WoodWords 15/16

WOODWORDS The Collingwood College Alumni Magazine 2015-2016

FROM MAIDEN CASTLE TO WORLD 100KM CHAMPIONSHIPS

Craig Holgate reflects on his career as an endurance runner

15 16 MOV(IE)ING ON

BEFORE, DURING & AFTER

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Professor Joe Elliott discusses Collingwood’s new Multi-Use Games Area and future exciting projects

PERHENTIAN PROJECTS

WELCOME CONTENTS 01 03 05 07 09 11 14 17 19 21

Welcome Introductions and Farewells Sporting Prowess A New Development Mov(ie)ing On The Story of an Endurance Runner Before, During and After The Sara Pilkington Fund The 1972 Student Opportunities Fund Undergraduate Research Internships

It is my great pleasure to be able to meet alumni on a regular basis - in Durham and across the world. Those who return to Collingwood can often be found peering at their year group photos; many with their children in tow. Wherever we meet, I am proud to be able to confirm that our College is still an outstanding place for our students to spend their time, to study, to socialise, to compete, to perform, to achieve, and to help those less fortunate than themselves. However, we should never be complacent and I have been increasingly aware of the need to provide more extensive

Cecil Rhodes once said that to have been born an Englishman was to have won first prize in the lottery of life. While such an assertion seems rather inappropriate in our more enlightened age, I often reflect upon my absolute good fortune in being granted the opportunity to be Principal at Collingwood, albeit for a few precious years. As I ponder upon the past year, my memory stretches back to the opening day of the academic year. As you will know, Freshers’ Sunday is such an important occasion: the sight of some 50 Freps diving into the parents’ vehicles, welcoming our new arrivals, grabbing their luggage and humping it across the turning circle up to their new bedrooms is truly impressive. That first week is a crucial period for collegiate assimilation: matriculation in the Cathedral, the Freshers’ photo, the first formal meal at Durham, paint fights, quizzes, the FREP jungle dance, multiple trials for multiple sports teams, signing up for clubs and societies, some of which one would never imagine existed, and, of course the return of the 2nd- 4th years for the grand Thursday evening bash – that occasion when new and existing students first come together as members of the wider Collingwood community. opportunities for heightened participation in sports, arts and social activities. For the past three years, I have been working to source a multi-user games area (MUGA) in the Paddock - the field at the back of the Principal’s House. After a series of setbacks, we have finally secured planning permission for a state of the art, all-weather, floodlit surface that will transform exercise and sports provision for our students. Thanks to the incredible generosity of one of our alumni, Mark Hillery (1985-88), who is also the principal backer of the MUGA, we are also embarking upon a further major arts, sports and social development to commence in June 2017. Full details of both projects can be found in this edition of Wood Words, and also in the accompanying flyer.

Such developments can only be realised if they are actively supported by our students and alumni. I am immensely grateful to those of you who have already provided financial support. As someone who gained so much from my student years at Durham, I believe that I should Pass On the benefits I gained from my predecessors to future generations who, I hope, will pass on to those students who follow on from them.

I believe that it is unfair to ask others to contribute if I am not prepared to do this myself. Accordingly, my wife, Ruth (we met

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at Durham in 1974), and I are personally donating £5,000 to support these two schemes. We hope that you will also give some consideration to the possibility of joining us in becoming a part of an intergenerational chain of those who Pass It On. A few months ago, we were delighted to welcome back more than 250 alumni from the years 2010-15. We would love to host many more such events covering other time spans. Please speak with your friends and consider whether you would wish to meet up again back in The ‘Wood. We would be delighted to help you to organise an event of this kind.

Finally, I should like to take this opportunity to offer my thanks for the multiple ways that you, our alumni, have assisted our students, not only financially, but also by offering advice, support, guidance, work-related experiences, and by acting as powerful role models that can help our students believe that they too can succeed as you have done. Without your support, the Collingwood experience would certainly not be as educationally and professionally powerful, nor half as much fun.

Professor Joe Elliott Principal of Collingwood College

WELCOME All too soon, though, our student years pass by, but afterwards we never really leave. Having completed the first draft of this piece, I received a letter from the parents of a recent alumna which brought tears to my eyes, and I now have permission to quote an extract here. In this, dad remarks that as he was waiting

by Colin the Stag to take his daughter home after her graduation in June:

“I thought about the busy, hopeful yet slightly scary time four years ago when we brought Sally (pseudonym) to that same spot to start her first year, and then about the people and events that have filled her life at Collingwood since that time. And I realised that every single one of those memories is a golden one. Sally has grown from the bright, optimistic but slightly apprehensive young girl we left with you on that autumn day into a confident and mature young woman who now steps with certainty into the future. She has gained a whole set of friends and a long-term relationship. She has had opportunities to do things and to go places that are utterly unforgettable. The level of her degree classification was simply the icing on the Collingwood cake.

For a while, and as we drove away, I felt sad that this wonderful chapter in Sally’s life was drawing to a close, but then I realised that such golden moments have their afterglow as well as their short-term benefits and so, in a very real way, the chapter will never close… Once Collingwood has touched you, you are held gently but securely in the warm light of that experience for the rest of your life.”

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INTRODUCTIONS AND FAREWELLS The 2016-17 academic year will be another exciting period for Collingwood, with new projects and staff members. Not only are we introducing our new JCR President, James Llewelyn (Geography, 2016), following the conclusion of Tori Campbell’s (Law, 2015) tenure, we also welcome our new Assistant Principal, Grant Slater, and Alumni and Development Officer, Jessica Hughes (Biological Sciences, 2016). During 2015-16 we bid farewell to both Dr Mark Woolmer who had served Collingwood College as Assistant Principal and Vicky Ridley, our Vice Principal. We will be recruiting for a new Vice-Principalduring the forthcoming academic year.

Tori Campbell, JCR President 2015-16, Looks Back

Working for Collingwood and the JCR has been an immense privilege and learning experience. I’ve had the opportunity to work with fantastic people - staff and students alike - all whilst doing it in a place I love.

Throughout the year, we hosted some of the biggest events Collingwood has ever seen, and even created a couple of new ones! As usual, our sports teams shone through and proved, yet again, that no college can touch us in sports.

Most importantly, however, we welcomed 425 new students from around the world who are no longer just students, they are now part of the ‘Wood!

In last year’s edition of Wood Words, I promised that 2015-16 would be a bright and defining year for Collingwood, and it certainly did not disappoint.

However, it definitely will not stop there! Our College will continue to grow and flourish thanks to your generosity, and the help of James, our new JCR President. Thank you Collingwood, it has been an absolute pleasure.

