Oxford University: Recent Episodes
University of Oxford
Sounds, interviews and features from the University of Oxford, one of the world's leading universities. For more information about the University, please visit http://www.ox.ac.uk
Took place 16 March 2017 Vicky Pearson from the Public Affairs Directorate outlined the University’s Innovation Communications Strategy, including progress on implementation of our first external campaign and how departments and colleges can get involved.
Took place on 15 March 2017 Simon Gray and Gregg Bayes-Brown gave an insight in this session into the communications and marketing strategy and activities at Oxford University Innovation, the University’s research commercialisation office, and how we can work together across all disciplines to support innovation communications.
Took place Monday 31 October 2016 Are you nervous about the idea of standing up and speaking to a group? This practical workshop with Andrea Stewart, Head of Communications and Advocacy at the World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network, and Vicky Pearson from the Public Affairs Directorate gave hints and tips for improving your confidence and skills, as well as giving some ‘hands-on’ experience.
Took place Monday 31 October 2016 Are you nervous about the idea of standing up and speaking to a group? This practical workshop with Andrea Stewart, Head of Communications and Advocacy at the World Wide Antimalarial Resistance Network, and Vicky Pearson from the Public Affairs Directorate gave hints and tips for improving your confidence and skills, as well as giving some ‘hands-on’ experience.
Took place on 1 March 2017 Maria Coyle and Chris McIntyre from the News & Information Office in the Public Affairs Directorate shared some hints and tips for interviewing academics and turning technical academic language into text that is understandable to lay audiences. Unfortunately the recording is incomplete as the recording device did not capture the whole session.
Took place on 8 March 2017 This session with Trudy Coe and Machilu Zimba from the University’s Equality and Diversity Unit, considered equality and diversity issues at Oxford and talked through some of the implications for communications and how we strike a balance between where we are currently and our aspirations.
Miles Young, newly-installed Warden of New College, shares his experiences studying history as an undergraduate and talks about how he transitioned into a career in PR and advertising.
Young was the Chairman and CEO of the international advertising, marketing and public relations agency Ogilvy & Mather. He started his career at Lintas and Allen Brady & Marsh, before joining Ogilvy and Mather in 1982 and becoming CEO in 2008. In October 2016 he stepped down from this position and was installed as the Warden at New College, Oxford.
In this podcast, he discusses his time as CEO of one the world’s biggest PR and advertising agencies, why he came back to Oxford to become the Warden of New College, as well as offering advice to prospects and students who are considering a career in advertising.
The University's Assistant Registrar for Compliance Max Todd talked through the main requirements of the Data Protection Act and how they affect the day-to-day work of communications colleagues.
The University's Assistant Registrar for Compliance Max Todd talked through the main requirements of the Data Protection Act and how they affect the day-to-day work of communications colleagues.
Episode 19, October 2016
Director of Modern Art Oxford, Paul Hobson, shares his experiences studying Modern History at Brasenose College and talks about how he transitioned into a career in contemporary art.
As well as reading Modern History at Oxford University, Paul also completed post-graduate studies in aesthetics and contemporary visual theory. Since then he has worked for more than twenty years in the art world in senior roles for the Contemporary Art Society, The Showroom, the Serpentine Gallery, and Royal Academy of Arts in London. He has been Director of Modern Art Oxford since 2013.
In this podcast, he discusses his time as Director of Modern Art as well as other well-known galleries, why he came back to the city after being an undergraduate here, as well as offering advice to prospects and students who are considering a career in arts management.
Episode 18, September 2016
Chief Executive of Stonewall, Ruth Hunt, shares her experiences studying English Language and Literature at St. Hilda’s and offers an insight into what it was like to be a LGBT student and President of the Student Union at Oxford.
Hunt first joined Stonewall in 2005 as the Senior Policy Officer leading on research into homophobic bullying in schools. In 2014, she succeeded Ben Summerskill as Chief Executive. In 2015, she was voted the third most influential LGBT person in Britain in the Independent’s Rainbow List.
