Beautiful Biochemistry Educating the workers - Department of ...

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▸▸Twenty years since the fall of the
Berlin Wall, a generation has come to
adulthood with the GDR (the former East
Germany) as only an inherited memory. An
interdisciplinary series of lectures aimed at a
general audience will this term examine the
changing representation and remembrance
of the GDR since unification from the
perspectives of culture, politics, philosophy,
history and historiography, and memory and
memorialisation. See www.mod-langs.ox.ac.
uk/german/rememberthegdr.
▸▸Need to undertake a large-scale
simulation of physical processes or analyse
huge experimental data sets? The Oxford
Supercomputing Centre, which now
charges under full economic costing for
most types of usage, may be able to help.
OSC staff can help you find the system
which best suits your needs and advise on
funding calculations and grant applications.
Non-traditional users of supercomputing,
particularly in the humanities and social
sciences, are welcome. Details at www.oerc.
ox.ac.uk/resources/osc or call Mark Hylton
on 610640.
▸▸A one-stop search and delivery system for
quickly accessing the University’s main library
information resources regardless of type,
format or location is now available. The SOLO
(Search Oxford Libraries Online) service
allows readers to cross-search selective
databases, leading to increased discovery
of interdisciplinary research materials.
Search results contain additional links and
personalisation services allow users to set
up alerts, save searches and, for example,
export results to bibliographic management
packages. Access SOLO via http://solo.ouls.
ox.ac.uk or www.ouls.ox.ac.uk.
Graham Topping
Illustration: David Mostyn
pigeonhole
Viewfinder
▸▸Where would you find this friendly
firedog? Answer on p5.
Blueprint January 2009
Why am I
here?
Caroline Harding is Examinations
Secretary in the Department of
Engineering Sciences
What does your job entail?
Mostly nagging people! (I have, I understand,
been described as ‘The department’s
Rotweiller’!) More seriously, I am here to
administer the exam process: from getting the
questions set, right through to recording and
reporting the candidates’ results.
How many people does that involve?
I only deal with our three Finals courses and
our taught MSc, but between them it involves
well over 300 candidates a year. I work closely
with the Chairman of Examiners (usually in post
for one year) and with the 12 or so examiners.
I also liaise with the 60-plus assessors who
draft questions for us, and with those in the
Exam Schools, and in other departments
involved in one of our joint schools.
What do you most enjoy about it?
I like Engineers! When I arrived in 1969,
Professor Douglas Holder explained Oxford
University to me. He told me that there were
Arts dons – they were a dodgy lot, eccentric
and difficult; then there were Science dons –
they were OK; then there were Engineers – the
cream of the cream. I believed him; I married
one and have been here ever since.
Any hairy or amusing moments?
Oh yes – but I had probably better not tell you!
When you were a child, what did you want
to be when you grew up?
A show jumper or an art teacher.
And what actually was your first job?
A riding instructor.
What was life like when you joined the
University?
The atmosphere was very formal and polite,
but that was normal in those days. There
was much more emphasis on correct forms
of address, and on spelling and grammar.
Female staff were not allowed to wear
trousers, though we did wear mini skirts!
The men called each other by their surnames,
we were called Mrs or Miss, and we had
separate common rooms for different
categories of staff. However, despite all that,
this was always a friendly place to work.
How has the technical side of your job
changed?
Things have improved beyond recognition!
The secretary’s job was more skilled then
as there were no computers and most
academics couldn’t type. We had one
photocopier in the whole department when I
arrived, and you had to sign a form explaining
why you needed a photocopy of something.
Now I have a laser printer/scanner/copier
on my desk. We used to have to make six
carbon copies of some documents; there was
very little scope for correction if you made a
mistake and, unless it was a very small error,
you simply had to start again. As soon as
computers began to appear, I knew they
were for me!
What interests, hobbies or activities do
you enjoy outside work?
Playing with my grandchildren and/or my
iphone (!), travelling and music.
And what’s the most interesting thing
you’ve learned online?
That there’s practically nothing you cannot
learn online! I’ve found recipes to fit ingredients
I have available; I’ve found a CV for a Member
of the South African Parliament we met at
a wedding; and I’ve found out where in the
world my son (who is a conductor) is this
week.
How did you get from there to here?
I had an accident riding. I recovered fully and it
wasn’t a big deal, but it made me think I didn’t
want to be doing such physical work all my
life. I trained to be a secretary and got the job What would your colleagues be most
of Secretary to the Head of Department in the surprised to learn about you?
Engineering Department and have been here, Probably that I was young and thin once…
doing various jobs, ever since (with time off to
have my three children).
If you could go anywhere, do anything on
your day off, what would it be?
I’d love to go up in an air balloon – preferably
over a mountainous region – and I’d take my
husband (though I’m not sure it would be his
idea of fun!).