James Llewelyn, JCR President 2016-17, Ponders the Year Ahead In the beginning of my Presidency, I found myself writing a number of letters to those who were about to arrive at Collingwood. This encouraged me to reflect on just what it is that makes our College and community so special. This environment has been created over generations of Woodsmen and ‘Women and will continue to bind us together for the rest of our lives, no matter what path we take.

Currently, we are going through a period of change at Collingwood, all of which is driven by our community. We have completed the refurbishment of our dining hall, the alumni funded Multi-Use Games Area is under construction, and plans are taking shape for our next exciting development.

All these are made possible by alumni donations, so on behalf of all current and future students I would like to say thank you- you have given us unbelievable opportunities allowing us to continue to grow and develop.

Introducing Jessica Hughes, Collingwood’s Alumni and Development Officer

Having recently graduated and unable to part from Durham just yet, I have found myself in the slightly daunting position of (trying to be) a real adult and a member of Collingwood staff. I have already had the enormous pleasure of being involved in several large events at Collingwood. Back in October, we held drinks at The Sterling in The Gherkin and welcomed a record number of attendees. We had to order twice the number of bottles of wine we originally requested, so I would call that a success! More recently in November, over 1000 Collingwood students gathered in the turning circle to celebrate being crowned College Sports Champions for an outstanding fifth consecutive year. It truly was a night to remember, with everyone joining in to sing ‘Three Stags on a Shirt’, Collingwood’s remarkable sense of community was certainly evident. So, in short, it has been a busy few months at Collingwood and I cannot wait to see what the New Year will hold!

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FEATURE Welcome to Grant Slater, Assistant Principal of Collingwood College It is with enormous pleasure that I pen these few lines for this edition of Wood Words. I have been in post as Assistant Principal since the beginning of July and I feel so welcome and completely at home. I hold responsibility for all things student related: welfare, support, discipline and everything that makes up what I hope will be a wonderful student experience. My overriding driver is to do all I can to foster the strongest sense of community, therefore I am very keen to look at ways of engaging not only the current students, JCR and MCR but also the SCR, alumni and college staff with all aspects of college life. It is quite obvious that over many years, excellent work has been done in respect to the college community, so I want to build on that and help make Collingwood as fantastic as it can possibly be.

My previous role at Durham was within Access and Student Recruitment where I focussed on Widening Participation and recruiting students from ‘non-traditional backgrounds’. This work was hugely rewarding and will be missed, but I aim to maximise my involvement in the College’s outreach work following my experience. I have also been a pastoral tutor/mentor at the College of St Hild and St Bede for the last sixteen years and my involvement has given me a passion for student welfare. As you all will know, our students are experiencing the most exciting and challenging time of their lives so far, and we get to play a part in that. I cannot think of a greater privilege.

Goodbye to Vicky Ridley (now Cox) who was VicePrincipal at Collingwood College from December 2013 until May 2016, and is now working at St Cross College and Magdalen College, University of Oxford.

Energising. Formative. Exhilarating. Fun. Exhausting. These five words sum-up just some of my feelings towards the ‘Wood and my time as Vice-Principal.

Leaving this role, and indeed departing Durham, was no easy decision.

In fact, I don’t think I ever actually made the decision to leave. Instead, my now husband realised that despite his best efforts to join him in Edinburgh, I was still showing few signs of uprooting. This called for drastic action: relocation to the ‘south’ and to some university that apparently is currently ranked number one in the world. So, my hand was forced. Well, not quite. We did agree that pastures new for both of us at the start of our life together would offer an exciting new adventure, but not before Collingwood played a part in our wedding day, of course.

Five-months on and I am truly one of you: an active member of the alumni community. I can enjoy visits back to a very special place and engage with the University and its colleges in a variety of ways. But I am also very privileged. Not many people have the opportunity to work in such a cohesive and committed organisation. Staff and students alike at the ‘Wood are truly inspiring. The achievements of the whole community are impressive and moving – the summary in the following pages do not do justice to the scale and magnitude of everything that happens today at the ‘Wood. Go back and see this for yourself. Reminisce and celebrate, as you were the foundations of this thriving community.

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SPORTING PROWESS SPORTS CAPTAIN TOM WRIGGLESWORTH LOOKS BACK AT ANOTHER REMARKABLE YEAR FOR OUR SPORTS TEAMS AT COLLINGWOOD. England 1966, Australia 2003, London 2012, arguably some of the greatest one-off sporting success’ in British history, but this is not Collingwood’s style. Crowned champions in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016; we do not do one-off victories. For the first time in living memory, a college has regained the College Sport Championship for an unprecedented 5th year in a row, in emphatic style. Such was Collingwood’s success, the difference between 1st place and 2nd placed Grey was greater than the difference between Grey and last placed Ustinov.

While we are immensely proud of the retention of this title, Collingwood’s real achievement is in our participation rate, the highest of any college in Durham, with that number rising once again this year. Most notably, for the 2015-16 season, CCAFC (Football) added an L team to their ranks and, with the imminent arrival of a new host of enthusiastic freshers, a M team has already been entered for the coming season. Similarly, our Netballers have added a competitive G team to the fourth division and CCSC (Squash), following impressive sign up of over 100 freshers’ at the Sports

and Societies Fair, now have a club three times the size of any other in Durham. Following the construction of the MUGA and the word of mouth of College Championship winning graduates, we look forward to a continual upward trend.

This increase in participation is typified by our Mixed Lacrosse team.

Starting from humble beginnings after a non-existent 2014-15 season, thanks entirely to the dedication of Josh McDonagh, CC Mixed Lax now has an active club with over 40 playing members and an A team that has recently secured promotion to the premiership. This dedication saw Josh collect the Special Contribution to College Sport at our Sportsman’s Ball.

There were many ‘champagne moments’ throughout the year with some incredible team and individual performances. Perhaps the most exciting was our women’s hockey team who, part way through the year were conceding games due to illness and injury, faced Hatfield in the final of the Floodlit Cup, the main knock out competition. With the scores tied, three a piece at full time, and no victor after extra time, penalty flicks were the only way to separate the teams. Despite facing the DUHC 1st XI goalkeeper,

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UPDATES the girls showed poise and focus to give CCWHC Captain and goalkeeper Hana Staddon, playing her first season in goal, the opportunity to save for the Cup. The spectacular save that followed saw celebrations from CCWHC and the supporters alike that carried on late into the night.

In spite of our overall victory, much of the silverware came against the odds.

This was exemplified by the Men’s 1st V Squash, led by Tristan Walker, who despite not having a University level player among them, clinched victory over a side with five of the top 10 players in Durham in the final game of the season. Likewise, coming off the back of an unbeaten year in the 2014-15 season and with many of their starting XV graduated, CCRFC (Rugby) was all but written off for any success. However, after a healthy intake of freshers and a strong training mentality, the team finished second in league and retained the Floodlit Cup after a tense final against an unbeaten, top of the league St Aidan’s side.

