Newsletter-Issue 30-Trinity-2018

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
university of oxford
Newsletter
Issue thirty trinity Term 2018 07/18
Research at Queen’s
addresses world’s
environmental
problems

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
letter from the Provost
News from our students
The University recently released data on
the diversity and social background of the
UK students admitted in the years 2013-7.
The decision to compile and publish all the
information in one place was prompted
by the numerous media accounts and
frequent freedom of information requests.
These requests have been sparked, in
part, by the focus David Lammy MP has
brought on the number of black British
students (of African or Afro-Caribbean
descent) admitted to the University. The
full report can be found at https://tinyurl.
com/oxadmissionsstats.
In summary, while the number of
applications has been rising year-on-year,
the number of undergraduate places
available has remained at around 3,200.
In 2017, 2,547 went to students living in
the UK, with females in a narrow majority.
Between 2013 and 2017, the proportion
from state schools rose from 56.8% to
58.2% and of those identifying as Black
and Minority Ethnic (BME) it rose from
13.9% to 17.9%. The proportion from
socio-economically disadvantaged areas
rose from 6.8% to 10.6% and from areas
of low progression to higher education it
rose from 9.5% to 12.9%.
The University welcomes this progress and
attributes it, in part, to the access initiatives
that have been introduced recently.
Notably, the improved coordination
with schools in all regions through the
appointment of dedicated access and
outreach officers throughout the colleges.
A particular success story is the UNIQ
Contents
Pages 3–4 News from our students
Pages 4–5 News from old members
Pages 6–9 News from the College
Page 10 Aldabra Clean-Up Project
page 11
Conserving an enigma
pages 12–15 Spotlight on graduate
research
back cover
calendar
Cover photograph: ©David Olds
Summer School, which brings over 1000
schoolchildren from disadvantaged areas
for an extended Oxford experience; a very
high proportion of these students go on to
make an application and gain admission.
25% of the students here receive
some form of bursary support from the
University and/or colleges.
Despite the progress, the proportions do
not match the country’s demographics
and no doubt will be used by some
to sustain the view that Oxford is a
prejudiced institution (the success rates
of interviewed applicants on a courseby-course
basis do not support this).
Matching these demographics is not a
University objective, per se. Rather, the
objective is to provide an outstanding
education to the most talented students,
with the emphasis on providing lasting
benefits. We are not considering
quotas for particular categories of
student, or wholesale changes to the
curricula to produce courses perceived
as more attractive to applicants from
disadvantaged backgrounds.
Contextual data are used in deciding
who should be summoned to interview
and factored into acceptance decisions.
Nevertheless, we are anxious that the
University fails to attract applications from
a pool of very talented students within a
large part of the UK population. Adverse
publicity exacerbates the problem of
attracting these students (though one
suspects that the adage ‘…never let the
truth get in the way of a good story…’ will
continue to apply). A particular concern is
that the undergraduate body is dominated
by students from the South-East: a
student from the North-East or North-
West who achieves A-level grades typical
for those on Oxford courses is three
times less likely to have applied to Oxford
than one from the Greater London area.
What about Queen’s within this broad
picture? Among the colleges, we
are above average in the proportion
of BME and female students in the
undergraduate mix but quite low on
the measures of social disadvantage.
The Provost pictured addressing Old Members
at the 2018 reunion event in Los Angeles
This probably reflects our subject mix,
as a comparatively large proportion of
our students are studying subjects (like
Modern Languages or Classics) that
attract fewer applicants from these social
categories. Given the historical context,
it is surprising to learn that the students
here are mostly from the South-East.
The strong connection to the North was
sustained for decades by the Hastings
Scholarships but, since 1985, entrance
scholarships have not been permitted
and the College’s connections to many of
the Hastings schools have ebbed away
as teachers have retired.
We do have a vigorous connection to
schools in the North-West through our
outreach activity there – supported by
our energetic outreach officer. Many
who came to Queen’s from the North in
the past have told me that they applied
because it was clear that the College had
a welcoming Northern perspective. A
modest measure we have just introduced
is to give a grant to cover the cost of
travel each term to and from home for
students who come from outside a
certain radius from the College. This
type of cost was flagged as one of
the concerns expressed by potential
applicants from the North-West to our
outreach officer. Redressing the three to
one factor I mentioned above must be a
major objective for us.
© Jon Endow
Choir soars to the top of the charts
In June, the Choir released a new CD,
The House of the Mind, that celebrates
the works of choral music icon and
Honorary Fellow Herbert Howells. The
CD went straight to number one in the
Official Specialist Classical Chart. This
is the second time that the choir have
enjoyed the number one spot.
The disc sets Howells’ works alongside
pieces that they inspired and influenced
One of the world’s most
renowned choirs
– Classic FM
OxTalent awards
– such as Nico Muhly’s Like as the Hart
for choir, solo violin, and percussion – as
well as works that, in turn, influenced him.
