You might see the title of this article and think, hang on, I recognise that name. What’s this all about?  Well, that is a good question. The G.M. Trevelyan Research Prize is an annual event named after our college namesake George Macaulay Trevelyan. The exact reason for why it is named after him unfortunately I don’t know. I attempted to ask around to find out the history of the prize however, no one seems to know how and why it began. Even Janice said that the prize existed before she joined the college so I had no luck getting answers on the roots of the event.  The only source of information I could find is a board in the MCR of some past winners. This really highlights that the Research Prize is an important and long standing part of Trevs. Hence why I thought I would write an article giving you the low-down on this year’s speakers and the process of organising an event that has so much history. 

The Research Prize is an important and long standing part of Trevs.

First of all, what is the Research Prize? The event is very similar to MCR/SCR Research Talks that are run on a termly basis. Speakers from the Middle Common Room (MCR) both full and associate members have the opportunity to sign up to give a presentation on a topic they are researching either through their degree or PHD. In the case of the Research Prize, the presentations are judged by a panel with the winner and runner up receiving £100 and £50 respectively. Exciting stuff! 

The event is organised by the MCR Vice-President which is myself for the year 2024/25. My method for organising the prize has been very similar to what I’ve done for Research Talks. I started by opening sign ups to the MCR. Once the deadline for this had passed, I confirmed with the speakers if they had successfully been given a slot in the programme and all the information they would need for the day. Other things to organise included: confirming all the information on the room booking, judges for the event and refreshments from the Bar and Buttery for after the talks. Leading up to the event, the key thing is publicity involving social media posts and physical posters to display around college hence putting my Canva skills to use. I’ve really enjoyed organising both Research Talks and the prize as they genuinely are really cool events and have led to me learning a lot of new things. 

So who are the speakers for this year’s G.M. Trevelyan Research Prize? Well, the programme includes talks from the Physics, Psychology and Archaeology departments.

Daníel Freyr Ívarsson will open the event with a talk on forensic archaeology discussing how implementing trauma analysis can aid practitioners in recognising and responding to domestic violence especially for marginalised groups.

This research looks into how implementing trauma analysis into Domestic Homicide Reviews could help practitioners better recognise and respond to domestic violence, especially in marginalised groups like the LGBTQ community.

Daníel Freyr Ívarsson

This will be followed by Nathan Bentley who will talk through changes of state focusing on water freezing and transitions in magnetic materials.

Our daily lives are governed by changes of state in materials. I will discuss water freezing and transitions in magnetic materials with applications in device physics.

Nathan Bentley

Rai Samar G Bari will talk us through how we find what we’re looking for from colours to objects.

Your brain directs attention differently depending on what you’re looking for—whether it’s a colour (red), a colour-shape combination (red-square), or a whole object (gift box)

Rai Samar G Bari

Finally, the talks will conclude with George Scholey examining the pros and cons of man made agricultural soil. 

I will discuss the benefits and draw backs of the creation of thickened anthropologic soils specifically those created through plaggen farming, and discussed there sustainability in the future.

George Scholey

All common rooms are welcome to attend the event and the talks will be followed by a drinks reception and further refreshments and discussion in the MCR. We have a very interesting line up for this year’s prize and I really hope to see lots of Trevelyanites in attendance.

The G.M. Trevelyan Research Prize will take place on Wednesday 7th May at 7pm in the Dowrick Suite, Trevelyan College.

Images: Trevelyan College MCR