Catz Eye | Trinity Term 2011

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Master’s introductionWelcome to the Trinity Term 2011 edition ofCatzEye...

It will not have escaped readers of CatzEyethat we are now very close to celebrating thisgreat college’s half-century milestone. 2012will be a special year for St Catherine’s and itprovides a golden opportunity to reflect on ourpast achievements as well as look to ourfuture. I hope very much that you will want totake part in the celebrations next September.As you can see in the following pages, ourcommunity has much to celebrate in the formof student, Fellow and alumni successes acrossa breadth of athletic, creative and academicendeavours.

Since the last CatzEye, we have thoroughly enjoyed Sir Trevor Nunn’s tenureas Cameron Mackintosh Professor; welcomed hundreds of members to eventsincluding our London party at the Inner Temple, Gaudies and our Hong Kongreunion; and seen our students excel insport, drama and music alongside theirstudies. As you will see, this particularedition of CatzEye has a distinctly musicalflavour with news of current studentsappearing on BBC radio and ITV’s Britain’sGot Talent as well as contributing tonumerous musical groups within theCollege and University (see the interviewon page 5). Mark Simpson’s newcompositions and the release of hisnew CD have exceeded the highexpectations we already had of him.The news of the many achievementsof alumni includes musical, academic andprofessional successes alongside somebotanical and horticultural ones!

Although the world of Higher Education might still be uncertainly awaitingthe full repercussions of budget cuts and fee increases, we continue to offera world-class education within a friendly and supportive community. I hopeyou can see from the JCR and MCR reports what an inclusive and vibrantplace St Catherine’s is. Maintaining this vibrancy, strengthening academicexcellence and attracting the best students, irrespective of their financialmeans, are crucial goals for us, and we are grateful for the support wereceive for the Catz|fivezero Campaign from alumni and friends alike.

For the first time, St Catherine’s hosted a lunch for those who have chosento make a gift to the College in their Wills. The event brought togetherCollege members from across the generations and recognised that theseindividuals have chosen to make such a personal gift. I would like to thankwarmly all those who have chosen to leave a legacy and everyone who hascontributed to our fundraising efforts.

I hope that you enjoy this issue of CatzEye and, as ever, we are keen to hearfrom our alumni so please do send in your news for future editions. ■

Master’s introduction / 02

College lifeStudents impress on Britain’s Got Talent / 03Award-winning student journalist / 03Wilfrid Francis Knapp MA / 03Wallace Watson Award winner announced / 03Lunch for Legacy Donors / 04First-year student’s artwork exhibited at

Oxford Castle / 04Women’s football / 04From the Music House / 04A musical life / 05Mark Simpson / 05College Ball / 06JCR report / 06MCR report / 072011 Boat Race / 07

Catz Fellows

New Fellows / 08Publications / 08

Alumni newsAlumni events / 09Ground-breaking electric car visits St

Catherine’s / 09Leading botanist returns home to new role in

New South Wales / 09News in brief / 10St Catherine’s 50th anniversary book / 10Extra Virgin! Learning to be an olive farmer the

hard way / 11Dates for your diary / 12

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1

The Development OfficeSt CATHERINE’S COLLEGEManor RoadOxford OX1 3UJTelephone: 01865 281596/281585E-mail: [email protected]: www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk

Edited by Ant BagshawE-mail: [email protected]

Cover image: The College Music House

© Julian Andrews 2011.

From the forthcoming publication St Catherine's

College, Oxford: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Order online at

www.tmiltd.com/shop/home/PID/131

L Sir Trevor Nunn, CameronMackintosh Professor, at one ofhis Student Workshops.


3College life

Students impress onBritain’s Got TalentDescribing the group’s performance as ‘funny,original: I think the royal family needs to see this,’judge Louis Walsh sent Out Of The Blue (OOTB)through to the second stage of ITV’s Britain’s GotTalent at a televised audition. Fellow judge AmandaHolden agreed, and gave the group a standingovation, saying: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed it boys!’OOTB made it through to the live semi-finals butfailed to win either the audience’s or judges’ voteneeded to progress to the final. The show’s winnerswill perform in front of Her Majesty the Queen atthe Royal Variety Performance later this year.

OOTB is an imaginative all-Oxford, all-male, acappella musical troupe: the members arrange alltheir own music, ‘capturing the essence of originaltracks while integrating into them vibrant, excitingand unprecedented ideas to ensure their show isalways fresh and animated.’ Nick Barstow (2010,Music) and Selali Fiamanya (2010, Medicine) bothjoined the group when they arrived at St Catherine’s last October.

OOTB has received multiple plaudits since it wasfounded in 2000, including recently winning ‘BestMusicality’ at Voice Festival UK. Nick and Selali toldCatzEye that anyone who wants to know moreabout the group should visit its website(www.ootb.org.uk) or follow on Twitter(@ootboxford). The group will be returning toEdinburgh this year to perform at the FringeFestival. ■

Wilfrid Francis Knapp MA1924 – 2011The College is sad toannounce the death ofEmeritus Fellow WilfridKnapp on 30 March 2011.Wilfrid arrived in Oxford asan Exhibitioner at NewCollege in 1942. Hereturned to New followinga year at the Sorbonnebut soon joined St Catherine’s Society as Tutor inPolitics in 1950. Wilfrid was one of the College’sFounding Fellows and will be dearly missed bythe whole St Catherine’s community. A fullobituary will follow in The Year.

