The following is a selection of the many distinctions conferred on members of the University this year.

Derek Briggs, Professor of Palaeontology, has been elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society. He is distinguished for his discovery of exceptionally well preserved fossils which have thrown new light on their evolutionary significance. He has pioneered new experimental approaches to the process of fossilisation of the ‘soft parts’ of animals. His chemical and mineralogical studies have shown how these parts can be replicated at the cellular level in minerals such as apatite.

Sir John Kingman, FRS
The Vice-Chancellor, Sir John Kingman, has been appointed to serve on the Council of the Royal Society. He has also been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Bristol United Press, and a director and Deputy Chairman of Western Newspapers Ltd. He received the Honorary Degree of LLD from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.

Professor Baz Kershaw
Baz Kershaw, Professor of Drama, will be Chair of the Drama, Dance and Performing Arts assessment panel in the forthcoming Research Assessment Exercise.

Professor John Enderby, FRS
John Enderby, Emeritus Professor of Physics, has been elected as the next Physical Secretary of the Royal Society, and has been nominated as Chair of the Physics assessment panel in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.

Professor Ron Johnston, FBA
Ron Johnston, Professor of Geography, was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.

Professor Peter Mathieson
Peter Mathieson, Professor of Renal Medicine, has been elected to the Academy of Medical Science.

Professor Bernard Silverman, FRS
Bernard Silverman, Henry Overton Wills Professor of Mathematics, has been elected President of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.

Professor Richard Gregory, FRS
Richard Gregory, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, has been chosen as one of 11 ‘godparents’ of the Millennium Dome who are responsible for advising in their specialist fields, in his case, for the Mind Zone.

Catering Services award
Staff of the Central Catering Services, located at The Hawthorns and the Victoria Rooms, received certificates from the English Tourist Board, for the successful completion of the Board’s Welcome host customer care course.

Professor Ursula King
Professor Ursula King, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, has been appointed to a Visiting Professorship in Feminist Theology at the University of Oslo, a new post established by the Norwegian Parliament.

Stephen Milner
Stephen Milner, Lecturer in Italian, has been awarded a one-year Fellowship by Harvard University for the academic year 1999-2000 at Villa I Tatti in Florence, the Harvard University Centre for Italian Renaissance Studies.

Professor Rebecca Bailey-Harris
Professor Rebecca Bailey-Harris, Professor of Law, has served as a member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Group on Ancillary Relief. As a result of the Group’s recommendations, procedural reforms have been piloted in selected courts around the country. The Lord Chancellor has recently announced that the scheme will be implemented nationwide from June 2000.

Birthday Honours

Alan Baddeley, FRS, Honorary Professor of Psychology, was made a CBE for services to the study of memory.

Christopher Stephens, Professor of Child Dental Health, was made an OBE for services to the use of IT in the dental professions and to education.

Dick Clements, Reader in Engineering Mathematics, was made an MBE in the Royal Navy list for his work with University Naval Units.