In this podcast, she discusses her current role at Stonewall and her commitment to transgender equality, as well as reflecting on the recent Olympics at Rio and how LGBT athletes like Tom Daley and Caster Semenya were treated, as well as offering advice to students who are considering Oxford as a LGBT-friendly university.
Dr Oliver Cox shares his passion for England’s greatest landscape designer, Capability Brown, in an interview recorded for the tercentenary celebrations of Brown’s birth. In discussing Brown’s achievements and how he has been perceived over the generations Dr Cox offers a preview of his talk on 18 September during the tenth Alumni Weekend in Oxford. Dr Cox continues by explaining his love of Oxford, where he has completed three History degrees and is now employed as the inaugural Heritage Engagement Fellow at TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities. He describes the Thames Valley Country House Partnership – an organisation he created to link entrepreneurs in the heritage sector with researchers at Oxford – and even talks about appreciating Brown’s landscaping while competing in the Blenheim Palace triathlon.
Modern European History Professor Paul Betts reflects on the legacy of World War II and its relevance to conflicts and crises today.
Freelance journalist and broadcaster Henry Bonsu shares his experiences studying Modern Languages at Magdalen College and offers an insight into what it was like to be a black student at Oxford in the late eighties.
Bonsu started his career as a journalist with BBC radio in 1990, working on programmes such as Today, World at One, Public Eye, and Black Britain, before establishing himself as the anchor of the Drivetime programme on BBC London 94.9 FM where he would interview prominent celebrities and politicians. After famously being axed from the BBC for being “too intellectual”, Bonsu went on to be director and presenter of Colourful Radio, a digital station aimed at Europe's African and Caribbean communities. He has also written for The Times, The Mail on Sunday, Daily Express, and the London Evening Standard.
In this podcast, Bonsu reflects on his time at Oxford and why he wrote an article during his studies on ‘being black in the ivory tower,’ as well as offering advice to black students who might not think that Oxford is for them.
Tara Jewell and Victoria Savage from the Academic Administration Division Communications Team provided an outline of the basics of communicating with students, including the sorts of channels available, the type of information they communicate and how they measure engagement.
How do we discover the origins of mountains?
Rock climber, mountaineer and geologist, Professor Mike Searle, explains how his work to understand mountain ranges, particularly the Himalayas, can unearth clues about the origins of mountains.
From trekking across mountains to map them, to using new technology to understand how the continents have moved in the past, and how they're behaving today. He also discusses last years tragic Earthquake in Nepal. Read more about his work at http://www.travelinggeologist.com/tg-mike-searle/.
How can chemistry take inspiration from nature to create cleaner and more efficient ways of producing and using Hydrogen as an energy source?
Professor Kylie Vincent explains how bacteria may hold the key to harnessing Hydrogen as a clean energy source: Chemists are looking to understand how bacteria make use of Hydrogen as efficiently as they do using common metals. The hope is that we may be able to learn from them to inspire our own fuel cells. Currently, we have to use really expensive metals, like platinum. And what we can learn from nature doesn't just stop there. Bacteria are also very good at making specific molecules, e.g., those that might be of interest as drugs. And they do it better than we can! Kylie also describes work in this area to make use of bacterial cell 'machinery' to carry out specific chemical reactions.
In his third lecture as Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage explores how poets have used lists in their work. Starting with the poetic intentions of a tea towel, and moving through Marianne Moore to medieval poets, Simon Armitage considers centuries of list-making in poetry.
Here he talks about Walt Whitman and ends by reading Whitman's 'epiphanic, rhapsodic, orgasmic' poem 'I Sing the Body Electric’.
In his third lecture as Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage explores how centuries of poets have used lists, from the medieval era to today.
Here, he considers the poetic intentions and authorship of a tea towel. Listen to the full lecture here: http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/engfac/armitage/2016-05-17_engfac_armitage.mp3
In his third lecture as Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage explores how poets have used lists in their work. Starting with the poetic intentions of a tea towel, and moving through Marianne Moore to medieval poets, Simon Armitage considers centuries of list-making in poetry.
Here, he describes why the list is so intrinsic to poetry. Listen to the full lecture here: http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/engfac/armitage/2016-05-17_engfac_armitage.mp3
Comedian and broadcaster Ruby Wax shares her experiences of studying mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy and why she taken on a mission to save the world’s mental health.
