The Ustinovian: Michaelmas 2015

THE MICHAELMAS 2015 ISSUE

The Ustinovian

The Paul Skerritt Band welcomes Ustinovians to the North East during Induction Week at Ustinov. (Photo: Michael Baker)

Plans for Study Space Afoot, 8

Storming York in 24 ‘We met at Grad Hours, 18 Soc’, 34

MASTHEAD Editor Rebecca Bouveng

Contents

Editor’s Letter.............................................................................................3 Your GCR, everything from socialising to social justice......................4 Deputy Editor and Layout & Design On the money side, ‘Good news, everyone!’ ........................................5 Michael Baker GCR Clubs & Societies Rep.....................................................................6 Contributing Editors Hockey club struggles in first half of season..........................................7 Veronica Benduski Movie nights at Ustinov...and beyond!...................................................7 Alice Chadwick Coming Soon? Study Space in the Works..............................................8 Siobhan Harper Raising funds for the new study space....................................................9 Jillian Maguire Justin Marinelli Scrapbook: Induction Week 2015........................................................ 10 Nathaniel Spain A Tale of two Halloweens...................................................................... 12 The Bonfire Night Formal .................................................................... 14 Contributors ‘The party was off-Diwali’..................................................................... 15 Veronica Benduski, Elena Burgos-MarPole-to-Paris, passing through Durham............................................. 16 tinez, Helen Cannam, Kittiwat Chunchaemsai, Andy P. Corkhill, Tips on a long-distance relationship.................................................... 17 Jasmine Cross, Jason Haynes, Pen Yuan Storming York (in 24 hours)................................................................. 18 Hsing, Miles Hudson, Sam Jackson, Café Scientifique..................................................................................... 20 Marc Owen Jones, Thomas Knight, Café des Arts........................................................................................... 22 Anna Kranz, Mika Laiho, Prof. Glenn Lights…camera…action! ..................................................................... 23 McGregor, Jenna Mazzella, Vicky Meaby, Maya Mohamad-Arif, Lea Café Politique.......................................................................................... 24 Müthing, Craig M. Nakashian, Piotr Join the Media and Communications team........................................ 25 Oleskiewicz, Sebastian Seidens, Jenine Bias, Belief, and Research (or, St John’s Visits Ustinov)..................... 26 de Vries, Corinne Wist Faith, Science, and Academia on the Bailey (Or, Gown and Town).27 MammalWeb .......................................................................................... 28 Photos/Images Michael Baker, Veronica Benduski, My Supramolecular Poster.................................................................... 28 Lauren Davison, Pen Yuan Hsing, Jillian Anti-Trafficking...................................................................................... 28 Maguire, Tomohiro Nagai, Laura Smith, Urban Identity in Medieval Holland.................................................... 29 Brian D. Taylor, Shirley Zhao Intellectual Property in the Internet Age............................................ 29 Language and Environment.................................................................. 30 Don't Miss the 'Challenges of Careers' series...................................... 31 Ustinov Foundation Pays Ustinov College a Visit.............................. 32 Peter Ustinov, Author............................................................................. 33 ‘We met at Grad Soc’.............................................................................. 34 ‘How I met my wife’............................................................................... 35 #Ustinov at #LumiereDurham Instagram Competition winners.... 36

The Ustinovian is published termly, three times per year. It is produced by the students of Ustinov College. Questions, and suggestions for stories and photography may be sent to ustinov. publication@durham.ac.uk.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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Editor’s Letter Rebecca Bouveng

The point of living, and being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe that the best is yet to come.

—Sir Peter Ustinov Our 50th Anniversary year is drawing to a close, and the Ustinovian team are thrilled to report on some of the highlights of the year.

There has been a great deal of optimism and energy at Ustinov this year, felt in the many events and activities organised by the GCR, the SCR, the Global Citizenship Programme scholars and our sports teams, clubs, and societies. Enjoy some their stories in this issue—from an action-packed Induction Week welcoming all new Ustinovians, to dancing at a colourful Diwali and heading Back to the Future with Café Sci. Something worth feeling optimistic about is the new study space proposal.

This much needed project is finally gathering momentum after years of effort, and we are excited to share the architect’s drawings with you.

In our alumni corner, you are treated to two love stories of couples who met at Grad Soc (as Ustinov was called then) in 1966 and 2000 respectively. We know that there are many other love connections out there, and we would love to share your stories with the Ustinov community. Postgraduate study can also be a trial for any relationship, with the constant deadlines, unruly theses and heavy financial commitments, let alone long-distance relationships. Our story on LDRs looks at hi-tech help.

Finally, an optimistic team of media volunteers report on the filming for our brand new College video, scheduled for launch in February. Watch this space (online actually, at www. community.dur.ac.uk/the.ustinovian).

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Principal’s Letter Prof. Glenn McGregor

Hello there, Ustinovians.

It’s 7 a.m. as I sit down to write this and it is noticeably dark outside, a clear indication that we are well into the early stages of the British winter, with the shortest day of the year not too far away and the prospect of sunbathing on top of ‘the mound’ definitely off the menu. But Ustinov remains a beacon of light and a place of warmth in the cold days of winter up here on the hill.

An excellent start was made to the 2015/16 academic year with a very well-attended induction event in Howlands Hall, an impressive if soggy procession to the Cathedral for the matriculation ceremony and a wonderful Induction/Fresher’s Formal.

As you no doubt recall we had to cancel the matriculation photo in Fresher’s Week because of bad weather.

While the weather did its best to sabotage our second attempt to get a photo, based on the turnout it would seem that nothing was going to dampen your spirits in an attempt to have your entry into Ustinov College recorded for posterity. I must say, the image of about 300 to 400 students lining up waiting patiently for the photo to be taken, with a considerable deal of good humour, while the rain poured down will be an enduring memory for me.

The good-natured spirit with which all approached ‘the photo in the wet’ is testimony to the values and outlook we celebrate at Ustinov.

The Michaelmas term since has seen plenty of activity due to the lively programme of events provided by the College through its Global Citizenship Programme as well as the events staged by the GCR, SCR, and College mentors.

Amongst the range of events in College I think it is safe to say that the The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

(Photo: Michael Baker)

Formals organised by the GCR are some of our signature events. As well as the Fresher’s Formal we have had impressive Bonfire and Christmas Formals. These are great occasions as they provide an opportunity for as many of us as possible to dine together and of course dress up, which everyone does so well.

Looking back through my diary for the Michaelmas term it seems that there has been something to do in College almost on every evening. Between the demands of an intensive academic year and the need to cut loose on occasion, I hope you all have found a happy equilibrium between study and living the Ustinov experience.

While the period in around Christmas is the so-called festive season, a time to think about our own lives and those nearest and dearest to us, it is also a time to reflect upon our own position in relation to our fellow human beings who don’t enjoy the same opportunities we have available to us. This reflective process is part of becoming a global citizen.

Whatever your plans are for the Christmas period I hope it is not only a time of celebration but also a time of compassion for others around you, no matter their disposition. I look forward to catching up with you in the New Year. In the meantime, enjoy a well deserved break and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Best Wishes!

Your GCR, everything from socialising to social justice

(Photo: Michael Baker)

Marc Owen Jones GCR President

With Fisher House festooned with decorations that mark the year’s end, it’s an apt occasion to wish you all a ‘Merry secular festive annual work hiatus period!’ But really, let’s reflect on the past three months.

They’ve been busy. We’ve had the Green Move-out sale, several formals, band nights, open mic nights, movie nights, stash orders, a trip to York, family parties, karaoke, walking tours and much more. In particular, the family Halloween party looms large

GCR NEWS

in recent memory; the children being the real monsters, of course! [Ha ha, no, kids, we love ‘em!—Ed.] I do hope these events have helped you forge new friendships and memories during your short time here so far.

With the exception of myself, we’ve got an all-new GCR Committee, and they’ve really hit the ground running, doing a wonderful job of welcoming new and existing students. Our commitment to strength, inclusion and diversity is in evidence, with committee members hailing from 10 different nations.

We also have an LGBT officer this year, which is wonderful to see as this position was not filled last year. Our welfare officer has also recently organized a workshop on consent, and we hope to tackle issues of discrimination, bullying and gossip in the coming year.

The social team have really worked hard, with the committee really making those formals pop. It is also great to have two MBAs on the team, as we know how notoriously busy they are!

Communications have also gone from strength. Building on the new revamp of our website undertaken last year, there are plans in the pipeline to update it again. Along with the Ustinov App, available on both iOS and Android, heavy social media use, and the latest string of Ustinov videos start-

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ing Tricky Cologne, the GCR is really building a strong online presence. Its nice to hear students commenting that the videos prompted them to choose Ustinov!

In terms of governance—the Ustinov GCR is in the final stages of becoming a recognized charity, bolstering our position as an independent body exclusively positioned to nurture a lively postgraduate community.

Going forward, continued consultation has yielded pressure for a separate study space, which looks like it may be a reality thanks to continued pressure from College [See related story this issue—Ed.].

In the upcoming year, Ustinov’s pursuit of social justice and equality will be centre stage, especially with the recent price rises in student fees. There are other plans, too. In order to give better value to GCR members, prices for non-GCR members will probably increase for various events. This is reflective of our continued commitment of providing value to our members.

Ultimately, this limited space is never enough to talk of the profound changes that have happened to the GCR over the past few years, and I am sure 2016 will be equally exciting!

Have a great holiday, folks.

Peace!

‘I could light up your life!’ The hopeful lamps and housewares of the Green Move-out Sale. (Photos: Michael Baker) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

On the money side, ‘Good news, everyone!’