The disc features two world premiere
recordings by Old Member David Bednall
(Music, 1997): settings of two Marian
antiphons Alma redemptoris mater and
Ave regina caelorum that ‘complete’
the partly-lost set of works that Howells
wrote for Westminster Cathedral.
Options for purchasing the CD
are listed here: www.hyperurl.co/
thehouseofthemind.
Two current graduate students have been recognised at the annual OXTALENT
awards. The OxTALENT awards go to members of the University who have made
innovative use of digital technology to foster learning and academic practice;
develop more effective links between teaching and research; or improve impact
through outreach and public engagement.
April Burt received an OxTALENT award in the digital media category for her video
on the Aldabra Clean-Up project (read more about the project on page 8). Judges
commended her for her ‘beautiful nature photography that would have done David
Attenborough proud!’ and said that ‘for a campaign video on the very hot topic
of plastic pollution, it is engaging and the narrative was very clear, the choice of
music is particularly good and holds the video together well. It really highlights a
very important issue beautifully.’ You can view her film here: www.queens.hubbub.
net/p/AldabraProject/pitch/.
Joseph Poore (read more about his research on page 12) was a joint winner in
the student innovation category for his ‘Workplace Finder’, a tool for finding a new
place to work in Oxford. There are over 200 different places to study, including
libraries, work rooms, and University cafés. Workplace Finder puts them all in
one place and allow users to search them by the things they care about, such as
location, appearance, noise levels, or whether coffee is allowed inside.
Queen’s gets gold
for going green
This year, for the first time, the College
participated in the Green Impact
scheme. Green Impact is a nationwide
environmental accreditation scheme that
brings together staff and students to play
an active role in improving the sustainable
practices of their workplaces.
The College reviewed a number of areas,
including waste and recycling, energy,
catering, and biodiversity. Some new
initiatives have been introduced, including
the installation of bee hotels for solitary
bees in the garden.
Following an audit, the College was
delighted to be awarded Gold and also
to receive
the highly
commended
best
newcomer
award.
2 3

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
Student-led roadshow dispels myths about Oxford
The Facts Facing the UK’s Future
A group of undergraduates have raised money to fund a series
of visits to state schools in the College’s link region of Cumbria,
to help raise pupils’ aspirations and talk about what life is
like at Oxford. The group has been involved in access work
throughout the year, conducting tours of College and chatting to
prospective students.
The College’s Schools Liaison, Outreach and Recruitment
Officer visits schools all year round; however, distance and
resources can often make it difficult for potential applicants to
meet students face-to-face.
might not otherwise ask, which means that any misconceptions
about Oxford life can be resolved.
Old Member Anthony Simon (Modern Languages, 1963) curated a colloquium
on Brexit held in College in January. You can hear the experts who spoke on
The Facts Facing the UK’s Future here: www.queens.ox.ac.uk/colloquium and
a two-minute video summary of the day is also available.
The Provost said
‘as a place for robust but open-minded thinking and learning, the College
was proud to host this timely colloquium. Bringing together these great
minds to discuss the UK’s future in an apolitical way provided a unique
opportunity: it’s time to start listening to the experts.’
Feedback by students attending open days shows that
speaking to current undergraduates is one of the most
enjoyable and informative opportunities that the College can
offer. It gives students the opportunity to ask questions they
News from Old Members
Syrian refugee violinist starts new life
Get involved with two
special projects for
the 40th anniversary
In order to mark the 40th anniversary
of co-education at Queen’s, we are
working on two projects for which
your help is needed.
Old Member
wins Kathleen
Ferrier Award
The College congratulates Old
Member and pianist Michael
Pandya (Music, 2012) who won
the Accompanist’s Prize at this
year’s Kathleen Ferrier Awards.
You can hear him perform on
BBC Radio 3’s In Tune:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/
b0b1pyn0.
© Robert Piwko
Last year’s Newsletter included the story
of Aboud Kaplo, a young Syrian refugee
who was loaned a violin from the Bate
Music Collection after Old Member and
documentary-maker Susie Attwood
(Music, 2005) contacted the Collection
to see if they could help the talented
self-taught musician. This year Susie
presented the Oxford screening of her
documentary The Wait in the Shulman
Auditorium. This powerful and tender
film follows Aboud and a group of Syrian
refugees in Lebanon waiting to start new
lives. After the screening, Susie was in
conversation with former Human Rights
Director Daniel Gabriel; she was happy
to report that the instrument is now on
indefinite loan to Aboud and he, his violin,
and his family are making a new life in
Australia.
Old Member is
named rising star
of the year
The College congratulates Old Member
Jacob Bush (Chemistry, 2004) who has
won a national award relating to his work
in encouraging diversity in graduate
recruitment. The TARGETjobs National
Graduate Recruitment Awards are the
world’s biggest student-driven graduate
recognition scheme, with nearly 100,000
individual votes from undergraduates,
apprentices, and school-leavers.
