Travel Funds and Academic-Related Awards

With the support of the Melandra Castle Fund, Ashita was able to cover the costs of travel to Delhi where she conducted research for her DPhil project on feminist engagement with rape law reform in India. She was able to access the National archives of Delhi as well as visit the National Commission for Women in Delhi where she made valuable contacts and read important reports which informed her DPhil work. Whilst in Delhi, Ashita had the opportunity to meet scholars and activists of the Indian feminist movement in the 1990s, which led her to discover even more helpful resources. 

"I am extremely grateful to have been jointly awarded the Melandra Castle Travel Prize. It provided me with the opportunity to access primary resources essential for my research and I hope through this work I am able to present a comprehensive analytical framework that can contribute to future discussions on sexual assault in feminist discourse and rape law reform in India," shares Ashita. 

Read Ashita's full report here.

Freddie travelled to six cities in China with the help of the Stanley Ho Travel Fund, visiting historical sites from the Summer Palace to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square as well as places of natural beauty such as Kunming Lake, the panda sanctuary in Chengdu and Qingcheng Mountain. 

Freddie describes his trip to China as "transformative," adding that "the country’s landscapes, from majestic mountains to modern cityscapes, were extraordinary. I was continually impressed by the warmth and hospitality of the people, who were always eager to help or share a story. Each city had something unique to offer, making my journey a mosaic of unforgettable experiences."

Read Freddie's full report here. 

With the support of the Alan Jones Travel Fund, Katie spent some time in Morocco where she took language lessons in Arabic, focusing on advanced literary translation from English to Arabic. Whilst in Morocco, she lived with host families who spoke French, Moroccan Arabic, and Modern Standard Arabic, giving her the opportunity to practice her speaking skills in those languages. In Marrakech, Kate experienced cultural celebrations for Eid al-Arash, the anniversary of the King's accession to the throne and from there drove to Agafay Desert and the Ouzoud Waterfalls where she witnessed Morocco's natural beauty. 

Katie shares that "this trip was an unforgettable experience that allowed me to practice my language skills in real-life contexts, connect deeply with Moroccan culture, and make lasting memories. I’m very grateful to Pembroke College for making this possible."

Read Katie's full report here. 

Having been awarded the Arthur Felix Broomfield Prize, Katrin spent part of her summer in Florence where she could contextualise her studies, focusing on the city's history between 1450-1530. With a keen interest on Florence's architecture, Katrin visited the Catherdal of Sana Maria del Fiore and the Palazzo Vecchio. She also visited the Uffizi Gallery where she saw masterpieces by Botticelli and Artemisia Gentileschi. 

"I focused my trip on visiting the Uffizi Gallery, as well as the churches and convents in the surrounding locality, in order to immerse myself into the cultural and geographic context of the sources I would be studying this year," shares Katrin. 

Read Katrin's full report here. 

Marigold was able to spend over a month in mainland China, where she visited thirteen cities and towns across ten different provinces and municipalities, with the support of the Stanley Ho Travel Funding. Her trip allowed her to compare the culture and lifestyle in China to that in Taiwan where she spent her year abroad for her degree in Chinese. Whilst in China, Marigold visited several sites of historical interest, including the Nanjing Massacre Museum and the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China as well as areas of natural beauty in Guillin city, Yangshuo, Longsheng, and Zhangjiajie. 

"This trip allowed me to see China from so many different perspectives, from its ancient capitals and huge municipalities to natural magnificence," shares Marigold. "The funding allowed me to engage with China on a scale I had not thought possible, and experience more than I could ever have alone."

Read Marigold's full report here. 

As part of her Thesis research, Marysia travelled to Andalusia in southern Spain with the support of the Patrick Higgins Travelling Scholarship in Theology to investigate the multicultural society created by the Moors in Medieval Spain. During her trip, Marysia conducted research in monastery libraries, using the Arabic she studied in first year and visited both the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba and Medina Azahara. Marysia also had the opportunity to visit Seville where she saw the Alcazar of Seville. 

Marysia's trip to Andalusia "traced Cordoba's multicultural history from its Roman ruins to the Moorish architecture, and its later churches and Christian palaces."

Read Marysia's full report here.

As part of a travel course for her Biology degree, Maya travelled to Borneo to study tropical forest ecology with the support of the George Bredin Travel Fund. Maya and her course mates stayed at the Danum Valley Field Station in Sabah, one of Southeast Asia's most significant areas of lowland forest, to aid in data collection and visit sites of ongoing research projects. During the trip, Maya carried out her own research project on the relationship between insectivory and herbivory. In between data collection, lectures, and research, there was plenty of time for swimming, walks and bird watching. 