(Photo: Marc Owen Jones)

Sebastian Seidens GCR Treasurer With the first term of this academic year coming to an end, it is a good time to look back on a very busy time.

Lots of friendships were built and social life has been very active. After

GCR NEWS

our elections, a well-staffed GCR Committee composed with both new and ‘old’ Ustinovian have been working hard to make your time in Ustinov College unforgettable!

We are very lucky to have welcomed so many highly motivated and outstanding people to the Committee.

Their work has been invaluable, and the proof has been in how quickly tickets for formals and trips have sold.

If you haven’t had the chance to attend all of them, don’t worry! The GCR works all year to organise further highlights for your time in Durham.

You will get plenty of chances to participate in the second term, which we are excited to start with you!

When it comes to GCR finances, we faced the usual challenges, given the expenses of Induction Week arriving all at once, but we have of course kept accounts on a stable footing. In fact, I would like to use this space to remind members of Ustinov clubs and

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societies that we have money available to help run their clubs, or to make further investments in equipment or supplies. The teams representing Ustinov College in several sports are doing exceptional well. Some of them lead the league, others are working hard in their league tables.

So, do not hesitate to ask for financial support of your sports team or society. The GCR encourages everyone to get involved in these, as they provide students with the great opportunities to meet new people from various fields and backgrounds. To help support this, the GCR has accepted every request for equipment and other support in the first term.

Do not worry if you missed out on requesting support so far. This is not a closed-end distribution process. We are happy to receive further requests to improve our environment.

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a good start in the New Year!

Save the Date!

January 29, 2016

(Photo: Brian D. Taylor)

Lads and lassies, the Burns Night Formal is not for the fainthearted.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

GCR Clubs & Societies Rep

GCR NEWS

many positive outcome across the top two divisions. Ustinov A with a final year-PhD at the helm are chasing the Premiership title; as they are currently second of 18 teams, this is well within their grasp. The C team, playing in Division 1 also seem to be pushing all the right buttons: amongst their five wins, a 9-0 storm at home at the end of October set them up for a strong start to the season this Autumn term.

Ustinov may not boast a huge range of sports and societies, unlike most of the undergraduate colleges, but everyone here shares a passion for their chosen vocation.

Still in its infancy but going from strength to strength, is our very own Ultimate Frisbee club (AKA ‘The Spin Doctors’). The current team, not deterred by the muddy conditions of Whinney Hill, still managed to gain two wins this term. A clear highlight was their game against Grey B, which was such an even competition that it came down to a nail-biting final point that secured victory for the Spin Doctors. All with no loss of footwear to boot!

The autumn term has seen pub sports faring particularly well this year

Some outlandish victories have been attained by the Men’s B football

(Photo: Michael Baker)

Jasmine Cross GCR Clubs & Societies Rep

Ustinov A on their way to a 5-4 victory. (Photo: Lauren Davison)

with the darts team at their highest position for many years in their division. Darts boasts acceptance of those at any level, with over eight different nationalities playing games on a regular basis—it’s wonderful to see such diversity in a team. The pool teams are faring similarly; improvement in players new to World Rules yielded

team with a 14-0 scorecard against fellow hill college Collingwood. The A team are also into the third round of the knock-out cup, showing that Ustinov, who often fly under the radar, can field an impressive pool of talent.

The second-best represented sport at Ustinov is basketball. This sea-

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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son has got off to a flying start with the men’s club being undefeated and aiming to retain their top spot in the championship—a position they have held onto for the last five years. The women’s team have had a mixed bag of luck with two very close games against Van Mildert and John Snow, coming out with a loss and a win.

For those interested in how Ustinov teams are faring in general, all sports fixtures and League Tables are listed on the Team Durham website.

It’s not too late for Ustinovians to get in on the action. The sports you can still join next term are listed below.

(It’s important to note that joining a sports team requires you to be a member of the GCR).

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Women’s Hockey Charlotte O’Brien charlotte.o’brien@durham. ac.uk

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Women’s Football Fienke Nanne j.a.nanne@durham.ac.uk

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Men’s Football Eddy Walter e.r.h.walter@durham.ac.uk

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Men’s Squash Petar Petrov p.m.petrov@durham.ac.uk

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Cricket Jesper Pedersen j.l.pedersen@durham.ac.uk

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Darts Andrew Titchemarsh andrew.titchmarsh@gmail.com

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Ultimate Frisbee Yan Birch y.k.birch@durham.ac.uk

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Women’s Basketball Marianne Holbrook m.l.holbrook@durham.ac.uk

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Men’s Basketball Todd Kitchens tkitchens@gmail.com

Clubs and Socs out.

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GCR NEWS

Hockey club Movie nights at struggles in first Ustinov...and half of season beyond!

Miles Hudson

Nathaniel Spain

Ustinov hockey club has a men’s team and a ladies’ team. So far this season, both have struggled to match up to the standards set in previous years. The ladies have lost more than they have won, but are used to being at the top of the Premier division in the colleges league. Defeating John Snow 6-0 on the first day of the season has been the highlight so far.

While you may be aware that Ustinov College has its own GCR-run movie night every Monday at 8:00 p.m., if you’re a real fan of film, you have more than just the two screens at the Gala Theatre to rely on.

Whilst the men play in Division 1, their results have also been the worst for many seasons, with only one point in the league. The poor results are really down to a lack of numbers. On two occasions they have played with nine players; in several matches the team has been helped out by members of the ladies’ squad.

Numerous societies across the university have screenings most days of the week. During one week earlier in the term, you could have watched Murderball, the documentary about the U.S. quadriplegic rugby team, the Bollywood extravaganza 3 Idiots, and Ant-Man. Following is a comprehensive list of your options: •

Come along and join in, or if you want a bit more information, email the hockey club captain, Miles Hudson, at miyls@aol.com.

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What: An episode of a television show followed by a film in the titular genres.

How much: £3 one-year membership, £5 life membership.

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How much: £3 one-year membership, £5 life membership, or try out a film for free!

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Arthouse Cinema Society When: Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m.

Where: Arthur Holmes lecture theatre, chemistry building (CG91).

What: Top-quality films typically not limited to the independent or avant-garde, as the title might suggest.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

World Cinema Society When: Thursdays, 7:00 p.m.

Where: chemistry building, subject to change – check the group for details.

Documentary Film Society When: Mondays, 7:30 p.m.

What: feature-length documentaries on a range of subjects.

Science-Fiction and Fantasy Society When: Wednesdays, 6:15 p.m.

Where: Elvet Riverside 141 or 142.

What: critically acclaimed foreign-language cinema.

Where: Arthur Holmes lecture theatre, chemistry building (CG91).

Undaunted by their slow start, the hockey club members celebrated their Christmas Social at the Court Inn, with a Caribbean drinks theme and numerous Christmas jumpers on display!

The hockey club is always on the lookout for new recruits of any standard. Sticks and coaching are available for people with no experience, and the first few sessions are free. Training is on Wednesday nights at Maiden Castle from 7-8 p.m., on the first astroturf pitch by the car park.

How much: £1 per screening for non-members. £3 one-year membership, £5 life membership.

How much: 50p per screening for non-members. £3 one-year membership, £6 life membership.

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Bede Film Society When: Saturdays and Sundays, 7:15 p.m.

Where: Hild Bede College.

What: recent movies, typically only a few months after general release.

How much: £1 for members, £3 for non-members. A year membership can be bought for £15, while life membership is £30.

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FEATURE

Detail from architectural illustration of a stand-alone study space.

Coming Soon? Study Space in the Works Veronica Benduski, contributing editor As many international students expect, completing a degree abroad comes with its challenges. However, one unexpected challenge Durham students is the shortage of places to study.

The first few weeks in Durham are ones of exploration for many students—wandering through the cathedral, attempting to gain entrance to the castle, and joining various societies.

Students also use their time searching anxiously for quiet corners where it is acceptable to study, be it in coffee shops or the ever-crowded library.

Surprisingly, even Ustinov, an exclusively postgraduate college with 670 rooms, lacks a designated study space. Granted, Fisher House’s café is a perfect multipurpose space for those who do not mind a bit of background café and radio noise. It is a welcoming place to study, socialize, and grab

a coffee or lunch, but its five or six tables can fill quickly. For those who prefer a quieter, controlled space, the Oak Computer Room provides a few computers, a printer, and a small table by the window.

This autumn, Ustinov has at long last begun to address the shortage of dedicated study space. Project Manager Emma Easby from Estates and Buildings and Architect John Dutton have been meeting with staff and students to discuss concept designs and construction of a potential study area.

An octagonal, stand-alone building (in early designs), sitting adjacent to Fisher Café, was selected as the most viable, and work on a business case proposal is now in the works.

If approved by the University, construction could begin late next summer or in autumn. While current master’s students will not benefit from the space, it is an exciting development for future research and taught postgradThe Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

uates of Ustinov. For the moment, everyone will have to set up in their favourite niche around Durham.

The hunt for the best tea and cake in Durham is a good incentive to search for study spaces in various coffee shops. Best to avoid the lunch hour though, as you may be asked to leave.

If you’re lucky, you can spend a few quiet hours in Vennels or Leonard’s (a few personal favorites with their cozy atmosphere and unbeatable scones), where the staff never ask students on laptops to leave. Still, students can’t be expected to spend money every time they need to study!

While the Bill Bryson Library has plenty of large tables, quiet conference rooms, and big windows with views of the cathedral, in a school with over 17,000 students, it is no wonder that one walks in to find a crowded library at nearly every time of day. Even if a student manages to find a quiet space, they must resort to sneaking bites of

food from inside coat pockets just to make it through a day of research without having to give up that elusive seat.