© David Olds
40th anniversary of
co-education at Queen’s
The first cohort of women to be admitted
to the College (in 1979) are pleased to
announce that a celebratory dinner will be
hosted in College on Saturday 16 March
2019 to mark 40 years of co-education. A
special commemorative evensong service
will be held in Chapel on the same day.
Information on how to book will be sent
out in September; it’s anticipated that
there will be some pressure on places.
Staff, students, and Fellows pictured together on International Women’s Day
As part of the anniversary celebrations,
the Queen’s Women’s Network launched
earlier this year to provide professional
and social networking opportunities for
current and Old Members.
Please visit www.queens.ox.ac.uk/
Queenswomensnetwork
to learn more about the objectives of the
Network.
Digital archive
We want to celebrate the College and
the people associated with it through
an online collection of 40 objects that
tell different stories from the College’s
history. We are keen to receive any
old diary entries, photos, pieces of
music, or memorabilia from your time
in College to be photographed for
the archive.
Shining a light
We are commissioning photographic
portraits for a temporary exhibition
in College in celebration of the
diverse College community as we
reach 40 years of co-education in
2019. We invite you to nominate
individuals including Old Members,
current students, or staff members
(academic and non-academic)
who you see as inspirational and
deserving of recognition for their
achievements, be they personal or
professional.
Please send us your ideas, items,
stories, and nominations by email to
news@queens.ox.ac.uk.
4 5

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
News from the college
‘The right thing at the right time’
In November Old Member and Honorary Fellow Rowan Atkinson
(Engineering, 1975) officially opened the New Library at Queen’s.
He addressed an audience of students, staff, and Fellows and
reflected on how the new space felt like just the right thing at
just the right time. The current desire to work independently
but alongside others is particularly strong and beautifully
accommodated in this new facility. He also congratulated
those involved in creating the remarkable space, which though
unassuming from its exterior, offers so much to readers and
researchers inside.
Pop-up school
In September, 200 sixth form students and 22 teachers
from Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA) came to Oxford
for a residential week at Queen’s and Hertford Colleges.
The school had found themselves in a unique situation
following the Grenfell fire: with their grounds backing onto
the Grenfell site, the school building was inaccessible due to
ongoing investigatory work, and their temporary site was not
scheduled to open until 18 September.
Lectures were held every day, and student helpers from
Queen’s and Hertford arranged evening entertainment for the
pupils, including a film night and a scavenger hunt around the
sights of Oxford. KAA’s teachers accompanied the group,
aiming to maintain continuity with their A Level curriculum,
and taught lessons in seminar rooms and libraries.
Rob Pavey, Deputy Head of KAA, said:
‘We have been overwhelmed with the generosity we have
been shown. Our most sincere and heartfelt thanks to
everyone at Queen’s, especially to the porters, and to the
kitchen and cleaning staff; nothing was too much trouble for
them, and they have made the week not just possible, but
wonderful. For many of our students, this was their first time
away from home, and they have had an unforgettable week.
It’s a real tribute to the University and to how serious Oxford
is about widening participation.’
The opening event provided the perfect opportunity to launch
a new publication, a descriptive catalogue of the College’s
medieval manuscripts. Fellow in History Professor John Blair
praised the hard work of those involved in producing the book
and expressed his hope that it might be the first in a series of
such works.
The opening ceremony was followed by the All Saints’ Gaudy,
which celebrates the academic achievements of current
students.
© Edmund Blok
© Jon Endow
College Reunions in the US
The University’s Global Alumni Reunion took place in
San Francisco in April and, despite horrendous weather,
a great time was had by all. Honorary Fellow and Mayor
of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti (International Relations,
1993) was a draw at the Academic Programme, where
he appeared ‘in conversation’ with LinkedIn Co-Founder
Reed Hoffman CBE. A couple of days later, Eric and
First Lady Amy Elaine Wakeland (Wadham, 1993) kindly
hosted a joint Queen’s and Wadham reception at the
Mayor’s House in Los Angeles, generously supported
by Bruce McLucas (Theology, 1967). The Choir sang
at both the Gala Dinner in the Ferry Building in San
Francisco and at the Mayor’s reception, alongside a full
tour schedule in Stanford, San Francisco, Los Angeles
and San Diego. The Provost, Mrs Madden, and Director
of Development Anna Thorne returned to Oxford via
New York where, as ever, they enjoyed a number of lively
meetings and events with Old Members.
College Lecturer awarded
Parliamentary Academic Fellowship
New Library wins two RIBA awards
The College is delighted to announce that the New Library
has won two awards at The Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) Regional Awards 2018: the RIBA South
Award and the RIBA South Conservation Award. There was
strong competition for the awards and we congratulate MICA,
the architects responsible for designing the building.
© David Fisher
Dr Ruth Dixon, College Lecturer in
Biochemistry and Research Fellow at
the Blavatnik School of Government, has
been awarded a Parliamentary Academic
Fellowship.
During this fellowship, which is hosted
by the House of Lords Library and
funded by the ESRC Impact Acceleration
Account, Dr Dixon will research the
impact of peers’ scrutiny of legislation.