Wax started her career as a comic interviewer with shows such as Don’t Miss Wax, The Full Wax, and Ruby Wax Meets, and was also a script-editor for the popular TV series, Absolutely Fabulous. Since studying Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Kellogg College, she has written two books about her interest in mental health and her own struggles with depression and anxiety; Sane New World, which became a number one best-seller, and her latest book, A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled. She has also received an OBE in the Special Honours for Services to Mental Health.
For this Alumni Voices podcast interview, Ruby talks about her experiences at Oxford and how her studies in mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy have shaped the latter half of her career.
Kathleen Sullivan praises the tutorial system and her Oxford education, explaining how it has contributed to her successful career in academia and the courtroom.
She shares her experiences as the former Dean of Stanford Law School, and refers to her work representing major companies in the US Supreme Court.
A Marshall scholar, Sullivan read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Wadham College in Oxford, where she developed her love of constitutional law, as well as interests in rowing and acting. She talks about the ‘enduring bond’ between alumni and their alma mater, describes becoming a named partner at the major law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, and speaks of her faith in US political institutions ahead of the presidential race for the White House. This interview was recorded in Washington DC before the Alumni Weekend in North America in April 2016.
When I look too long at rivers you are there. Your tightening hair. It is then I pick up my horn play again your name to whomever, ever, will hear.
The 2nd part of Matt Pickles and Stuart Gillespie's talk 'Engaging the media with research'
Led by the Matt Pickles and Stuart Gillespie from the News & Information Office, this in-depth session considered how to engage the media with research – from what makes a good story to what kind of information journalists need – with lots of interaction real-world examples.
Margaret Ounsley, Head of Government and Community Relations, talked through why community engagement is important and outlined some ideas to get you started.
Speakers from the Alumni Office, Saïd Business School and Events Office ran through the benefits and challenges of some popular event technologies for pre-event registration, on-the-day check-in and audience interaction.
The Rt Hon the Lord Patten of Barnes, CH describes his long-standing links with Oxford and his high-profile political career in this wide-ranging podcast interview. From reading Modern History as an undergraduate to his role today as the Chancellor of the University, Lord Patten reflects on his numerous connections with Oxford. He describes how his studies and the tutorial system prepared him for politics by fostering independent thought. He also refers to playing cricket as a student, and to hearing the Rolling Stones perform at a College ball during the Swinging Sixties
Lord Patten continues by sharing political insights gained from high office, including his role as the last Governor of Hong Kong. He emphasises his interest in politics and identity – a subject he will address in a keynote lecture at the Alumni Weekend in September 2015.
Olympic athlete and public speaker Mara Yamauchi shares her experiences training for competitive sports and offers an insight into what it takes to become a world-class long distance runner.
Prize-winning economist Tim Harford shares wide-ranging economic insights, including why you can’t buy a decent used car and why you should exercise caution with big data.
Mark Goldring, CEO of Oxfam talks about the humility and confidence that he gained during his time at Oxford.
Hear the full interview: http://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/alumnivoices
Dr Bronwyn Tarr is a psychologist at Oxford. Here she offers an evolutionary explanation for why we dance, and why dancing creates feelings of collective joy.
Read the full interview at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/how-live-happy-life/dr-bronwyn-tarr
Will is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Lincoln College, Oxford. Here he talks about how doing meaningful work, and giving everything above £20,000 of his salary to charity, has made him happier.
Read the full interview at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/how-live-happy-life/professor-will-macaskill
Jeff is a professor of moral philosophy. Here he explains how we can live a life that is personally satisfying as well as morally good.
Read the full interview at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/how-live-happy-life/professor-jeff-mcmahan
A psychiatrist analyses to what extent our genes can predetermine how happy we are.
Read the full interview at: http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/how-live-happy-life/professor-liz-tunbridge
Case studies from the Faculty of Law, Oxford Sparks and Wolfson College to illustrate how the process works in practice. Part two of two.
