Welcome to the very first Spotlight On Somerville, our new feature compiling cuttings from the recent news and media featuring Somervillians.
We wanted to make sure you didn’t miss out on hearing about the brilliant work members of our community are doing, and opportunities to discover more about our pioneering alumni. Case in point: it may only be 2nd week but you have already been hard at work making the headlines! Here’s today’s spotlight:
School Twinning Scheme
BBC, Oxford Student, Oxford Mail
Conference of Colleges, currently led by our Principal Jan Royall, and Oxford Hub have partnered on a new scheme twinning Oxford University colleges with local state primary schools. The pilot scheme, featuring five colleges including Somerville, launched last week. The twinning will lead to partner schools being given access to college facilities and student-led activities, including singing in their twin college’s chapel, workshops with tutors, and lunches in the college’s dining hall.
Wild Swimmers
BBC Breakfast
Somerville student Ruby Cooper (2020, PPE) spoke to BBC TV along with Jesus College’s Ellie Ford, together with whom she leads the Oxford University Wild Swimmers, about the benefits of cold water swimming and the current water quality crisis brought on by record discharges of untreated sewage.
Lady Rhondda on Great Lives presented by Lady Hale
The BBC’s Great Lives show featured our maverick alumna, the suffragette, businesswoman and founder of Time and Tide magazine, Margaret Haig Thomas (1904, History). The episode was presented by former President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale, who nominated her, and features expert insight from Angela V. John, Honorary Professor of History.
Senior Research Fellow Alex Rogers on Radio 4’s Inside Science
Our Senior Research Fellow Alex Rogers was a guest on Radio 4’s Inside Science as an expert of the ocean deeps, in his capacity as science director for REV Oceans. He joined a panel of scientists exploring the breath-taking diversity of the oceans depths.