Drawing on principles of genetic analysis,
she uses novel computer-aided methods
to visualise and analyse how bills are
amended during the parliamentary
process. This project extends the
research described in her recent paper in
Parliamentary Affairs ‘Mapping Mutations
in Legislation; A Bioinformatics Approach’
and her post on the Political Studies
Association Specialist Group on the
Parliaments blog.
Dr Ruth Dixon at the Institute for State
Governance Studies, Peking University,
Beijing, March 2018.
6 7

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
Fellow in Mathematics awarded King
Faisal Prize for Science
Fellow in Philosophy elected to the
Grote Professorship at UCL
Professor Sir John Ball FRS FRSE has
been awarded the King Faisal Prize for
Science. The King Faisal Prize recognises
the outstanding works of individuals
and institutions in five major categories:
Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic
Language and Literature, Medicine,
and Science. Sir John Ball is Sedleian
Professor of Natural Philosophy, Director
of the Oxford Centre for Nonlinear Partial
Differential Equations, and a Fellow of
Queen’s. His main research areas lie in
the calculus of variations, nonlinear partial
differential equations, infinite-dimensional
dynamical systems, and their applications
to nonlinear mechanics.
The College warmly congratulates
Professor John Hyman who, after 30
years at Queen’s, is leaving to take up
the Grote Professorship of Philosophy of
Mind and Logic at UCL.
Professor Hyman is also to be
congratulated for having been awarded
a European Research Council Advanced
Grant for research on The Roots of
Responsibility: Metaphysics, Humanity,
and Society. This five-year grant will
fund four postdocs, 10 workshops and
two conferences, and has a value of 2.1
million Euros.
Fellow in History publishes
radical rethinking of the
Anglo-Saxon world
Professor John Blair has published Building Anglo-Saxon England,
a beautifully illustrated book that draws on the latest archaeological
discoveries to present a radical reappraisal of the Anglo-Saxon
built environment and its inhabitants. Professor Blair is one of the
world’s leading experts on this transformative era in England’s early
history. In this book he explains the origins of towns, manor houses,
and castles in a completely new way, and sheds new light on the
important functions of buildings and settlements in shaping people’s
lives during the age of the Venerable Bede and King Alfred.
Fellow appointed CBE
The College is delighted
to congratulate Professor
Jane Langdale FRS who
has been appointed
CBE in The Queen’s
Birthday Honours
List for her services
to plant science. Her
research interests
are in the evolution
of plant development
and photosynthetic
development.
Farewell to Anna Thorne
I am very sorry to say that Anna
Thorne, who has been the Director
of Development since September
2015, will be leaving us in August.
The Development Office has
been highly successful during this
period, receiving over £10 million in
donations. She has also overseen a
very full programme of Old Members’
Events so that our Old Member
relations have gone from strength-tostrength.
I have very much enjoyed
working with her and wish her well in
whatever she turns her hand to next.
The Provost
© Keith Barnes
Fellow in Chemistry wins the
Frankland Award
Professor Simon Aldridge has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2018 Frankland
Award. He receives the award for ‘outstanding and highly innovative contributions
to synthesis of main group compounds with unusual electronic structure, and
application in small molecule activation and catalysis’.
Professor Aldridge said:
‘I am surprised, delighted and not a little intimidated to have been awarded
the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Frankland Award for 2018. I’m surprised
to be chosen given the very high calibre of work going on across the UK
in the field of organometallic/coordination chemistry; delighted for the
students and post-docs in my group whose hard work and imagination
this award really recognises; and intimidated given the spectacular list of
previous winners of the award going back to its inception in 1982!’
Images of Epic
Representations of Homer and His Works from the Archive to the Comic Book
An exhibition in the College library
This exhibition explores how Homer
and the Homeric poems, The Iliad and
The Odyssey, have been represented
in art and illustrations over the last 500
years. Drawing on material from the
College’s Rare Book Collection, including
a seventeenth century edition of George
Chapman’s translation of Homer’s Works,
alongside modern-day novels and comic
books, it demonstrates how these poems
have inspired and fascinated translators,
printers, and writers throughout
the centuries.
The exhibition has been curated by
Sarah Gouldesbrough, a third-year
DPhil student who works on the
reception of the Homeric poems in
modern science fiction literature.
The exhibition will run from Summer
to Winter 2018. You can visit the
exhibition in the Upper Library during
staffed opening hours (during term:
Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 7:00pm;
Saturday: 9:00am – 1:00pm)
8 9

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
Aldabr a Clean-up project
Conserving an enigma
A group of Queen’s students is leading an expedition to
the remote Aldabra Atoll to remove tonnes of ocean trash
from its shores. Fellow in Biology Dr Lindsay Turnbull is a
Trustee of the Seychelles Islands Foundation (the organisation
responsible for Aldabra) and graduate student April Burt was
Scientific Coordinator there
before coming to study
for her DPhil in Effective
Management of Island
Ecosystems at Queen’s.
