OLLEGE C EX ANNUAL ss 2017 U S IDNEY S SIDNEY SUssEX COLLEGE 2017 ANNUAL SIDNEY SUssEX COLLEGE 2017 ANNUAL Contents Master’s News From the Master ................................................................................... 5 Features Fellows’ Research: Gary Gerstle ..................................................................................... 9 Catherine Sumnall ........................................................................... 11 40 Years of Women at Sidney ............................................................... 14 A New Organ in the Chapel ................................................................. 19 Engineering the Perfect Bake – Andrew Smyth ..................................... 21 Unveiling of the Cromwell Plaque ........................................................ 23 College News Examination Performance .................................................................... 25 Admissions and Schools Liaison ........................................................... 27 Graduate Tutors’ Report ....................................................................... 29 New Fellows .......................................................................................... 31 Academic Visitors ................................................................................. 35 News from Fellows and Former Fellows ............................................... 38 Alumni and Development .................................................................... 41 International Programmes .................................................................... 44 Staff News ............................................................................................. 48 College Buildings .................................................................................. 52 Music and Chapel Choir ....................................................................... 53 The Year in Chapel ............................................................................... 56 The Library ........................................................................................... 58 Muniment Room .................................................................................. 60 Honorary Degrees, 1926 ....................................................................... 63 Handover of World War I Medals .......................................................... 65 Garden Notes ........................................................................................ 66 2 Student Life Report of the MCR ................................................................................ 69 Report of the JCR .................................................................................. 70 College Societies, Events and Awards ................................................... 72 College Sports Cubs .............................................................................. 81 Research and Professional Experience Grants and College Travel Awards ........................................................ 91 Officers of the Students’ Union 2017 ................................................... 96 The Register Appointments, Awards and Destinations ............................................. 99 Births, Marriages and Occasional Offices ............................................. 101 Obituaries ............................................................................................. 102 The College 2017–18 The College 2017–18 ............................................................................ 135 Members of the College 2017–18 ......................................................... 147 Examination Results 2017 .................................................................... 169 Degrees Conferred ................................................................................ 176 Notices .................................................................................................. 181 Alumni Benefits .................................................................................... 182 3 Master’s News master’s news From the Master When the end of the academic year comes around again, I always wonder how time can conceivably have gone past so quickly and, conversely, how members of the College could possibly have packed so much in. This year has been no different in that respect, but it has had a distinct theme of celebration of the important milestones in Sidney, in the past and planning for the development of the College as it faces its future. We have had wonderful year-long celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the admission of women to College. In today’s climate it feels very strange to acknowledge that women students and Fellows have played a part in Sidney’s life for what is still less than 10% of the existence of the College. Rightly nowadays women have equal opportunity to become part of our community and have contributed fully to the success of the year. I’m very grateful for the work of the 40th anniversary committee, led by Professor Rebecca Kilner, which has delivered such a varied and interesting programme of events, including subject events, a women-focused series of Sidney Greats lectures and a Boat Club dinner, among many others. The highlight of course was the launch day for the events in October 2016, a suberb gala validation of everything that women have brought to Sidney. It was attended by a large number of matriculands from 1976, men as well as women, and it was wonderful to hear reflections from all present. A particular highlight was the talk given by Professor Sue Gibson about the history of Sidney, seen through the lens of one of the early Sidney women. This year will see the completion of a 10-year programme to refurbish all the major accommodation blocks in Sidney and replace the rooms to be lost when we hand back the hostels in Portugal Street at the end of their lease. This has been a tremendous achievement and the College is now in excellent condition to face the next decade and more, albeit at a cost of over £12 million. We have also been fortunate to take delivery of the wonderful new Flentrop organ in the College Chapel. Pausing only briefly to draw breath, and as a result of an extremely generous donation, we have been able to begin the equally costly project to bury the College kitchen under the Master’s Garden and convert the current kitchen into a second much-needed dining hall. This at least will take only three years, rather than a decade, but the usual summer peace and tranquillity of the Master’s Garden was sadly somewhat disturbed by excitable archaeologists and heavy machinery. 5 SIDNEY SUSSEX COLLEGE ANNUAL 2017 The year has seen further very pleasing progress in academic performance from our students, with a rise of three places in the Baxter Tables. The College yet again increased its proportion of Firsts and there were top or near-top of Tripos results from students in Chemical Engineering, Engineering, English and Natural Sciences. English students in particular excelled and Sidney was again that best-performing College in that subject. However, it’s equally pleasing to see how the entirety of our students work so hard, sometimes in extremely trying circumstances, to achieve at all levels of academic performance. No Cambridge degree is easy to complete and I am proud of each of them. Many congratulations to them all. Fellows have also been excelling, with a raft of senior appointments and prizes. Emma Rampton, appropriately in this year of celebrations, has been appointed as the first female Registrary in the University’s 800-year history and Andy Neely has been appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations. Paulina Sliwa and Yannis Galanakis both won well-deserved promotion to Senior Lectureships and Henry Mares was appointed to a fixed- term lectureship in the Faculty of Law. In external honours, Gary Gerstle was elected a Fellow of the British Academy, Steven Lee won the Marlow Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry, Tim Blanning won a British Academy medal for his book on Frederick the Great, and Ann Dowling the James Watt Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. We have once again been very successful in attracting new Fellows to the College. Dr Catherine Sumnall has just completed her first cycle as our new Admissions Director and Fellow in Geography; Dr Ljiljana Fruk has joined us as Fellow in Chemical Engineering, Dr Rhys Jones as Research Fellow in History, Dr Georg Meisl as Research Fellow in Chemistry, Dr Owen Weller as Fellow in Earth Sciences and Professor Magda Zernicka-Goetz as Fellow in Natural Sciences. In further celebration of the 40th anniversary we elected two of our distinguished women alumni as Honorary Fellows, Ann Mather and Hon. Mrs Justice Ingrid Simler. Sadly Fellows also have to leave us but we always wish them well as they move on to the next stage in their careers. Dr Julius Ross has left to become Assistant Professor in Mathematics at the University of Illinois, Dr David Beckingham to be Assistant Professor in Cultural Geography at the University of Nottingham, Dr Jo Craigwood to a post in the University Administrative Service, Dr Jennifer Bishop to be a Teaching Fellow in History at King’s College London, Dr Lorna Ayton to a Fellowship at Churchill College and Dr Sara 6 master’s news Harris to Oxford. Professor Bill Jones retires this year and has served the College in many capacities, including Senior Tutor. He will continue to serve us in retirement in his most