Wilfrid Knapp Memorial FundThe College hopes to establish scholarshipshonouring Wilfrid’s contribution to the College. Ifyou would like to contribute please makecheques payable to St Catherine’s College writing‘Wilfrid Knapp Memorial Fund’ on the reverse.Please contact Saira Uppal in the DevelopmentOffice ([email protected] or 01865281585) if you would like further information.

Award-winning studentjournalist A St Catherine’s undergraduate has been awardedthe Philip Geddes Memorial Prize for 2011. CamillaTurner (2009, History), currently editor of studentnewspaper Cherwell, scooped the £1,000 prize,which is awarded annually to Oxford’s mostpromising student journalist. The judges were

J Camilla Turner (centre) atthe Guardian Student MediaAwards. Photograph byMarta Szczerba.

L Thomas Mallon (right)receiving the WallaceWatson Award from TeddyWatson.

‘In the forty-two

years in which

he has been

associated with

St Catherine’s,

longer than any

of the rest of

us, no-one has

made a greater

contribution to

the foundation

and formation

of the College.’

Lord Bullock, the

Founding Master of St

Catherine’s College,

when Wilfrid Knapp

retired.

Wallace Watson Awardwinner announced Thomas Mallon (2009, English) is the winner ofthis year’s Wallace Watson Award. He plans toundertake a solo trek through Cambodia, Laos andVietnam following a section of the Ho Chi Minhtrail that formed the principal supply-line tocentral South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.The journey has particular significance for Thomas,an American, as his grandfather was stationedduring the war in Kontum, where the trail ends.

Thomas was announced as the winner at theWallace Watson Award Lecture on 10 March,where last year’s recipient, William Cannell-Smith (2008, Mathematics), gave an account ofhis cycling trip across a section of the Alps fromGeneva to Monte Carlo. A full account of thelectures will appear in The Year. ■

particularly impressed by the quality of herinvestigative stories and unanimously agreed toaward Camilla the prize.

Camilla’s work has also been recognised on thenational stage as she won the 2010 Reporter of theYear prize at the Guardian Student Media Awards.Extending the reach of her journalism well beyondOxford, Camilla plans to travel to Ghana thissummer to work for a newspaper based there. ■


4 College life4

‘Legacies play

a vital part in

securing the

College’s

future.’ Saira Uppal, Head of

Development

Inaugural Lunch for LegacyDonors On 7 May, alumni and friends of St Catherine’scame from near and far to the first ‘Lunch forLegacy Donors’ which recognised the contributionthat Legacy Donors make to the College. Held inHall, the lunch brought together forty-one of theCollege’s 135 current Legacy Donors and theirguests.

The Legacy Donors represented over fifty years ofhistory at St Catherine’s and ranged from formerSociety Members, who matriculated in 1938, tomore recent alumni who matriculated in 1995.However, it is not just alumni who have decided tomake such a personal gift, as our Legacy Donorsalso include Fellows and friends of the College.

There have already been ten new legacy pledgesthis past year. The most recent legacy we receivedwas from the late Fellow, Jack Pole: the funds willbe used to support Graduate Students in the Artsand Humanities, as he requested, and will make awonderful difference to our students.

We are grateful to everyone who was able toattend the lunch. If you would like to know moreabout leaving a legacy to the College, or wouldlike to inform us of your existing plans, pleasecontact the Development Office. ■

From the Music House In April, the band Spring Offensive performed anexclusive rendition of its song, To Burn Or BuildWith, for the local BBC show, Introducing in Oxford,which aims to support ‘under the radar’ music. Theintimate setting for the performance was the MusicHouse at St Catherine’s which was appropriate asthe group’s lead vocalist, Lucas Whitworth (2006,Modern Languages) is an alumnus and his brotherTheo (2008, English Language & Literature), guitarand vocals, is a current student.

Spring Offensive has released five records todate and received national airplay including beinginterviewed for the BBC’s 6Music. The band hasalready toured the UK and its latest single, AStutter And A Start, was released in April in theformat of a limited edition eight-page colouringbook. Samples of the group’s music and moreinformation can be found at:www.myspace.com/springoffensive. ■

I Spring Offensive withWhitworth brothers Lucas(centre) and Theo (secondfrom left).

First-year student’s artworkexhibited at Oxford Castle Arthur Laidlaw (2010, History of Art) was one ofnine talented artists offered Oxford Castle as ashowcase for their works. As part of the 29thannual Oxfordshire Artweeks Festival, which tookplace in May, the O3 gallery at the Castle andnearby bars and restaurants hosted displays ofpainting, sculpture and photography.

Arthur told CatzEye that he was proud to have oneof his photographs in the exhibition which won atop place in a hotly-contested competition. He hasbeen a regular visitor to the Artweeks Festival inthe past but this was the first time he has had hiswork exhibited. The photograph, Tombstones, wastaken at Holywell Cemetery in Oxford.