Collingwood’s football, building on a strong intake over the previous two years, saw one of the biggest upsets in collegiate sporting history with Collingwood B, led by Alex Mitton, beating Collingwood A to win the Premiership title and in turn Team of the Year. A lower team that had never been considered as title contenders winning the premiershipthere must be a similar footballing story out there…! At the other end of the spectrum, when the win is on the cards it can be difficult to meet expectations. CCWAFC had none of these issues, bringing home five pieces of silverware marking their most successful season ever, securing valuable points for the overall standing. Of the other winter sports, Collingwood was also victorious in the Men’s Basketball narrowly beating Ustinov to take the title.

The summer term provided Collingwood with the perfect opportunity to assert our dominance at the top of the table,

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and with Tennis and Cricket both winning their premierships comfortably, the final piece of silverware was at the Festival of Sport. In previous years, Collingwood has not been seen as a force in the Festival of Sport with a number of colleges believing it was their opportunity to beat the most dominant side. However, with twice the number of teams entered as any other college and a host of victories or podium finishes in almost all sports, Collingwood won with ease. Off the pitch, this year’s Sportsman’s Ball saw over 250 athletes across all 19 sports descend on the Ramside Hall Hotel for an evening of celebration. With full colours awarded throughout the night, it was a chance to recognise and thank many of the forthcoming graduates for their contribution to Collingwood Sport. The main award of the evening, the Sports Personality, was awarded to Georgie Fenton who, since her time at Collingwood began, has been a key figure across a number of teams.

Perhaps most notably this year, Georgie captained the CCNC (Netball) A team to victory in the coverted Netball Trophy (a knock-out competition with every college netball team from across the University).

All the points and trophies that Collingwood has won over this year would mean very little without the incredible attitude of our Woodsmen and ‘Women both on and off the field. Every single one of Collingwood’s athletes plays with admirable professionalism, if they are successful, winning with humility, and if they lose, doing so with grace. Even in non-playing capacities, Collingwood’s attitude is equally impressive where, for every big game, whether it be the Rugby Flootlit final or CCAFC’s K’s vs L’s derby, there is passionate support from across the College showing the Team Collingwood spirit.

Sport is at the heart of Collingwood’s identity:, it shapes our friendships, our values and most importantly us.

Aime le Meilleur.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS After more than three years of preparatory work involving a complex and intricate planning approval process, our dream will soon be realised. We nervously awaited news that great crested newts were not resident on site; neither were there any issues with nearby bat colonies. With a degree of trepidation we sought the location of a deep mine shaft that had been built prior to the period when serious mapping was first undertaken.

Thankfully, we discovered that the shaft started and finished in the trees by the side of South Road, so reducing the fear that one of our students might disappear just as they were readying themselves to score a memorable goal.

Costing in excess of half a million pounds to construct, this project could not have gone forward without the very generous support of many of our alumni. While our alumnus, Mark Hillery, has provided substantial funds, we are extremely grateful for the very important contributions of very many others. The 3G pitch will measure 50 x 35 metres and will be state of the art in its design, construction and finish. An all-weather surface to accommodate a variety of sporting activities, the facility has been designed to allow multiple,

concurrent sports activities to take place; including football, lacrosse, noncontact rugby training and various cardio fitness activities. The pitch also includes floodlighting to maximise evening use.

An important function of the facility will be to provide opportunities for our students to offer outreach coaching, and opportunities for competition, to local schoolchildren. We are mindful of recent national initiatives to boost rates of participation in girls’ football, and have been in touch with the Football Association to collaborate in the recruitment of our female footballers to act as coaches and role models.

We hope that the facility will be formally opened in January 2017 by Rafa Benitez, the Newcastle United manager, who has agreed to attend with some of his staff. Rafa has already made a short spoof video for us which went down a storm at our Sports Formal Dinner on 15th November. The first match will be between representatives of each of The Wood’s 15 men’s and women’s teams and a scratch team entitled the ViceChancellor’s All-Stars. We hope that several of our alumni will step up to play for this side – please contact us if you are interested in playing, or spectating.

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The MUGA represents just the beginning of a major phase of development at Collingwood. As a personal legacy, Mark Hillery has agreed to fund a substantial transformation of the College social space. This project, commencing in the Summer of 2017, will involve the creation a new state-of-the-art gym (doubling the size of our current facility, which currently struggles to cope with c.500 signed up users), a rebuilt and enlarged Junior Common Room incorporating a range of social/study/ recreational spaces and enhanced facilities for the physically disabled, and a conservatory with decking and paths leading down to the MUGA, that will be sited adjacently to a refashioned and refurbished Stag’s Head.

Immediately below the Gym extension will be a studio designed to provide sufficient flexibility and versatility to enable a variety of activities to take place such as structured training sessions, dance, yoga, pilates, and martial arts. The studio will conceal eight rowing machines behind mirrored doors to permit rapid conversion into a training facility for our Boat Club.

Pride of place will probably be our new Arts Centre which will provide a

UPDATES In mid-October of this year we were delighted to ask our new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge, to commence the construction of our new Multi-Use Games Area in the field behind Joe’s house where a former Principal’s daughter used to ride her horse. The V.C. is a very keen footballer (and Aston Villa supporter) who has already begun to work on a personal training regime to prepare for the arrival of the pitch.

large, flexible stage and seating area for 200 people. The Centre, which will occupy a significant extended Bayley Room footprint, has been specifically designed to accommodate a multitude of College functions, including theatrical performances, live music, and film screenings. Our students have been highly active in advising upon technical and logistical requirements and it is clear that this facility will offer much to enhance their skills in multiple areas including theatre and music performance, dance, design, film-making, and lighting and sound production. The photo below-right illustrates a view of the new building as seen from the Meadow.

In creating these facilities we are mindful that not only do we want our students to have an enjoyable time at Durham, but crucially, and reflecting the College motto, in all our College activities, we seek to enable them to succeed academically, socially, and in whichever recreational domains are of greatest importance to them. Within two years, we hope that we will make a step change in helping our students to Love the Best (i.e. be the best that they can be). We are grateful to so many of our alumni for the part they have played, and will play, in achieving this outcome.

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MOV(IE)ING ON Frances Weetman (Economics & Politics, 2013) discusses her drastic career changes, Jeremy Corbyn and an exciting new project…

There’s nothing quite as scary as making a career change. Ok, maybe scorpions. Or bungee jumping. Perhaps the stickiness of the floor at the end of a night out in Klute - or even looking at the ground from Durham Cathedral tower.

