The 20th Ockham Lecture Fusion Energy with a Twist Merton College, Oxford 2016-11-09 | Given by Professor Dr Per Helander, Visiting Research Fellow at Merton College and Head of the Stellarator Theory Division at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.The lecture was introduced by Professor Steven Cowley FRS, and was followed by a Q&A session.More details: www.merton.ox.ac.uk/event/20th-ockham-lecture-fusion-energy-twist
The 38th Ockham lecture: Chasing cosmic dawn with the James Webb Space Telescope Merton College, Oxford 2024-04-10 | Given by Professor Charlotte Mason, Merton College (MPhys 2013) Associate Professor, Cosmic Dawn Center, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.There is a missing chapter in our Universe's history: when and how did the first stars and galaxies form? The first stars drove the Universe's final phase transition by heating and ionising intergalactic gas, setting the stage for all subsequent structure formation. Until recently this has been the realm of theorists alone, but, with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in December 2021, our observational horizon has expanded to the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang. JWST is the largest telescope ever launched into space and was designed to observe directly this period of "Cosmic Dawn", using atomic-hydrogen transitions to search for the first galaxies. Excitingly, JWST has discovered a large number of bright galaxies in the early Universe, implying galaxy formation may have proceeded very differently than expected by theoretical models. I will review our current picture of galaxy formation and how it is being tested by JWST. I will describe possible explanations for the new observations and prospects for JWST to distinguish between these scenarios and to help us understand the primary physics driving the formation of the first galaxies.
The 37th Ockham Lecture: Emergent laws of physics and biological simplicity Merton College, Oxford 2023-12-20 | 'I will discuss "biological simplicity"---new laws of (statistical) physics emerging in complex living systems. I will give examples of such laws in systems with many interacting components, such as brains or viral-immune co-evolution. Trying to understand these laws in the framework of statistical physics of the more traditional, inanimate world will open up somewhat unexpected connections between the existence of biological simplicity and the success of modern machine learning in building models of big data sets. Finally, completing a full circle, I will discuss how random matrix theory, originally used by Wigner to explain spectra of heavy nuclei, may hold an explanation for some of these emergent laws.'- Professor Ilya NemenmanSamuel Candler Dobbs Professor, Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
The Holly and the Ivy carol - December 2023 Merton College, Oxford 2023-12-12 | Merton College Choir sing the Matthew Owens arrangment of The Holly and the Ivy in Merton College Chapel.
Merton College Christmas 2022 Merton College, Oxford 2022-12-20 | Merry Christmas from Merton College! Featuring the Merton College Girl Choristers and the Merton College Choir, with a Christmas message from the outgoing Warden, Professor Irene Tracy CBE FMedSci.
Short introduction to History and the Joint Schools with History interviews at Merton College Merton College, Oxford 2022-11-29 | This is a short video introduction from the Merton History Tutors for candidates being interviewed for History and the Joint Schools with History at Merton. In the video, the members of the interview team introduce themselves, giving a brief overview of their academic interests and recent research. They also provide some practical information about the interview process and what to expect in the interviews. This covers what to do if you don’t fully understand a question and what to do if things go wrong with the IT on the day.
Merton College Christmas Video 2020 Merton College, Oxford 2020-12-18 | Season's Greetings from everyone at Merton College.
