Winners announced for Green Templeton’s Nautilus Awards 2023

Green Templeton is pleased to announce this year’s Nautilus Award winners, honouring students who have gone beyond the call of duty and responsibility to contribute to the college.

The annual awards are bestowed in three categories: Academic, College Citizenship and Sport. Congratulations to our winners and all those highly commended!

Academic

Winner: Austen Fisher (DPhil Anthropology, 2019)

As chair of the Human Welfare Conference, Austen brought his passion about psychedelics to share the knowledge and understanding of the topic with the rest of the college community. His dedication in bringing this conference together, from working with previous co-chairs, designing all the promotional materials, to securing some of the top names in the field to speak. He also ensured that Green Templeton students were prioritised.

Austen also supported the 2022 conference team in their post-conference art unveiling by helping bring the equipment necessary for them to host the event. Alongside his role as Human Welfare Conference Chair, Austen is a Peer Supporter and also continues to serve as the College Rep for the Annual Varsity [Ski and Snowboard] Trip for the university, ensuring GTC students know about this opportunity. Additionally, he chaired the 2022 Ball committee, which introduced reusable cups as part of GTC’s sustainability efforts. Not only was the Ball a huge success, but the reusable cups are now standard at college. You can purchase GTC-themed reusable cups in the Lodge and use them when buying a drink at Stables to get a discount. Austen demonstrably cares about the college, its values, and the people – including students, fellows and staff.

Highly commended: Adebisi Adenipekun (Master of Public Policy, 2022)

Adebisi has demonstrated a strong commitment to students’ personal and professional development since becoming a member of the GCR. Notably, he conducted a survey to students about their Personal and Professional Development needs which was well received and triggered a number of helpful actions, events and workshops spearheaded by Adebisi’s desire to support GTC students. He has shared career-related opportunities with college members and has initiated a process to improve networking between the students, fellows and alumni.

Highly commended: Ella Dunlop (Clinical Medicine, 2021)

Ella has been active on the Richard Doll Society committee, organising the annual conference and networking dinners. She led revision teaching of ten weekly sessions for 4th year students and worked alongside Professor Andrew Farmer in the Department of Primary Health Care on a systematic review of shift-work sleep disorder, which she wrote up as a second author for publication in Wellcome Open Research. It is unusual for a medical student to be able to take a paper through to publication, demonstrating the additional effort above and beyond expectations. Ella is also a dedicated Peer Supporter and advocate for sustainability, and established the college’s Allotment Club. Starting this venture alongside her clinical studies, Ella supported the allotment throughout, leveraging its popularity amongst students so it was able to continue when she had to take a smaller role in it this year. The college allotment is thriving now with a large group of dedicated students and college members involved.

College Citizenship

Joint winner: Raffy Maristela (MBA, 2022)

Raffy has positively contributed to the community through his involvement in supporting the college’s LGBTQ+ community as the GCR’s co-LGBTQ+ rep. He was integral to the GTC Ball in summer 2022, which was a huge hit, and is back again in 2023 as co-president of the Ball Committee. Raffy has dedicated a lot of his personal time to college and strengthening the community through events and is known for being incredibly personable and approachable to all students and other college members.

Alongside his work within college, he is also leading an effort to establish an Oxford Impact Fund. This fund will provide unrestricted grants for Oxford non-profit organisations and will serve as a vehicle for the university to invest and give back to its community.

Joint winner: Pallavi Menon (MSc Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation, 2022)

As an active and instrumental member of the Green Templeton community, Pallavi has made significant contributions towards fostering a positive and inclusive college environment. Pallavi was instrumental for the organisation of a large number of events for college members, going above and beyond expectations. She has given so much time and energy – well beyond what would be expected for someone in her role on the GCR committee.

Pallavi is always friendly and welcoming, known for her exceptional support to her peers and always willing to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. Her unwavering commitment to the college’s values and her genuine concern for the well-being of her fellow students make her a deserving recipient of this award.

