Goodbye, Cambridge!

The last of the students will head out from Cambridge tomorrow. Several plan to travel around Britain and Europe before returning to the US, but Laura and I will fly back tomorrow. As students return home I hope to get a few more photos to post here so that everyone can see. The group will have a reunion at OSU sometime near the beginning of the fall semester, so I look forward to hearing about the rest of everyone's travels then.

This has been a great trip with a memorable group of students. Drs. Jones and Greteman agree that this was the best group of students OSU has brought to Cambridge in all nine years of the program. Dr. Jones even used the word "angelic" to describe the class. All of the students performed equally well in and out of class. The most difficult challenge for me was to find enough activities to keep all of these energetic minds occupied. Thanks to all of the family members that contributed to raising such amazing young scholars!

Punting in the Rain

Punting in the Rain,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

One last trip down the Cam for our intrepid students.

No Pictures, but...

I couldn't take pictures at the Wren Library today, but the group had the unique opportunity of viewing several of the most valuable documents in the world. We saw a letter from Newton to Hooke, which includes a diagram that marks the beginning of his theory of gravity, as well as the first edition of the Principia with Newton's own handwritten revisions. We also saw Shakespeare's first folio and Milton's manuscript version of Comus.

The Last Supper

The Last Supper,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Everyone gathered tonight for some mexican food at Parker's Piece to celebrate the end of the course. Several students will leave Cambridge tomorrow and many of them will be traveling to Dublin, London, Paris, etc. before heading back home to the U.S.

Read, Read, Read....Write, Write, Write!

As the course nears its end, students are now turning their attention to paper topics. Dr. Greteman has been meeting with small groups in the computer lab to do some preliminary research and develop thesis statements. Students will complete their papers during the fall semester.

Unfortunately, the OSU computer system has been down for nearly 24 hours and connecting to the library server is impossible. OSU's email system is down as well. So, if you are relying on students to contact you through their student accounts, they may be delayed.

St. John's College Gardens

St. John's College Gardens,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Waiting for Much Ado About Nothing. The sunshine was short lived but the brief rain showers didn't spoil the evening--Claudio still got his Hero and Benedick his Beatrice.

Much Ado About Nothing

Tonight the group will attend a performace of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing in St. John's College Gardens. The event is part of Cambridge's famous open-air Shakespeare Festival (http://www.cambridgeshakespeare.com/programme/much-ado-about-nothing/).

YouTube

YouTube,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Countless beautiful buildings...one internet connection.

At the Maypole

At the Maypole,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Sticky Toffee Pudding!

Betsie in the River

Betsie in the River,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Brave Betsie Beaten by British Boat

Back from Oxford

We arrived back in Cambridge this afternoon. The group made the most of their time in Oxford. Some highlights include a day trip to Blenheim Palace, a close look at some primary source material at the Bodleian Library, an evening punting excursion on the Cherwell River, a visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum, dinner at the Eagle and Child pub, breakfast in the Wadham College Hall, and tours of Christ Church College (Google these terms for more info.).

Blenheim Palace Gardens

Blenheim Palace Gardens,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Blenheim Palace is located just outside of Oxford and is famous as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

Breakfast in the Hall

Breakfast in the Hall,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

The Wadham College Hall was built in 1611--9 years before the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Mass. for the American history crowd.

King's Arms

King's Arms,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

The center of Oxford pub life.

Wadham College, Oxford

Wadham College,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

This is where we stayed the past few days.

To Oxford

The group will leave Cambridge today and head to Oxford for a long weekend. While in Oxford students and faculty will stay at Wadham College. Wadham, which celebrates its 400th year in 2010, is situated on the corner of Parks Road and Holywell Street, across from the Bodleian Library and close to the science laboratories and the city centre. For more information visit http://www.wadham.ox.ac.uk/. I'm not sure if we will have immediate access to a computer lab, but I will try to continue posting pictures of our trip. We will return to Cambridge on Sunday and will stay until the end of the course next Saturday.

Preparing to Depart for CB2

Preparing to Depart,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

An American Queue

Dr. of Rock

Dr. of Rock,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Dr. Greteman reveals his true passion at CB2.

Punting

Punting,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

The brave few.

Last Place = Crisps Place

Last Place = Crisps Place,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

The team with the lowest score "wins" a bag of crisps.

Pub Quiz Teams 2 and 3

Pub Quiz Teams 2 and 3,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Several enjoy the pub quiz special--chicken curry.