On a positive note, PhD and research MAs have access to the ‘PGR Study Room’ on the fourth floor of the library, and are provided exclusive access with their student cards.

But where does this leave hundreds of taught MAs?

FEATURE

Raising funds for the new study space

Bishop Cosin’s Library in Palace Green used to be a designated study space for taught masters students. The beautiful, fifteenth-century archival library is absolutely worth a visit, but the beautiful and historic library has closed its doors to studying in order to Rebecca Bouveng conserve its books and historical legNow that we have fantastic outline acy. of plans for the new study space, our Stay tuned for more in this series as challenge is to win the case within the we explore study options around Usti- University to fund this project. Comnov and Durham. petition for resources is fierce, and we will need to raise some of the funding from external sources.

We face a tough funding environment: the government is about to announce further cuts in higher education funding. There is no recognition or reward within the higher education funding system for collegiate universities. And Ustinov College has no endowment to support projects like the study space.

But we believe that together, the Ustinov community can make it happen: a passionate alumnus has already made a generous pledge of £100,000, and we are looking to double that.

Durham University remains committed to delivering an excellent student experience, alongside world-class teaching and research, and our College community, facilities, extracurricular programme, and pastoral support network are vital to this. We receive many testimonies about how fantastic the Ustinov community is—but as Veronica Benduski notes, we sorely need a dedicated study space.

If you are interested in supporting the next generations of Ustinovians, we would love to hear from you. All donors will be recognised in our publications, including The Ustinovian, and anyone giving £10,000 and over will be recognised on a donor wall in the new building. To give, visit: www.dunelm.org.uk/donations/ colleges/ustinov To find out more, contact ustinov. college@durham.ac.uk.

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THE SOCIAL LIFE

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Scrapbook: Induction Week 2015

Induction Week arrivals unloading at Ustinov (left) and Siobhan (right) telling them where the arts & entertainment are. (Photo: Anna Kranz)

What a great brunch! What kind soul arranged the champagne mimosas? (Photo: Michael Baker)

Gosh, thanks, Pep! (Photo: Michael Baker)

First Ustinov Seminar! Pen (left) talking science in Durham, while high table guests (right) enjoy formal dinner. (Photo: Michael Baker) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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THE SOCIAL LIFE

Scrapbook: Induction Week 2015

Meanwhile, at Ustinov Bar, karaoke broke out.

When the talent round of the first pub quiz calls for straw towers.

(Photos this page: Michael Baker)

Followed by Ustinov Live! showcasing some new musical talent.

Nothing says welcome to the North East like dancing to the Paul Skerritt Band.

Classic ginger jazz stylings at Ustinov Live!

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

A Tale of Two Halloweens

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THE SOCIAL LIFE

We know you think all the Ustinov College GCR does is organise whiskey tastings (suggested dress: tweed jackets with leather patches) and teatime screenings of Downton Abbey (suggested dress: ask the Dowager Countess), but thanks to a serious costume competition on a Friday night at Ustinov bar, and the families at Keenan House coming by the next day, the GCR also got to enjoy the best parts of Halloween.

Saturday afternoon a coach filled with younger merrymakers arrived at Fisher House and were greeted by pumpkin piñatas, a face-painting witch, selfies with a huge green-and-black spider, pumpkin design-and-carving, and International Students’ Officer Pep Mateos González in a severe but flattering black robe. The high point of the excursion was a trip to the haunted Ustinov Pumpkin Patch, out at the allotment—the brainchild of the GCR’s new deputy social secretary, Enguerrand ‘Gary’ Marique.

The full three hours of entertainment would not have been possible without a host of volunteers, so before you get to the photos, join us in thanking them for their time and, in some cases, bravery in the face of a tiny horde: Mai Premika, Yin Wu, Marisa Pheakphol, Chanticha (Toey) Suwanpidokkul, Buntharika (Bui) Thayanithikun, Lapasrada Boonsriroje, Pitchaya Poosuwon, Tanawan Chintanavitch, Anna Kranz, and Zainah El-Haroun.

(All photos: Michael Baker)

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THE SOCIAL LIFE The Great Pumpkin!

At least as determined by the pumpkincarving judges. It's a skeleton pumpkin, see its arm bone and phalanges on the side? Later the skull went missing.

Seriously though, the bone archeology people would like it back. Anyone know where it went? Who walks off with an old sheep skull with no meat left on it, it's not like you can make a decent stew out of it.

What a strange night.

(Photo: Michael Baker)

(Above photos: Michael Baker)

The kids of Keenan House met a ghost on the way to the pumpkin patch, and a friendly devil (Gary).

(Photos: Brian D. Taylor)

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THE SOCIAL LIFE

Bonfire Night Formal blowing up

(Photo: Michael Baker)

After the Induction Week Formal Dinner, the next formal event on the Ustinov calendar is usually what's known as the 'Bonfire Night' Formal— although as formal dinners are almost always scheduled for Friday nights, it doesn't often fall on the official Bonfire Night in the UK.

to make for a powder keg of an evening if someone admits to wanting to light something under the House of Lords.

If you have heard the rhyme 'Remember, remember, the fifth of November / gunpowder treason and plot', you may know that the historical impetus for Bonfire Night is the burning in effigy of Guy Fawkes, who attempted to blow up Parliament in 1605.

At Ustinov, all this is commemorated by a fine meal, and then trooping out to a field to watch a fireworks show, before returning to Ustinov Bar for some warming libations. Anarchy in the UK it isn't, but it does tend

An apparently innocuous Bonfire Night Formal scene. (Photo: Brian D. Taylor) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

‘The party was off-Diwali’

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THE SOCIAL LIFE

Lea Müthing

Colourful, bright, diverse, sweet, fun, vibrant, traditional—all these words could describe our last cultural event at Fisher House. The party was off-Diwali (get it?)! The event included a presentation on the traditions behind the Diwali celebration, its background and history; a henna artist; Indian music and dance performances; a tutorial on tying a sari; a photo booth; authentic Indian sweets; and much more!

The audience, both young and old, were even keen on learning some Indian dance moves! The event turned into a great party, playing both traditional and modern Indian music.

Everyone had a blast—despite the fact that, due to the pouring rain, the traditional fireworks had to be cancelled!

Learning about the history behind Diwali from Sanandan.

Diwali means dancing (not literally, but practically speaking).

Pragya showing off the artistry of a visiting henna artist. (Photos this page: Michael Baker)

Meenakshi performing a traditional dance.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

Pole-to-Paris, passing through Durham

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FEATURES

Mika Laiho

The first time I heard about the Pole to Paris non-government organisation (NGO) was while I was working as a volunteer on the council of another NGO, the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS).

Internal emails between members of the executive committee of APECS suggested that Pole to Paris had compromised its integrity as a non-political organisation because the latter set out to raise awareness of climate change among global citizens, and to lobby governments in countries all over the world, in the lead-up to the Paris climate talks (known as the COP21 negotiations) this December.

Despite sympathising with the informal APECS stance, I felt compelled to take part in the Pole to Paris movement because it seemed so fantastic. Climate change awareness is important, especially in countries with poorer regions with low levels of education and little support for structural aid or localised climate-change adaptation practices.

So two postdoc scientists, one a London-born glaciologist based in New Zealand and the other a Norwegian climatologist, had decided to cycle 12,000 kilometres from the South Pole to Paris, and run 3,000 kilometres from the North Pole to Paris.

The idea of combining carbon neutral means of transportations and communication with a clear political message in the lead-up to the biggest climate change negotiation of my time seemed like genius!

I got in touch with one of the organisers from Pole to Paris and agreed to help organise some of the local runs

The author (right) with Kathryn Sygrove (left). (Photo courtesy author)

that would take place in Durham.

Combining my role as a Café Politique team leader with being an event organiser for Pole to Paris was a winning combination for me because I managed to use my influence as an Durham academic and Ustinov scholar to support my role of climate change activist. My aim was to fit a number of complementary events back-toback to give as much exposure to Pole to Paris and climate change awareness in general.

These events that came to shape the lives of local students, academics, activists, and spectators in Durham last month were also character-building for me—as a runner it was great to see how sports like running can impact people’s lives and contribute towards a political cause, and as a side benefit I reached a point in my physical fitness that I have not felt for a very long while.

Excited, I threw my green gauntlet down in Durham town! Firstly, on 22 October, Ustinov College organised a Café Pol on climate change with the participation of Professor Glenn McGregor and Dr Andrew Baldwin, which gave an audience of more Ustinov College’s Café Politique on ‘Climate Change: Science, than 80 people the opportunityPolicy, Activism’ (Photo: GCP) to explore the ‘myths’ of climate sciI owe thanks to everyone involved— ence, policy, and activism from both the Global Citizenship Programme, physical and human geography per- for a start, were more than coopspectives. erative, especially members of my Café Politique team; as were senior Secondly, on 23 October, fellow members of the Durham Energy Pole-to-Paris runner and co-founder Institute and the Pole to Paris organof the Oxford Climate Society, Mostyn isers, which included our local hero Brown, spoke to doctoral students Kathryn Sygrove (who rallied a lot from the Durham Energy Institute; of support within Durham’s running finally, two runs took place between community) and Beth Ward (who is Newcastle-Durham (24 October) and the brawn behind the Pole-to-Paris Durham-Darlington (25 October), vision in terms of putting together all with my own leg of the relay being UK-based running events). roughly 36km.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

Tips on a long-distance relationship

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FEATURES

Anna Kranz

Having had several Long Distance Relationships (LDRs), I know how painful they can be—in particular, when different times zones are involved. She is getting up while you are going to bed. He is leaving for work while you are having dinner.