Although he says he’s more of a painter, Arthur isclearly having success using a camera whichallows him to get results in less time than itwould take to sit and sketch. You can seeexamples of Arthur’s artwork at:www.arthurlaidlaw.com. ■

Women’s football For the first time in several years, the St Catherine’swomen’s football team reached the Cuppers final inHilary Term. Showing determination and skillthroughout the competition, the team built onsuccess in previous seasons to beat a combined StAntony’s/Wolfson side 6-2 in the semi-final and setup a final match against New College the followingday. Unfortunately the team lost 1-0 in the final,which was a very close game.

Player Becky Taylor (2008, Law) said, ‘We wereunderdogs in the final as New College had sevenUniversity players so the 1-0 result was actually agreat achievement and we played exceptionallywell!’ ■

L Tombstones by Arthur

Laidlaw.

L The Inaugural Lunch for

Legacy Donors.

j St Catherine’s women’s football team.


5College life

A musical lifeCatzEye spoke to Ben Holder (2009, Music)and Jeffrey Douglass (2008, BiologicalSciences) about the musical life of theCollege. Ben started by outlining a few of theprojects he has been involved with: I am one of two Répétiteur Scholars: this means Ihave responsibility for various aspects of Collegemusic, both as a performer and an administrator.I'm a pianist and, as part of the scholarship work,a Répétiteur and a Conductor for the NewChamber Opera in Oxford. I have been luckyenough to work on productions ranging fromCavalli to Rossini and beyond. I also appear quiteoften as a recital accompanist and occasionally asa harpsichordist.

What are the attractions of studying music inOxford? Ben said:Oxford is a city with unrivalled musical heritageand the opportunities for music-making are asexciting as they are diverse. Of course, whatmakes the degree experience so interesting isbalancing various facets of music study withperforming - all taught by experts in theirrespective fields. A challenge, yes, but one to berelished.

What advice would you give to studentsabout balancing their studies with extra-curricular music? Ben said:There are particular challenges for music studentsbalancing work and playing music outside of thecourse. Time management is key - once you havecracked it and are well organised, you canbalance it all. I send a lot of emails too.

Jeffrey, who has played with Catz Quintet andHertford Bruckner Orchestra amongst others,added:Knowing when to say no; best to start saying noearly so you've got time when better gigs comealong. Beyond large projects which take up a lot oftime in a week, for example when I played inSweeney Todd, even a rehearsal per day ismanageable. There were terms when I'd do moresports and music than study. Your degree's not theonly thing to do at university; I'll bet that a personkeeps their extra-curricular activities after theyleave university more often than their subject.

Ben summed up the music community at StCatherine’s:It has a sense of unity and drive, but alsodiversity – our interests and disciplines are wide-ranging. Having four students studying music peryear makes the College's cohort relatively large

but this isn't detrimental to our closerelationships with one another. We work togetherand help each other out. I think humour isimportant too. We laugh a lot. ■

Mark SimpsonOne remarkable musician leaving StCatherine’s this year is Mark Simpson (2008,Music) who gained fame even before he setfoot inside the College. As the only personever to be named both BBC Young Musician ofthe Year and BBC Proms/Guardian YoungComposer of the Year, Mark – who wasawarded both accolades in 2006 – has quite areputation to live up to. He has achieved thisby, amongst many other things, conductingthe Oxford Sinfonietta, the University’scontemporary music ensemble, and leadingthe Catz Quintet.

This year, Mark launched a CD of works forclarinet and had a work of his owncomposition premiered in the LiverpoolPhilharmonic Hall. Markdescribes his latest work, StrawDogs, as: ‘based on a smallparagraph in a book by JohnGray, about the Chinese ritualwhere straw dogs are reveredand processed and then tossedaside and destroyed. It’s ametaphor for people to beaware that if they don’t treatthe world with respect then itwill turn against us and treatus like straw dogs.’

Mark’s CD, Prism: NewWorks for Clarinet, waslaunched on 18 April and iswidely available. ■

‘Oxford is a city

with unrivalled

musical

heritage and

the

opportunities

for music-

making are as

exciting as they

are diverse.’


66 College life

College BallAfter months of preparation by the twenty-fivemembers of the Ball committee, 12 February hadarrived and it was time to see whether all thehard work had paid off. The marquees had beendecorated, the bands were relaxing in the greenroom and the champagne had been poured. Thedoors were ready to be opened.

As the first guests made their way up the redcarpet, they were greeted by showgirls, cabaretdancers and jugglers in the champagne receptiontent. For those guests who had chosen to dine,this was followed by an exquisite five-coursemeal, to a background of a cappella music and astring quartet. The atmosphere was one ofromance and even sparked a surprise marriageproposal from one of Catz’s own MCR members.As the band sang Bridge Over Troubled Waterand the other diners applauded, the newlyengaged couple re-entered the Ball to make morememories.

Catz was unrecognisable. The iconic architecturewas perfectly complemented by the artisticdecoration of the production team. The quad hadbeen filled with marquees, maximising space andensuring that guests would not feel the chill ofthe February evening. The red-and-yellow circus-style big top provided a focal point, and thiswould later become the main stage for theheadline acts. The JCR itself had been transformedinto a St Valentine’s love nest with the wallsdraped with white silk and scarlet illumination. TheJCR bar had been renamed ‘the Stables’,encouraging a festival atmosphere. As the guestswandered deeper into the Ball they wereconfronted with more and more surreal elements,as if they had entered a world away from Oxford.