Christopher Eddie and Stephen Sangar from the Digital Communications team talked through the steps and issues you need to think about in reviewing your website, including determining your objectives for your site, structuring your content, managing user testing and the role of analytics. Part one of two.
Recording of Oxford University's staff question time session on 23 November 2015. Part two of two.
Recording of Oxford University's staff question time session on 23 November 2015. Part one of two.
Simon Armitage tells 'The Poet's Parable' through which he makes a wider point about the undervalued role of the modern poet.
The full recording: http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/engfac/armitage/2015-11-24_engfac_armitage.mp3
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shetlandarts/6073328484
Simon Armitage gave his first lecture as Professor of Poetry to a packed audience at the Examination Schools yesterday evening (Tuesday 24 November).
The full recording: http://media.podcasts.ox.ac.uk/engfac/armitage/2015-11-24_engfac_armitage.mp3
Professor Armitage opened with an account of 'the parable of the solicitor and the poet', in which a poet pays a solicitor for legal advice. The solicitor then asked the poet to review some poetry he had written - and did not offer to pay the poet.
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/shetlandarts/6073328484
Read the full interview here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/entrepreneurial-academics/helen-townley-and-xerion
Helen Townley works at Oxford's Science Park in Begbroke. She works to find innovative uses of nanoparticles and natural products in medicine and industry.
Read the full interview here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/acquiring-language/professor-victoria-murphy
Professor Murphy from the Oxford Department of Education looks at the differences in literary and linguistic development in bilingual compared to monolingual children.
Read the full interview here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/acquiring-language/professor-stephen-pulman
Professor Pulman, a computer linguist, looks at how we can get computers to simulate language learning and what it is currently impossible to get a computer to understand that a human can do intuitively.
Read the full interview here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/unequal-world/professor-roger-crisp
How should we think about equality in ethics? Why do some people find it easier to give than others? Discussing how we should think about inequality with Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy.
The Rt Hon the Lord Patten of Barnes, CH describes his long-standing links with Oxford and his high-profile political career in this wide-ranging podcast interview.
Chris plays out the first of our Museum Of The Year finalist packages - ahead of the winning announcement. What did Ken Bruce discover at Oxford's Natural History Museum?
Each year the Art Fund host the Museum of the Year Awards with a transformative prize of £100,000. For 2015, key Radio 2 daytime presenters visited the six shortlisted venues.
Chris Evans went to the Imperial War Museum in London; Sara Cox visited Dunham Massey in Cheshire; Jo Whiley went to The MAC in Belfast; Simon Mayo went to the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester and and Jeremy Vine visited the Tower of London. They each recorded a short audio package about what they saw there.
This week the packages will be played out across daytime Radio 2.
The network's support of Museum of the Year comes to a climax with a very special edition of Friday Night is Music Night: 'Friday Night at the Museum' - where curators from the six shortlisted museums will 'show and tell' some of their most interesting exhibits, and we will match them with appropriate music.
On Thursday 2nd July the Director of the winning Museum of the Year will appear on the Chris Evans show.
A brief history of the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre including information about how students use them today.
An overview of the history of Oxford University for prospective applicants who may like to know more about how the University has changed over the years.
Some interesting facts about the gargoyles and grotesques that you can see across Oxford.
An explanation of the process of how to make an application to Oxford University for an undergraduate course.
Information about how to use the Blue Route and navigate your way around the city of Oxford using the accompanying map.
An interview with a current student studying PPE at Oxford. Including questions about why they applied, how they divide their time between academic and social life and what they are planning to do when they leave Oxford.
Information about what there is to do and see in the city of Oxford from a student's perspective.
An explanation of the process of how to make an application to Oxford University for an undergraduate course.
An overview of the history of Oxford University for prospective applicants who may like to know more about how the University has changed over the years.
A brief history of the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre including information about how students use them today.
An interview with a current student studying Law at Oxford. Including questions about why they applied, how they divide their time between academic and social life and what they are planning to do when they leave Oxford.
An explanation of studying Social Sciences at the University of Oxford and what resources you can find across the departments.
A brief overview of the Pitt Rivers Museum including what you can see in the museum today and how students use these resources.
Describes why students value the collegiate system and how it shapes your experience of life at Oxford.
