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Newswire
June 2021

News

Durham Appoints New Vice-Chancellor and Warden

We were delighted to announce earlier this month that Professor Karen O’Brien will be our new Vice-Chancellor and Warden, joining us from her current leadership role at Oxford University in January 2022.

Meet the Dogs Who Can Sniff Out Covid-19

Asher may just look like a cute cuddly dog but he is much more than that. He, along with some of his canine friends, have been trained to sniff out Covid-19 in people and the initial results show they can do it very reliably.

Furthering the Exploration of Space

Our researchers are helping to build some of the world’s most powerful new telescopes to further our exploration of space. We’ve helped build components for NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – the successor to Hubble – which will launch in October 2021. Our astronomers will use the JWST to hunt for dark matter and investigate early galaxy formation.

CARA - A Lifeline to Academics at Risk

With help from alumni, Durham University supports a number of Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) fellowships to undertake a formalised two-year academic placement at the University. Our most recent fellows have mirrored the majority of CARA’s beneficiaries over the last few years, focussing on Syria, but CARA’s work is global and supports academics at-risk around the world.

Events

Upcoming Events

Develop A Career Plan
Wednesday 7 July 2021, 6pm (BST)
If you are just getting started with career planning, reflecting on your career so far, or considering a change, join this interactive session with our Durham careers team. They will cover the key stages of career planning including reviewing your current position, self-awareness, researching opportunities and planning your next steps.

Your Professional Profile
Wednesday 14 July 2021, 6pm (BST)
In a competitive market, how do we break through the noise? Now, more than ever, recruitment is online. Does your profile reflect who you are? Will it stand out to a future employer or collaborator?

Palace Green Library Post-Lockdown: What Have We Learned?
Thursday 15 July 2021, 6pm (BST)
Colleagues working on archives, rare books, conservation, exhibitions, and learning and engagement during the pandemic will answer your questions.

Your Entrepreneurial Self - An Enterprising Mindset
Wednesday 21 July 2021, 6pm (BST)
Join this interactive session with our Durham careers team as we consider how developing entrepreneurial skills and mindset can help you achieve more impact in your career.

Your Business Idea
Wednesday 28 July 2021, 6pm (BST)
Got a great business idea but not sure what to do next?
Durham’s Enterprise team join us to discuss some options of how to take a great idea forward.

Effective Job Applications
Wednesday 4 August 2021, 6pm (BST)
Our careers team join us to give some practical advice on applying for new opportunities, whether for your first job, a new challenge, or getting back into the job market.

Skills for the Future
Wednesday 11 August 2021, 6pm (BST)
In an ever-changing world, developing the right skills to advance your career has never been more important. Join us to find out more about what skills will be necessary in a digital employment environment, in this interactive session with our Durham careers team.

Convocation
Thursday 4 November, 5.30pm (GMT)
Convocation is the annual meeting of alumni. We hear from Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Antony Long, on the past year and a view to the future along with the opportunity to ask your questions.

View all upcoming events

Check our events pages regularly for all of the upcoming alumni events across the world.

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Alumni

Calling All Volunteers: It's Time For Your Close-up...!

Durham University's annual Volunteer Awards night is coming up in June and we are reaching out to our amazing alumni to see if you could send in a short video clip of you talking about your experiences of volunteering with Durham. We are hoping to showcase your videos on the night of the Volunteer Awards next month.

If you could say who you are, when you were at Durham, what you do now and then include a couple of sentences about volunteering we would really appreciate it. The videos can be as long or short as you wish, ideally filmed in landscape. Please send your videos and any questions you may have to volunteer.awards@durham.ac.uk.

Footprint - A Free Environmental Conference

This alumni and student run conference is open to everyone and all of the talks are free to attend, with opportunities to meet speakers and other attendees to explore what sustainability means for all of us.

Catherine Racine (Theology, St Chad's College, 2011-17)

Catherine talks about her latest book and reflects on her time at Durham and what she has been up to since graduating.

Class Notes

Sahar Arfeen (Business Finance, Stephenson College, 2001-05) has co-founded Petite & Vert to empower families to live more sustainable lifestyles.

Jason Ash (Politics & History, St Cuthbert's Society, 1994-97) and Emma Ash (Philosophy, Collingwood College, 1994-97) created an eco-friendly app that allows parents to swap toys for free.

Naseeba Bagalaaliwo (Law & Politics, College of St Hild & St Bede, 2001-04) was accepted into the USC Cinematic School of Arts Peter Stark Producing Program.

Stephen Finlan (Theology, Graduate Society 1999-04) has had Salvation Not Purchased: Overcoming the Ransom Idea to Rediscover the Original Gospel Teaching published by Cascade Books.

Diana Hudson’s (Zoology, St Mary’s College, 1972-77) second book Exploring Science with Dyslexic Children and Teens is due out in June.

Duncan Knowles (Mathematics, Collingwood College, 1993-96) book Banking Matters: An essential guide to commercial banking in an age of disruption reached number one for banking books on Amazon in the UK.

Edmund Truell (Economics, Collingwood College, 1981-84) has been appointed to the council of philatelists at The Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.

Simon Whatson (Mathematics, St. Aidan's College, 2001-05), has co-authored and published a book on procurement, Profit From Procurement; Add 30% To Your Bottom Line By Breaking Down Silos.

Colleges

Hatfield College

We celebrate the life of originator of the University of the Arctic and leader of long-term environmental monitoring and Honorary Fellow of Hatfield College, Professor Bill Heal. A true Hatfielder, Bill was class of 1953, and after his retirement President of the Hatfield Association (2004-09), Trustee to the Hatfield Trust and SCR Member.

St John's College

Did you know Cranmer Hall has a podcast? In 'Talking Theology', host Philip Plyming interviews leading thinkers about theology, church and the world. Previous guests include Justin Welby, Glenn Packiam, and Paula Gooder.

St Cuthbert's Society

To mark the end of Professor Elizabeth Archibald’s time as Principal, St Cuthbert’s Society are thrilled to launch a Performing Arts Appeal to support our students who go on to further study in the creative industry. If you’re a Cuth’s grad involved in the Performing Arts, or want to know more about this fund, get in touch with jessica.smith@durham.ac.uk.

Trevelyan College

Trevelyan Summer Ball is scheduled for 25 June 2021. Thank you to all of our alumni who have purchased tickets. Please make sure you sign up for your tables by the deadline.

University College

Matriculation day! Earlier this month our students were finally able to sign the matriculation book in a small ceremony at the Teaching & Learning Centre. Thanks to Zhaolin Xu and Archie Jury for signing the book on behalf of all new students this year and to our livers out households, who came along with pots and pans to provide the soundtrack!

Ustinov College

Recently launched in 2020, ‘Pantomath’ aims to reflect and celebrate the breadth and depth of research and scholarly activity undertaken by the entire Ustinov College community, and we are currently looking for new submissions.

Van Mildert College

Professor David Harper will retire at the end of the current academic year, after ten years as Principal of Van Mildert College. We are delighted to invite you to join us to celebrate his contribution to college life over the past decade on Saturday 10 July!

Departments

Libraries and Collections

The Cosin’s Library Project, run by Durham University’s Archives and Special Collections, has launched a series of free, online workshops, allowing people to learn more about one of the oldest public libraries in North East England.

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