Despite the grey weather, Somerville enjoyed a vibrant Hilary term. We welcomed the publication of new books by our Senior Associate Jane Robinson and Fellow in English Professor Fiona Stafford. We also celebrated the nomination of three members of our community in the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2024, including our very own Principal Jan Royall. Academically, we saw recognition for all three common rooms. Our Fellow in Engineering, Professor Noa Zilberman was named an Alan Turing Fellow. Our doctoral student Sawsan El-Zahr won the Dyson Sustainability Award at this year’s STEM for Britain competition, and our undergraduate medic Josephine Carnegie won the university’s Ledingham Prize for Best Performance in Clinical Finals.
In March, International Women’s Day fell on the same date as our Dorothy Hodgkin Memorial Lecture, in a year that marks 60 years since Dorothy Hodgkin became the first and, so far, only British woman to receive a science Nobel. We marked the occasion with a scintillating lecture by Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University, and a special commemorative film featuring Hodgkin’s former students and colleagues alongside today’s biochemists.