for the condition in 1999, and been made available by the move. It enables links advances in genetics, genomics, cell anti-TNF has also been found to be beneficial the Kennedy to raise mice in sterile conditions, and chemical biology to identify areas for for a range of other conditions. which facilitates research into the effects of drug research to target] and the site of the With that track record, why quit London specific micro-organisms. Big Data Institute [which will analyse large and move 50 miles up the M40? But do not be misled: the Kennedy was sets of health data], while the Wellcome The answer seems obvious when you not simply seduced with promises of shiny Trust Centre for Human Genetics is nearby.

12 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint Rob Judges Rob

The Kennedy Institute’s new home in Oxford (above) facilitates cooperation with other researchers. Inset: A visit from patron Princess Margaret in 1968 1965: Encouraged by their GP, who had rheumatoid arthritis, Mathilda (a daughter of Michael Marks, founder of M&S) and Terence We are working closely with each of those.’ As part of that, the Kennedy Trust is Kennedy founded the Kennedy Institute of Oxford has not just offered the opportunity providing support for the Kennedy Institute to Rheumatology, as the world’s first research institute focused solely on arthritis to expand networks, but also to expand recruit researchers who are ready to make the 1966: After laboratories are built, the institute the Kennedy Institute itself. The Kennedy move to running their own research group. appoints its first director. The Kennedy is based is changing from a focus on arthritis to As Professor Powrie puts it: ‘I’m not going to at Bute Gardens, Hammersmith, at the back of addressing the range of chronic inflammatory recruit five of the world’s top researchers, but the West London Hospital diseases. These often share underlying causes I am interested in recruiting five of their top 1985: The Kennedy Institute begins to and mechanisms, so the institute studies people who show great potential. Institutes collaborate with Charing Cross Sunley Research Institute on studying TNF these fundamental issues rather than specific don’t do science. It is the people in them. We 1992: The Kennedy and the Sunley Research diseases. It will be a broad focus on chronic are creating an opportunity for outstanding Institute are merged inflammation and repair in the human body. scientists to do their research and deliver their 1997: The Institute leaves Bute Gardens for an Inflammation is a critical part of the potential.’ extended building at the former Sunley Institute immune response, delivering critical disease- The next few years look exciting for the site fighting and damage-repairing factors to Kennedy Institute. Not only is recruitment 1999: The first anti-TNF treatment is licensed wounds and infected areas. In inflammatory expanding, but the ambition is to develop for medical use diseases, however, this goes wrong and it new technologies to support the research 2000: The staff and research activities of the Institute are incorporated into Imperial College, appears that the body continues to respond programmes. At the same time, new networks London, becoming the Kennedy Institute of even after the initial cause has been addressed. will be established with clinical staff to build Rheumatology Division, while the institute is In the long run this can see human tissues a centre that will encompass everything renamed The Mathilda and Terence Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Trust damaged and destroyed by a process that from basic research to translating that 2010: After outgrowing its site at Charing should be achieving the opposite. into improved diagnosis and treatment for Cross, the Trust reviews the optimal location The current research programme, led by 18 patients. for its financial support and decides to move principal investigators, is still mainly focused Professor Powrie concludes: ‘There is a the institute from Imperial on joint and gut research. Professor Powrie commitment from the Kennedy Research 2011: Agreement is reached for the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology to become part of herself is an immunologist but she is clear on Trust to support a world-class medical Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of the need to broaden the Kennedy’s outlook: research institute. That was behind the move Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal ‘We’re not full. We’ve got a good critical mass of the London Kennedy Institute. The Oxford Sciences made up of people who moved from London Kennedy Institute will develop a new identity, 2012: The Trust changes its name to the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research to reflect its and new recruits.’ but our ambition is to do as well as they did.’ wider role in funding research 2013: In July the Kennedy Institute moves into More information at www.kennedy.ox.ac.uk its new purpose-built facility at Old Road Campus

www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 13 a living library The University’s internationally acclaimed Harcourt Arboretum is ripe for more research, Sally Croft discovers