All ball ticket holders had access to unlimited highquality food and drink for the entire evening. Thefood was provided by several local businesses:from burritos to doughnuts, flapjacks to hog roast– no guest was left unfed. And, of course, a widevariety of drinks was available.

The range of acts meant that each guest,whatever their taste, could not leavedisappointed. Those with a competitive streakcould try their luck at the arcade games in theStables or the Lazerquest, whilst others, moreinclined to watch and chat, could indulge in drinksin the cabaret tent, surrounded by break-dancers,salsa and circus acts. Photographers and filmcrews toured the Ball capturing moments to beremembered for a lifetime.

‘Catz was

unrecognisable.

The iconic

architecture

was perfectly

complemented

by the artistic

decoration.’

L Aidan Clifford, JCRPresident.

JCR reportAbout to celebrate its fiftieth year, St Catherine’sshows no sign of losing its characteristic warmth,ambition and vitality. This is evidenced by thesheer joyfulness of the anniversary Ball as well asachievements spanning sports, the arts andstudent politics.

The College teams have been a constant sourceof pride. In football, the 1st XI came third in thepremier division and the 2nd XI is the unbeatenleague winner of the JCR reserves top division.Catz’s women’s team was also promoted, makingit to Cuppers finals. Rugby, despite dropping tothe third division, has also provided moments ofelation. In hockey, Catz was more than up to thechallenges faced at second division and now lookto secure a reputation as a division one side.Promotion was also happily won by the Catz 1stpool team, now in the second division. Therowing teams spent a rowdy evening ofcelebration in the JCR after the men’s 2nd boatreceived Blades in Torpids.

This has also been a good year for the arts. CatzMusic Society has been working hard to showcasethe talents of the JCR through formal recitals and

As for musical entertainment, it would beimpossible to mention the highlights of each set.To fit with the festival vibe, the Stables hostedchilled folk music followed by some of Oxford’sbest DJs. And for those celebrating the StValentine’s weekend with their partners, the LoveNest was filled with the acoustic sounds of guitarand a cappella. The headline acts took to thestage in the big top, each being an up and comingband tipped for big success. After the Big Bandand The Wild Mercury Sound, the Little Cometswere the first of the big name bands to take tothe stage. Frequently played on BBC Radio 1 andregularly touring the country, they entertained alarge crowd with their lively indie beats.

But don’t just take our word for it. Students andalumni alike agreed that the Ball was an incrediblesuccess, showing Catz’s location and vibrancy atits best. This was the first ball in seventeen yearsto be held on-site at the College, and despite thehuge amount of work that was required to makethis a possibility, and one or two soundcomplaints, nothing could beat a Catz party onhome soil. ■

Jenny Wood (2009, Engineering) and Vicky Noble(2009, English Language & Literature)

L Cellist Grace Chatto,from the band CleanBandit, at the Ball.


7College life

MCR reportTrinity Term started with a new focus on sportand healthy living, seeing the introduction of newMCR circuit training and core exercise classes withKate Hodgkinson (2010, Nature, Society, andEnvironmental Policy), yoga classes, and the MCRcricket team captained by Joachim Steinberg(2010, Law). We’re continuing our academicfocus with the Graduate Seminar Series, whichhas seen many MCR members present theircurrent research ideas as part of ‘MCRWednesdays’ which includes the new MCR HallNight where we have a reserved MCR table. Thesocial life continues to be strong, with the ever-popular guest nights, wine-tasting events, barnights, bops, and the new Charities and Cocktailsevening including a charity auction organised byAmit Gill (2010, Social Policy) for Japan’searthquake and tsunami relief effort which raisedover £600.

Open Mic Nights and students have broken out ofthe College to involve themselves in conducting,performing and organising music in theSheldonian, the concert halls of Oxford and evenon television. Drama has provided an arena forJCR members to demonstrate their talents aswriters, producers, directors and actors,occasionally all in the same production. The AlanBullock Drama Weekend play, DNA, is eagerlyanticipated and runs in association with Catz ArtsWeek, which has provided an opportunity for theamateur artists and students of Fine Art to exhibittheir work across the College.

Reflecting upon what living and working at StCatz has meant to me, I feel that staying in theCollege, being connected by College families (ifnot in myriad other ways) to the years above andbelow, and being surrounded by the familiar facesof College life provides a strong basis forattachment to Catz and ensures that the JCRremains an energetic, friendly and supportivecommunity.

It has been my pleasure to serve as JCR President,and I have too many people to thank to fullyexpress my gratitude here. A special note ofappreciation must be given here to the Masterand the Home Bursar who have been ever-patientand helpful and have always made time for me. Ithas been a wonderful, testing year to bePresident and I hand over confidently to thecommittee’s successors. ■

Aidan Clifford (2009, History), JCR President

K Mark Curtis (left) andJames Anderson, MCR Co-Presidents.

