The Oxford Book of Puzzles (University of Oxford direct-mail, 2011)

8/4/2019 The Oxford Book of Puzzles (University of Oxford direct-mail, 2011)

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THE OXFORD BOOK

of PUZZLES


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Here are some of the knotty problems

occupying the minds of people at the University

of Oxford. Our students, researchers and

academics confront these brainteasers every

day, studying challenges such as the worlds

ageing populations, water security, threats

to biodiversity and conflict resolution.

Unravelling the tangled complexity o these global

issues requires a range o specialist skills and

techniques, so we at Oxord adopt a multi-disciplinary

approach. In this way, bringing together seemingly

unconnected experts, we aim to nd world-leading

solutions to worldwide challenges.

You can help. By supporting Oxord Thinking,

youll help us devote more resources to the search

or answers. In particular, youll give us the fexibility

to respond quickly and appropriately to the areas o

greatest need within Oxord. Crucially, with your help

we can continue to address some o the worlds most

pressing problems...


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AGE. Is the issuefrailty or fertility?

Both.Asertilityallsandlongevityincreases,the

oldwilloutnumbertheyounginalmostallcountries

within50years.Tohelptheworldcopewiththis

undamentalshitinthestructureosociety,the

OxordInstituteoPopulationAgeingisstudying

alltheissuesromalltheangles.Researchersin

anthropology,demography,economics,history,

medicine,philosophy,politics,publichealth,

psychologyandstatisticsareworkingtogether

inacommoncause.

A

Q

Oxford Thinkingleaves few GAPS


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My research interests lie in DNA,

how it is copied accurately and

how this is coordinated within the

cell division cycle. I teach at a

research level all aspects o DNA

metabolism. My lab studies the

molecular basis o human ageing,

with the aim o reducing the

morbidity and railty associated

with old age.

Dr Lynne Cox,

Department of Biochemistry

As part o my work with the

Institutes Arican Research

on Ageing Network, Im currently

conducting qualitative and

quantitative comparative research

to generate a comprehensive

understanding o the dimensionsand social determinants o health

in old age in rural and urban

contexts in Nigeria and Kenya.

Dr Isabella Aboderin,

Research Fellow at the Oxford

Institute of Population Ageing

Q. By 2050, a quarterof a million Europeanswill be over 100 YEARSOLD. Can long-term

care last that long?Q. With increased LIFEEXPECTANCY, should weexpect to work longeror retire for longer?

Q. Does the combination

of climate changeand populationchange bring RISKSor OPPORTUNITIES?


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Somehow,wemust.Escalatingwaterdemand

anddeterioratingwatersupplywillleadto

sustainedpoverty,orcedmigrationandsocial

unrest.Toavoidthesedangers,theOxordWater

FuturesProgrammeiscuttingacrossdisciplines

andboundariestostudywaterresources.Aswell

asinvestigatingthechangingwaterenvironment

andtheclashbetweenwaterandsociety,were

trainingawideninggroupospecialiststo

addresstheglobalproblemowatersecurity.

Oxford Thinkingspreads profusely

Floods here.Drought there.Can we controlwater?

A

Q


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The sustainable development o

water resources involves technical,

socio-economic, political, and

institutional issues that underpin

sustainable water use. Innovations

by engineers and scientists lie

at the heart o providing keyintellectual and practical solutions

to real-world problems o water

treatment, supply and resource

management.

Dr Nick Hankins,

Research Director of the Oxford Centre

for Sustainable Water Engineering

I hope to integrate key aspects

o water policy and management

with my science and engineering

background to study the impact

well-planned policy can have

on water-scarce regions. My long-

term goal is to improve conditions

in my home region in the Mexican

Sonoran desert.

Carlos Verduzco,

Recipient of the Louwes Water

Scholarship, studying for the MSc in

Water Science, Policy and Management.

Q. Changes in the waterenvironment have causedthe collapse of civilisations.WHOS NEXT?

Q. Access to water isa human right. But dowe have the right toharm flora and fauna?

Q. Who intervenes whena country dams a riverupstream and DISRUPTSanother countrys watersupply downstream?


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Ibiodiversitysuers,wealllose.Asclimatechange

andhumanactivityputincreasingpressureonour

environment,aninterdisciplinaryapproachtothe

problemisneeded.ThatswhytheBiodiversity

InstituteoOxordtakesinaspectsoboththe

naturalandsocialsciencesthatarerelevanttothe

conservationobiologicaldiversity.Withastrong

collaborativeapproach,weaimtotranslatethe

scienceoglobalbiodiversityintopolicy,planning

andstrategy.

