Next week's Public Lecture speaker, Sarah Hart, is looking for a keyboard to demonstrate the maths of music (and vice-versa).
Does anyone know where we can find one? Perhaps in a college bandroom? Email Dyrol if you know.
Image: Rene Magritte - Georgette at the Piano
Propose a talk, panel or workshop for OxFOS, Oxford's free, University-wide conference (8–11 March 2027), exploring how research can be more open, transparent and accessible. This year's theme is The Costs of Knowledge.
Submit your proposal by 14 October 2026
Image: Joachim Patinir - The Feeding of the Five Thousand
Pi and maths in India are on the menu in the last 'Tower of Babel'. Unlike other mathematical words, Pi has a habit of being the same in many languages.
Pi Day is on 14 March each year (geddit?). But if you don't want to be reminded of maths, there's always National Pie Day (US) or Pie Week (UK). Much too filling.
It has been erroneously suggested that we are using Pluto, our feline favourite, to sneak maths into the lives of people who don't understand it. Actually, we are using maths to sneak cats into the lives of people who don't understand them.
@OxfordVaccineGroup is investigating a new vaccine against Bundibugyo ebolavirus. f you are aged between 18 and 55, in good health and able to attend regular face-to-face visits in Oxford, you may be eligible. We will reimburse you up to £1,200 for group 1 and up to £790 for group 2 for your time, travel and inconvenience. The study will last for one year.
Find out more and register your interest
A bit left field, but Nature is currently exploring a feature story about research projects that appeared to be stalled or heading toward failure until a new team member joined the effort — a crucial contributor who brought the perspective, skills, or ideas that changed the project’s trajectory.
Contact Dyrol in the first instance.
Image: Edwin Lord Weeks - Old man resting in a doorway - Ispahan, Persia
Impact Lab is a co-curricular impact leadership programme that supports the University of Oxford postgraduate students who are committed to an impact-driven career.
Impact Lab will run 2 cohorts in the 2026–27 academic year, one in Michaelmas Term and one in Hilary Term. Impact Lab consists of several different types of sessions, including leadership retreats, learning modules and peer-learning sessions.
Impact Lab Application - Michaelmas 2026, by 26th August
Image: Mosaic mask of the god Tezcatlipoca
MPLS Researchers' Town Hall, Thursday 1 October 2026 | 2.30–4.00 p.m.
Earth Sciences, Seminar Rooms 1 & 2
Researchers from across the MPLS Division are invited to join Professor Tom Pizzari and Professor Tamsin Mather for the MPLS Researchers' Town Hall.
The session will provide an opportunity to discuss current issues affecting researchers, including changes to the Careers Service and the MPLS Parental Leave Policy, alongside broader developments relating to the researcher experience and the support available across the Division and the wider University.
PS: does anyone actually 'save the date'?
Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights (detail)
If, like your Bulletin editor, you can't remember what was in the Bulletin last week, you can now access previous Bulletins via a link at the bottom of each week's Bulletin. I would put the link here as well, but you might miss Song of the Week if I did.
Thanks to marvellous Dave Miller in IT for setting it up.
Cormac McCarthy write a novel, later a film, entitled No Country for Old Men. He can't have had music country in mind. Eightysomethings the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney has just released new albums and Tom 'the Voice' Jones is still going strong at 86. Do eightysomethings in the audience still throw their underwear at him?
This is his two-minute masterpiece. Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin says he played as a session musician on the track.