Not to mention constantly missing the other person, not being able to see them frequently, and not being able to share one’s life with them.

However, LDRs also have some positive aspects; you can focus on your studies for example, or have much more to tell to the other person when you are together again. But what makes it easier? The following are some ideas which might, hopefully, help you: What would LDR couples do without Skype? But you can also explore different means of communicating with your beloved.

I am a huge fan of the apps Avocado and Couple. The former is a phone app for two, it lets you communicate via stickers, you can send hugs and kisses as well as drawing pictures together— at the same time.

Couple is a similar app, however it also features ThumbKiss, making it really special. When you both press your thumb on the screen at the same time, your phone will vibrate—making you feel a little closer.

The author (left) with long-distance guy. (Photo courtesy author)

Time management Communication—open, honest communication—is essential for a happy and successful LDR. But finding time to communicate is often the key point. Share your timetables with each other and figure out times to speak.

Each relationship is different and the frequency and manner of communication will be special to the couple.

Some couples will talk every day, some once a week. Some will message each other several times during the day, others prefer one long message in the evenings. Talk to your partner about what would work best for you.

Don’t lose faith in your relationship and stay positive Try to focus on the times when you will see each other again, the future you are going to have together.

Remind yourself of why you love your partner and why you couldn’t imagine

being with someone else. Trust your partner and don’t get mad at them when they are busy and don’t have the time to be in touch with you as much as you would like them to be. It is not the end of the world if you were supposed to talk today but things got in the way – talk tomorrow instead.

Be creative Make sure that your partner knows how you feel about them. Do they like flowers? Why not send them a bunch of flowers to their office or home?

Get your fountain pen out and write them letters – it is so nice to receive a handwritten letter these days. Make little videos of yourself in your new environment and send it along your partner’s way. Record yourself on tape (sooo old-school but recording yourself on your computer/phone will also work) and send it to them.

Yes, LDRs can be a hassle but they are also a hassle which is worth it.

Disclaimer: Sometimes, an LDR can go horribly wrong…if you ever have doubts, talk to your partner about it.

Ask yourself, is this relationship worth it? Sometimes, relationships end; there is no shame in that. Breaking off an LDR is no less hard than breaking off any other relationship. But sometimes, sometimes it might be the best for both of you. Don’t drag your partner through an LDR, if you are not really committed.

Use Pinterest to set up a secret board for just you and your partner—pin everything that interests you and then talk about it in your next Skype session. Want to feel more like a ‘normal’ couple? The website www.synatop. com enables you to watch movies, listen to music, and play games together in a hangout—that means you can see each other on webcam.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

FEATURES

Storming York (in 24 hours)

York Minster looms above unsuspecting shoppers. (Photo: Michael Baker)

Justin Marinelli

reminder.

One of the most rewarding aspects of having Lumiere storm into town was that it offered me a magnificent opportunity to slip away unnoticed and get out of Durham for a brief spell.

In keeping with my policy of always zigging when others zag, I made my way to York that weekend to indulge myself in a truly rewarding sight for sore eyes: that of an old friend I’d not seen in some time.

Given that I’d swanned into York well after the sun had already set, my first introduction to York proper was that of a guided bar crawl. After dropping off my things, we immediately set out for a cute little speakeasy call the Lendall Cellars. They offered a beer called the Yorkshire Blonde, which I ordered to test its quality against the Durham Brewery’s Smoking Blonde—a comparison that came out favourably towards our own Durham brew.

I’d first met Dina in the summer of 2014, when we were both interning in Washington, DC. The weather then was the kind of hot, sweaty, and oppressively humid barrage upon the constitution that seems almost impossible to imagine up here in the north of England. Wrapped up in our heavy winter coats, the past seemed little more than a dream, though the cold and the rain served as a decent

Despite the pleasant quality of the atmosphere at the Lendall Cellars, we eventually made the decision to continue our wanderings across York. The next place at which we landed was the succinctly-named The Hop, which was notable in that it had at the back an antique brick oven in which pizza and other goodies were baked. Though we had sadly arrived too late for pizza, The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

we were able to take solace in beer and bad music; that charming combination which despite being entirely unappealing still somehow finds a way to be enjoyable.

The idea then arose to eschew beer for cocktails, and make our way to a place with a name for concocting dastardly elixirs. The venue in question ended up being a place called Evil Eye, which packed the atmosphere of a trendy big-city bar into the physical setting of a Hanoverian-era saloon.

Navigating a crush of people to make our way to an unusually sticky table, we dropped off our stuff and began poring over an extensive brochure of colorful cocktails. I opted for the Green Fairy, a large, strong drink made with gin and absinthe that was sinfully delicious.

By the time we had finished our drinks, Evil Eye was closing for the night, and so we were forced into make

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FEATURES

NB: It says “English galloping’ but it is only horses. (Photo: Michael Baker)

an all-too-hasty exit. It was a bit of an unfortunate end to the evening, but it was getting late, and we did need to get some sleep. Making our way back to the York dorms, we tucked in for the night.

The next morning we felt capable enough to head back into York for breakfast and sight-seeing. Our first stop of the day was Bill’s, a little place with decent food and good coffee. We indulged ourselves in a big full breakfast and a discussion of politics and world events, as that seemed the thing to do.

That was hardly the sum of our morning, however. Replenished with eggs and toast and coffee, we struck out for new sights and wandered up to the old city walls. The view was less than one might hope for, but when striding down those narrow stone pathways it is impossible not to feel the weight of history. Perhaps you might even, as I did, look over the ramparts and envision yourself trapped within the city and forced to endure a prolonged siege.

From the walls, our wanderings took us to the York Cocoa House, which was absolutely amazing and I insist that anyone going on the upcoming York trip carve out the time in their schedule to make it over there. While waiting for a table, not only did we manage to sneak a peek at a chocolate-making class, but we were also offered free samples of a blue cheese and dark chocolate truffle. My distaste for blue cheese sadly meant

that I could not accept the offer, but according to Dina the chocolate was delicious.

After being seated, I finally got to see the menu, and it quickly came clear to me why Dina had insisted on bringing me here. The menu was full of all sorts of wonderful-sounding chocolate drinks, with descriptions like ‘Earthy bitterness balanced with fruity notes and floral hints’. Though deeply impressed at the existence of a chocolate that mirrored my soul, I instead opted for a Totally Dark, which was a hot chocolate made of 100-per-cent cocoa and no added sugar (I must confess that I have almost as much taste for sugar as I do for blue cheese). It was dark and rich and fantastic and I found it to be a

Clifford’s Tower, York (Photo: Michael Baker) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

much better pick-me-up than even the strongest espresso.

In our quest to work off the calories from our drinks, we then took a stroll around the York Museum Gardens.

Though a steady drizzle was distracting us from an involved aesthetic appreciation, we did take the opportunity to talk about how Irish Wolfhounds are the coolest type of dog ever, and so we were able to content ourselves with a moral victory (if not a meteorological one).

To round out the York experience, Clifford’s Tower was the natural choice. The flight of stairs just up to the base of the tower was impressive enough, and the view once you get to the top can hardly be described in words. The entrance fee is a bit steep, but somehow that thought just seems to slip from your mind when you reach the top. All in all, it was a fitting capstone to my York adventure, and another of those experiences I absolutely recommend.

My train pulled away from York later that evening, not 24 hours from the time I had arrived. Though taking nothing away in the form of souvenirs, it was impossible not to look back on the proceedings with fondness.

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Café Scientifique

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

Samuel Jackson

The first film screening of Café Scientifique took place on precisely the right evening. As the howling winds whistled through the dark night air about Ustinov College on Wednesday, 21 October 2015, we glimpsed the future...again! Of course, the film in question (Should there be any doubt?!) was Back to the Future II. A sometimes bewildered audience of Ustinovians tucked into popcorn, crisps, and fizzy drinks as they discovered today had already been foreseen. They sat in awe and wonder as the future unfolded before them: hoverboards, instant messaging, electronic identification.

The whole trilogy of films involves Marty and Doc, who set out in 1985. The first film sees Marty transported back to 1955, to catch up with his parents in the days of their youth.

The second film sees Marty flying forward to the future of 2015, where a series of unfortunate events demonstrates the dangers of time travel, and sends Marty travelling madly between the three times to prevent a disastrous alteration to their current reality.

So, maybe we don’t have flying computer systems, but the future (that is, 2015) portrayed in the film is not-so-far-flung from current reality.

So intent were we to demonstrate these successes, we even set about generating our very own hoverboards after the film was over, to the excitement of the audience. It is amazing what the correct configuration of CDs, plasticine, water-bottle tops, and balloons can achieve.

ing events with discussion is to explore the science that is demonstrated within various films, and discuss how realistic or plausible certain elements of it really are. Science is an engaging subject, and plays such a vital part in our lives.

Piotr Oleskiewicz Science. We all feel that we know what it means, and even that it proves itself incredibly useful. But do you really know what science is—from a scientist’s perspective? Would you be able to explain why you are passionate about it—or the contrary?

One Ustinovian commented: ‘I just can’t believe what I am seeing, this is fabulous—never thought I would see the day!’

The idea of Café Scientifique’s new series of film view-

During this year’s first Café Scientifique talk, we invited three speakers—Dr Lorraine Coghill, Dr Kathi Edkins and Josh Borrow—from across the University, to tell us why they feel science is universally relevant, not only to them, but to everyone, and why everyone should be thrilled and excited about it. The talks were aimed equally at scientists, who need to see themselves as a part of the bigger picture, and those to whom science seems a foreign and distant discipline.