Highly commended: Gloria Ngaiza (DPhil Clinical Medicine, 2021)

As representative of the Black Students’ Society, Gloria has been an inspiration to many Black students in the college. Gloria passionately dedicated her time to organising events that promote inclusion and diversity among Black students and the wider college community. She organised the Black History Month celebration in October, the Diversity Dinner, monthly Black student socials, movie nights and an uncomfortable Oxford tour. Gloria has been particularly helpful to new students in helping them settle in college and is quick to provide answer to questions of peers, including through sharing personal experiences. Gloria has gone out of her way to ensure that students have the best experience at GTC.

Sport

Winner: Ruby Harrison (DPhil Ion Channels and Membrane Transport in Health and Disease, 2020)

Ruby has an unwavering dedication to improving and building upon sport and rowing at Green Templeton. Ruby does this as president of Green Templeton Boat Club. Not only is this a massive task (she has to coordinate captains, coaches, college, regattas, etc), but Ruby does it with the best attitude. She is strong, determined, very much a fearless leader that will support the club with 100% of her energy. She is one of the most senior members of the club, leads by example, and always provides a cool head full of experience.

Ruby has improved relations between men and women’s squads, made a massive push for Green Templeton to be able to compete not only with other colleges but also other national and international clubs, and grown participation such that the club had enough men and women to put out five boats for Summer Eights. Squad members are falling in love with this sport, and so much of that is due to Ruby.

Highly commended: Sarah MacKenzie (MPhil Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation, 2021)

As Green Templeton Boat Club Women’s Co-Captain, Sarah has been running the women’s rowing team brilliantly this year. Together with Amadea Turk, they were very transparent in the way they set the boats and included those who would like to row every now and then, but also who would like to row competitively – and train them accordingly. Sarah has been supportive, encouraging and inclusive for all of boat club. Alongside Amadea, they are always considerate of others including everyone’s budgets, ensuring that costs never get in the way for someone’s participation and enjoyment of the sport

Highly commended: Amadea Turk (DPhil Primary Health Care, 2020)

As Green Templeton Boat Club Women’s Co-Captain, Amadea has organised participation in additional rowing outings/competitions that are not part of the general Oxford rowing calendar. Together with Sarah MacKenzie, she is incredibly supportive, encouraging, inclusive and very well organized. The boat club has been an example amongst other colleges, because of the people who run it in such a kind, but also sufficiently ambitious and passionate way. Amadea and Sarah as co-captains have worked together to create a strong and supportive team.

Highly commended: Patrick Oliver (Clinical Medicine, 2022)

Patrick was responsible for instilling a great footballing community after a period when Green Templeton had not fielded a team in the college league for some time. He had the initiative to recruit and kickstart a very enjoyable campaign at the start of this academic year to lead the team towards a successful year. Patrick worked tirelessly through Michaelmas and Hilary to organise games not just within the MCR league, but with other colleges too. His leadership and approachability largely contributed to ‘The Snakes’ getting a promotion in the league, and a semi-final cuppers run. Patrick is always a friendly face to have around, and made sure everyone, students and fellows alike, were welcomed to the team.

All-round highly commended

Isabella Camplisson (Graduate Entry Medicine, 2021)

Isabella was an extremely active member of the GCR committee from helping run induction activities to organising countless events. She always has energy and enthusiasm for college life and went far beyond the call of her role as an incredibly valued member of the team. Alongside Anežka and Georgina, Izzy helped create a warm and welcoming environment for students.

Georgina King (Clinical Medicine, 2021)

Georgina has organised and run countless events over the past two years – putting many, many hours into making the GTC community a fun and supportive environment. As a welfare rep she spent almost every Sunday morning doing GTC brunch and as GCR president she spends a number of hidden hours working to ensure events go ahead and represent students; especially events that welcomed our new cohort of students in October. Her dedication to ensuring everyone felt welcomed is an attribute to her love of college. Georgie approaches everything with a smile on her face and will make time to offer community members support whenever they need it.

Anežka Macey-Dare (DPhil Pharmacology, 2020)

Anežka made an exceptional contribution to student welfare and activities, to creating new and inclusive college sport, and to representing and being an ambassador for Green Templeton in university sport. She, alongside Izzy and Georgie, created an environment at college where students felt welcomed and ready to explore what college has to offer. She has also mentored aspiring medical students particularly from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds applying for undergraduate medicine in Oxford and London.