"The field course to Borneo was an immensely productive and gratifying experience which has truly enriched my understanding of tropical forest ecology," shares Maya. "The research I was able to undertake while there was a fascinating experience, and the practical research skills I learnt are invaluable."

Read Maya's full report here. 

With the help of the Alan Jones Travel Prize, Joshua spent three weeks in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, completing a one-on-one advanced Arabic course at the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning in anticipation for his final year of reading French and Arabic. While away, Joshua also spent time at the weekends travelling to various parts of the country, including Tangier in the north, and the Atlas Mountains, located just south of Fez. 

Describing the opportunity as "invaluable for going into [his] final year of a French and Arabic degree", Joshua shares: "I am extraordinarily grateful to the Alan Jones fund and to Pembroke College for their financial support which led me to be able to afford this educational and cultural opportunity in Morocco."

Read Joshua's full report here.

With the help of the Alan Jones Travel Prize, Oscar travelled to Istanbul to attend a Turkish language school in preparation for his final year reading Arabic and Turkish.

Oscar shares: "The opportunity to talk to locals from across Istanbul as well as the intensive classes meant that in just two weeks there was a noticeable improvement and I feel far more prepared in advance of my final year. I am grateful to Pembroke for awarding me the Alan Jones Travel Prize which was invaluable in making possible what was a rewarding and memorable trip."

Read Oscar's full report here.

Using the George Bredin and Pier Giorgio Frassati Travel Funds, Barbara travelled to Kenya to lay the groundwork for a 2024 biodiversity surveying project at the Maasai-run Il Ngwesi Community Conservancy. The project's aim is to systematically categorise Il Ngwesi’s biodiversity, quantifying the differences between Il Ngwesi’s core conservation area, grazing blocks and settlements, to provide information useful to land management plans, contributing to the conservancy’s vision of fostering biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and the flourishing of Maasai culture hand-in-hand.

Barbara shared: "Overall, the trip was a huge success. The team is amazing and extremely enthusiastic. Everyone at Il Ngwesi was beyond welcoming. The work we carried out this year - testing methods, learning about the landscape and building collaborations - will set a solid foundation for the 2024 surveys and hopefully for the continuation of this project by Il Ngwesi well into the future. Learning and engaging with Maasai culture was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip, and it has been a great privilege to be able to explore this part of Kenya and get to know the people who live there."

Read Barbara's full report here.

Finn travelled to the southern coast of Portugal using the Pier Giorgio Frassati Travel Fund in order to conduct research to test his hypothesis of whether seahorse population distributions could be used to model oceanic currents. The Fund gave him the opportunity to sample various areas primarily within the Ria Formosa, a lagoon in southern Portugal. Though he did not reach a decisive conclusion on his hypothesis, realising that it would probably have to be tested in a controlled environment such as an artificial tank, he spoke of how the experience expanded his awareness of the "intricate web of factors at play in this dynamic environment". 

Finn shared: "I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to meld my investigative work with travel, thanks to the support of the Pier Giorgio Frassati Fund. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to everyone involved in organizing the travel grants, enabling me to explore my ideas and contribute to our understanding of this fascinating ecosystem."

Read Finn’s full report here.

With the help of the Sandrew Travel Grant, Benoit travelled to the United States to conduct research for his undergraduate thesis on interracial relationships prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Loving v. Virginia (1967). Visiting New York, Washington DC, Princeton, and New Haven over the course of the three-week trip, Benoit consulted various library collections in each location to find resources related to his thesis. In particular, he spent time investigating documentation of the scandal that followed the high-profile divorce of Walter White, Executive Secretary of the NAACP, from Gladys Powell, and his subsequent remarriage to a white woman, Poppy Cannon. 

Benoit shares: "I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to visit the US for my first ever time conducting archival research. I am equally grateful that during my research I was able to engage with American culture and history while visiting quite a few different towns and cities in a relatively short timeframe – something that was made possible by the generous support of the Sandrew Travel Grant."

Read Benoit's full report here.

Ella-Rose spent a month in Indonesia, moving around every few days to visit Bali, Lombok and vaious Gili Islands, among others. She used the time to explore the distinct, historic culture of each island and the ways this links to the religions of the island.