We’ll wrap up the year with the Week 8 Black TieDinner and then the annual Garden Party, wherewe will say thanks to many of the members whohelp make the St Catz MCR one of the mostfriendly and active graduate communities inOxford.

Last term in the MCR finished by saying goodbyeto Christoph Haase (2007, Computing) andTheresa Kevorkian (2009, Oriental Studies), ourCo-Presidents, and welcoming in a newcommittee. Christoph and Theresa did a great jobworking tirelessly for the MCR, putting on manysocial events and effectively organising collegelife. We also saw the departure of Hugh Taylor(2006, Materials Science) and Christina Fuhr(2006, Sociology), who aided in the effort asSocial Secretary and Secretary respectively. Wewould all like to thank them for doing such anamazing job with our MCR and for all the timethey put in.

As Co-Presidents we are both very proud to be anintegral part of the graduate community and wewill continue to maintain its social ethos, andanticipate another exciting year in the StCatherine’s College MCR. ■

James Anderson (2010, Statistics) and MarkCurtis (2010, Mathematics), MCR Co-Presidents

2011 Boat RaceGraduate student and cox, Zoe De Toledo (2010,Experimental Psychology) steered the Isis crew toa six length victory over Cambridge’s Goldie in the2011 Boat Race. ■

‘As Co-

Presidents we

are both very

proud to be an

integral part of

the graduate

community.’


8 Catz Fellows

to have an impact on a student, as clichéd as thatsounds! It is exciting now to be seeing the work Ihave been doing translated into medicine – thefact that it is working is so rewarding. On theother hand, it is very frustrating to be doing thesame thing again-and-again if it is not producinggood results.

What are you most likely to be found doingaway from your research?That’s very easy: dancing! Mostly ballroom, Latinand swing to which I’m hopelessly addicted. I alsoenjoy painting in the tiny amount of spare timeleft over. ■

Dr Ben Bollig, who joins the College from theUniversity of Leeds, is a Latin America specialistwhose work concentrates on the poetry andpoetics of the region. He studied first at theUniversity of Nottingham and then gained an MAand PhD from King’s College London. Hepublished Néstor Perlongher: The Poetic Searchfor an Argentine Marginal Voice in 2008. Hissecond book, Modern Argentine Poetry, will bepublished by University of Wales Press thissummer.

Dr Bollig has worked on translations of poetry; hisversions of post-1950 River Plate poets havebeen published in the journals Calque, Callalooand International Poetry Review; his translationsof poetry from the 2000s have appeared inRattapallax and Janus Head. He has recentlypublished a bilingual collection of the poetry ofCristian Aliaga, in the Manchester Spanish andPortuguese Studies Series. He is an editor ofJournal of Latin American Cultural Studies andalso a joint-coordinator of the Poetics ofResistance project which is a network ofresearchers and cultural producers who examinethe contemporary relationship between politicalresistance and poetic creation in the Spanish- andPortuguese-speaking worlds.

In his spare time he plays football and cricket tono particularly high standard. ■

PublicationsJC Smith is co-editor of Morphological Autonomy:Perspectives From Romance InflectionalMorphology, which will be published in July 2011by Oxford University Press ■

New FellowsDr Eleanor Stride studied for a BEng and PhD inMechanical Engineering from University CollegeLondon. Following the completion of herdoctorate in the UCL Ultrasonics Group she wasappointed to a Lectureship and a Royal Academyof Engineering and Engineering and PhysicalSciences Research Council (EPSRC) ResearchFellowship. During this time she co-founded theEncapsulation Research Group which focuses ondeveloping new methods for fabricating bubbles,capsules and other nano- and micro-scale layeredstructures for a range of biomedical and otherapplications.

Dr Stride spoke to CatzEye about whatbrought her to St Catherine’s starting with alittle about her background.Originally I had wanted to study industrial designbut it was actually my art teacher who suggested,because I was also studying Physics and Maths,that I should pursue this through a first degree inEngineering.

How did you get from thinking about a careerin industrial design to where you are now?My third-year project changed everything. It wason developing software for non-destructivetesting on oil pipes using ultrasound and usingbubbles in the pipes as tracers. Then a chancemeeting between my supervisor and a radiologistled me from this to studying the use ofmicrobubbles in medical ultrasound imaging -which I found was far more interesting - andultimately to designing and engineering newtypes of agent for both imaging and therapy. Soin a way my work has come full circle back toindustrial design, just on a much smaller scale.

What will you work on when you come toOxford?Where to start? I will be taking up a UniversityLectureship and a Non-Tutorial Fellowship at theCollege and continuing my research intoultrasound and bubbles as well as some otherareas at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering.In particular, under a new award from the EPSRCChallenging Engineering Scheme I’m going to bedeveloping systems which integrate medicalimaging and therapy, for example, for targeteddrug delivery.