Together they resolved to
clean-up the site, to bring
the plight of the atoll to the
world’s attention, and to
share the story with young
people in the UK. They
have recruited a group of
six graduate students (four
ecologists and two materials
scientists) who will travel to
Aldabra in March 2019 to
work with six Seychellois
environmentalists and transform the shores of the atoll, which is
uninhabited save for a small research station. The team will also
work with UK schools and communities to inspire young people
to learn about Aldabra and minimise their use of plastic.
Described by David Attenborough as ‘one of the world’s
greatest surviving natural treasures’, Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, is under threat from increasing marine
plastic pollution. Aldabra has a rich and diverse ecosystem
that includes giant tortoises, flightless rails, and rare seabirds.
It is the largest raised coral atoll in the world, with the largest
population of giant tortoises worldwide, and one of the largest
nest sites for green turtles in the Indian Ocean. The atoll and its
wildlife are at great risk from the tonnes of ocean rubbish that
wash onto its shores every year. In December 2017, the handful
of conservationists stationed there collected 200 kg of waste
from just one beach in the space of three weeks.
The President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, recently shocked the
leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations with photographs
taken by the Aldabra Clean-
Up Project team of the
damage being done to the
island nation’s ecosystem by
plastic pollution and other
types of litter coming from
the rest of the world.
The projected cost of the
expedition is £150,000,
including £80,000 to
charter the cargo boat
to collect and transport
the waste 1,000km to the
main Seychelles and over
£40,000 to get the team to
Aldabra. Return flights to the
Seychelles, a specially chartered plane to Assumption Island,
and finally a boat to take the team to Aldabra, will cost around
£40,000. Once on the atoll, the team will be living frugally in a
harsh and unforgiving environment, committing all their energy
to clearing as much of the plastic and fishing debris as possible.
This is a community project led by committed young women
and men. They have raised £64,000 to date and continue to
seek sponsors and supporters to enable the expedition to go
ahead.
Please take a look at their crowdfunding site: www.queens.
hubbub.net/p/AldabraProject/ and let them know of any help or
ideas you might have to ensure this important project happens.
We wish them the best of luck!
Osprey conservation
Brittany Maxted joined Queen’s in
2015 as an undergraduate in Biological
Sciences. She has now completed her
final year and will be spearheading a
conservation project, which she has
been involved with since its inception.
Here she talks about her work and how
it aims to restore a long-lost raptor to
the South of England.
The osprey is an enigmatic bird of prey that breeds in the
UK. Every winter they migrate to West Africa where they
spend the non-breeding season living and fishing in the river
deltas of Senegal and The Gambia. At one time the osprey’s
distribution in the UK would have been widespread, spanning
from the Scottish Highlands to the South West of England.
But throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries their
population suffered a dramatic decline, as a result of egg
collecting and heavy persecution. Consequently, they became
extinct as a breeding species in Britain in 1916.
In 1956, after four decades of absence, ospreys naturally
recolonised a site at Loch Garten in Scotland and, assisted by
a concerted conservation effort, the population has since grown
to over 200 breeding pairs. However, dispersal has been slow
(the rate of expansion is estimated to be around 4km per year)
and hence most of the population is still confined to remote
areas of Scotland. At this rate it will take over a century for the
osprey to recolonise the entirety of its native range.
In order to give the species a helping hand and accelerate this
expansion, in the late 1990s a translocation project began,
moving chicks from natural Scottish nests to Rutland Water in
Leicestershire, where they were hand-raised and rereleased into
the wild. Translocation is a particularly successful conservation
method for ospreys, as individual birds are very site-faithful
and will return to the same place to breed year after year. The
Rutland project was enormously successful and facilitated
reestablishment of both English and Welsh osprey populations.
However, none of these birds have dispersed south and the
South of England remains a gaping hole in their distribution. As
a result, there is no mixing between the British and mainland
European osprey populations, which limits gene flow and
species resilience.
pens overlooking the shores of Poole Harbour for nearly three
weeks, feeding them three meals of fresh fish per day. When
they began to show signs of an eagerness to fly, we fitted them
with lightweight radio tags that would allow us to track their
movements after release. We opened the doors of the release
pens before sunrise one frosty August morning and soon had
eight healthy chicks soaring overhead and learning to fish in the
harbour’s marshy inlets. We continued to provide food until the
day the last bird left on migration in mid-September. Each chick
will have made a gruelling 5000 km journey to West Africa,
where they will spend the next few years maturing and building
strength before returning to the UK to breed. And, if and when
they return, we expect many to settle naturally in Poole Harbour
where they were raised.
Last year’s translocation was a huge success, but our work
does not stop here. This is a five-year project, with another four
years of translocations to complete. This summer, I will take
up the post of Project Manager, leading an even larger team
to raise and release another 14 chicks, plus another 12 chicks
every year for the following three years after that! I also have
further academic ambitions for the project. Following this year’s
translocation, I hope to secure funding and put together a PhD
research proposal encompassing the work of the project and
national population data to investigate the factors influencing
dispersal in this species. It is my hope to conduct this research
alongside my role as manager for the project and make use of
this valuable opportunity to study such a remarkable and elusive
species up close.
