Michaelmas 2008 Termcard
Entry: members free, student non-members £1, others £2 Join us afterwards for wine and soft drinks Click for PDF version
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Week 2 - Thursday 23 October 8pm,
Hugh Brody – ‘The Meaning of Life’
It is once again our great pleasure to welcome the renowned author, anthropologist, activist, and filmmaker Hugh Brody as the first of our guest speakers for this term. Professor Brody will be sharing with us his latest film, ‘The Meaning of Life’, which premiered in Chilliwack, British Columbia on the fourth of October. The documentary focuses on a British Columbia correctional facility, Kwìkwèxwelhp, which uses Aboriginal spirituality and community as key components within its rehabilitation program. According to the Chilliwack review, “An accomplished anthropologist and filmmaker familiar with Aboriginal issues (Time Immemorial, The Washing of Tears), Brody has a unique talent for bringing social and justice issues to the screen.” |
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Week 3 - Thursday 30 October 8pm, Earth Sciences Lecture Hall
Expeditions Seminar
Come and get all the contacts and information you need to set up or join your own student expedition in 2008. You’ll get tips on choosing your team, medical issues and how to produce a successful application to the Expeditions Council. Advice on funding an expedition and how much money is available through the club will be available. You’ll also get a chance to hear from previous expedition leaders how they went about setting up their projects. NOTE: Deadline for proposals this year is noon on Wednesday of 6th week. |
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Week 4 - Thursday 6 November 8pm, venue to be confirmed
Professor Giovanni Badino – Speleologist and Physicist
An event one year in the planning, it is a real honour for us to welcome Giovanni Badino.Professor Badino is recognized as one of the world’s greatest cavers. His expeditions have taken him beneath innumerable exotic and varied terrains including Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iceland, and Antarctica. He is one of the sevenfounders of La Venta, a caving association charged with ‘extending the concept of cave’ which has explored diverse caverns ranging from glacial ice to quartzite. Also a skilled physicist, over the years his research focus has shifted from underground supernovaneutrino detection to underground climate change in relation to the outside atmosphere, with much of his work taking place in an underground lab 80km from his university campus. |
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Week 5 - Thursday 13 November 8pm, Christchurch College Lecture Room One
Hunting orchids along the Inter-Oceanic Highway in Peru
The 2008 Peruvian Orchid Expedition was an ambitious project to explore thediversity of the Orchids and their intimately intertwined relationship withtheir habitats. The expedition took the team through montane cloud forests,high-Andean Puna grasslands, and the lower evergreen rainforests of the Inter-Oceanic Highway.We welcome four members of the Peruvian Orchid Expedition, who will be comingto talk about their adventures, post-expedition work, and their Canning Houseevents. |
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Week 6 - Thursday 20 November 8pm, venue to be confirmed
Richard Brett-Knowles – The British North Greenland Expedition, 1952-1954
Richard Brett-Knowles is a captivating man who puts on a thoroughly engrossing presentation. An Oxford alumni and former Royal Navy Officer he participated in the BNGE as an assistant Seismologist and manager of communications. He was present for the entirety of the two year expedition and was awarded the Polar Medal by the Queen upon his return. According to Lt. Brett-Knowles, “The BNGE was a major expedition in the Scott tradition, fielded from July 1952 to July 1954, though not all of the 30 members stayed for both years. Unfortunately one did not return. Its purpose was three-fold: scientific exploration, training of the service members in an Arctic environment, and ‘Showing the Flag.’” It promises to be a fascinating evening. |
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Week 7 - Thursday 27 November 8pm, venue to be confirmed
Information forthcoming
Details to follow… |
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Week 8 - Thursday 4 December 8pm, Magdalen College Auditorium
Benedict Allen - Jungles
Our grand finale for Michaelmas term, Benedict Allen is recognized as one of Britain’sleading adventurers. His approach to exploration is to completely immerse himself inextreme or alien environments, travelling alone and learning from the indigenous people.According to the Sunday Times, “whether in danger or lonely or undergoing various exoticrituals, he has effectively taken the viewers’ experience of adventure as far as it can go.”He is the author of nine books on his adventurers and seven television documentariesincluding the reality show ‘Unbreakable” which is currently showing at 9PM Mondayevenings on Five. You can find more information about this ‘modern day explorer’ here:www.benedictallen.com. |
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See also: termcard archive About the OUEC - OUEC exists to inspire, encourage and assist exploration within the University of Oxford. It’s something we’ve been doing for over 75 years, making us the oldest such Club in the world. To this day the Club leads expeditions that push back the boundaries of our knowledge about the world around us.Our members have now travelled to virtually every region of the world—yet there is still much to discover! Recent expeditions to Svalbard, Bolivia, Nepal, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Namibia have found new species of birds, insects and plants and assisted local people through a range of practical projects.The OUEC provides all the vital support needed for these expeditions – from equipment, experience and knowledge, to encouragement for all those participating. We look forward to helping you with your expedition!Membership- £10: Annual membership - Free entry to all our speaker events and seminars for an academic year.- £18: University membership - Free entry for the duration of your course.- £25: Life/ Expedition membership - Required for those going on expeditions.“….to inspire, encourage and assist exploration.”