Did you think you knew what science was all about? Our

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

having seen it before, so the tension was probably minimal.

Despite these qualifications, however, great fun was had viewing the film. Following, there was an even more fascinating presentation, led by Emily Lake, about her experience of working with an animatronic exhibit of dinosaurs for two summers in 2011 and 2012 at Chester Zoo (‘the UK’s number one zoo!’).

(l-r) Dr Lorraine Coghill, Dr Kathi Edkins and Josh Borrow (Photo: GCP/Pen-Yuan Hsing)

first speaker, Lorraine, might make you think twice! Lorraine works as a Science Outreach Coordinator, and she introduced the audience to different ways of thinking about science.

She has also convinved us, by distributing mysterious sealed boxes, that the scientific method—a foundation stone of many disciplines—is not only reliable, but also extremely simple and natural to all of us.

Our second speaker, Kathi, invited the audience to take a broader look into why science is important in general. A lecturer in Pharmaceutics, Kathi is an expert in Health Sciences, and argued that if we all adopt scientific thinking, we can fight unfounded prejudice and progress towards a better society. Kathi talked, amongst many things, about what it means when you read that something causes cancer, how every carrot is a genetically modified organism, and why that is actually good news.

Josh Barrow, our last presenter, took up the challenge of convincing us that astronomy, a discipline seemingly so detached from everyday life, is something from which we can all benefit.

Astronomers’ work, as portrayed by Josh, can reach far beyond mere practical applications—it not only puts our life, our problems and our planet in a different perspective, but can also

serve as an example of how to share and cooperate. Astronomers all need to share the one-and-only Hubble space telescope, yet they have managed to reforge this limitation into a platform of international cooperation.

Is this not an example we should all look up to?

Since Café Scientifique is all about bringing science back to the public discussion space, our speakers have concluded the evening by inviting the questions from the audience. It is something truly unique and special about the Café that sets it apart from all other popular science events, this time when all talks are over and the audience can take its turn in the conversation, and when the speakers can share their passion outside the boundaries of a prepared talk.

Samuel Jackson The night was still, the air was quiet, and Ustinov College (or at least, Ustinov Café) was filled with tension as dinosaurs entered the room the evening of Tuesday, 17 November.

Okay, that is not quite true. Firstly, the dinosaurs were on screen only, from the movie Jurassic Park, this being the second of Café Scientifiques extraordinary film nights. Secondly, I imagine most people knew how the film was going to turn out, probably The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

Having been there myself, I can confirm it was a rather exciting surprise to see water-spraying prehistoric creatures when all I thought I would see were elephants, lions, monkeys… well, the list goes on, but generally, animals still alive! (The day I went it

Emily Lake (Photo: GCP)

was raining cats and dogs so this extra water spray had little effect.)

Emily also highlighted some of the scientific problems of the exhibit, mostly brought to her attention by many very clever kids who were really into their dinosaurs. The most notable example of this was that there was an exhibit with one dinosaur eating another one, where in reality the two dinosaurs lived 70 million years apart, making their meeting (and greeting, or should I say eating?) unlikely!

This is probably being a bit pernickety though, and the exhibit was truly amazing, as was this prehistoric evening in the café!

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Café des Arts

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

Siobhan Harper

How would you react if an excited and enthusiastic artist jumped in the air, pointed an air-microphone at you, and asked ‘What does “white” mean to you?’?

The ‘On The Threshold’exhibition, a set of installations by contemporary Japanese artists that was on display at the Oriental Museum, was organised

by Miyoko McGregor Yamashita (who is also one of the artists) and her husband, Principal Glenn McGregor. On 10 November, the artists visited Ustinov for a Café des Arts ‘Meet the Artists’ event.

It was in fact Miyoko who asked the question about the colour white, and she received a variety of responses: snow, paper, purity, innocence, milk.

She was asking the question in reference to her own artwork, about how her love of colours meant that in trying to choose a colour with which to work she eventually settled on white and its representations. Miyoko then introduced, one by one, four of her colleagues from Goldsmiths in London who had also contributed artwork to this exhibition.

Satoshi Nakajima talked us through his unrolled toilet roll covered in intricate black pen drawings of pipes: pipes which we do not see in the wall behind the lavatory, but in which the toilet roll eventually winds up. He also created the individual ceramic plungers, each one unique, which decorated the exhibition poster and which represented individuals within a society; and a mesmerising video of train tracks, which swayed in and out with some tracks joining, some tracks leaving, but the central train tracks remaining the same, symbolising the individual being affected by their environment.

Haruki Okuyama, a video artist, presented us with a work not availa-

(l-r) Glenn McGregor, Siobhan, Miyoko McGregor Yamashita, and Yumi Otaka at the exhibition opening 9 November, 2015. (Photo: Michael Baker)

ble at the exhibition – a video entitled ‘Smile’, depicting a number of people doing nothing but smile into a video camera for two or three minutes. The effect was startling: happy and really quite funny, with most of the room breaking out in giggles, but we were also aware of the facial strain and how, over time, the smiles appeared more and more fake.

Yumi Otaka is concerned with storytelling, and particularly ‘the story below’, the invisible story that we never hear. She talked us through her piece, which was a blue piece of ikat woven fabric that represented a story she had heard about a young girl during World War II. There was a note explaining the story pinned to the fabric, which was draped like a waterfall.

Moemi Takano’s interests lie in ecology and sustainability, and so created some beautiful artworks contrasting what we keep and what we discard.

One was an arrangement of the parts of food which we normally consider waste – egg shells, onion skins.

Moemi also created, from rice rescued from a restaurant at the end of an evening shift, beautiful threads of grains of rice on strands of her own hair. This represents the respect we ought to have for each grain of rice, and her hair was the only means of

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

threading the grains whose origins she could trust. Thought-provoking and illuminating as these pieces were, her own thoughts about artwork are about its beauty – ‘just feel, don’t think too much’.

The artists answered questions posed by the audience about how or if their ‘Japanese-ness’ is important to their work, and how or if their Japanese identity affects the work they do – to which Moemi answered that it doesn’t for her, but all her critics and commentators register her ‘Japanese-ness’ as important.

They were also asked whether the art itself is a learning process, or whether it is the finished product of learning, to which all the artists answered that it was very much a learning process in itself, not simply in terms of the art techniques but in terms of self-discovery.

I asked whether, although there was no theme for the exhibition when it was being put together, there was nonetheless an overarching concept that could be found in all the artworks displayed. Miyoko answered that she hoped that there had been but left it to the viewers and visitors to decide. My own ideas included ‘binaries’, ‘duality’, ‘transitions and stasis’, and ‘individual difference’.

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

Videographer Mike Appels. (Photo: GCP)

Lights… camera…action!

Corinne Wist

Rice plays an elemental part in Moemi Takano’s artwork. (Photo: Michael Baker)

Filming has begun for a new Ustinov College video! Volunteers within the Global Citizenship Programme (GCP) Media Team have been hard at work producing a piece of college history focusing on what it means to be a Ustinovian. Students across all disciplines have volunteered to contribute their time and share their experiences of college life.

Interviews began on Monday with Hsing Pen-Yuan, PhD candidate in Biological Sciences and the charismatic leader of Café Scientifique. We were joined later by the GCR’s LGBT Welfare Officer, Nicolete Burbach, making efforts to establish a safe and welcoming LGBT community within Ustinov College.

A uranium chandelier in the ‘On the Threshold’ exhibition. (Photo: Michael Baker)

Durham University Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Corbridge making welcoming remarks at the ‘On the Threshold’ exhibition. (Photo: Michael Baker) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

There have been over a dozen student interviews, each more exciting than the last. Through all the nervous laughter, thoughtful pauses, and genuinely inspiring commentary, those of us behind the scenes have had the unique opportunity to reflect on our own Ustinov experiences.

It has been reaffirming and inspirational to collaborate with students from all over the world. We are connected by a shared passion for Ustinov and a willingness to share that passion with future generations of Ustinovians.

Café Politique

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

Jenna Mazzella

Dr Laura Routley noted that throughout the planning of this event, held Tuesday, 24 November, at Fisher House, the topic of discussion went through several iterations and this is true.

Originally pitched as a conversation on the ways in which the global West has impacted developing nations, the Café Politique’s ‘Continuing Challenges: Growth and Development in Africa’ had evolved into a discussion panel on the economic, political, and historical trends that have effected development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Guest speakers Dr André Keil, Dr Nicole Windstorm, and Dr Angelos Chryssogelos (Photo: GCP)

to reflect upon an internalized Western hegemony that colours the way we evaluate development and challenge that framework.

Thomas Knight A unique aspect of being part of the Global Citizenship Programme is that it gives scholars and volunteers complete freedom to come up with ideas and potential speakers themselves; this ensures a diverse range of topics throughout the year. To give one recent example, Café Politique had a week before held a discussion panel on ‘Growth and Development in Africa’, while on Thursday evening we looked at the European Union.

However, the relationship with the West was not ignored. Mr Brian Snowdon reflected on the influence of foreign investors in developing economies. Dr Routley questioned the work of NGOs that attempt to create an Africa that looks more like the West in social and political practices, and Dr Rachel Johnson lamented that Africans, particularly African women, are objectified by the West.

Focussing on Germany, the discussion aimed to look into how, despite being a political and economic union of 28 member states, one state more than any other dominates the European Union. Germany, traditionally the most powerful nation on the continent, is able to exert its influence through political and economic means, sometimes to the detriment of other states. We wanted to understand why this is the case, how other countries view this power struggle, and whether the dominance of Germany is likely to continue.