The Poole Harbour Translocation
In 2017, a project began to encourage ospreys to breed in the
south. Eight chicks were collected under licence from natural
nests in Scotland and transported down to Dorset overnight.
From this moment on they were in my care, along with a
group of dedicated volunteers, until the moment they left on
migration some two months later. We raised them in release
This project is a collaboration between the charities Birds of
Poole Harbour and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, and the
company Wildlife Windows. If you would like to contribute to
the project in any way, donations to either charity are gratefully
appreciated and will help us to continue our valuable work. You
can also follow the project on Twitter @harbourospreys.
Brittany Maxted
10 11

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
Spotlight on graduate research
Study provides new estimates of the
environmental costs of food
Joseph Poore, a doctoral
student in environmental
science, has just published
what is being hailed as a
landmark global study in the
journal Science.
The study is a major piece of
research into the environmental
impact of agriculture, examining
data from over 38,000 farms across 119 countries. It uses this
evidence to build an integrated framework for monitoring and
managing food’s environmental impacts, but ultimately points to
one simple way humans can have a transformative effect on the
environment – by avoiding meat and dairy products.
Poore’s research is the result of a five-year project, which initially
began as an investigation into sustainable meat and dairy
production. He stopped eating animal products himself after
the first year. We asked him about the scope of his research, its
implications, and some of its unexpected results.
What made you choose to study this area?
I wanted to challenge my own consumption of animal products.
I wanted to understand if there were low impact, sustainable
producers out there and, if so, what could be learned from
them. Originally, I was looking at just two environmental
indicators, land use and greenhouse gas emissions, but this
rapidly expanded to build a comprehensive picture across most
of the major environmental impacts of agriculture.
Albert Einstein said ‘nothing will benefit human health and
increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as
the evolution to a vegetarian diet’. Poore’s research provides
extensive evidence to support this claim. In widespread media
coverage, he says: ‘A vegan diet is probably the single biggest
way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse
gases, but global acidification [of terrestrial ecosystems],
eutrophication [the build-up of nutrients in water bodies which
depletes biodiversity], land use, and water use.’
Agriculture is the single biggest human user of land. It accounts
for ~95% of human land use and covers ~43% of the world’s
ice and desert-free surface area. It accounts for a third of the
world’s greenhouse gas emissions, about a third of the world’s
air pollution, 80% of the world’s water pollution, and drives
around 95% of the world’s water scarcity. It sits at the middle of
most of the world’s major environmental problems.
You became a vegan a year into your
research; was there a particular thing
that prompted this or was it the result of
studying the accumulated data?
First, it was the fact that animal
products create such markedly different
environmental impacts when compared
with substitute vegetable products. And
this isn’t necessary to sustain our way
of life: the same proteins and calories
can be sourced at a fraction of the
environmental cost.
Secondly, as I was doing the research,
I quickly became aware of a lot of the
issues surrounding factory farming.
By 2050, it’s estimated that to meet
demand, the world will need to produce
a trillion litres of milk and 500 billion
kilograms of meat per year. This is a 40%
increase on today’s figures. Almost all of
this will come from intensive farming in the
developing world at a great cost to
animal welfare.
Were there any unexpected findings in your study?
Yes, there were quite a few unexpected findings. First, we know
that agriculture is incredibly diverse. There are 570 million farms
all around the world, all using different practices, producing
on different soils and in different climates. This creates high
variability in environmental impact. For example differences in
emissions between two beef producers can exceed 1100%.
However, all this variability fails to translate into animal products
with lower impacts than substitute vegetable proteins. Put
simply, it will always be better to change what you consume
rather than try and purchase sustainable meat or dairy.
Another surprise was with aquaculture. People thought these
systems were relatively low emissions, but actually, with the new
model that we built to look at methane, aquaculture can create
more methane than that from cows when you take into account
the carbon that accumulates in the anaerobic area at the
bottom of ponds. Another unexpected finding was that pasture
grazing systems don’t necessarily deliver lower environment
impacts than feed-based systems.
The new data also showed that cheese has a higher
environmental impact than poultry, pork, farmed fish or eggs.
The reason for that is that you need ten litres of milk for one
kilogram of cheese; in turn, to produce one litre of milk, you
typically need over two kilograms of feed. On top of that, you
have the emissions from the animals that produce the milk
themselves (eneric fermentation and manure management).
Why do you think there’s resistance against, and even hostility
towards, veganism?