Pub Quiz Team 1

Pub Quiz Team 1,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Teams compete to answer trivia questions devised by the grandmotherly pub master of the Six Bells.

In Class

In Class,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Everyone is gathered for the first day of class in Benson Hall--the former living room of the master of the college. How long with everyone last before jet lag sets in?

Hailey

Hailey,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Here.

John B., Justin L., Tessa, Cassie, Andrea, Betsie

John B., Justin L., Tessa, Cassie, Andrea, Betsie,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Here.

Justin S.

Also, here. He managed to avoid the camera.

Kelsey and Leslie

Kelsey and Leslie,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Here.

Jonathan

Jonathan,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

The last arrival.

Monday's Reading List

Syllogism, Scholasticism and Student Life: John Milton's Prolusions 1 and 3, Elegy I, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity and Lycidas.

An Early Morning for Seven Weary Travelers

Seven students arrived in Cambridge yesterday and the rest of the group should be here by the end of the day. Last evening the group went on a brief tour of the surrounding area and had dinner at The Mitre. Afterwards everyone met on the bank of the Cam for a few after dinner Pimm's cocktails before heading to bed. A few of us will take the short walk to the chapel at St. John's for Sunday morning's sung Eucharist service. As promised, I will try to get a quick group photo after everyone has arrived.

John O.

John O.,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Here.

Danielle, Emily, Travis and Jack

Danielle, Emily, Travis and Jack,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

Safe and wired.

Allison and Renee

Allison and Renee,
originally uploaded by OSUSD.

I'm sorry about the poor lighting. I promise a better photo tomorrow.

Darwin

The life and work of Charles Darwin will be celebrated at Cambridge throughout 2009--200 years after his birth and 150 since the publication of the Origin of Species.

An exhibit named Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts will be on display at the Fitzwilliam Museum during our time at Cambridge. The exhibition explores both the young Darwin’s debt to visual imagery and the vast range of artistic responses to his ideas. The result of over three years interdisciplinary research by The Fitzwilliam Museum, this exhibition goes beyond traditional examinations of Darwin’s life and work to encourage a radical reappraisal of nineteenth-century art.

Called “a major achievement” by the New York Times, and ‘courageous and wonderfully imaginative' by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Endless Forms features nearly two hundred objects and works of art from over 100 institutions around the world - many on display in the UK for the first time.

For more information, see www.darwinendlessforms.org.

Arrival

Laura and I have arrived in Cambridge and are ready to greet students as they make their way to Magdalene. We have a computer lab setup for us in one of the rooms, so students should be able to send and receive email easily. I'll try to take a photo of the group after everyone has arrived and post it here. The weather has cooled since we arrived in London and I expect moderate weather for the next few days.

Heat Wave!

We apparently brought the Oklahoma weather with us to London. The city is experiencing a heat wave that has residents and news reporters talking about emergency procedures for dealing with the extreme heat. The high today was 90 degrees F. All Laura and I could do was laugh as we watched Londoners walking around as if they were in an oven.

Arrival in London

Laura and I arrived in London today. I'll try to post more details when I've recovered a bit more from the flight.

Cambridge Turns 800

This is special year to be in Cambridge because 2009 marks the 800th anniversary of the university. For move information about the history of the university and some of the events scheduled to celebrate the occasion visit: http://www.800.cam.ac.uk

Our students will be staying at Magdalene College, which was founded in 1428 and is situated in the heart of the Cambridge University system. The River Cam flows just a few steps from our lodgings at the college. For more information about the college visit: http://www.magd.cam.ac.uk

Welcome

Welcome to the Oklahoma State University 2009 Oxbridge program blog. If you don't already know, my name is Tim O'Neil and I will attempt to keep you posted on the day-to-day happenings this summer.

This is my first attempt at blogging, so please have patience as I learn how this works. I am a graduate assistant in the Office of Scholar Development at OSU, and I will be trying to fill the shoes of Dr. Bob Graalman to the best of my ability.

I have been to England once before as an undergraduate participating in the Oxbridge program in 2005. My wife Laura will be joining me this summer. Laura is a third-grade teacher in the Mid-Del School District and an OSU alumna.

Before Laura and I travel to Cambridge, we will be spending some time in London. We will arrive in Cambridge on Friday, July 3 so that we will be present to greet students as they appear.

Once everyone has arrived in Cambridge, I will try to post a message indicating all of the safe arrivals as soon as possible so that you don't have to worry. I will also try to post pictures from the trip so you can share some of the experience.

Please, check back often and feel free to comment on any of the posts!