In fact, come to think of it, there are quite a few things as scary (if not more so) as making a career change. Perhaps you should forget my original statement.

But, fear levels aside, nothing had prepared me for the sense of wonder and incredulity I felt on 14th September 2015.

The only way I can accurately describe my emotion that day is how-did-I-end-uphere-ness. I had spent my undergraduate years jostling between the joviality of Collingwood life and the stress of investment banking internships. After graduating I did the (possibly reckless) thing of rejecting a graduate job offer from HSBC – something I am still surprised my parents supported me in. I did so to take up a temporary role as an educational film producer at the university.

But now, there I was, two years after graduation, in the shadow cabinet room in Parliament. Not exactly the sort of place I imagined a lowly educational film producer to end up. It was approaching 7pm and, surreally, a number of parliamentary staffers had arrived to remove me and my colleagues. “Jeremy has a photo op with his shadow cabinet in a few minutes.” We shuffled out, eager for a peek at Corbyn and his newly-appointed cabinet. A hope not to be fulfilled.

How did I come to be at Westminster that day? Well, for me, politics had always been something of an emotive itch, by which I mean, as with any itch, it is annoying.

Politics so often frustrates me, yet this itch is too irresistible to ignore. I constantly feel compelled to scratch it. And the more I scratch, the more itchy I become: political interest begets political interest. My BA was

in Politics and Economics and I once went to a college formal dressed as a 1990s Gordon Brown, complete with red budget briefcase. I used to attend the weekly debates at the Union Society for fun when I studied at Durham; I was one of those tedious Newsnight anoraks often avoided at social gatherings because of their pomp and presumably-tedious need to comment on whatever Nicola Sturgeon (or Salmond, or in fact any politician sharing a name with a fish) has said this microsecond.

Or perhaps I was avoided just for my odd choice of fancy dress.

So after spending my undergraduate years flirting with banking, and afterwards producing films, I felt something political was lacking in my life. It had been two years since I’d had so much as a conversation about current affairs. So I chose to throw myself into the deep end. I applied for (and was admitted to) the Fabian Society’s mentoring scheme, a year-long course-cumnetworking programme that aims to help women move into political spheres. The programme’s induction was held in the shadow cabinet room, at an exciting time for political buffs like me: a mere two days after Jeremy Corbyn had been elected leader of the opposition. More significantly, 14th September 2015 saw his first shadow cabinet meeting.

The scheme did not disappoint: a year on from my how-did-I-end-uphere moment, I have been elected as councillor in North Tyneside and have won the inaugural New Statesman / Virago prize for Politics and Economics.

This included a publishing contract and my first book, on economics, is nearing publication. An extract is scheduled to appear in the New Statesman at the end of the year. When it comes to British politics I have always been concerned with one particular injustice. This comes about because young people don’t vote,

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and the consequence of this is that politicians don’t represent young people in quite the same way they do older adults and OAPs. In the 2015 General Election, turnout among 18-24 year olds was 43%. This may seem high but it’s actually only just over half of the turnout seen among over 65s, which was 78%.

The voter apathy seen among people my age is not unrelated to political decisionmaking: the decision to introduce tuition fees, and then treble them, is a prime example. Young people don’t vote, so why should Parliament pay any attention to their wants and needs? When I feel like using fancy terms I refer to this syndrome as a “democratic deficit.”

How to fix this problem? The cure can’t be simple as the causes of young voter apathy are complex, but a fantastic way to start is with education. British current affairs TV and radio content is never tailored for a younger audience. It tends to be jargon-heavy talking-heads shows such as Newsnight or Sunday Politics, or patronising this-is-what-a-40-year-oldthinks-teenagers-want type trivialisation.

There is nothing currently produced by younger voters for younger voters. I believe that what this country needs is an online educational tool – part-news outlet, part-crash course – on British politics. This kind of scheme has worked well elsewhere: in the United States there is Vox, The Young Turks and Vice News.

The sheer popularity of these schemes well and truly Trumps (pun intended) the idea that young people don’t care for current affairs. In reality, they care a great deal: the problem is that current affairs aren’t presented to them in a format they like. As well as writing, I recently decided to take matters into my own hands and to use my skills as a filmmaker to try to produce such a platform. I have recruited a team of filmmakers, some of whom have worked for The Guardian and Vice, and young writers from across the political

ALUMNI STORIES spectrum. After a year’s work, I have secured start-up funding to set up a website and to establish branding graphics. We’re ready to go; but the more support we have the better. If you or any other Collingwood alumni are interested in knowing more about the project, I would love it if you would get in touch. I am sure you appreciate as much as I do how much the Collingwood community is a fantastic support network that allows ideas to become a reality.

It fosters passions, like mine for Gordon Brown’s budget briefcase.

Is there nothing quite as scary as making a career change?

Perhaps - but the fear is nowhere near as satisfying as the excitement that comes from creating something new. And I wouldn’t trade either for the world.

Contact Details Twitter @francesweetman Email- frances.weetman@ googlemail.com

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THE STORY OF AN ENDURANCE RUNNER 11

ALUMNI STORIES CRAIG HOLGATE (GEOGRAPHY, 1998) CAME TO COLLINGWOOD BITTER WITH DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER MISSING OUT ON HIS ENGLAND ATHLETICS VEST. TWENTY YEARS ON, AND LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF MILES LATER, CRAIG IS NOW A WORLD CHAMPION. HERE HE REFLECTS ON HIS PATH FROM DEFLATION TO EXALTATION.

Just before I set off to begin the new journey of life at Collingwood College, I found out that I had not been selected to compete for England in the decathlon at the Home Nations Championships. I had viewed this as my one chance to represent my country and it was gone. So as I went to Collingwood, I was not in the best place mentally for participation in sport. I loosely kept myself fit on the trails around Maiden Castle and threw myself into the socialising side of life at the ‘Wood. In my third year, at the Collingwood 25th Anniversary Ball, I met my future wife, Abbie.

After Graduating in 1998, I like so many Woodsmen and ‘Women moved to London and gradually I regained my desire to run. Whilst training for the London Marathon in 2011 I tore my calf muscle, and missed the race.

That summer, whilst on a family holiday, I concluded that maybe I needed a new challenge to freshen things up. A month later it was my birthday, and as Abbie handed me my present she said: “I hope you still love me after you have opened this.” She had bought me entry into the inaugural Thames Path 100 mile (TP100) race organised by Centurion Running. Not your average present, but the type of gift that I think only a spouse who knows you so well could buy. Five years later, I can say it is the best present anybody has ever given me, and it was certainly the new challenge that I longed for.