What are the highs and lows of your work?As in any lab, it is rewarding when somethingworks! From a teaching perspective it is also great

L Dr Eleanor Stride

L Dr Ben Bollig


Alumni news

London Party 2011This year’s London Party took place in thespectacular location of the Great Hall of the InnerTemple on 12 May. His Honour Judge NicholasJones (1966, Physics) hosted the event which saw150 alumni catch up with old friends and meetnew people. The Master updated alumni on thehighlights of College news and the progress of theCatz|fivezero Campaign. Interested guests werealso treated to a talk on the Temple Church bythe Master of the Temple, Robin Griffith-Jones. ■

Society GaudyMay also saw the College host a special Gaudy foralumni who matriculated before 1962, during thetime of the St Catherine’s Society. Alumni from asfar away as New Zealand enjoyed the event, thefirst of its kind for some years. ■

Ground-breaking electric car visits StCatherine’s Steve Groves (1985, Engineering) demonstratedthe world’s first mass-market electric car at theCollege in May. Steve had returned to Oxford togive a lecture at the Department of EngineeringScience on Nissan’s ‘Green Program’ and thetechnology behind the new Nissan Leaf launchedearlier this year. He currently works as the VehicleDevelopment Manager for Electric Vehicles atNissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield.

The Nissan Leaf, which has a top speed of ninetymiles per hour and range of around one hundredmiles per charge, is the result of a globalcollaboration between Nissan’s Technical Centresin Japan, the USA and Europe. Steve told CatzEyethat those who went out for a spin found themost impressive features to be the accelerationand quietness compared with a traditional vehicle

Alumni news9 9

L The London Party at theInner Temple.

of the same size. The Leaf is the first electric carto be awarded the highest possible Euro NCAPsafety rating of five stars and has recently wonthe prestigious World Car of the Year Award for2011.

Steve’s current work is a far cry from the HybridPetrol-Electric Test Bed that Steve and a numberof other undergraduates worked on in their finalyear back in 1988. Steve expressed the hope thattoday’s undergraduates will also be inspired totake up the baton and push back the boundariesof a greener engineering future yet further. ■

Leading botanist returns home tonew role in New South WalesIt was announced in April that Professor DavidMabberley (1967, Botany) has been appointed asthe new Executive Director of the New SouthWales Royal Botanic Gardens Trust in Sydney,Australia, taking effect from 22 August 2011.

Professor Mabberley, an Australian citizen, will bereturning home to New South Wales from hiscurrent position as Keeper (Director) of theHerbarium, Library, Art and Archives at the RoyalBotanic Gardens at Kew in London. As ExecutiveDirector of The Botanic Gardens Trust he will beresponsible for the management of Sydney’s RoyalBotanic Garden and Domain, The NationalHerbarium of New South Wales, The AustralianBotanic Garden at Mount Annan near Camden andThe Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.

In taking up the post, Professor Mabberley buildson a distinguished career which has led to hisbeing recognised as an eminent botanist, historianof science and an authority on botanical art. He isthe author of the internationally acclaimedMabberley’s Plant-Book, which gives an overviewof the world’s flora and is currently in its thirdedition. He has written fifteen other books,including biographies of figures such as RobertBrown, the naturalist on Matthew Flinders’circumnavigation of Australia (1801-03). He hasalso written books on botanical artists such asFerdinand Bauer, who accompanied Flinders andBrown.

On the announcement of the appointment,Professor Mabberley said: ‘The opportunities arefantastic, whether it’s the new PlantBank at TheAustralian Botanic Garden or the children’s gardensacross all three sites, the outstanding collections inthe National Herbarium and the Botanic GardensLibrary, or the heritage trees and landscapes, so Ican hardly wait to get back to New South Wales!’ ■

‘The

opportunities

are fantastic...

so I can hardly

wait to get

back to New

South Wales!’


10

News in briefIn March, Alan Bolesworth (1971, ModernLanguages) released a CD of ten original songsunder the title Twitching.

Self-adjustable glasses designed by ProfessorJosh Silver (1964, Physics), Director of theCentre for Vision in the Developing World, havebeen voted the idea most likely to make thebiggest impact on healthcare by 2020 at theHealthcare Innovation Expo 2011.

Rowan Joffe (1992, English) directed HelenMirren in a big-screen remake of Graham Greene’sBrighton Rock.

David Taplin (1961, Engineering) received thetitle of Emeritus President from The InternationalCongress of Fracture. The ICF is an internationalbody for promoting worldwide cooperation amongscientists and engineers dealing with mechanicsand mechanisms of fracture, fatigue and strengthof solids.

In April, Peter Goult and Kane Moore (both 2004,English Language & Literature) undertook an elevenday charity cycle ride from John O’Groats to Land’sEnd. The pair raised over £2,500 for two goodcauses: the Anne Frank Trust and the Save theChildren Libya Appeal. While they were barely ableto stand by the end, the trip was well worth it.

Sarah Lobel (2005, Visiting Student) and DunstanBarnes (2002, Materials Science) married in Aprilin Coral Gables, Florida.

Dr Raghubir (Raj) Prasad (1957, Botany) has justretired as a scientist and, at one time as AdjunctProfessor in Forestry from the Canadian ForestryService in Victoria, British Columbia. He had a veryproductive career in plant physiology and is aninternationally recognised weed scientist.