Six miles south of Oxford, at Nuneham not currently highly active in conservation. Courtney, lies the University’s Harcourt Seed is being shared with project partners in Arboretum – 130 acres housing the best Japan, including the Ministry of Environment’s collection of trees in , with Seed Conservation project, and with allied specimens from all over the world and some institutions in the UK such as the Forestry of the oldest North American redwoods Commission and the Royal Botanic Gardens, in the UK. Kew (home to the Millennium Seed Bank) and The arboretum, which is administratively Edinburgh. Japanese flora are now growing part of the University’s Botanic Garden, was well in Oxford and Ben is particularly pleased begun in 1835 by Archbishop Vernon Harcourt at the successful propagation of the world’s of Nuneham House, who commissioned rarest birch, Betula chichibuensis. ‘There are William Sawrey Gilpin, an exponent of the fewer than 30 of them left in the wild,’ he says. ‘Picturesque’ landscape movement, to design ‘But we now have three or four times that and plant an 8-acre pinetum in his parkland. number growing in Kent.’ ‘The Picturesque movement uses the form of OBGHA is also working with Ethiopian the plant to create the landscape, for example botanic gardens and arboreta, helping creating an evergreen backdrop, and then them to create a professional network putting in front of the trees a feature of interest and delivering training in establishing and such as camellias or rhododendrons with managing tree collections for conservation. particularly good seasonal colour,’ explains Ben Harcourt Arboretum’s commitment to science Garden Images/Botanic University Oxford Jones, the Arboretum Curator. and conservation work, and particularly its The Harcourt estate was purchased by the partnership with the Wondo Genet College also points to the vast amount of biodiversity University at the end of the Second World War Arboretum in Ethiopia, has recently been on site, with native plants and native and although much of it was initially sold off, recognised by its receiving ‘level IV’ status from ecosystems that could easily lend themselves to in subsequent years adjacent land has been undergraduate projects – and the arboretum purchased. In 2006 what was then an 80-acre ‘We have plants growing is very accessible, with buses from Oxford site was extended by the purchase of a further here that don’t exist stopping right outside. 50 acres: 20 acres of this was planted up BenSmolonskiGreg is equally enthusiastic: ‘The Friends with 13,000 British native trees and 30 acres anymore in the wild; one of the Botanic Garden and Arboretum have restored from intensively farmed arable land in five plant species is recently funded 25 data loggers which record to wildflower meadows. Today’s site therefore threatened with extinction’ temperatures every 15 minutes and we’re now comprises the arboretum, with its exotic plant producing temperature contour maps across the collection; meadows with high floral diversity the ArbNet international professional network whole site. There isn’t another collection in the that are home to many pollinating insects and of arboreta – the first ever university collection country doing that to this level. It’s immensely the invertebrates and birds that depend on to do so. In December, Oxford staff from valuable baseline data if someone wants to them; and the native woodlands, where 18th- the arboretum and the Department of Plant investigate species distribution, such as insects and 19th-century plantings are supplemented Sciences will be travelling to Ethiopia to help or plants in the meadow.’ He adds: ‘Here at by newer additions. deliver a training workshop on topics such as the arboretum we’re creating a living library of As well as being a place of beauty, Harcourt seed collection and documentation, propagation material for students and researchers. We have Arboretum is home to important research. techniques, and maintaining a tree collection plants growing here that don’t exist anymore in On the national level, the arboretum is a for conservation and public enjoyment. the wild. It’s not widely known, but one in five designated ‘safe site’ for the international Professor Simon Hiscock, who has recently plant species is threatened with extinction.’ conifer conservation programme. Conifers become Director of the Botanic Garden and ‘This is an exciting new stage for the collected in the wild all over the world by Harcourt Arboretum, is keen to encourage arboretum,’ stresses Simon. ‘We have funding the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, are more University researchers to use the for new glasshouses and are very keen to distributed around the UK to see what grows Nuneham Courtney site. ‘There are huge facilitate research projects at all levels. We’ll best where. Specimens currently flourishing in opportunities here, such as genetic diversity be planting a “Jurassic forest” – an Oxford include conifers from Vietnam, Chile, research, especially using the populations of evolutionary glade of coniferous trees and ferns Morocco and Tasmania. rare Japanese birches,’ he says. ‘Genotyping that were abundant in the Jurassic and Triassic Internationally, the arboretum is a major these birches would reveal how much periods before flowering plants – and, with player in two important projects. In 2012 the genetic variation is left in particular Japanese something like 35,000 visitors a year and 100 University of Oxford Botanic Garden and populations – an important consideration school visits, I’d also love to raise funds for a Harcourt Arboretum (OBGHA) planned and for conservation and breeding purposes.’ He visitor centre.’ initiated a fieldwork project in Japan, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The project, which is ongoing, aims to collect seeds and Admission to Harcourt Arboretum is free (with University card) for all document the indigenous plants of Japan, a staff and students. Details at www.harcourt-arboretum.ox.ac.uk country which has 70% forest cover but is

14 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint Above: Autumn arrives at the arboretum; left: young trees in the international conifer conservation programme; a moment in the mewww.ox.ac.uk/adows blueprint May 2015 BLUEPRINT | 15 Oxford University Images/Botanic Garden Images/Botanic University Oxford advertisements

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www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint October 2015 BLUEPRINT | 19 why am i here?