There were little over five months to prepare for the TP100 and in

preparation for the race I participated in, and amazingly won two shorter ultra-events (races longer than the standard 26.2 miles marathon). The day of the Thames Path 100 arrived, and it was the first time I would run over 50 miles. I made many mistakes, got lost, fell over several times, and collected a good few blisters, but still won the race in 15 hrs 11 mins.

These performances lead to my first England vest almost 20 years after I thought I had lost my chance!

Over the next four years I won the National 100km Championships and came second three times. I earned my first Great Britain vest at the 2013 World Trail Championships in Conwy, North Wales; 78 km of undulating trail running. Not something I get much practice of with living in the Fens! I represented GB for a second time at the World 100km Championships in Doha, Qatar in 2014. Although, ultra running is an individual sport the World Championships incorporates a team competition, and the GB men’s teams took Gold and Bronze in these two internationals. Standing on top of a podium hearing the National Anthem is really a dream come true; a genuinely priceless moment.

Last autumn the World 100km Championships were held in a small town called Winschoten in the Netherlands. The town has hosted a 100km race for the last 40 years and the whole town community embraces the event. The atmosphere was phenomenal, with lots of street parties,

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and by the last few laps those that had been drinking all day had become very enthusiastic with their encouragement!

Racing for 100km requires a constant replenishment of fuel and fluids’ so having a good support crew is essential for success, in the same way an F1 driver is dependent on a pit crew.

Fortunately, I have always been good at eating; I choose Collingwood on the basis that it claimed to have the best food in Durham, so eating on the run is not a problem for me. My whole family came over to support which, not only was a great morale boost, but it meant that Abbie could crew for me.

In all my ultra races I employ the same basic strategy of getting to half way in the best shape possible. I have to run very conservatively to minimise calorific deficit and keep on top of hydration. Ultra-races do not really start until half way and competitor places change considerably over the last 20km as attrition really kicks in. As with most things that seem overwhelming, the best thing to do is break them down into smaller more manageable parts. In the World Championships each lap was 10km, so breaking the race down into manageable sections was quite easy. I was not running 100km, I was running a 10k and repeating it ten times. The plan was to run each 10km section under 41:30 minutes.

Once each repetition was complete, it was forgotten about, and it was time to concentrate on the next.

The first half of the race was relatively uneventful, besides a Mexican runner trying to steal another runner’s food and the amusement of passing one of the local relay runners doing his 10km in clogs! The half-way point was reached in 3 hours and 25 minutes; I was down in 37th place but pretty much where I wanted to be both in terms of time and how I was feeling. The process of reeling in those runners ahead then began in earnest. I gained confidence with every person I passed and with every lap under my target pace.

At the start of the last lap I knew that barring a major disaster I would complete the race in under seven hours and unknown to me, I was now in 16th place. Seeing the whole of my family at the 98km marker was a real boost, but I controlled my emotions deciding to delay ‘sprinting’ until the last possible moment as I did not want to risk any torn muscles. Eventually, I crossed the line in 6hrs 53minutes (6min 39 seconds per mile pace for 62miles), a huge personal best by 8 minutes. I was ecstatic with my result but too exhausted to show it.

It amazes me how quickly as an ultrarunner you go from sprinting, to not being able to move. You cross the finish-line and your mind shuts down and your legs say: “that is it, no more!” The finish line magically ages you by 50 years.

I had to be helped through the finish area until I met my family where my tears flowed. Ultra-running can leave you very emotional. I later found out that I finished 12th and the last person that I had overtaken was an Australian who had beaten me the year before in Doha. Later in the evening that fact became significant, when the organisers announced the Masters age group winners. In overtaking this final competitor I had become the male World Masters Champion for the 35-40 year olds.

Collingwood has a great connection with endurance running. In 1987 alumna Alison Wright (Engineering, 1987) set a world record for running from Everest Basecamp to Kathmandu in three days and ten hours. In the Netherlands following the World

Championships, I spent the evening with the Zakrzewski family. Professor Wojtek Zakrzewski has been a member of the Collingwood Senior Common Room and College Council for many years, and his daughter Jo, is an ultrarunner who amazingly picked up a European Bronze medal and a Masters Silver medal. Wojtek and his wife had been out on the course all day supporting the GB team.

Following the success in the Netherland I took some time to recover the body, rejuvenate the mind, and devote time to other parts of my life.

However, I did not stop for long. Back in May I returned to the TP100 race and amazingly managed to break my own course record, despite losing

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half an hour following a wrong turn!

I have also received the honour of being selected to run for GB again in this year’s World Championship.

IT IS FUNNY HOW LIFE PANS OUT. I WENT TO COLLINGWOOD THINKING I WAS ‘PAST IT’ IN TERMS OF ATHLETICS; 20 YEARS LATER I AM CELEBRATING COMING 12TH IN THE WORLD WHILE WEARING THE GB VEST WITH PRIDE.

STUDENT STORIES

STUDENT STORIES BEFORE, DURING & AFTER Kenechukwu Onukwube looks back on his incredible journey from bread hawking in Nigeria to a scholar at The Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience at the University of Durham.

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‘Operation Tail-Wind’

13th January 1970 is a remarkable date in the history of Nigeria: the day that the Biafran Soldiers surrendered to the Nigerian Federal Military. The civil war was fought at a huge cost: over two million people died from the famine imposed deliberately through blockade and lack of medicine. In the ensuing weeks, internally displaced households could heave a sigh of relief. My parents and two step-sisters joined many returnee families in an abandoned dilapidating building in Umukwa.

Mother, then a teenager, was heavily pregnant. Her mother and two sisters returned together. They were allocated a small space in this building to keep the belongings they salvaged from the war and shared two small tattered mats to sleep on.

February 7th, 1970, “Kenechukwu”

The evening sun was creeping in and mother’s due date had arrived. She reported having this frequent sensation – a feeling to pass urine. On one such occurance, she dashed home. Soon afterwards, while trying to rest under the staircase of the house, the labour pangs gripped her. Grandma beckoned a few other women for the traditional birth attendance and then there was joy.

Alas, a boy had been born! She named him “Kenechukwu” meaning “Thank God”- she returned alive from the war and had a safe delivery.

No 67 Lawanson Street, risk and resilience

By mid-1972, we relocated to Lagos, Nigeria’s capital city. Dad was able to get a 2-bedroom apartment for the family at Lawanson, a commercial suburb. The beauty of the compound was marred by the seasonal flood incidence. Looking back now, I can relate our experiences with the hazard, risk, and household level resilience factors which enabled my family to cope with the circumstances.