This conversation, although on the larger topic of economic development, encouraged audience members

The discussion was particularly special in my view due to the variety of approaches undertaken by the three The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

academics present. Historian Dr André Keil from Durham University begun the discussion by putting the debate into its historical context, chiefly looking at how Germany has been shaped by its past and its very unique ideology and culture. Dr Angelos Chryssogelos from the London School of Economics gave the discussion a more political tone, touching on the party politics of Germany and the role of German Chancellors in European integration.

Lastly, we were honoured to see Dr Nicole Lindstrom from the University of York return to Ustinov, having spoken here last year. Dr Lindstrom spoke of the role of Eastern European countries and how the ‘migrant tourism’ originating from this part of Europe is crucial in understanding how Europe continues to evolve and remains in political and economic difficulty.

A most poignant part of the discussion for me, as the organiser of the event, was how free-flowing the whole discussion was. The three speakers actively engaged with each other and were in fact discovering new approaches to their work alongside the audience. This gave the event a very informal and honest atmosphere, something which I believe all Ustinovians warmly welcomed.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

Join the Media and Communications team Ustinov College invites students who are passionate about writing, social media, photography, graphic design, filming, and editing to bring their skills and ideas to college life.

Posters are designed and social media is actively used to promote the events. Scholarly talks and events are photographed, filmed and made available to a wide audience through social media and web. Join us and contribute with your creativity!

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(Photo: Media Team)

(GCR) on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

• Email: comms.ustinovgcr@durham.ac.uk Media Team • The team constantly seek creative ways of using media production for the benefit of Ustinovians and partners near and far, from creating event posters to new College videos.

• Email: ustinov.gcp@durham.ac.uk

Communications • The Social Media and Web Coordinator communicate the academic and intercultural events for the Global Citizenship Programme (GCP) through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

• Email: ustinov.gcp@durham.ac.uk • The Communications Officer promotes the social Ustinov events for the Graduate Common Room

The Ustinovian blog and magazine • Many Ustinovians are writers and section editors of the highly regarded college magazine and online blog, The Ustinovian, which reports on college life and news for current students, staff, alumni, and friends of the College.

• Email: ustinov.publication@durham.ac.uk.

How to Participate in a Ustinov Seminar or Café The Ustinov Seminars; Volunteering; Race, Crime & Justice; and Café Politique, Café Scientifique, and Café des Arts projects are all designed to give Ustinov members the opportunity to present (and perform) in a public environment—often with colleagues more established in their disciplines.

Organisers are always willing to hear ideas and themes for presentations (although they do try to plan a term in advance).

Contact them at the emails below: • ustinov.seminar@durham.ac.uk • ustinov.cafesci@durham.ac.uk • ustinov.cafedesarts@durham.ac.uk • ustinov.cafepol@durham.ac.uk • ustinov.rcj@durham.ac.uk • ustinov.volunteering@durham.ac.uk • ustinov.uif@durham.ac.uk

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

Bias, Belief, and Research (or, St John’s Visits Ustinov)

FAITH, SCIENCE & ACADEMIA

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Andy P. Corkhill (St John’s College)

Arriving at Ustinov College for the Faith, Science, and Academia discussion on 19 November, I was excited at the prospect of hearing the three established academics speak about integrating and detaching their research from their personal belief system—but also because I was back at Ustinov.

As a postgraduate from a Bailey college—St John’s—I don’t get to Ustinov half as much as I would like. Mainly due to distance, I think, people often forget that Ustinov has easily the best bar and a unique atmosphere among the hill colleges. My MA year in Durham, 2013/14, saw me at Ustinov frequently, especially during the summer months. The students and staff at Ustinov are as diverse as they are interesting, and when engaging with that combination it’s unquestionable that you come out of a conversation wiser and enlightened.

Back to the discussion, which also explored how the academics recognise and reconcile the objective and subjective aspects of their work. Wonderfully chaired by Paula Rondon Burgos, the discussion brought together Professor Tom Ward of Mathematical Sciences, Dr Ilan Baron from the School of Government and International Affairs, and Dr Mathew Guest from Theology and Religion.

Under the umbrella of the Ustinov Global Citizenship Programme, this series created and nurtured by Reverend Professor David Wilkinson of St John’s College, and Dr Rebecca Bouveng of Ustinov College aims to help students and staff break out of the compartmentalisation of faith/aca-

Professor Tom Ward of Mathematical Sciences, Dr Ilan Baron from the School of Government and International Affairs, and Dr Mathew Guest from Theology and Religion (Photo: GCP)

demia, and reach across scholarly and spiritual boundaries. [For more information about the seminar series, email ustinov.seminar@durham.ac.uk—Ed.] The question of bias was explored immediately, and the three academics agreed that bias is one of the strongest reasons we all study what we do, and that it is impossible to escape our point of view regarding our individual academic areas. This is a fact I think many of us are aware of, yet most don’t like to admit. It was interesting to hear three academics from vastly different fields agree so seamlessly on this point.

The debate moved on to the question of how experience altered research, and it was this part of the discussion that fascinated me the most. The consensus was that as the boundaries of individual people and individual research were brought in closer contact with one another, the more progress was made and understanding produced.

It led me to think that the idea of removing barriers to communication between academics can be a lesson not just learnt by prospective researchers, but, maybe even society in general.

It was an eye-opening moment.

Following on from my epiphany, the academics talked of the need for humility in the search for academic progress— or, again, as my eyes became The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

even wider, progress in general! They spoke of the distinctly different skillsets involved in individual academic fields as something they only began to engage with after a number of years, and something they wished they had utilised earlier. Expanding on this, they noted that making yourself completely vulnerable in your academic field is key, joking that the academic whom feels himself without vulnerability is heading for a fall!

Combined with the free coffee, wine, and snacks, I’d have to say my first experience of the jointly run John’s/Ustinov ‘Faith, Science and Academia’ seminar series was a great success.

Faith, Science, and Academia on the Bailey (Or, Gown and Town)

FAITH, SCIENCE & ACADEMIA

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Mika Laiho, Piotr Oleskiewisz, and Veronica Benduski

Drawn by the prospect of reaching across scholarly and spiritual boundaries, as part of a collaborative seminar series between Ustinov and St John’s Colleges called Faith, Science, and Academia, we three members of the Global Citizenship Programme put on scholarly gowns with Dr Rebecca Bouveng and undertook pilgrimage to the Bailey.

After a momentary gathering upstairs for mingling with other guests over light aperitifs, everybody shifted into Leech Hall for conversations over dinner and speeches by the Principal as well as an invited guest speaker from Ernst and Young.

Some of the informal conversation topics at High Table included commonalities between astrophysics and palaeontology; the Arctic region; the importance of children’s literature; and Polish culinary traditions. Seated opposite John’s Principal, Reverend Professor David Wilkinson and with Van Mildert’s Principal, Professor David Harper to his right, Mika Laiho felt particularly welcome to inform his host that his grandfather from Roch-

Above, Faith, Science, and Academia series attendees gathered at St Johns to discuss created intelligence; below, the authors (Photos: GCP/Veronica Benduski)

ester used to be a student at John’s a long time ago.

Touching on the topic of COP21 during his speech, the Principal made a point to mention that John’s students were in Paris to tweet about climate change negotiations because he was keen to cultivate a space in which carbon emissions targets and modern renovation were of necessity to a sustainable future.

After dinner, people continued a discussion led by Dr Jonathan Berry on using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to get into the ‘mindset of the creator’, which sparked a number of interesting questions from the audience and brought up a range of related topics.

These included the nature and source of free will in humans and machines; boundaries between experience, learning, and cognitive intelligence; and the potential for dystopian futures where

humans are usurped by aggressive AI presences à la the series of Terminator films.

The speakers, coming from varied backgrounds, filled the room with an extraordinary mixture of insights, ranging from sociology, philosophy and theology, through computer science and complexity theory to quantum physics. The humility in their engagement with people from very different faiths and viewpoints is what makes the Faith, Science, and Academia series particularly refreshing.

Collaborative events like this are promising for the development of Ustinov and the collegiate system at Durham. Established in 1909 as a theological college by the Church of England, John’s is unique in the sense that it was the first of its kind to train women and men together, a forward-thinking approach not dissimilar in boundary-crossing to Sir Peter Ustinov’s later legacy of global citizenship.

The next collaborative event will also take place at John’s and is highly recommended to Ustinovians willing to witness first-hand how older colleges maintain strong traditions while moving with the tides of time.

It is ‘Mr. Darwin’s Tree – A Play about the Life and Work of Charles Darwin’, presented at 7:30 p.m. on 27 January, 2016, at Leech Hall.

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

MammalWeb

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ACADEMIC TRAVEL AWARDS

By Pen Yuan Hsing

As a PhD student in the biology department’s Conservation Ecology Group (on Twitter @CEGDurham), I am developing MammalWeb, a new web platform where anyone can help to classify wild animals photographed with motion-triggered wildlife cameras.

Uniquely for a citizen science website, the camera trap photos are also submitted by volunteers. This programme will provide important data on the UK’s wild mammals, which will help with conservation and forming good management policy.

To get the word out about this volunteer-led project, I signed up to present my work at the 27th International Congress for Conservation Biology in Montpellier, France, in August 2015.

Of the 750 students at the conference (which had thousands of attendees), I was very lucky to be selected as one of just twelve Student Finalists.

encouraging and helpful feedback that I got.

The meeting was a truly international event, jointly organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry and University of East Anglia, and sponsored by a wide number of manufacturers and chemical suppliers from the UK.