He obtained his MSc from Allahabad University,India and entered St Catherine’s Society in 1957.After his DPhil in Oxford, Raj worked in the USAand in Africa. Raj leaves the Forestry Service afterthirty-five years of research, training students andwinning honours and awards. He is now happilyretired with his wife and has three grown-upchildren. He feels grateful to St Catherine’s for thenurturing and training he received. ■

PublicationsJohn Phillips’ (1970, Modern Languages) seventhmonograph, a book on the films of AlainRobbe-Grillet, has been published byManchester University Press in its series onFrench Film Directors.

Vladislav Bevc (1962, Engineering) has writtenThe Energy Primer for Kids: With a Primer forGrown-Ups. He hopes that the book will arm bothchildren and grown-ups with simple, rational, andscience-based facts which point the way for themto form independent opinions, and make theirown decisions, about energy matters. ■

L Kane Moore (left) and Pete Goult at Land’s End.

AppointmentsRichard Atkins (1985, Law), Robert Thomas(1990, Law) and Martin Hutchings (1978, ModernHistory) were named in the QC list earlier this year.

Malwina Luczak (1994, Mathematics) is leavingher current position as Reader at the LondonSchool of Economics to take up a Professorship inMathematics at the University of Sheffield inSeptember. Her research covers various aspects ofprobability and random graph theory. ■

Alumni news

Shaped by contributions from alumni, this richly illustrated book covers the history of the College from its beginnings as a Delegacyto the present day. The book will be a fittingcommemoration of this landmark anniversaryand we hope that as many alumni as possiblewill enjoy the volume.

To view sample pages from the book andfind details of how to take advantage of thespecial pre-publication subscription offervisit: www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/alumni-development or contact the DevelopmentOffice ■

St Catherine’s 50th anniversary book:


Alumni news11 11

Extra Virgin! Learning to be an olivefarmer the hard wayMarinella Nicolson (1977, Zoology) tells herstory of making a new life in Tuscany

It’s a crisp February day in Tuscany, and I’ve spentthe morning up a tree pruning. If someone hadtold me when I was an undergraduate at St Catzthat I’d end up an olive farmer I would havelaughed like a drain! When I graduated, I startedin medical publishing then shifted to televisionproduction, ending up in a great job at the BBC.Along the way, I met my future husband, Fabio,who had moved to London from Rome, and wehad a happy urban life with busy careers.

But tucked away between the work schedule, citylife, friends and family, I had a secret fantasy – acountry life in Tuscany! And for all I know, myfantasy Tuscan life would have remained just that,a fantasy, if real life hadn’t thrown me a wobbly -in fact, two wobblies. The first was when ourdepartment at the BBC was closed and all thestaff made redundant. The second, much morepleasant, was when I discovered I was pregnant –with twins!

With my life suddenly turned upside down, theprospect of finding work in the cut-throat worldof television production, with two babies in tow,seemed a lot more fantastical than being an olivefarmer in Tuscany! Between us, Fabio and I beganto consider this seemingly crazy idea, and themore we thought about it, the more we liked it,and the more it seemed a real possibility.

And so it was that one spring morning I foundmyself driving along a sunny hillside of olive treesin Tuscany to view a house for sale. The roadended at a large pair of beautiful old iron gates.As I stepped through them, my heart seemed tostop. Sun-dappled stone, aged wooden doors, agarden with huge trees, and a spectacular viewover the valley and the medieval village of Massa.I wanted to cry, it was so beautiful. The ownershowed me around wood-beamed rooms withterracotta floors, a huge wood-fired bread oven,a chestnut house, and endless views over thevalley. We strolled around olive groves plantedcenturies ago, through a chestnut wood where heshowed me the spring that fed the house.

That was six years ago, and the look the ownergave me when we shook hands on the deal, hasstayed with me. He asked me, rather dubiously, if

I really wanted this sort of life. I thought, what asilly question, who wouldn’t?

Now, I understand. There’s the back-breakingstrimming in the olive groves, five times a year, toclear waist-high brambles, shoulder-high ferns,carrying the motor-driven strimmer on your back upand down the terraces. There’s pruning 400 trees,twice a year, and the two month long harvestcollecting the olives by hand. And the dead wood toclear from the chestnut wood, chop, haul to thetractor, drive to the house, unload, chop, split andstack for the central heating. We’ve seen ourcarefully tended lawn ploughed up by wild boar,discovered we’re allergic to olive flowers, and we’vebeen chased out of the house by hornets in thechimney.

We’ve learnt it all the hard way. But then there arethe rewards. Seeing the first trickle of oil emergingat the mill – and the taste! In England, I alwaysbought the cheapest supermarket olive oil - bitter,greasy stuff that’s a million miles from the realthing. Our oil is light, fragrant, fruity with a pepperytang.

So now, six years later, when I look out over thevalley of olive trees to Massa, and hear the wildboar crunching on our pears below the house, Iknow it was all worthwhile. We love sharing thepleasure of all of this with our guestswho come to stay in the self-cateringapartments that we’ve made out of theannexes to the house. When they firstarrive, they usually say, ‘but it’s somuch more beautiful than the photos’.And it’s true, it’s hard to capture thebeauty, the tranquillity of this place. Ihope you’ll come and visit us one dayand see for yourself! ■

Marinella is offering a ten per centdiscount to all St Catherine’s alumniand staff (excluding July and August)and a free bottle of her own extra-virgin, organicolive oil on arrival. www.casalebozzo.com

J Marinella Nicolsonamongst her olive trees.