In preparation for the wet season, my parents would arrange for a mason to raise the floors of the house by some inches. The entrance into the rooms was usually fortified with an additional step and a course of breezeblocks to prevent water getting in.

We constructed high shelves to keep essential items away from flood water.

If the water did get in, it often rose to just a few inches below our mattresses.

Scooping water out of the rooms was a common annual practice, but we lived with the risk and coped with the associated health hazards (malaria, cholera and other water-borne diseases) for many years.

Early years in school

I had the privilege of attending school but by the time I was 12, I had to support my parents by hawking bread loaves in the neighbourhood. At age 17, I had a break to concentrate on my studies; I was an average student and needed a lot of time to study. God blessed my efforts, as

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in addition to being the best student in Geography and Agriculture, I scored good grades in four other key subjects in the West African School Certificate Examination.

These results qualified me to study general agriculture at the Obafemi Awolowo University’s School of Agriculture.

My parents saved enough money to pay my tuition fees for the Diploma programme. However, due to insufficient pocket money, I could not buy enough food to feed myself. Many times, I survived only on ripe or unripe pawpaw (papaya). I cultivated a cassava and cocoyam plot, selling some of the harvest and keeping some for food.

Decision point

In October 1989, I gained admission to the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Nigeria, to read for a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. I originally aimed to become a commercial farmer, but in my third year, I changed my mind after studying Nigeria’s Agricultural Policy.

Additionally, entering this business required a source of finance that my family did not have, plus the policy environment was not encouraging.

Following deep consideration, I decided instead to work in rural communities with subsistence farming households, especially with women and children, who faced many challenges surrounding inadequate agricultural knowledge.

My final years at university were financially very difficult for our family.

My younger sister joined my university to study BSc. Chemical Science, and her brother finished secondary school but our parents couldn’t afford for him to go to university too. They struggled to pay tuition for both my sister and I, and we had no money for daily sustenance.

I supported us through a variety of jobs, including working on a piggery farm, buying and selling on second-hand clothing, and teaching elementary school children. This income alongside the little we received from our parents was enough to meet our daily sustenance needs.

A Merit Award

In 1994 following university, I was enlisted into the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I looked forward to getting posted to a rural community in Nigeria by the NYSC officials, where my knowledge and skills in agriculture and rural sociology was most relevant.

I was posted to Iresaadu, which served as the seat of the Surulere Local Government Council (SLGC) in Oyo State Nigeria. I was assigned the role of Corps Liaison Officer (CLO) by the NYSC, and my responsibilities included acting as liaison between fellow corps members, their employers and the NYSC, alongside implementing a monthly Community Development Service. This leadership role was tasking but I loved the challenge. My monthly stipend was 1000 naira which is approximately £3. This covered my daily sustenance and I also saved some of it, eventually constructing a roundabout to ease movement of transport, and a community incinerator.

This would serve the dual purpose of waste management plus boosting household income, as the ash produced could be used to make soap. My hard work paid off; I was honoured with a merit award for outstanding leadership and community service and this guaranteed my employment with the Oyo State Civil Service.

Out of Civil Service

I was posted to work as an Agricultural Officer, which enabled me to work with subsistence and commercial farmers on two major agricultural projects: “The Back to Land Project” and the “Dry Season Irrigation Farming Project”.

Farmers were allocated acres of land around the Asejire River for cultivating vegetables and annual staples.

However, the projects were challenged by soil infertility and loss of the Asejire

watershed, due to deforestation and exposure of the soil to the vagaries of weather. Also, the male folk got all of the land, as women did not have political access, and so had no voice to ensure their inclusion in the allocation of farm plots.

I resigned from this job in March 1998, as I felt under-utilised. The poor conditions women and children lived in affected their access to education, healthcare services, land rights, economic power and improved nutrition. I was wasted in the public service in the face of these challenges, and I needed to do more to enable increased participation and a voice for women and children.

My interest was to lead campaigns for these rights, so I considered using the strategies of disaster risks reduction, human rights advocacy, social accountability and participatory rural appraisal/ participatory learning and action to achieve my long term goal.

Next, I was employed as Technical Assistant and Animator for another agricultural project. My responsibilities included facilitating community/ farmerled learning activities on sustainable agriculture and market development with farmer and women’s groups. I was responsible for monitoring, evaluating, researching and documenting progress.

It was very challenging but equally as rewarding.

Daily Bread for impoverished families.

I had lived for 28 years in the southwest of Nigeria and I felt that I needed to move back to the southeast to utilise my knowledge and experiences for the benefit of their impoverished communities. I was offered a job with the Daily Bread Organisation (DBO) and had the privilege of working with families who earned less than a dollar a day. Many of these households were located around the bank of the River Niger, rendering them vulnerable to flooding. Through DBO, we were able to implement a programme with 200 female-headed households, in order to increase their resilience through income-generating activities that complimented the subsistent farm and fishing enterprises they were used to. The project was founded by the Governor of the State’s wife, so it was politicised and therefore was short-lived, but my dream and passion remained alive.

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Social accountability and human rights activism

All the communities I had worked with had one thing in common - weak knowledge and capacity for concerted activism in social accountability and human rights advocacy. This is observed in the inadequacy of resources and access to basic infrastructure, plus gender or age-related inequalities, amongst other things. With experience in associated subjects, I took up more challenges with two other NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) in Nigeria, and was then appointed by the Christian Rural and Urban Development Association of Nigeria, becoming Director of Programs and Disaster Response Officer. I am privileged to be a member of the Global Network on Disaster Reduction and also of the International Network on Disaster Risks Mitigation for Urban Cultural Heritages.

‘Tail-Wind’ effect

Like the tail wind at the beginning of my story, I have propelled through to this stage and now can progress to another level of career success after receiving the Collingwood Risk Masters Scholarship. Breaking the barriers that held me back and refusing to give up, I can finally smile at being able to merge my practical experiences and commitment to make a change in the lives of women and children, with relevant academic qualification.

This achievement would be impossible without this scholarship.

Academically, I have gained new perspectives to the concepts and drivers of risks and resilience. The technology-driven learning environment and strategies through constant internet access and interactive lectures has allowed me to learn-by-discovery. I reflect on the principles I am learning here and it’s so easy to merge them with the probable solutions to the key problems back in my country.