As I am in the first year of my PhD study, it was really rewarding to be exposed to different types of research techniques that can be employed for my studies. I also enjoyed the networking opportunities that this presented, as well as the time I spent with other young researchers, PhD students, and senior scientists.

My tip: One of the most useful ways to get the most out of the conference experience was simply to choose the papers that interested me the most or that were more closely related to my own work, and then to introduce myself to the authors themselves to discover more details about their work.

There was a special session for us to present our work, and I received incredibly useful feedback and made useful connections with leaders in the field of conservation biology. I even had lunch with Dr Mark Burgman, a top scientist from Australia who agreed to come give a seminar at Café Scientifique! All of this helped a firstyear PhD student like me to find their bearings during the beginning of their research career.

My Supramolecular Poster Maya Mohamad-Arif

With the help of the Ustinov College Travel Award, I was able to attend the annual meeting of RSC Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry in December last year. [Don’t be embar-

Pen Yuan Hsing (Photo: Michael Baker)

rassed, readers, I had to look ‘supramolecular chemistry’ up, too—Ed.]

AntiTrafficking Jason Haynes As many as 157 delegates from various European countries attended, and the reports of novel findings in the field of supramolecular chemistry were organised into 32 oral presentations and 85 poster presentations. I presented a poster covering some of my early findings, and was really pleased with the The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

In January this year, I travelled to Denmark to participate in the inaugural University of Copenhagen Postgraduate Research Conference.

The two-day event covered a myriad of subjects, including international law, constitutional law, human rights law, and arbitration and migration law, amongst others.

I presented a paper entitled ‘European Anti-Trafficking Law and Practice: A Rights-Based Perspective’, which was well-received and elicited some wonderful discussion. I essentially argued that in so far as the regularisation of trafficked victims’ immigration status is concerned, there is a ‘disconnect’ between legal idealism and what transpires in practice in a number of European countries.

As well as being able to present, listen to, and interact with over 70 doctoral students from across Europe, I also learned a great deal from some experts in the field. For example, a judge from the European Court on Human Rights made a thought-provoking presentation on the protection of rights in Europe, and two leading scholars spoke on the issues of research methods in law, and publishing as a PhD student.

All in all, my trip to Copenhagen— though short—was certainly excellent. I cherish the insights gained, and the new friendships forged. I would greatly encourage any PhD student to attend conferences in their subject areas, as they are an excellent way to engage constructively with some of the leading researchers in your field.

ACADEMIC TRAVEL AWARDS

Urban Identity in Medieval Holland Jenine de Vries

This July, I went to the International Medieval Conference in Leeds, one of the largest conferences in the field attended by scholars from many different countries.

I presented my paper—‘Urban History Writing in its Political Context: how external relations show aspects of urban identity in late medieval Holland’—on the first day. This explored how the recording of history in Holland in the late middle ages was focused on the whole region, rather than on individual towns as found elsewhere.

There was interesting discussion afterwards about regional differences that many of us had observed, and how modern historians look at these medieval sources in biased ways.

This discussion brought to light some novel points for my research to explore further.

It was very valuable for me to meet with colleagues from Belgian universities in particular, as my research involves the study of both Flemish and Dutch sources.

I learned a great deal over the course of the conference, and it was great to meet fellow PhD students from several countries, as we could share our experiences and findings. It was a very The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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interesting and inspiring conference, and I thank Ustinov College for helping me to attend!

Intellectual Property in the Internet Age Kittiwat Chunchaemsai

Geneva, known as the city of peace and home to the European headquarters of United Nations Office, is also home to the University of Geneva and its law school. One of the primary research areas of the law school is law and the internet.

In June, I attended the International Conference on Jurisdiction and Dispute Resolution in the Internet Era. Many of the subjects are very relevant and thought-provoking in the context of current news, and I hope that by recounting a few of these issues here I can show you how new problems have arisen with the continued development of technology, and help them become more accessible.

The conference was divided into four sessions. The first session (which was of most interest to me) was about the conflict of laws in the age of the internet. Its core topic was an attempt to define the appropriate courts that should govern internet-related disputes such as contract, defamation and intellectual property. For example, if you were to book a hotel located in Switzerland, or to purchase a flight ticket to go to Bangkok from Thai Airways through the internet, which court should make decisions about problems in legal contracts? Should it be a British court, where the client resides, or Swiss or Thai courts, where the sellers are established?

In a case of defamation, the problem seems to be more complicated. If defamation is posted on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or any website accessible in many countries,

which country has jurisdiction over the dispute? Currently, there is no clear answer to this question: it is evident that more research and negotiations are needed.

The second session concerned alternative resolution systems for Internet-related disputes. A term which was quite new and (at first) strange to me was ‘right-to-be-forgotten’. Why might someone want to be forgotten?

In fact, as I discovered from the panel, this topic is about removing information about you from search engines like Google, to protect your personal or private data from being accessed by others. However, to put this into practice is very difficult. There seem to be some unexpected problems, as removing links to your content from these search engines could affect your own right to know. Therefore, some resolution mechanism needs to be created to accommodate this demand.

The third session explored international telecommunication (IT) industries. The main debating issue was based around how to standardise IT industries across the globe. IT business activities tend to be conducted internationally, as we are all very aware of in today’s technologically developing world. Creating and developing a set of laws to enforce in all of these countries is not an easy task.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMME

lems that there are many potential pitfalls which need to be overcome in order for platforms like the internet and social media to work effectively.

The conference concluded with a drinks reception, which enabled me to meet academics in the field from all over the world, including Asia, Africa, and other parts of Europe. It was wonderful to have more in-depth discussions with them about my subject.

Language and Environment Elena Burgos-Martinez

In April of this year I attended a conference of the Association of Social Anthropologists in Exeter, which offered a platform for anthropologists and scholars from a wide range of disciplines to come together and debate the need for more holistic approaches to our research.

Last but not least, the fourth session explored the question of how jurisdictional immunity and inviolability should apply in the age of the internet.

One kind of problem that may arise concerns the diplomatic protection of a state’s information or communication which is contained in the Internet. An example which you might have heard about is the story that the mobile phone of Angela Merkel, the German Prime Minister, was hacked.

How we can prevent this from happening and who should enforce such protection? Currently this is still very unclear.

It is evident from the above probThe Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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I gave a presentation (‘Exploring the relations between language variants and environmental change’) as part of a session entitled ‘Attention to language and ways of speaking in understanding sociality’, which was the first of its kind (based in linguistic anthropology) in the UK. I found it incredibly rewarding to meet fellow linguistic anthropologists and discuss our work, even getting positive comments and constructive feedback on my research!

I greatly enjoyed discussing ofshoots of research in the field, and meeting other researchers like me in such a welcoming, encouraging and professional atmosphere. My ideas and work have been strengthened through critical consideration and discussion with peers; and I have also brought back to Durham ideas for new workshops to be implemented as part of pre- and post-fieldwork training.

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SENIOR COMMON ROOM (SCR)

The real challenge is deciding what to eat first. (Photo: SCR)

Don't Miss the 'Challenges of Careers' series Dr Nui Deesomsak SCR Treasurer

The Ustinov College Senior Common Room (SCR) exists to support the Ustinov community, and are particularly pleased when we can use our experience to support current students.

That’s why we’ve set up the 'Challenges of Careers' series, which invites Ustinovians to learn about the challenges of careers in particular fields.

These take place in College in a relaxed and informal setting, over a cup of coffee and cake.

The panel consists of academic staff from different disciplines and a career consultant from Durham University Business School.

It is a perfect opportunity to listen to the panel’s firsthand and heartfelt experience, with 'how to' advice ranging from the choice of career path, succeeding in the (international) job market, keeping up with publications, handling the pressure as an early career researcher, as well as other challenges

they have encountered, how they have dealt with them, how and where to acquire transferable skills—and more.

Participants also have ample opportunities to ask questions and to clarify any myths that they have heard about a career in academia.

The next event in the series is 'Challenges of Careers in the Public Sector', on 16 March, 2016, at 6:00 p.m.— please join us!

Thank you very much for organising last night's session.

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with it. I particularly enjoyed the intimate nature of the conversation, as well as each of the professor's valuable suggestions and experiences.

I got there quite unsure about the current status of my studies, but left the room with renewed confidence and good ideas for the future. —Guilherme Barbosa-Fernandes (MSc student)

The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

The session made me suddenly aware of what is going to happen the day I pass my viva.

What's more, the speakers had different experiences, and they provided good advice for going into the industry. Personally, I just feel that it is so nice to talk to someone who has been through the same thing I am experiencing now and who can tell us that we will be all right.

The atmosphere was so casual and it was easy to get involved in the conversation. I loved the session. I just hope we can held such events more often!

—Xiaoxiao Ma (first-year PhD candidate)

Ustinov Foundation Pays Ustinov College a Visit

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USTINOV TALES

Vicky Meaby

Vicky is a member of the Ustinov College Global Citizenship Programme: Ustinov Intercultural Forum and Race, Crime and Justice Forum.

What a busy start it has been for the scholars of the Global Citizenship Programme. There have already been a plethora of fabulous events organised across the teams including research roundtables, thought-provoking lectures, demystifying science demos, and international language cafés. And there are still many more events and activities planned this term.

A core element of the Global Citizenship Programme is the encouragement of voluntary and charitable work, where Ustinov students can put their talents to good use by helping and supporting others, both here in the UK and across the globe. We are fortunate to be part of a world-leading university, where we are able to express our views and expand our knowledge without fear or reproach. As global citizens, it is important we acknowledge the fortunate position we are in and give back accordingly.