The 32nd Ockham Lecture ‘The Physics of Can and Can’t’ Merton College, Oxford 2020-03-18 | From the Universal Computer to the Universal ConstructorGiven by Dr Chiara Marletto (2013), Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, and Research Associate at the Department of Materials, University of Oxford.For more information visit merton.ox.ac.uk/event/32nd-ockham-lecture-physics-can-and-cant
The 30th Ockham Lecture - Life’s a Beach Merton College, Oxford 2020-01-15 | The 30th Ockham Lecture - 'Life’s a Beach: the Moon, the Tides, and the Emergence of Terrestrial Vertebrates'Given by Professor Steven Balbus FRS, Savilian Professor of Astronomy and Head of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford.For more information visit merton.ox.ac.uk/event/30th-ockham-lecture-lifes-beach-moon-tides-and-emergence-terrestrial-vertebrates
The 29th Ockham Lecture Confirmation, Conviction and Cosmology Merton College, Oxford 2020-01-14 | The 29th Ockham Lecture 'Confirmation, Conviction and Cosmology'Given by Professor Roger Blandford FRS, Luke Blossom Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University.For more information visit merton.ox.ac.uk/event/29th-ockham-lecture-confirmation-conviction-and-cosmology
The 31st Ockham Lecture - To Hell and Back with a NASA Spacecraft Merton College, Oxford 2020-01-14 | The 31st Ockham Lecture - 'To Hell and Back with a NASA Spacecraft: the First Perihelia of Parker Solar Probe'Given by Professor Stuart Bale, Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley.For more information visit merton.ox.ac.uk/event/31st-ockham-lecture-hell-and-back-nasa-spacecraft-first-perihelia-parker-solar-probe
Advent Carol Service, 1 December 2019 Merton College, Oxford 2019-12-11 | A celebration of the beginning of the Christian year, this was the second of Merton's 2019 Advent Carol services, sung by the Choir of Merton College - merton.ox.ac.uk/choir.ORDER OF SERVICEIntroit: Byrd - 'Rorate caeli'Carols:Williams - 'O Adonai'Trad., arr. Willcocks - 'Tomorrow shall be my dancing day'Chilcott - 'When spring comes walking'Sandström - 'Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen'Gibbons - 'This is the record of John'Ešenvalds - 'Magnificat (Merton Service)'Voluntary: Dupré - 'Allegro Deciso (Évocation)'
Te Deum Laudamus Merton College, Oxford 2019-11-28 | The Choir of Merton College, Oxford sing the canticle 'Te Deum Laudamus' to music by Herbert Howells (1892-1983), at the Installation of Professor Irene Tracey as the 51st Warden of the College.
The Installation of the New Warden Merton College, Oxford 2019-10-05 | Join us as we welcome Professor Irene Tracey (1985) as the 51st Warden of Merton College. The historic ceremony will be taking place in Merton College Chapel; alumni and friends are welcome to join the ceremony and service in person.
Poetry as Prayer with Pádraig Ó Tuama Merton College, Oxford 2019-01-25 | A talk on on 'Poetry as Prayer' by the poet, theologian, peace worker, and leader of the Corymeela Community, Pádraig Ó Tuama.The talk was given in the TS Eliot Theatre at Merton College, Oxford on Wednesday 24 October 2018, and was followed by questions and discussion.[NB The recording begins a few moments into Pádraig's talk.]
The 27th Ockham Lecture: Reductionism vs Bootstrap: Are Things Big Always Made of Things Elementary? Merton College, Oxford 2019-01-23 | Given by Professor Slava Rychkov, Professeur permanent, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, MHI-ENS Chair Professor in High-Energy Physics, École normale supérieure, Paris, and Research Staff Member, Theoretical Physics Department, CERN.More details: merton.ox.ac.uk/event/27th-ockham-lecture-reductionism-vs-bootstrap-are-things-big-always-made-things-elementary
Merton College Christmas Video 2018 Merton College, Oxford 2018-12-20 | Seasons Greetings from everyone at Merton College.Music:'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: www.incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100270
Advent Carol Service, 25 November 2018 Merton College, Oxford 2018-12-12 | A celebration of the beginning of the Christian year, this was the second of Merton's 2018 Advent Carol services.Organ: Es ist ein 'Ros entsprungen - BrahmsChoir: This is the truth - arr. Vaughan WilliamsTwas in the year King Uzziah died - M. NicholasTomorrow shall be my dancing day - GardnerLaetentur coeli - ByrdE'en so Lord - ManzBenedictus in F - ElgarAlma redemptoris mater - TabakovaOrgan: Le monde dans l'attende du Sauveur - DupréAll photos © John Cairns Photography - www.johncairns.co.uk