Georgie Edwards Archivist, Brasenose College

What exactly does an archivist do? My first job after graduating was Archives are rich collections of information as a Bodleian Graduate Library Trainee. which reveal histories and document past The scheme really opened doors for me, decisions and events. Archivists assess, and was a great opportunity to see how collect and shape collections for future many interesting library and information generations. My main role involves the jobs there were out there. After a year day-to-day care and management of the at the Sackler Library I ended up going to Brasenose College archives. This includes France to study for an MA. When I came RobJudges monitoring the conditions of the material back to England I worked part-time as and the stores in which it is kept, as well as an Archives Assistant at Brasenose and cataloguing the material in order to make it Wolfson Colleges, while studying for a accessible to researchers. A lot of my time is diploma in Archive Administration. spent answering enquiries from the general I’ve been Archivist at Brasenose since public as well as from within the college March this year. Blueprint is published bimonthly for the staff of the and University. University of Oxford by the Public Affairs Directorate Is the nature of your job changing? Editor: Sally Croft Whereabouts are you based? Computers, the internet and born-digital Designers: Laëtitia Velia/Katy Dawkins I have an office in the tower on Brasenose’s records have changed the nature of archives Picture research: Janet Avison and an archivist’s role significantly. Items for possible inclusion are welcome and should Old Quad. The view is wonderful and I be sent to [email protected] However it’s a really interesting time to particularly like that the college archives Subscriptions have been kept in the same room for be an archivist. For example, many To subscribe to Blueprint either in print or online, visit archivists are now expected to blend www.ox.ac.uk/staff/staff_communications/ hundreds of years. The tower interior has subscriptions traditional skills such as palaeography recently been renovated, and this autumn Advertising work starts on refurbishing our archive store (the study of historical handwriting) with For details of how to advertise in Blueprint, visit an understanding of digital preservation. www.ox.ac.uk/staff/staff_communications/ so that we have a modern temperature- and blueprint/advertising Records are now no longer written down on humidity-controlled environment. The opinions expressed in Blueprint are parchment or paper, indeed most are Word those of the contributors and are not necessarily shared by the University of Oxford. What’s in the Brasenose archives? documents, PDFs and digital images, so it Advertisements are vetted, but the University accepts no responsibility for them and their The Brasenose archives consist of items will be interesting to see how the nature inclusion does not imply endorsement by the such as personal papers, accounts volumes, of archives and the challenge of preserving University of the goods or services advertised. diaries, maps, photographs, deeds and them for the long term pans out. digital records, as well as artefacts. The collections are very diverse – one Any unexpected or amusing items in minute I’ll be working on accessioning a the Brasenose archives? viewfinder collection of digital photographs and the When you are listing and cataloguing Where’s this stimulating sculpture? Answer on p5. next I’ll be deciphering a Royal Charter archives you are continually finding the from the 1500s. This year I’ve been working unexpected. It’s especially nice when you on developing the new archive store, whilst read someone’s correspondence from also collating, re-boxing and cataloguing hundreds of years ago, and it starts to bring many of the collections. That includes the history to life. Reading the college accounts, statutes of the college dating from the 1500s which cover the English Civil War, is as well as the records of college staff, which fascinating. mostly date from the 1860s onwards. One of my favourite items is a book of caricatures and sketches, drawn by a What do you most enjoy about your job? student and his wife in the 1870s. Also, It’s very rewarding to help researchers when looking through a 1758 volume find the information they are looking for, entitled Directions for the College Butler, and I especially like the excitement you I discovered the advice that it would not see when showing students some of the be amiss for students of Philosophy to be older documents and photographs. Of given a glass of wine every evening! course, being the only person in the archive And finally, what would your colleagues department can be challenging at times, but luckily the Oxford Archivists’ Consortium be surprised to learn about you? Being an archivist in Oxford is quite is a great group of archivists who offer a physically demanding job (especially support and meet up regularly. as you often have to move boxes and work How did you come to be an archivist? in basement and tower stores). Two years As a child, I really wanted to be a vet ago I had major spinal surgery and now – so absolutely nothing to do with being have two rods and 16 pins in my spine. an archivist. In fact, I’m sure I didn’t Luckily it hasn’t stopped me being able even know what an archivist was! to do my job! Oxford University Images/Whitaker Studio Images/Whitaker University Oxford

20 | BLUEPRINT October 2015 www.ox.ac.uk/blueprint