College Record 2014

Naiman (who works on the use of coins within Etruscan sanctuaries) spoke on
‘Proof in Archaeology? The Ramblings of a Madman’. Dr Lucy Bowes presented
her important, Leverhulme-funded research on the impact of bullying on child
mental health. Again on ‘Childhood’, but from a different perspective, Charlotte
Bennett discussed children’s literature of the First World War. Under the title
of ‘Empowering Judges over Politicians: Puzzle and Method’, Dr Cristina Parau
described her pioneering, interdisciplinary research into the political foundations of
constitutional change in Britain. Amanda Frickle, who studies the relationships and
interconnections between gender, reproductive rights and criminal justice systems,
spoke about the fascinating yet understudied issue of fetal abuse prosecutions in
the United States. Finally, Dr Tim Viney presented his ground-breaking research
in hippocampal neurons and their roles in behaviour, in particular the activity
patterns of identified GABA-releasing neurons in the rodent hippocampus during
movement and sleep; and Delphine Fayard spoke about sylphs in French literature
as emblems of imagination, desires and dreams.
It was decided that, from Michaelmas 2014 onwards, there will be one President’s
Seminar each term. The President and the President’s Seminar team are very
grateful, as ever, to Louise Gordon, Linda Boerner, Karl Davies, and the Wolfson
catering staff, who provide the technical and catering support that ensures the
smooth running of the seminars and the enjoyable dinners afterwards. We are also
grateful to Juliet Montgomery, who provides administrative support. Above all, we
are grateful to our speakers for ensuring that the President’s Seminars continue to
be the friendly, intellectually-challenging, and wholly stimulating events that they
are intended to be.
We welcomed Christine Fouirnaies, Anastasia Tolstoy and Andy Cutts to the
organizing group, but Andy is now leaving Wolfson; we thank him for his hard
work, imperturbability and good humour.
Christos Hadjiyiannis
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