by Devon, Oxford Summer Course Participant
Thursday, 7th July
I kickstarted my day with my usual mug of breakfast tea whilst chatting to my new friends about our excitement for the day ahead.
My first class today was not like my typical morning session in the classroom. Instead, we walked through Oxford to learn about evolution and adaptation in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It was overwhelming to discover that we were surrounded by over 7 million pieces in the museum – 5 million of them were arthropods! It was surreal to observe the taxidermied animals and to be able to touch them. I was fascinated by the fact that the museum’s collection includes the world’s first scientifically described dinosaur – the Megalosaurus bucklandii – and also the infamous Oxford Dodo. This museum is the only place in the world with soft tissue remains of the extinct dodo!
At lunchtime, my friends and I strolled through the city, appreciating the pleasant British summer weather, and found ourselves returning to Art Café. We had previously been here and knew we had to come back to listen to a very talented busker whilst eating and admiring the exhibitions on the walls of the coffee shop.
I thoroughly enjoyed my second academic session today – we spoke of a controversial gene-editing experiment that was carried out on twins in China to make them HIV resistant. I had previously read about this case so I loved hearing the opinions of my peers and their thoughts on the new CRISPR technology.
In the evening, we all walked over to Christ Church to listen to the guest speaker – travel writer, newspaper columnist, and broadcaster – Simon Parker. He talked about his inspirational 3000-mile bike journey around the coastline of Great Britain. It was riveting to hear his story of how he used cycling to help him overcome the struggles of the pandemic and hear the tales of the people he met along the way.
The weekend is approaching and I am excited to attend our trip to Cambridge (although, in my opinion, I doubt it will be as amazing as Oxford). I hope to get the chance to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum!
Devon, Lady Margaret Hall – Medicine
