August 2000: Annual Meeting 2000 Invitation
8 August 2000
Dear Member
Annual Meeting 2000
This will take place on Friday 22 September and the details are outlined on the next sheet. The committee felt that we should choose some lecturers with business interests and Roger Sainsbury fits that bill admirably because his career has been on the contracting side of civil engineering.
Venue
Level 1 of the Thom Building is undergoing extensive modification. The date on which it is due to be handed back is 22 September! But I am taking no chances and have booked the lecture theatre, which is of similar size, in Nuclear Physics. The best approach is up the stairs from the corner of Keble Road and Banbury Road.
As part of the AGM you will be asked to give formal approval to two matters:
World Wide Web
We now have our own domain and website, separate from the Department, and in order to facilitate running this we will need our own database of members' details. To comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act, members are hereby notified that we plan to do this and are given the opportunity to request us not to include their details in our database. Please note that members' details will not be made available, except where explicitly authorised by members who wish to participate in the "Members' Gallery" (see below). The address of our site is www.soue.org.uk; it can be reached by a link from the Department's main page (www.eng.ox.ac.uk).
Amendment of the Constitution
It has become increasingly difficult to find members to serve on the committee and it is suggested that the period of office should be extended from 3 to 6 years before a compulsory gap of one year. It is thought that this would increase the sense of involvement.
Head of Department
Last year's report covered the 21 month period (1 January 1998 to 30 September 1999). This enabled up to date information to be included. This year, however, because of the imminence of the data collection for the Research Assessment Exercise and because of new reporting deadlines resulting from changes in university administration it has been decided that no report should be issued at this stage. When a report is available it will be posted to the web. Professor Eatock Taylor will make a verbal report on 22 September.
Members are also asked to consider the following matters:
Membership of the Committee
In addition to the Secretary and Treasurer there should be 6 drawn from those working in the Department and 6 drawn from those who have gone down. The committee meets, usually, twice a year: once on the morning after the Jenkin lecture and the other in January after the beginning of term. This date is chosen so that an undergraduate can attend. Assuming that the proposed amendment to the constitution is passed and that present members are willing to continue for a further 3 years there are still vacancies to be filled because not all places were filled last year. Suggestions, or better still, firm proposals of names who might serve should be sent to the secretary as soon as possible.
Members' Gallery
Members who consult the Society's web site (see above) will have seen that we have proposed a "Members' Gallery" for which it was hoped that members would provide some biographical material. The intention is to provide useful information rather than opportunity for advertisement. In particular, the Committee hoped that present students might gain from contact with members who could offer professional advice where appropriate.
Now that students become associate members, we are keen to pursue the idea (subject as always to data protection). In order that we can assess the possibilities, I am therefore asking members on this occasion to complete the attached slip and return it to me (if hard copy) or via our web site, as appropriate.
Yours sincerely
P G Lund
Would you be willing to publish some or all of the information indicated below, in respect of yourself, on the SOUE website?
Yes/No*
If 'Yes', please give here as much of the information indicated as you would be willing to have published.
Name
College
Period at Oxford
Degree taken (Honour School or other)
Present Employment (Type and/or Company name)
Past Employment
Area of Residence**
Address or other contact details
If you do not wish to publish an address, would you be willing to be contacted by other members through the Society?
Would you be willing for the information you have provided to be published without furth er consultation?
*Please delete as appropriate
** (London, North-East, South-West, South of Scotland, Singapore, etc)
PROGRAMME
All meetings take place in the lecture theatre of the Nuclear & Astrophysics laboratory.
2.00 : Dr Zhong You : "Retractable Structures: from umbrella to roof".
3.00 : Dr Harvey Burd : "Mechanical Modelling of the Human Eye Lens".
4.00 : Tea
4.30 : Annual General Meeting
a) Head of Department's Report
b) Secretary's Report
c) Treasurer's Report
d) World Wide Web
e) Extension of period of service of the Committee members - amendment to the constitution
f) Membership of the Committee
g) Members' Gallery
5.00 : Thirteenth Jenkin Lecture
"The Interface between Civil Engineering and Business"
Mr Roger Sainsbury (Keble)
Immediate Past President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
6.45 : Drinks in Mansfield College
7.15 : Dinner in Mansfield College (Dinner Jackets).
The cost of the dinner will be £40.00. As in previous years, guests will be welcome. There will be a cash bar available after dinner.
Mansfield can provide bed and breakfast as follows (prices are per person).
Single : £34.50 + VAT = £40.54
Twin : £32.50 + VAT = £38.19
En-suite : £40.00 + VAT = £47.00