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MESSAGES
feels somewhat unnatural to be considering them in a
historical context.
Nova et Vetera – Knapp recruiting Bullock; Bullock,
Jacobsen, the key players besides Knapp: Horwood,
Davies, Dickson, Tayler, Holmes, Schultz and
Simopoulos; the orchestra somehow miraculously
playing in the same key. Shaping, debating, passion,
vision, politics, arguments. Their legacy for us is both
remarkable and distinctive – a forge for our students, a
stage for our players, and a board for our pieces.
It is clear that our students have indeed made the
most of this forge in our anniversary year. They have
teased us in this year of all years by producing 49
Firsts in our 50th year, but we are more than pleased
with that. We will take that, because by more than the
simple arithmetic, we have had an astonishing year in
terms of the quality of performance.
Across thirteen end-of-year examinations, our students
secured top Firsts: Geography (Sebastian Koa, Prelims);
Human Sciences (Lizzie Wilkins, Prelims; Benjamin
Rinck, Finals); Chemistry (Jonathan Mannouch, Part I
Finals; David Shepherd, Part II Finals); Materials Science
(Frederica Onslow, Prelims; Samuel Tham, Part I Finals;
Phei Qi Sim, Part II Finals); Materials, Economics and
Management (Brett Nielsen, Part II Finals); Economics
and Management (Michael Hill, Finals, and by a large
margin over the runner up); Physics (Lo Po Tsui, BA
Finals); and Mathematics (Paul Dobson, Mods; Bodan
Arsovski, Part I Finals).
Yet in such a remarkable year, we ask too, ‘why
else are we here’? We can, of course, revel in the
achievements of our alumni and our Fellows, by drawing
encouragement in the discoveries, writings, honours,
medals and prizes with which so many have been
associated. We are double the size of the college which
Bullock and his team founded, and there are few parts
of society that we haven’t touched in a significant way
during the course of this past year.
Mark Simpson (2008, Music) was commissioned to
produce the opening fanfare for the Last Night of the
Proms. Andy Triggs Hodge (2004, Geography) secured
a gold medal in the London Olympics. Honorary Fellow
Professor John Goodenough was elected to the US
National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his
distinguished and continuing contribution to research.
Professor Peter Edwards was awarded an Einstein
Professorship of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Lord
Stern (Honorary Fellow) was elected President of the
British Academy. Sir Tim Rice (Emeritus Fellow) collected
a special Olivier Award for his outstanding contribution
to musical theatre.
Dr Gaia Scerif (Tutorial Fellow in Psychology) was
nominated by the American Psychological Society for
a Rising Star Award; Michael Sullivan (Emeritus Fellow)
was invited to open an exhibition of his and his late
wife Khoan’s collection formed over the years at the
Beijing National Gallery of Art, together with archival
material collected by them through their contact with
Chinese artists over the past seventy years. Books
Our students
have teased
us in this year
of all years by
producing 49
Firsts in our
50th year
ST CATHERINE’S COLLEGE 2012/3