Humans v Climatev Ecosystems.Whos winning?

Oxford Thinkingexaminesall points A

Q


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I study the complex interactions

between plant populations and

the ecosystems they inhabit.

In order to preserve contemporary

ecosystems and their unctioning

in the ace o predicted climate

change and on-going humanimpacts, we need to understand

the resilience o ecosystem

processes to environmental

change.

Dr Elizabeth S Jeffers,

James Martin Research Fellow,

Oxford Long-term Ecology Laboratory

Eighty-three per cent o the

Earths land surace is infuenced

by human activities such as

urban settlements, transport

networks and agricultural land

use. Im interested in how these

activities aect the biodiversity

and the value o biodiversity

within managed landscapes.

Dr Jake L Snaddon,

Postdoctoral Researcher,

Oxford Long-term Ecology Laboratory

Q. How FAST is the

climate changing?

Q. How can we protectthe DIVERSITY withinbiodiversity?

Q. Agriculture.

FRIEND or FOE?


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War & conflict:Is research auseful weapon?

A

Q

Oxford Thinkinghas teeth

Wethinkso.Ouracademicweight,coupledwithour

multi-disciplinaryapproach,richhistoryanddeep

resources,putsusinprimepositiontohelpresolve

somanyormsoconfictandintolerancearound

theworld.Asthenatureoconfictandtheextent

oreligiousandsocialtolerancekeepchanging,

ourspecialiststudycentresareprovidingasolid

oundationorthediscussionandresolutionoboth

present-dayandutureissuesointernationalconcern.


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How can the world prevent mass

atrocities? To help nd answers,

weve established a global

network o experts to develop

the principle o the Responsibility

to Protect, a ramework that is

currently being implementedin international society. Our aim

is to develop the tools to make

this principle a reality in this

centurys international crises.

Professor Jennifer Welsh,

Oxford Institute for Ethics,

Law and Armed Conflict

They say that the rst casualty

o war is truth... but what about

ethics? Im helping the US Army

to develop its rst ever Code

o Proessional Military Ethics,

a landmark document that will

serve as a baseline or the action

o more than one million US soldiers

in barracks and on operations.

Dr David Rodin,

Oxford Institute for Ethics,

Law and Armed Conflict

Q. In war, who hasGOD on their side?

Q. Does criminal lawEND on the front line?

Q. Where is FORCEDmigration going?


11/13

Weappreciateallgits,ocourse.Aregulargit,

however,providesamuchmoresecureooting

orustoplanahead.IyoupayUKtax,aregular

gitwithGitAidisespeciallywelcome,aswe

canreclaim25porevery1donatedatnoextra

costtoyou.

Whereveryoulive,theencloseddonationorm

willshowyouhowtomakeagitinthemost

tax-ecientway.

Hereareexamplesowhatvariousregular

gits,witha25%ayeartop-upromGitAid,

canachieveover5years.

www.giving.ox.ac.uk

How can yourregular GIFTmake a difference?

A

Q

20

10

1200 a year

Total over 5 years including

Gift Aid: 7500

Securing a bursary and ee waiver

or an undergraduate or 1 year

200 a quarter


Gift Aid: 5000

Opening the Radclie Cameraon Sundays to students or a term

50 a month


Gift Aid: 3750

Contribution to securing a teaching

post to saeguard the Oxord tutorial

20 a month


Gift Aid: 1500

Twenty donors will und

a postgraduate scholarshipin the arts and sciences

10 a month


Gift Aid: 750

Funding or a 4th-year student to

collect samples as part o a project

on volcanic hazards

50

200

1200


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How can Iget in touch?

A

Q

Oxford Thinkingbends the rulesUniversityoOxord

DevelopmentOce

UniversityOces

WellingtonSquare

OxordOX12JD

T:+44(0)1865611530

Email:[email protected]

Readmoreabouthowthe

OxordThinkingCampaign

ismakingadierenceat

www.campaign.ox.ac.uk


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www.giving.ox.ac.uk

The Oxford Book of Puzzles (University of Oxford direct-mail, 2011)

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