‘Fabio and I

began to

consider this

seemingly crazy

idea, and the

more we

thought about

it, the more we

liked it, and the

more it seemed

a real

possibility.’

K Marinella's farmhouse.


SEPTEMBER 2011Saturday 10 Oxford Open Doors 2011: guided tours ofthe College will take place at 2:30pm and3:30pm.

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 Oxford Alumni Weekend

Saturday 17 Botanists’ Dinner

Friday 23 – Sunday 25 Eric Williams Centenary Lecture

OCTOBER 2011(date TBC)Cameron Mackintosh Lecture

Friday 14Autumn Golf Tournament (with Pembrokeand Worcester) at Southfields Golf Club,Oxford

Saturday 22Degree Day

Saturday 29Benefactors’ Day

NOVEMBER 2011Saturday 5Degree Day

Wednesday 16Peter Galbraith Lecture

Monday 21Alan Tayler Lecture

Saturday 26Degree Day

DECEMBER 2011Thursday 1Carol Service

Further details available on the College website: www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/alumni-development

To book your place on any of theseevents, please contact Franca Potts.E-mail: [email protected]: 01865 281596

Dates for your diary CLUES ACROSS1. Retire Fellows to a backstreet in branches of the

University (11)7. Amphitheatre—it’s huge (9)12. & 13 Milder onion soups for Biannual College meal

(10, 6)13. See 12 ac14. It comes between her and a singer in the

altogether (3)16. This sort of game is a bit hit or miss (8)18. Etymologically it’s a salt maker: e.g. iodine (7)19. Down under bird or fruit (4)20. “The father named his ranch — ‘cos that’s

where the sons raise meat” (old joke) (5)22. Massaging thus is a tonic (7)24. Sir Cameron — ; he’s associated with Cats— and

Catz! (10)25. A. E. Housman’s was from Shropshire (3)28. First degree for the jailbird philosopher (5)29. Mythical princess placing money before father

(6) 32. Home of CERN (6)34. Halt! Get in shape in the spring (9)35. Atheist GP makes pasta (9)37. Garment torn in romantic literature from

library— chilling stuff! (6)

39. Gambler seen on the Cherwell (6)40. Flares or topees could be this (5) 42. Body of water at heart of research (3)43. Oxford Theatre— it makes dons inhale (10)47. & 55. No laughing matter? On the contrary— it’s a

gas! (7, 5)50. The Royal Navy leaves Bernard a facial growth

(5) 52. & 53 Pastime involving clue for buried treasure (4, 7)53. See 52.54. Posh shop (8)58. The atomic number of 5 down (3)59. Uplifted— yet flattened by the sound of it (6)60. I’m— and he’s— at UNI, mixed up in the liberal

arts (10) 62. “I respect you days, but — !” by the sound of it,

it leads to divorces (9)63. Presses ties badly with sacerdotal women (11)

CLUES DOWN1. Do wise men take such measures? (7)2. Early victim of volcanic ash (7)3. Painted they were used to get a quorum to the

forum (5)4. Quality of Chopin’s Funeral March? (12)5. Light gas? (4)6. Thus this with 61 could give first course for 12

& 13? (2)7. Helicopter producing warm downdraft? (7)8. The Poles learnt badly—they lit the way in times

gone by (8)9. Type to give an order? (4)10. The kind of dog that produced this crossword?

(7, 6)11. Manic tutorial disturbed entry to University (13)15. What they do is rocket science (4)17. Leave game (2)18. What bees do when they don’t know the words

(3)21. Mandelson’s white elephant? (4)23. Old historian having abandoned us is silent (5)26. What Monsieur would say to a TV repeat? (4-2)27. Restored and reinstated (13)28. Chase victim goes down, held up by guys and a

Saint brought up short by sweet talk (13)30. Man to swap words with (5)31. Artists’ models— they’re such a tease! (6)33. Courses and resources (4, 3, 5)36. Tati character on holiday (5)38. Native American— part Cherokee (4)41. Romantic has a theory and an agenda (8)44. N wild horses— they are chomping (7)45. Capable— even hatless (4)46. Born a Frenchwoman? (3)48. “The — of Virtue”— by Matt Ridley (7)49. Food parcels from shipwreck on Samoa (7)51. It’s all about religious education (2)55. See 4756. A little bird tells me he’s the architect of 43 (4)57. Mount for Hokusai picture? (4)61. The opposite of the sort of clue this is (2)

©CM

M 2011

For your chance to win acopy of Mark Simpson's CDPrism (page 5) and AlanBolseworth's Twitching (page10), have a go at thisedition's prize crossword byCollege Enigmatist ChrisMaslanka (1973, Physics).

To enter the draw send yourcompleted crossword to:CatzEyeDevelopment OfficeSt Catherine's CollegeManor RoadOxford OX1 3UJby 15 August.

Prize Crossword

Catzeye (Trinity 2011) [F]:Layout 1 15/6/11 15:23 Page ii

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Catz Eye | Trinity Term 2011