October 2015

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has published a fascinating account of Dame Stephanie 'Steve' Shirley's life and achievements. Dame Stephanie, a Foundation Fellow at Balliol, arrived in London in 1939 as an unaccompanied Jewish minor fleeing the Nazis. In an extraordinary life she has defied gender stereotypes, founded a pioneering all-female software firm and given more than £65 million to charity. 'If I say I'm going to talk about a great software entrepreneur named Steve Shirley, I imagine you will have in your mind a young man, probably American, most likely wearing a baseball cap and hoodie,' says Mark Dodgson. 'In fact, I'm going to be talking about an 81-year-old Dame of the British Empire, who created one of the first ever software companies... and has devoted her later life to giving away her considerable fortune.'

Balliol was saddened by the death on 3 October of Denis Winston Healey, Rt Hon Lord Healey, PC, CH, MBE, MA Oxf, Balliol 1936 and Honorary Fellow from 1979. Andrew Graham (Acting Master 1997–2001, Master 2001–2011) writes: ‘Denis Healey who so sadly died on 3 October was a giant of the British political landscape in the post-war period. Trenchant and unrestrained of language, independent of thought, ruthlessly cutting in criticism, especially of Thatcher (Attila the Hen) and of the far left (Toytown Trots), he was fearless under attack, whether from bullets on the beaches in Italy or from the baying left in a Labour Party conference. A man full of great personal warmth – though, to his cost, never a cultivator of supporters – he was undoubtedly the greatest Foreign Secretary we never had and a leader the Labour Party really ought to have had.' Read Dr Graham's full tribute here.

Congratulations to Dr David Wark (Tutorial Fellow 1992-1999, Supernumary Fellow), whose team at Oxford University have contributed to Nobel Prize-winning research. The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2015 has been awarded for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos have mass. Professor John Wheater, Head of the Department of Physics at Oxford University, says, 'Many congratulations to the Oxford Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) group, who made several seminal contributions to the SNO experiment. Oxford SNO has been led at various times by Steve Biller, Nick Jelley and David Wark; great credit is due to them, their post-docs and students, and the Workshops, for what has been achieved.'

The 2015 Annual Record is now available to read online. This year's edition features articles on Balliol's early printed books and the inception of the JCR Picture Fund, as well as news and notes from Old Members and updates from the College's students and Fellows.
Old Members can access the Record using the password Annualrecord_2015Balliol. Please contact Ginny Matthews if you have any questions or if you would like to access a copy of the Record suitable for the visually impaired. 
Erratum: The poem ‘Balliol Gaudy 2015’ on page 76 is by Sir Michael Burton (1965) and Trevor Milne-Day (1966). We apologise for omitting to credit Trevor Milne-Day.

Dr Rebecca Burton (2005) is the lead author of a paper published in Nature Phototonics, in which she and her team of researchers at Oxford and Stony Brook universities describe their discovery of a method to control the electrical waves that regulate the heartbeat. If the electrical signals that control the rhythm of the heart, known as excitation waves, slow down, the effect can be fatal, and although there are methods of keeping them in check, such as pacemakers, these are relatively crude. Borrowing from the developing field of optogenetics, the research team has found a way of controlling the waves much more precisely by using light, as described in more detail here.

The 2015 Boyer Lectures given by Dr Michael Fullilove (1997), Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, are now available online as audio recordings and transcripts. Dr Fullilove’s subject was ‘Australia’s place in the world’. The first lecture was given overseas for the first time in the 60-year history of the Boyer Lectures, at Peking University in Beijing. The lectures will be published as a book by Penguin in December.

Congratulations to Dr Jessica Bruce (2002, née Leitch), who has broken the world record for the fastest marathon while pushing a buggy. Dr Bruce completed the Abingdon Marathon on 18 October with her seven-month-old son Daniel in a pushchair in 3 hours, 17 minutes and 52 seconds, as reported on BBC News. In a video interview with BBC South Today, Dr Bruce describes how, having entered the marathon shortly after giving birth, she decided 'I'm probably not going to run as fast as I have done, so let's set up a new challenge!'

A Map of Days, an engraving by Grayson Perry, has been purchased by the JCR Picture Fund and hung in the Buttery. Will Aitchison, one of the JCR Picture Fund Officers, describes the work: ‘In this self-portrait, the artist depicts himself as though he were a city map. Each component of the city and surrounding land, whether street, building or river, is named according to an emotion or ideological stance.’ Will adds, ‘I feel that Map of Days suits the student environment well, given that its theme – the exploration of the self – is one that everyone can associate with.’ The JCR Picture Fund was set up by Balliol students in 1950 - read more about the Fund in this year's Annual Record.

Return to one of Balliol’s favourite London venues, the Barbican Centre, on Monday 16 November for Balliol’s Young Alumni Winter Party. The Garden Terrace is reserved exclusively for Young Alumni (2002 – 2013) and the £25 ticket includes canapes, drinks, and entry to a private viewing of the Eames exhibition. From personal letters, photographs, drawings and artwork, to their products, models, multi-media installations and furniture, The World of Charles and Ray Eames includes not only the designs for which they are best known, but provides an insight into their lives. 
This evening has kindly been made possible by Sir Nicholas Kenyon (1969). Help us celebrate the start of the festive season - book online now!

In April 2013, the Balliol MCR hosted the Holywell Manor Festival as part of the College’s 750th Anniversary celebrations. The Festival aimed to celebrate the history and ethos of the College – its culture of academic excellence and global enrichment – by featuring academic talks, music and performing arts. In light of the overwhelming success of the event, the MCR will be hosting another Holywell Manor Festival on Saturday 23 April 2016, bringing together past and present members of the College in an exchange of ideas and experiences that reflects the rich intellectual culture and ethos of social responsibility that characterises the Balliol community. The Festival will be a day-long event with a range of talks by high-profile speakers, musical performances, an archival exhibition, champagne reception and dinner in Hall. Both graduate and undergraduate alumni are warmly welcomed. Further details and invitations to follow soon.

• Young Alumni Winter Party - 16 November at the Barbican. For Balliol Members who matriculated between 2002 - 2013. Book online here.
• The Usborne Dinner - 19 November. Invitations have now been sent, and invitees can book online here.
• Balliol Medical Society Annual Seminar and Dinner - 21 November. Book online here.
• Pathfinders Anniversary Dinner - 27 November. By invitation to former Coolidge and William Westerman Pathfinders. Invitees can book online here.
• Balliol at the Varsity Matches - 10 December.
• Intercollegiate Golf Tournament - 15 April 2016 at Frilford Heath Golf Club. Those interested should email Chris Jelley (1962).

• Drinks Reception at The Royal Society of Edinburgh - 22 January 2016. Invitations and further details will be sent soon. Our warmest thanks to Kenneth Greig (1978) for making this event possible.
• Greville Smith Society Lunch - 12 March. Invitations to be sent in November.
  
• Gaudy for the years 2000 – 2002 - 19 March 2016
• Gaudy for the years 1978 – 1980 - 25 June 2016
• Holywell Manor Festival - 23 April 2016. See more information.
• Master's Seminar in Rome, 'Britain and Ireland in Europe' - 17 May 2016. More details will be available soon.

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