The 24th Ockham Lecture - Beyond the Higgs Discovery: The Coming of Age of ATLAS and the CERN LHC Merton College, Oxford 2018-04-10 | Given by Professor David Charlton FRS (1982), Professor of Particle Physics at the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, and Spokesperson for the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN.More details: merton.ox.ac.uk/event/24th-ockham-lecture-beyond-higgs-discovery-coming-age-atlas-and-cern-lhc
The 21st Ockham Lecture - Nuclear Forensics Merton College, Oxford 2018-04-10 | Given by Professor Bill Dorland, Visiting Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford, Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, and editor of the Journal of Plasma Physics.The lecture was introduced by Professor Alex Schekochihin and was followed by a Q&A session.More details: www.merton.ox.ac.uk/event/21st-ockham-lecture-nuclear-forensics
The 22nd Ockham Lecture - ‘From High Carbon Baby to Low Carbon Boardroom’ Merton College, Oxford 2018-04-10 | Given by Juliet Davenport OBE (1986), CEO, Good Energy.More details: www.merton.ox.ac.uk/event/22nd-ockham-lecture-high-carbon-baby-low-carbon-boardroom
The 25th Ockham Lecture - ‘Extreme Computing for the SKA Radio Telescope’ Merton College, Oxford 2018-04-10 | Given by Dr Peter Braam (Wyliot Fellow), Founder, CEO, President and Director, Cluster File Systems, Inc.More details: www.merton.ox.ac.uk/event/25th-ockham-lecture-extreme-computing-ska-radio-telescope
The 26th Ockham Lecture - ‘From Neurons to Perception: How Physics Opened the Black Box’ Merton College, Oxford 2018-04-10 | Given by Professor Irene Tracey, Nuffield Chair of Anaesthetic Science and Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, and Warden-elect of Merton College.More details: merton.ox.ac.uk/event/26th-ockham-lecture-neurons-perception-how-physics-opened-black-box
Merton College Christmas Video 2017 Merton College, Oxford 2017-12-21 | Christmas is such a beautiful time at Merton, and one which we hope you will all remember fondly.To celebrate the 2017 festive season we’ve commissioned a very special animation from recent graduate Ella Baron (2014) featuring a very famous face from Merton.Happy Holidays everyone.Music:“John Rutter - All Bells in Paradise”Choir of Merton College, Director Benjamin Nicholas, and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra,merton.ox.ac.uk/chapel-choir/recordings/o-holy-night-merton-christmasPermission granted courtesy of Delphian Records Ltd.Animation: Ella Baron ellabaron.com
The 23rd Ockham Lecture - Twisting the Neutron Wavefunction Merton College, Oxford 2017-03-31 | Given by Professor Charles Clark, Fellow of the Physical Measurement Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, USA.More details: merton.ox.ac.uk/event/23rd-ockham-lecture-twisting-neutron-wavefunction
The 18th Ockham Lecture - Magnetised Universe in a Plasma Lab Merton College, Oxford 2016-01-19 | Given by Professor Cary Forest, Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, and currently a Visiting Research Fellow at Merton College.The lecture was introduced by Professor Steven Cowley FRS FREng, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London, and Head of the EURATOM/CCFE Fusion Association, and was followed by a Q&A session.More details: http://www.merton.ox.ac.uk/event/18th-ockham-lecture-magnetised-universe-plasma-lab
The 19th Ockham Lecture - Physics in the City Merton College, Oxford 2015-12-21 | Given by Jonathan Flint CBE, Chief Executive of Oxford Instruments.The lecture was introduced by Professor Alan Barr, Tutor in Physics at Merton College and Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Oxford, and was followed by a Q&A session.More details: http://www.merton.ox.ac.uk/event/19th-ockham-lecture-physics-city
Merton College Christmas Video 2015 Merton College, Oxford 2015-12-18 | A Christmas poem from Merton College, Oxford.Featuring...Narrators (in order of appearance): The Rev'd Canon Simon Jones, Chaplain Molly Clark, BA EnglishDr Courtenay Phillips, Emeritus FellowTimothy Foot, MPhil ClassicsDouglas Bamber, Domestic BursarDr Rachel Buxton, Senior TutorDr Julia Walworth, Fellow LibrarianSir Martin Taylor FRS, WardenPorters: Holly Bednarczyk and Iain WalkerSleeping students: Monica Gupta, Suzannah Marshall, Frederick Money and Natalie NguyenSanta's VIII: Toby Adkins, Frederick Crowley, Ivo Gruev, Benedict Holden, Lukas Koch, Alexander Moore, Edward Thomas, Jaime Valdemoros Gomez and Jacob WhiteAlso featuring Royston Maxwell and Dave HedgesPoem reimagined by Catherine Farfan, Clare Holt, Sarah Jones and Bethany Pedder
Dr Tony Hansen (1969) send greetings from extremis Orientalis Merton College, Oxford 2015-06-23 | ...