The scholarship has taken me to another level in my career and professional pursuits, experiencing world class education which would have been impossible to fund personally. I hope to leverage on this opportunity for future prospects of a Ph.D., so I can further transfer practical knowledge and skills to academic learning at university, contribute to policy development processes, or serve as a consultant or key staff of an international NGO, and therefore participate in shaping the globe for a

THE SARA PILKINGTON FUND CHEUNG, FRASER AND LAMPORT Sara Pilkington was a student at Collingwood who sadly passed away in 2012. Her parents always encouraged her to make the most of every opportunity, so in Sara’s name, they generously established a fund to support students who wish to undertake rewarding projects which they otherwise might not to be able to afford. There were eight recipients of the fund this year, and here is a selection of their exciting projects. the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government are based (in exile). “It was fascinating to see how the Tibetans and Indians, two very different cultures, live harmoniously in this small town.” She also came across ‘Tibet World’, an organisation which offered free language lessons to Tibetan monks, and even helped out with conversational English classes.

Catrin also visited Thailand and Cambodia, but the highlight of her adventure was Vietnam. “I spent a month backpacking cross-country all the way up the coast of Vietnam, from Ho Chi Minh City in the south up to the capital Hanoi in the north.

From Hanoi I went further north to the mountainous region surrounding Sapa, where various minority ethnic groups live.

Beyond Sapa, I ventured with a 25 year old mother of three further into the mountains to stay at her family home. This was truly a unique experience. The whole family lived in a basic single-roomed hut, with no electricity or running water and were mainly selfsufficient. Living with the tribe and observing their way of life was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.”

Catrin Cheung (Economics) spent the summer of 2015 exploring Asia, following her curiosity about the varying stages of economic development in different countries. She spent the first few weeks in India, staying with a distant cousin in Ahmedabad, which was a truly valuable experience based on the authentic insight into Indian lifestyle and culture she received there. Catrin was pleasantly surprised

by India’s economic stance; “India is economically much more developed than I’d anticipated, and it is true to say that it really does deserve its position in the BRIC countries of rapidly developing countries.”

However, she also noticed that inequality is still a widespread problem. Catrin visited one of the factories of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which encourages attendance at school by preparing and distributing healthy and wholesome school meals to poor children, free of charge. “The scale of their work is really impressive- 1.4 million children are fed every day by the foundation. I learnt so much there, the scale of ambition and operations is truly inspiring.”

Before departing India to backpack across Southeast Asia for six weeks, Catrin visited Dharamsala in the Indian Himalayas, where

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The two and a half months Catrin spent travelling were very rewarding ones indeed.

“I gained insight into the economic, social, cultural and religious influences in the daily lives of others, an understanding that will enrich my academic study. […] However, ultimately what I think I gained most from this trip was the confidence to travel alone.

I cannot emphasise how valuable this has been for me. The future impact this confidence will have on my academic, social and personal life at Durham and further afield will be immeasurable.”

On the other side of the globe, Callum Fraser (Spanish and Politics) was busy training as a chef at the Argentinian culinary

STUDENT STORIES school Gato Dumas, with very interesting motivations behind taking the course.

“Having begun my third year abroad in Barcelona working as a sales and marketing intern, I quickly realised that this was not something I was interested in pursuing, and began looking for different placements

This seems tough enough, but the classes were also taught in thick, Argentine Spanish, which according to Callum, no amount of oral classes can prepare you for. However, he had a little help with this; “Living with an Argentinian family in the heart of Buenos Aires meant my Spanish improved dramatically, and my gastronomy specific vocabulary gradually improved enough to fully benefit from what was a fantastic quality of teaching. By the third month, I was feeling much more confident with the fundamentals and began to adopt my own style- sauces are my forte!”

Closer to home, Thomas Lamport (Mathematics) spent four days in Geneva with the Durham University Physics Society, specifically to visit CERN, which is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The group attended a presentation by CERN scientist Mark Tyrrell, who discussed the history of the centre and current research, then took them to the control base of AMS-02, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. “Needless to say, the experiment is state-of-the-art. It consists of an external module on the international space centre, with the aim of measuring antimatter in cosmic rays. This is in search

in South America. Whilst deciding to train as a chef could be seen as a rather illogical, and even rash considering that it did not align to any typical career path for language graduates, I wanted to explore an industry that receives little attention once one embarks upon the university track; that is, I know I am not alone in feeling somewhat pigeonholed or pressured to choose a graduate scheme in either law, accountancy, consultancy or finance.”

Aside from the linguistic challenge, Callum was also tested on a large volume of content.

“We were examined, both theoretically and practically, on each of the 8 modules we completed; when trying to remember the exact recipe breakdown for over 60 different dishes in one module alone, there were some long nights, consisting of debating over which way to cut the onion in the pork shoulder dish with my study partner.” But however difficult and demanding the course was, it was extremely rewarding for him.

of dark matter, which in turn should provide a deeper understanding of the universe.”

The course was not without its challenges, with Callum being expected to know the underlying principles and science of baking fresh bread, how to make fresh pasta from scratch, not to mention the sixteen different ways to cut a potato, all in the first week!

“It was perhaps five of the most enjoyable months of my life. […] The opportunity to truly challenge myself and do something I loved for an extended period of my year abroad will be something that will stay with me, and could well give me a fantastic stepping stone for my future career.”

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Thomas also viewed part of the Compact Muon Solenoid, a general purpose detector built on the LHC, despite it being closed to the public until 2017. The detector is used, for example, to identify extra dimensions, or particles that might make up dark matter.

After their visit to CERN, Thomas and explored Geneva by pedal boating, journeying up Mont Salève, as well as visiting the Cathedral and Reformation Wall.

“The most memorable meal was, perhaps, L’Hotel Edelweiss, where not only did I eat far too much fondue but I also got the opportunity to play the alphorn.” Thomas and the other recipients are truly grateful to the Sara Pilkington Fund for allowing them to experience these exciting opportunities.

THE 1972 SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THOSE WHO WISH TO PURSUE THEIR ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EXPERIENCES SEPARATE TO THEIR STUDIES. THE SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE TO BOTH UNDERGRADUATES AND POSTGRADUATES WHO ARE KEEN TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR THEIR PROJECTS.

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Uncovering California James King, Geology, 2013-16

Last summer, I travelled to the Sierra Nevada, California and collaborated with the University of Southern California’s (USC) Structural Geology & Tectonics Group. I spent six weeks camping in the Ansel Adams Wilderness and Yosemite National Park, undertaking cutting-edge geological research, working alongside world- leading academics.

In the Ansel Adams Wilderness, I geologically mapped an area of previously undifferentiated meta-volcanic rocks.

This involved picking out the various lithologies, analysing and interpreting kinematic indicators, and interpreting the geological history in a very complex area which has been subject to multiple phases of overprinting, strain, and tilting. In Yosemite National Park, I hunted for magmatic schlieren structures in the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite. This also involved creating a geological map of the area, but concentrated more specifically on data collection and synthesis of magmatic structure kinematics. The mapping here has sparked new innovative ideas and understanding of processes within magma chambers. As a result of my research, I hope to publish a paper as a co-author with the research group at USC.