The timing of her trip allowed her to witness the Hindu festival of Nyepi (also referred to as silence day) and the celebrations and practices that mark it. She visited temples and mosques, and spoke to locals about religious traditions, as well as taking the opportunity to attend a local cooking class and explore the varied landscape of the country. She shares: "The way in which religion functions across this part of the world, in conjunction with tradition, culture, and history makes it so unique and such a rich fabric to engage with."

Read her full travel report here.

Audrey used the fund to travel to Borneo for a departmental field course in tropical forest ecology. The course took place in Danum Valley Conservation area in Sabah, an area which exemplifies the major challenges and prospects of modern rainforest conservation. 

The course saw her gain hands-on experience with field techniques as she handled of of birds, bats, insects and plants; attend lectures about the natural history of the local environment; and work with a small group to design and execute an original research project.

The experience gave Audrey a taste of fieldwork which led her to spend her summer planning and executing her own project back in her home state of California. She says: "I never would have had the confidence to undertake that project without the pracKcal skills and research independence the Borneo trip helped build."

Read Audrey's full report here.

Yaseen traveled to Morocco & Mali using the Melandra Castle Fund, and conducted research for his dissertation on al-Mukhtār al-Kuntī, an important but lesser-known West African, Saharan Muslim scholar. During his trip, he visited various manuscript libraries in Africa to access primary sources.

Yaseen shares: "I am incredibly grateful for being jointly awarded the Melandra Castle Travel Prize. It has given me a greater ability to complete my research for my dissertation. I hope my work might bring more awareness to the vibrant intellectual scene in the Sahara and West Africa in the 18th century with particular appreciation for the contribution of al-Mukhtār al-Kuntī."

Read his full travel report here.

Juliana used this fund to travel to Les Diablerets to present her poster titled ‘Roles in learning for octopaminergic modulation of Drosophila dopaminergic neurons’ at her first international conference.

She shares: "I am very grateful to the Melandra Castle Fund and Pembroke College for supporting me in attending and presenting my research at the Gordon Research Seminar ‘Integrating Diverse Approaches to Understand Neural Mechanisms of Behavior’ and the Gordon Research Conference ‘Mechanisms that Underlie Flexible Neural Coding'."

Read her full travel report here.

Harrison joined 3 other Pembroke students in a 2-week visit to Japan to participate in the Annual Technos International Week, an important event that promotes exchange and understanding between international participants and the students of Technos International College.

Harrison shares: “If you have an interest in Japan you will not find a better opportunity to explore that interest than this trip. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to be a part of the ‘Pembroke 5’ (as we were known on the attendance register) and to explore a country that I have admired from afar for so long. The two weeks were a unique opportunity to interact with and learn from people all over the world with a shared interest in expanding their worldview, and I know that I will cherish the memories and friendships I made for a long time.”

Read his full report here.

Jamal visited Japan for 2 weeks along with 3 other Pembroke students to participate in the Annual Technos International Week, an important event that promotes exchange and understanding between international participants and the students of Technos International College.

Jamal shares: "Being given the chance to travel to Japan for two weeks and experience the culture first hand from students in Japan was an amazing experience. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be something that I remember forever and will forever keep close to one of the most amazing few weeks that I have ever experienced. The rich culture, the diverse and delicious food, the breath-taking landscapes, and the unique way of life is definitely something that I would strongly recommend to anyone considering visiting Asia. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to participate in the Technos International Week at the end of my last term at Oxford, and I could not be evermore grateful to Pembroke, Technos College, Nancy, Matt, and the lifelong friends I made in this trip.”

Read his full report here.

Ayeza joined 3 other Pembroke students in a 2-week visit to Japan to participate in the Annual Technos International Week, an important event that promotes exchange and understanding between international participants and the students of Technos International College.

Ayeza shares: "The friendships I have made at IW23 are bound to endure far beyond the two-week trip, and I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to return to Japan and reunite with my newfound friends. Dr. Tanaka's legacy is deeply ingrained in this experience, and I am committed to continuing the spirit of cultural understanding and friendship that he championed.”

Read her full report here.

Ayeza visited Japan for 2 weeks with a group of Pembroke students to participate in the Annual Technos International Week, an important event that promotes exchange and understanding between international participants and the students of Technos International College.

Sofia shares: “Everyone involved in the activities – staff and students alike – was eager not only to make us feel at home by providing a great sense of hospitality and accessible topics throughout the programme but wished to impart their knowledge and experience to us. Indeed, one of my fondest memories of International Week was the casual way in which I was able to speak to such a range of people. We would each relate the different ways in which we grew up and were used to living, but also found striking similarities – in favourite foods and films, for example.”