The 17th Ockham Lecture - Physics in the World of Ideas: Complexity as Energy Merton College, Oxford 2015-04-16 | Given by Professor Yuri Manin, Professor Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, Germany; Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA; Principal Researcher, Steklov Mathematical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.The lecture was introduced by Professor Minhyong Kim, Tutor in Mathematics and Professor of Number Theory at Merton College, Oxford.
From Edwardian Merton to the Western Front Merton College, Oxford 2015-03-27 | A talk by Professor Anthony Fletcher (Merton 1959), Emeritus Professor of English Social History at the University of London, and author of 'Life, Death, and Growing Up on the Western Front'.
The 16th Ockham Lecture - Breaking Into Your Brain Merton College, Oxford 2015-02-25 | Given by Dr Aldo Faisal, Senior Lecturer in Neurotechnology, Department of Bioengineering and Department of Computing, Imperial College London, and Associated Investigator, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre. The lecture is introduced by Professor Alex Schekochihin, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Oxford University.The Merton College Physics Lecture (the Ockham, or Occam, Lecture, so named in honour of one of the greatest—if unattested—alumni of the College and of his philosophical principle of intellectual discipline) started in 2009 and is held once a term. It is organised by the physics tutors of the College to promote both intellectual curiosity and social cohesion of the Merton Physics community.
Merton Conversation: The Real Science Behind CSI Merton College, Oxford 2014-12-01 | In our final Merton Conversation of the year science, its real-life application, and its implication to crime-fighting were brought into the spotlight. Mertonians Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys (1968), the inventor of DNA fingerprinting, and Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (1988), Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, met to discuss 'The Real Science Behind CSI' in the famous Faraday Theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, in a debate moderated by Mertonian Michael Ridpath (1979), a noted author of crime thriller novels.
Merton Conversation: Liberty Merton College, Oxford 2014-10-17 | In the heart of London, at the prestigious BAFTA headquarters, two of Britain’s top legal minds, the Rt Hon Sir Brian Leveson (Lord Justice of Appeal and Head of the Leveson Inquiry) and Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, came together for an evening of exciting and lively debate on the subject of liberty.
Merton Conversation: The Global Media Revolution Merton College, Oxford 2014-06-09 | Our third Merton Conversation took us to America's vibrant city, with a thriving financial and cultural heart: New York. We brought together two Mertonians who have forged influential transatlantic careers in the Media -- Sir Howard Stringer (1961) and Mark Thompson (1976) -- to discuss global media in today's 24-hour world, in the city that never sleeps.
Merton Conversation: The Challenges of Global Finance Merton College, Oxford 2014-03-31 | Marking the launch of Merton's 750th Anniversary year, Sir Callum McCarthy (1962), Charles Li and Liu Mingkang debated the challenges of global finance in the first Merton Conversation of the anniversary year, and brought their combined 68 years' experience of working in the finance sector to the table. The moderator for the evening was Professor Alejandro Reyes.
Merton Conversation: China and The West - Culture and Society Merton College, Oxford 2014-03-21 | Warden of Merton from 1994 to 2010 and Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology, Dame Jessica Rawson, and the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, once Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes, came together in Oxford for our second Merton Conversation of the year, moderated by Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China and Fellow of St Cross College.A packed TS Eliot Theatre enjoyed a wonderful evening of stimulating and varied debate on China and the West in this, the first UK Merton Conversation of the Anniversary Year. Professor Rawson and Lord Patten covered topics as wide-ranging as ethnicity and education, China's demographics and economics, politics and culture, as well as its rich history and the question of its future, in a discussion expertly moderated by Professor Mitter.