Charities such as the Ustinov Foundation, founded by Sir Peter Ustinov, (after whom Ustinov College is named), exemplify this very concept of ‘global citizenship’ and so will be the Global Citizenship Programme’s charity of choice this year. Recently we were delighted to welcome Andreas Schwarzhaupt of the Ustinov Foundation to Ustinov College. Andreas came to share with us the story of Sir Peter Ustinov and the Ustinov Foundation, and to explain how we at Ustinov can support the life-changing work of the Ustinov Foundation.

The Ustinov Foundation’s Andreas Schwarzhaupt talking with GCP Scholar Raven Bowen. (GCP Photo)

The Ustinov Foundation has one clear aim: ‘to grant children, irrespective of their social, cultural, religious or financial background—a chance of an independent and optimistic future’ (Ustinov Foundation, 1999). This is primarily achieved through increasing access to education. The foundation has a variety of projects established all over the world, enabling marginalised children an opportunity to learn and grow.

Sir Peter Ustinov, as well as being a former chancellor of Durham University, was a great actor, comedian, and writer. He was also passionate about combatting poverty and prejudice, travelling the world as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He believed that education is ‘key to an openminded, more peaceful world’, and Sir Peter’s passion for education and

the arts translates wonderfully into the work of the Ustinov Foundation, many of its projects are developed with creativity at their core.

The phenomenal M.U.K.A (Most United Knowledgeable Artists) project, a self-directed theatre company for homeless children and young people in Johannesburg, South Africa, is just one such example.

This year the Global Citizenship Programme will aim to showcase the great work of Sir Peter Ustinov and the Ustinov Foundation, focusing on a different Foundation project each month and sharing with you ways in which you can get volunteer, fundraise, and otherwise support the great work that goes on. Be on the lookout for more Ustinov Foundation posts in the GCP newsletter.

A brunch crowd gets an introduction to the global work of the Ustinov Foundation. (Photo: GCP) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

Peter Ustinov, Ambassador and Author Mika Laiho

Originally published at Kommentti.

The writer is a thirty year old FinnBritt, studying a PhD in Political Geography at Durham University. He has spent a lot of time living in Finland—in Helsinki, Turku, and Rovaniemi—and likes to run marathons and write fiction in his free time.

Review: Peter Ustinov, The Old Man and Mr Smith: A Fable (New York: Arcade Publishing, 1991).

USTINOV TALES

small, foul-tempered, and opinionated man whose dark features, sulphurous aroma, and tendency for metamorphosis promise nothing more than mischief. Indeed, mischief summarises the majority of events that take place as the pair reunite on Earth in a comical attempt to revisit a world they once helped create.

The magical-realist style Ustinov applies to the narrative of his novel is useful in portraying the conflict between the real life situations the Old Man and Mr Smith find themselves in and the reality they themselves possess as ‘others’ from another world.

Quickly the two protagonists discover that their ‘innocence’ becomes

By the time he was knighted by the Queen of England, the same year The Old Man and Mr Smith was published, Peter Ustinov was the author of over twenty-five works, including fiction, drama, essays, travel writing, and autobiography. As well as being a hugely successful public intellectual and entertainer, Ustinov was a devout political figure as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a volunteer for UNESCO, and President of the World Federalist Movement. In 1992, shortly after his knighthood, Ustinov became Chancellor of Durham University, England, which is the reason why the Graduate Society of the university was renamed Ustinov College in 2003 in his honour.

Twenty-five years after publication, The Old Man and Mr Smith is still as relevant as ever. The novel reflects a lifetime of social and geopolitical observations depicted by a man whose dedication to global citizenships inspired both scientific and recreational exploration into the diversity of a steadily globalising world.

In this world, what place has God or the Devil—even if they did exist?

This seems to be the point of Ustinov’s novel about the Old Man, a somewhat overweight, humbly approachable, but naïve personality, and Mr Smith, a

questionable and their movements, motives, and, ultimately, their identities are of utmost concern to the higher powers of the global elite, personified mostly by the American FBI. Evading the law by means of ‘de-materialising’ and ‘re-materialising’, which is the best description for the pair’s escape by the world’s finest intelligence services, is but one example of the sort of corny over-rationalisation by Earthlings taking place in the book.

On this vigilante journey, the reader is led through the corridors of power The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

of the White House and the cesspools of New York’s Forty-second Street, to abandoned railways of the forgotten ‘land of the free’. At the sociological level, good (the Old Man) and evil (Mr Smith) find that they are constantly marginalised by a society fuelled by norms and conventions, popularised truths and flagrant hypocrisy, which turns the protagonists away from their human mentors, whether a President or a homeless drug addict.

At the global level, the protagonists experience much the same thing, only in different cultural paradigms, which Ustinov does well not to over-generalise. Upon visiting officials of the Kremlin in the Soviet Union, the Old Man becomes no less than a hero to both superstitious admirers of the divine and so-called realists whose oversized token military uniforms express a volatile appreciation for power.

Small-fry villagers in India simultaneously embrace and chastise the Old Man and Mr Smith; party-politically oppressed citizens of China’s Tiananmen Square warn the visitors of loitering in the streets; and an officer of the Israeli army commits the pair to military reproach for getting involved in a Palestinian conflict. With regard to the significance of events portrayed between the lines, the reader is encouraged to partake in voyeurism as the novel encompasses what might be termed a ‘God’s-eye’ view of international and cultural affairs taking place in the most secret of confines in some of the remotest villages and urban centres on the planet.

The aim of The Old Man and Mr Smith is to draw on the insecurity of a steadily globalised world on the eve of what Francis Fukuyama termed ‘the end of history’. In offering the reader a satirical critique of contemporary Earth, namely by dissecting its spatial ontological, ideological, and cultural features in a jocular but cut-throat fashion, our norms, values, and ideas about our world become questionable.

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‘We met at Grad Soc’

ALUMNI CORNER

Helen Cannam

Not quite fifty years, but near enough: that’s how long it is since Grad Soc brought us together.

Newly graduated, he from Cambridge, I from Sussex, we found ourselves in Durham as aspirants for a diploma in Education. Grad Soc found us accommodation, along with a good few others, in the nearly complete Van Mildert College, which had rooms to fill and hardly any undergraduates. So there we were, women on one floor, men on the floor beneath, each in his or her study bedroom.

Newly arrived on a sunny October day in 1966, I made my way under arches near the lake, where a tall young man stood back to let me pass. ‘Hmm!’ I thought. ‘Lovely eyes…’

We met again at breakfast next day, where words were exchanged: ‘Please would you pass the butter?’ A voice as agreeable as his appearance, duly noted.

Before long, a group of us had become friends. We’d meet in one another’s rooms, talking, listening to music; we’d go for walks along Hollinside Lane (it was all woods and green fields then, in every direction. No Botanic Gardens, no Ustinov or Josephine Butler Colleges—Peter Ustinov was still just a well-known actor); we explored Hadrians Wall and Weardale; we compared notes on our experiences of teaching practice. He was a linguist, I a historian, so when he ended up teaching history at Ferryhill, I coached him on ‘Turnip Townsend’ and the Agricultural Revolution. How in such circumstances could romance do anything but blossom?

‘This is our wedding, 17 August, 1968. The wedding dress (handmade by me) is now in the Bowes Museum.’ (Photo courtesy author)

Just a year—but at the end of it, there were three pairs among our group, and three weddings to come. We married in 1968, and have lived in Durham County ever since.

So, thank you, Grad Soc! ‘This is me in my room in spring 1967, trying to look smoochy and romantic.’ (Photo courtesy author)

Helen and Tim today (Photo: Michael Baker)

‘This was taken on the day the Archbishop of Canterbury came to open Van Mildert, June 1967. Tim is seated on the steps on the left.’ (Photo courtesy author) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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‘How I met my wife’

ALUMNI CORNER

Craig M. Nakashian and Zoe Nakashian (née Old) Zoe and I met 9 December, 2000, at a Christmas party hosted by a friend on her course (Historic Object Conservation) and a friend from my department (History) who were flatmates. I very nearly didn’t make it to the party since I could not find the street, but after deciding to return home to Howlands Farm, I finally saw it.

After arriving at the party, I spent the evening and into the early morning regaling Zoe with fascinating stories about the American election (this being the contested election between George W. Bush and Al Gore), the rules of baseball, and the structure of the American education system. Surprisingly, despite these (and many other similar tales) she was less than keen on seeing much more of me.

Around 2:00 a.m. she decided to leave, and I left as well.

Craig and Zoe back in the Oughts. (Photo courtesy authors)

Since she lived at Parson’s Field House, and I at Howlands (the party was near the New Inn off South Road) we would soon go our separate ways. Luckily, Fate intervened in the form of a friend of mine (who had had a great deal to drink) taking a snooze in an alleyway. I helped him up, and had to essentially carry him back to his flat, which happened to be also at Parson’s Field House.

By this point, I had managed to demonstrate sufficient potential to entice Zoe to have coffee the next day (despite the fact that she doesn’t drink coffee or tea), and the rest is history, as it were.

One thing led to another. (Photo courtesy authors)

The Nakashian family today, visiting a familiar landmark. (Photo courtesy authors) The Ustinovian Michaelmas Term 2015

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FIrst Place: Jillian Maguire

#Ustinov at #LumiereDurham Instagram Competition Winners November 12–15, the UK’s largest light festival Lumiere returned to light up the streets of Durham, so naturally we held a photo competition on Facebook and Instagram. Now it’s time to reveal the winners! And remember you can follow The Ustinovian on Instagram and on Facebook.

Third Place: Laura Smith

Second Place: Shirley Zhao

Honourable Mention: Tomohiro Nagai