I think there’s a large element of self-sacrifice that many people
find off-putting. However, we did explore a second scenario,
which is a 50% reduction in animal product consumption. If
we reduced our consumption by 50%, by avoiding the highest
impact producers, then we can achieve three quarters of the
potential reduction on emissions that are associated with
a completely plant-based diet. This scenario would rely on
labelling products to indicate their environmental impact, and
we’re a long way off this at the moment. A system of labels
would also have the advantage of creating a positive loop –
suppliers would have to consider the impact, encouraging them
to source product more sustainably, and, in turn, the producers
would have to monitor their environmental impact.
What are you working on next?
I am working on my DPhil, which is funded by The Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC). The subject is the global
extent of abandoned farmland. This work uses remote sensing
to map where farmland has been abandoned and is returning to
nature. You can read more about this research in a recent cover
story for New Scientist called Back to the Wild.
You can access the study in Science here:
https://tinyurl.com/poorestudy.
12
13

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
www.queens.ox.ac.uk
Spotlight on graduate research
Research focusses on identifying threats to the long-term
survival of endangered species
Paolo Strampelli is a DPhil
student on the four-year Natural
Environment Research Council
(NERC) Doctoral Training
Partnership in Environmental
Research. His project involves
investigating the status,
distribution and threats to
several large carnivore species
in southern Tanzania’s vast and
largely unstudied Ruaha-Rungwa landscape. The area, covering
over 45,000 km 2 , is believed to be home to some of Africa’s
most important populations of threatened lion, leopard, cheetah,
African wild dog, and spotted hyena. Nevertheless, it has
received very little attention and is extremely understudied. We
asked him to tell us a bit more about what his research involves.
I truly believe that Africa’s wildlife is a global
heritage, and as such should receive
global support.
– Paolo Strampelli
How and when did you become interested in this area of
research?
I went to secondary school in Tanzania. This gave me the
opportunity to spend time in some fascinating national parks
and reserves, and led me to develop a deep passion and
interest for the study and preservation of Africa’s natural
resources. I then collaborated with several research and
conservation projects in Tanzania, Mozambique, and in Malawi,
and this made me realise that this is what I wanted my career
focus to be.
What are the key questions that your research is trying to
answer, and what does the work involve?
The first aim of my research is to try and understand
where these species are found in this vast area, and how
environmental and anthropogenic drivers influence their
distribution. In addition, I want to provide a baseline estimate of
population abundance for these species in the landscape, for
monitoring purposes, and identify the main threats to their longterm
survival.
To achieve this, I am surveying this landscape and recording all
tracks of large carnivores and their main prey species. I work
together with two Tanzanian trackers, and when large carnivore
tracks are detected, we determine the species, age, sex, and
number of individuals that left them. We also record signs and
sightings of prey species, such as buffalo, antelopes, giraffes,
and elephants, as well as any indication of human impacts and
potential threats in the area.
How do you ensure your safety when looking for these
animals?
Surveying from a vehicle means that the work is carried out in
relative safety. We do spend most nights camping out in the
bush, however, and this means that we have to think about the
possibility of having elephant, buffalo, hippo, lion or leopard
around - all animals can be dangerous in very occasional
circumstances. In the end, however, I think it’s really a question
of common sense – by minimising walking around at night, by
scanning around with a torch in the evenings and early in the
morning, and by keeping the fire going at night, chances of
accidents are low. Animals are generally very wary of humans,
and advertising your presence is generally enough to make sure
they give you a wide berth! I also carry a satellite communicator
with me, so that in case of an emergency (or, more likely, vehicle
breakdown) I can contact base camp for help.
What specific challenges do you face when working in the
field?
The remoteness of the area means that we have to be
completely self-sufficient, including with regards to fuel, food
and water. Day to day, keeping the team always concentrated
and motivated can be a challenge when working long hours in
difficult conditions. Every morning my trackers spend over four
hours continuously scanning the road ahead of them, and, given
that it is my data, it is my job to ensure they are as focused as
possible during that time. I try to do this by involving them as
much as I can in why we are doing this, rather than just how,
and by trying to keep the mood light. Nevertheless, we are often
forced to spend hours sitting around in
the bush, where shade is not always as
plentiful as one might hope, whilst the
tse-tse flies unfortunately always are. As
a result, jokes, cards, and films go a long
way when spending weeks without a
break in this environment.
In addition, working in rural Africa means
that one must always be ready for
unforeseen setbacks – if there is an issue
with the car, this might mean having
to drive hours to near mechanic, long
periods of waiting, and so on. Developing
this adaptability to ever-changing
circumstances is definitely something
which I’m finding to be vital when working
in these contexts.
What will you do with the data back in
the UK?
Once back in Oxford, I will use the
data to model the distribution and abundance of these large
carnivores, and investigate what is impacting these parameters–
both in terms of resources (e.g. prey availability) and threats
(e.g. human pressures, inter-specific competition). Obtaining
a baseline and understanding what the main threats are to
these populations is essential in order to be able to develop
conservation interventions that can benefit both wildlife and
the communities living alongside it. I will be working closely
with Tanzanian government officials and wildlife authorities to
ensure that this work will directly inform conservation in these
areas, something which I believe is essential for any zoological
research today. Finally, I am also planning on using this
experience to develop, in collaboration with local authorities,
a large carnivore monitoring plan that can be replicated
over the years, and on training young local researchers in its
implementation.