The 14th Ockham Lecture - Beyond the Jet Engine Merton College, Oxford 2014-03-11 | Given by Alan Bond, Managing Director and Chief Engineer, Reaction Engines Ltd, UK.
The 1st Ockham Debate - The Problem of Quantum Measurement - 13th May 2013 Merton College, Oxford 2013-06-04 | Professor Simon Saunders, Professor of Philosophy of Physics and Fellow of Linacre College, Oxford vs. Professor James Binney FRS, Professor of Physics, Director of the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford.Quantum mechanics is part deterministic, part probabilistic. According to the 'standard' quantum theory, states evolve with certainty between measurements, but 'collapse' randomly when we measure them. But what is measurement? And why does it (appear to) enjoy a privileged position in the theory? The measurement problem has been one of the hottest topics in physics ever since quantum theory was proposed and, despite much progress, remains so today. This Occam meeting for the first time offered the different perspectives of not one but two expert speakers:• Prof. Saunders is a leading proponent of the 'many worlds' interpretation of quantum mechanics, which argues that the Universe we see is emergent, and constantly subject to 'splitting' - including during measurements.• Prof. Binney advocates an alternative programme, suggesting that we should gain insight into measurement by better understanding the dynamics of the system's interactions with the measuring apparatus.The debate took place on Monday 13th May 2013 in the T.S. Eliot Theatre at Merton College, Oxford. It was moderated by Dr Alan Barr and Dr Ralf Bader, and introduced by Dr Alexander Schekochihin - all three are Fellows of Merton College.
Ascension Day, Thursday 9 May 2013 Merton College, Oxford 2013-05-10 | On a blustery noonday service atop the Chapel tower at Merton College, choristers sing an Ascension Day anthem, conducted by Director of Music Benjamin Nicholas.
Dr Tony Hansen (1969) send greetings from extremis australis Merton College, Oxford 2013-03-08 | The 11th Ockham Lecture, "From Excitons to Soot: the Unexpected Outcome of a Physics Education", was delivered in Hilary Term 2013 by Dr Tony Hansen (1969).Tony, President of the Magee Scientific Corporation based in Berkeley, California, sent us this clip of himself sending "Scholares Mertonenses" greetings from "extremis australis" in the form of a (slightly amended) version of the Merton preprandial grace.If you're able to spot (and translate!) what it is that God's grace provides us, let us know in the comments below, on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/MertonCollegeOxford) or by tweeting @MertonCollege.[Clue: the word that has been replaced is "escam", meaning "food".]More on the Ockham Lecture series: http://www-thphys.physics.ox.ac.uk/colleges/merton/occam_lecture.htmlMore on Tony's previous travels to Antarctica: http://www.mageesci.com/Antarctic
My Merton Merton College, Oxford 2013-02-22 | What's your favourite thing at Merton? Staff and students tell us what they like most about the college.
A word from the Warden Merton College, Oxford 2013-02-22 | Professor Sir Martin Taylor gives an overview of what Merton means for him.
Graduates at Merton Merton College, Oxford 2013-02-22 | Merton College is now over 50% graduate students, registered for a range of postgraduate degrees. See what makes being a graduate at Merton so special, from study to accommodation to our unique veg patch project!
Unwinding at Merton Merton College, Oxford 2013-02-22 | Work hard, play hard. That's the reality of life at Oxford and the students of Merton College are an active lot. Here we show you the great range and variety of activities available in college. Whatever you're interested in, you can do it at Oxford!
Living at Merton Merton College, Oxford 2013-02-22 | What's it like to live in a 750 year old college? Here's a taste of the accommodation and food at Merton College, looking at typical student rooms, our dining facilities. It's beautiful and good value!
Studying at Merton Merton College, Oxford 2013-02-21 | What's it like to study at Merton College, Oxford? Here we talk you through students' typical weeks, with interviews covering Physics, History, Classics and Medicine, as well as general material about what makes us such a strong academic college.