Read her full report here.

Having received the Arthur Felix Broomfield Prize, Sofia was able to complete a seven-month work placement in the French Caribbean for her year abroad. During her placement, Sofia worked at two schools, interacting with students in Year 7 all the way to Year 13. She was also able to explore the beautiful island of Martinique by visiting beaches, waterfalls, and hiking in a gorge. 

Sofia describes her time in Martinique as "life-changing", sharing that "the vast richness of all my experiences in Martinique would not have been possible without the Arthur Felix Broomfield Prize and Pembroke College, to whom I am therefore incredibly grateful."

Read Sofia's full report here. 

With the support of the Melandra Castle Fund, Ramesh has conducted fieldwork across the Antarctic peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands as part of his PhD on the impacts of warming and sewage pollution on rocky shore communities. 

Whilst in Antarctica, Ramesh contributed to the research efforts of the project Penguin Watch, initiated at the University of Oxford by Dr. Tom Hart. The Melandra Castle Fund allowed Ramesh to travel to Punta Arenas, Chile, the Falklands, South Georgia, South Orkney, and the Antarctic peninsula to conduct project work. 

Ramesh shares that the Melandra Castle Travel Prize "has given me an invaluable opportunity to expand the scope of my PhD, as well as gain more practical fieldwork and lecture experience." He continues, "I have been able to contribute to a variety of research projects across the southernmost region of the world. I hope my work can bring increased awareness of the necessity to protect rocky shore coastlines, particularly in the face of a both global and local change." 

Read Ramesh's full report here. 

Supported by the Sandrew Travel Fund, Katerina joined Dr Matthew Liao at the New York University Centre for Bioethics as a Visiting Researcher as part of her DPhil in Philosophy project. Whilst in the US, Katerina spoke at the annual Midsouth Philosophy Conference held at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee about the inclusion of Transgender Women in Competitive Women's Sports.  

Read Katerina's full report here.

Chloe shares: "Thanks to the generous support of the Patrick Higgins Memorial Scholarship, I was able to go to Rome for a four day period of enrichment in Catholic history and theology and research into the relationship between Ancient Political Rome and 1st Century Judaism."

Read Chloe's full report here.

Abby shares: "I was very lucky to travel to Assam, India with the help of the George Bredin Travel Prize and the George Bredin Travel Fund. While there, I completed a six-week internship with an NGO named Akshar Foundation, based in Guwahati. I worked as a junior teacher, teaching English, Maths and Science. I also organised a ‘science show’, which used basic household items to demonstrate interesting scientific phenomena"

Read Abby's full report here.

Pembroke student Joshua Kirkhope-Arkley (European and Middle Eastern Languages, 2020) used the Robert Baldick fund to undertake a work opportunity with a newspaper in Lomé, Togo.

During his time there, Joshua would choose Togolese books to read and write summaries and critical analyses about them in French. These analyses would be published in the Literary ballads section of the newspaper.

Read more from Joshua's trip here.

This fund helped Sidharth travel to Arizona, USA to meet with her supervisor Sam Cushman and work on her PhD research, which involved developing a computational model to simulate animal movement paths across different landscapes.

Read more here.

Oluwadayomi used this fund for an exploratory trip to Nigeria. The purpose of the trip was to learn about the state of the aviation industry in Sub-Saharan African and determine if there are, in fact, opportunities for innovative individuals and organizations. The main objective was assess the feasibility of developing a new airline in Nigeria.

Oluwadayomi shares: "[This trip] was an invaluable experience and I am grateful for the prize and the opportunity made available by the scholarship."

Read his report here.

Olivia used this fund during her trip to New Orleans in 2019. She presented a paper at an international conference hosted by Tulane University. This conference was combined with a longer research trip to the United States, which was essential to gather archival material and evidence for her doctoral thesis.

Olivia shares: "The Sandrew Fund (£250), combined with small grants from the History Faculty and the conference itself, greatly facilitated the completion of [this] trip..."

Read her full report here.

This fund allowed Wanda to visit Buenos Aires to gather material for her extended essay. She researched the topic of Italian immigration in Argentina and its influence on the local culture. She visited the Centre for Latin American Migration Studies (CEMLA), and used materials provided by their librarian to explore connections between Italian and Argentinian literature. 

Wanda shares "The impression I have after my time in Buenos Aires is that today the Argentinians, and especially the people in Buenos Aires, are proud of their heritage. Italian culture and literature are cherished and kept alive in this beautiful, remote country." 

Read her full report here.