STUDENT STORIES

Perhentian Projects Sophie Lumsdon, Archaeology, 2014-17

in a number of other different projects.

We constructed a rainforest nursery for saplings that needed shade to flourish, and built bridges to the Last summer, I was fortunate enough to forest-covered island that the Durham spend six weeks on the most amazing University Charity Kommittee (DUCK) expedition, volunteering in Borneo. helped purchase back in 2014. Here, During the first part of the trip, our the juvenile orang-utans can develop group stayed on the Perhentian islands, essential skills for living in the wild and located off mainland Malaysia. Here, escape their normal caged life. The our aim was to increase environmental experience developed me personally and conservation awareness within the and made me much more aware of the local community, whilst witnessing the need for conservation. marine wildlife first hand. We worked with the Ecoteer Perhentian Turtle The Edinburgh Fringe Lauren Project, carrying out daily snorkel Hitchman, English Literature, photo ID trips and night patrols, along with cleaning up the beaches. We also 2012-15 created public service announcements Last summer, I was fortunate enough to regarding the rules and regulations be given the honour of producing a play that all visitors must adhere to on the at the Edinburgh Fringe. Student theatre Perhentian Islands, and we educated was a huge part of my undergraduate local children about various aspect of experience at Durham, and I produced marine life including coral and sharks. various shows in the Assembly Rooms, For the next part of the project, we Durham Cathedral, and Durham worked in wildlife sanctuaries carrying Castle. The play I took to the Fringe, out enrichment work for the animals ‘The Furies’, was originally performed in order to entertain and mentally in Durham Castle’s Norman Chapel, stimulate them. We were also involved and we then transferred it to C Nova, a

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small grey-box space just off the famous Royal Mile. I began preparations for the production in January, sourcing a venue, developing a marketing campaign, and selecting a cast. It was fantastic to be able to see all my hard work come to fruition in August; the performance sold out on several evenings and received fantastic feedback from critics and audience members alike.

This experience is vital to my longterm career plans, as it allowed me to produce a show on a semi-professional scale.

Regular readers of Wood Words will know that in 2013, Collingwood was able to establish an Undergraduate Research Internship programme, thanks to a generous alumni donor.

The scheme enables students to develop their academic and practical skills in an area relevant to their studies, working with the University’s advanced equipment and alongside our world-class researchers. In the summer of 2015, five students undertook an Undergraduate Research Internship and here they share some of their work.

The impact of elections: voting and political behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa Alasdair Love, History, 2014-2017

I was supervised by Professor Justin Willis of the Durham History Department throughout my internship, of which the aim was to inform policy-makers in sub-Saharan Africa how to promote transparent and accountable government through free and fair elections. We analysed how the political views of the electorate influence elections (and vice versa) in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda.

Political Philosophy in Hegel and Shakespeare Maurice Samely, English, 2012-2015

I joined researchers from the English and Law departments to coauthor a journal article surrounding Shakespeare’s dramatic presentation of mobs, riot and working-class political participation, all in conjunction with Henri Lefebvre and G.W.F. Hegel’s work. We argued that Shakespeare, Lefebvre and Hegel all suggest that riot is frequently a response to feeling alienated, and potentially a way for the disenfranchised public to force their reI began by noting relevant sections assimilation into society. We concluded from transcripts of radio broadcasts that the commons hold a potent threat roughly occurring between 1970 and over the political elite, through the 2000. I then transcribed interviews breakdown of civic order. Therefore, between Professor Willis and Ugandan the risk of riot plays an important role in politicians, Tom Mboijana and Yona the political system; it acts as a check Kanyomozi, and finally I obtained on the excesses of the establishment demographic and election figures and creates a balance of power. for the three countries from 1950 onwards. I compiled the extensive The solitary nature of this research date and produced many trend graphs allowed me to develop an independent for comparison between countries, working rhythm and self-discipline, therefore developing my historical which is brilliant preparation for my research and data analysis skills. This future employment, and I am very internship has ignited a new area of grateful to the Collingwood alumnus interest for me, and the research skills who granted me this experience.

I acquired are beneficial in future employment.

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STUDENT STORIES The mechanism of anion formation in the interstellar medium (space) Andrew Ensten, Chemistry, 2013-2017

Anions are negatively charged atoms/ molecules, which are formed by a neutral molecule gaining one or more electrons. Dr Jan Verlet’s research group and I aimed to investigate why and how astrophysical anions (anions found in space), such as C6H-, can form despite production appearing to be both unstable and unfavourable.

After weeks of trial and error, we were finally able to generate good supplies of C6H- and even larger, previously unstudied derivatives. This allowed us to then analyse the anions with a highly advanced setup. Following my departure, the data we collected could be run through complex calculations to determine exactly how the anions form.

My internship enabled me to advance my research and experimental skills to levels which wouldn’t have been possible without this opportunity, and therefore, it has provided me with an excellent advantage for my upcoming Master’s course.

Cultural Impacts on Face Expertise in Individuals with Autism Ella Bownas, Psychology, 2012-2015

Last summer, I worked as a research assistant for Dr Mary Hanley, alongside a research team from Jichi Medical University in Japan.

‘Own Race Advantage’ (ORA) is a phenomenon where people are quicker at identifying faces from their own race compared with others, however, autistic participants do not exhibit this trait. One explanation for this is that people are regularly exposed to faces of their own race, so are better at recognising them, but autistic patients characteristically avoid eye contact, so should at least show a reduced ORA compared to healthy participants. Our project aimed to test this hypothesis, and through this I explored ethical guidelines, statistical analysis, and experimental procedures, which will all be essential as I pursue a career in psychology research.

Developing these skills allowed me to enhance my undergraduate dissertation, which is now being considered for publication, and having this experience on my CV has set me apart from other psychology graduates.

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‘Imagine North East’ Vincent Chu, Sociology, 2013-2016

I had the rare opportunity to work with the Durham University Sociology Department’s Imagine North East Project, alongside Professor Sarah Banks. I worked with children from various charities and community projects located in Newcastle, including Action for Children, with the aim being to gather the opinions of these young people towards their home and community, whilst also providing some historical education.

We had multiple gatherings which involved a storytelling session led by a local storyteller, and a model-making session with a local artist. Following this, I provided the Imagine Project with two detailed reports which will be incorporated into their final report.

Whilst helping run a workshop at the projects 3rd annual conference, I had the exciting opportunity to meet one of my favourite sociologists, worldrenowned Ruth Levitas. So not only did I produce reports destined to have a serious impact in the future, I developed a wide variety of skills that I can bring to my further education, and I even had the honour of meeting a leading sociologist.

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