Explains how the collegiate system works at Oxford and what facilities you can expect to find in any of Oxford's 30 undergraduate colleges.
An explanation of how to use the tour and how to safely navigate your way around the city of Oxford.
Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, welcomes people to the Oxford Audio Admissions Tours and explains what they are all about.
An explanation of the process of how to make an application to Oxford University for an undergraduate course.
Gives you a tour of the Iffley Sports Ground and explains what sports and facilities are on offer.
Tells you about the history of the Botanic Gardens and how Oxford students use it for their studies.
An interview with a current student studying Law at Oxford. Including questions about why they applied, how they divide their time between academic and social life and what they are planning to do when they leave Oxford
Gives information about the variety of drama available to undergraduates across the University.
Gives information about the variety of music available to undergraduates for academic and social purposes.
An explanation of how to use the tour and how to safely navigate your way around the city of Oxford.
A short overview of Regent's Park College and St Benet's Hall, including information about their history, what life is like and the facilities you can find.
A brief overview of the Ashmolean Museum including what you can see in the museum today and how students use these resources.
A brief history of the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre including information about how students use them today.
An explanation of the process of how to make an application to Oxford University for an undergraduate course.
An interview with a current student studying History at Oxford. Including questions about why they applied, how they divide their time between academic and social life and what they are planning to do when they leave Oxford.
An overview of the history of Oxford University for prospective applicants who may like to know more about how the University has changed over the years.
Information about what there is to do and see in the city of Oxford from a student's perspective.
An interview with a current student studying English Literature and Language at Oxford. Including questions about why they applied, how they divide their time between academic and social life and what they are planning to do when they leave Oxford.
An explanation of studying Arts and Humanities at the University of Oxford and what resources you can find across the departments.
Describes why students value the collegiate system and how it shapes your experience of life at Oxford.
Explains how the collegiate system works at Oxford and what facilities you can expect to find in any of Oxford's 30 undergraduate colleges.
Explains what Oxford University Press does and how it contributes to the University of Oxford.
An explanation of how to use the tour and how to safely navigate your way around the city of Oxford.
Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, welcomes people to the Oxford Audio Admissions Tours and explains what they are all about.
An interview with a current student in their third year studying Chemistry at University College.
An overview of what studying science at Oxford is like and how the degrees courses are taught. Also includes information about the history of science at Oxford and the possible subject areas you may research.
An explanation of how the University of Oxford is divided into faculties and what resources you can find across the departments.
A brief overview of the University Museum of Natural History including what you can see in the museum today.
An overview of the history of the University Parks and how students use it for recreation today.
An explanation of the process of how to make an application to Oxford University for an undergraduate course.
An overview of the history of Oxford University for prospective applicants who may like to know more about how the University has changed over the years.
Information about what there is to do and see in the city of Oxford from a student’s perspective.
Describes why students value the collegiate system and how it shapes your experience of life at Oxford.
Explains how the collegiate system works at Oxford and what facilities you can expect to find in any of Oxford’s 30 undergraduate colleges.
An explanation of how to use the tour and how to safely navigate your way around the city of Oxford.
Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, welcomes people to the Oxford Audio Admissions Tours and explains what they are all about.
An explanation of the process of how to make an application to Oxford University for an undergraduate course.
A brief overview of the University Museum of Natural History including what you can see in the museum today.
An explanation of how the University of Oxford is divided into faculties and what resources you can find across the departments.
An interview with a current student in their third year studying Chemistry at University College.
Information about what there is to do and see in the city of Oxford from a student’s perspective.
An overview of the history of Oxford University for prospective applicants who may like to know more about how the University has changed over the years.
A brief history of the Bodleian Library including information about how students use it and why it is such a fantastic resource.
Describes why students value the collegiate system and how it shapes your experience of life at Oxford.
Explains how the collegiate system works at Oxford and what facilities you can expect to find in any of Oxford’s 30 undergraduate colleges.
An explanation of how to use the tour and how to safely navigate your way around the city of Oxford.
Samina Khan, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, welcomes people to the Oxford Audio Admissions Tours and explains what they are all about.