The first Tuesday Talk of the academic year saw College President, Professor Lord Tarassenko, introduce new students to Reuben College’s themes. As the Head of Oxford’s newest graduate college, Professor Lord Tarassenko reminded us that Reuben is also an ongoing experiment in how ideas from different academic fields can meaningfully interact.
Our four research themes, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Cellular Life, Environmental Change, and Values & Society, are designed to be interdisciplinary meeting points.
Connecting through themes and events
After the introduction, we looked at how to get involved. There are three main ways for students to stay informed: the termcard, the college newsletter, and the GCR newsletter. Reuben is a collaborative community, so we also encourage students to create and run events, such as the GCR-organised Black History Month speaker series running this month.
Environmental Change
First, we had an introduction to the Environmental Change theme. It’s open to all disciplines; after all, climate change touches every domain. Something to look out for is the Environmental Change Photography Competition, returning this year.
PERCH (Public Engagement with Research, Culture & Heritage)
The work that the PERCH theme does connects Reuben with Oxford’s museums, which are free to visit (and there are even special exhibitions open to University members). The student rep also shared highlights of the Insights Festival (Reuben’s annual public engagement celebration), and funding opportunities for student outreach projects.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Following dinner, conversation turned to Innovation & Entrepreneurship. About a quarter of Oxford students consider starting or joining a start-up after their degree. Reuben is the University’s entrepreneurial graduate college and works alongside Christ Church, which has a space on St Giles for innovation. We were encouraged to explore the websites of EnSpire and Oxford University Innovation, which support student ventures from idea to launch. With Reuben’s Entrepreneurship Forum, there are even opportunities to meet real investors, and perhaps one day to join the ranks of Oxford’s start-ups.
Values & Society
The evening continued with a witty introduction to Values & Society. Our speaker reminded us that, while knowledge teaches that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom knows not to put it in a fruit salad. This theme invites us to ask what truly matters, ensuring that our pursuit of knowledge benefits society. Upcoming V&S events include a Proust reading group with a led discussion afterwards.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
After dessert, the spotlight turned to the Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning theme, in which the range of interests represented was wonderfully diverse. The fellows leading the theme welcome ideas for workshops and students proposing and hosting speakers.
Cellular Life
The evening concluded with the Cellular Life theme, which has evolved. Recently it’s broadened to include clinical and computational perspectives, to complement strengths in neuroscience and vaccine research. The theme naturally overlaps with Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Change, and its Fellows bring experience and insight into the many paths that a career in science can take.