What practical measures can be taken to ensure the survival
of these species?
The most important action that people back home can take
is to visit these areas as a tourist. Particularly in a developing
country like Tanzania, tourism provides an incentive to preserve
these areas and animals, in the form of jobs, opportunities,
and sustainable development which can be directly linked to
economic growth. Whilst I know it can be very expensive, and it
is not possible for everyone, I urge those who have the means
to do so to provide their support in this form, as I truly believe
that Africa’s wildlife is a global heritage, and as such should
receive global support.
Stories in the press about the killings of Cecil the lion and his
son Xanda have struck an emotional chord with people. Why
do you think that is? What do you respect about the animals
you are studying?
While many people feel strongly about the well-being of all
animals, I have noticed that certain species, such as lions, tend
to elicit particularly strong responses. I believe that reasons for
this are to be found in our past. I think that we are attracted
and fascinated by these animals because they are one of the
last links to a past which still resonates strongly within us.
Looking into the eyes of a lion awakens the same feelings of
awe and fear that dominated our ancestors’ lives, and, for a
few moments, we experience these as they once did. I believe
that it is because of this subconscious fascination with these
deep, ancestral emotions that most tourists visiting Africa’s
parks and reserves want to see lions above all else, or, similarly,
that if you ask many scuba divers what they would most like
to see they will reply with ‘shark’. I think the prospect of losing
this last link to a past which, whilst for most of us long gone,
still has a strong influence over us, is what brings people to
have such strong reactions to the idea of losing these species,
which still manage to remind us of what we were and where we
came from.
14
15

Events Calendar 2018–19
Tickets and details for all events can be found at www.queens.ox.ac.uk/events
Saturday 15 September 2018
Saturday 13 October 2018
Saturday 27 October 2018
Saturday 27 October 2018
tuesday 13 November 2018
Saturday 17 November 2018
Friday 14 December 2018
Saturday 15 december 2018
Saturday 5 January 2019
Saturday 16 February 2019
Saturday 16 march 2019
Saturday 22 June 2019
Saturday 6 July 2019
Saturday 21 September 2019
Saturday 19 October 2019
Saturday 2 November 2019
Saturday 23 November 2019
Saturday 21 December 2019
Old Members’ Dinner Ticketed
Jubilee Gaudy Lunch (1948, 1958 & 1968) Ticketed (by invitation only)
‘Ten Years Later’ Lunch (2008) Ticketed (by invitation only)
Oxford Lieder Festival: Lobo Requiem (Tickets: www.oxfordlieder.co.uk)
Harmsworth Lecture: Professor Barbara D. Savage
MA Reunion Lunch (2011) Ticketed (by invitation only)
Carols from Queen’s (Tickets: www.queenschoir.com/tickets)
Boar’s Head Gaudy (1984 & 1985) Ticketed (by invitation only)
Needle and Thread Gaudy (1974 & 1975) Ticketed (by invitation only)
Taberdars’ Society Lunch Ticketed (by invitation only)
40th Anniversary of Women at Queen’s Celebration Dinner Ticketed
Benefactors’ Dinner (by invitation only)
Old Members’ Garden Party Ticketed
The Queen’s Society Reception Ticketed (by invitation only)
Old Members’ Dinner Ticketed
Jubilee Gaudy Lunch (1949, 1959 & 1969) Ticketed (by invitation only)
‘Ten Years Later’ Lunch (2009) Ticketed (by invitation only)
MA Reunion Lunch (2012) Ticketed (by invitation only)
Boar’s Head Gaudy (1996 & 1997) Ticketed (by invitation only)
There will be other events added to the programme throughout the year. Please visit our website for updates:
www.queens.ox.ac.uk/OMevents.
The City of London Reception won’t take place in 2019; we look forward to seeing you in spring 2020!
Old Members’ Dinner 2018: Saturday 15 September, 7.00 for 7.30 pm – booking now open online at
www.queens.ox.ac.uk/OMD2018
Alternatively, please call the Old Members’ Office on 01865 279214 to pay by debit or credit card.
RSVP by Friday 31 August
Your communication preferences
The College maintains a lifelong relationship with its Old Members and has close
contact with friends and other members of the College community. You may update
your contact details and communication preferences online:
www.queens.ox.ac.uk/update-my-details
by email to oldmembers@queens.ox.ac.uk
or by returning any of the forms enclosed with our hard copy publications.
Editor: emily downing
Contributors: Brittany Maxted, Joseph Poore, Paolo Strampelli
Design & printing: Holywell Press Ltd
Old Members’ Office, The Queen’s College, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4AW
@QueensCollegeOx | www.queens.ox.ac.uk
Email: oldmembers@queens.ox.ac.uk | Telephone: 01865 279214 Registered Charity 1142553