‘The tarantula can live for between twenty and twenty-five years.’

‘The Australian Bearded Dragon cannot hear; if it sees somebody it likes, it has to wave. And if it has to run away, it runs upright, on two legs.’

‘In improvised acting, ‘yes’ is perhaps the most important word.’

‘So what’s the marketing budget for your film looking like? And won’t the fact that you’re filming it in space rather decrease the margin for error?’

‘You need to nest the ‘steps’ variable inside the start code.’

These are, admittedly, not a collection of sentences often heard in the same place in the same hour: but in Jowett Walk yesterday, with students eagerly engaged in Insight Masterclasses with our professional teachers, a great deal was said and learnt on a great many different subjects. One group of students were taught the fundamentals of coding in a workshop in which they learnt to code a FitBit using simple technology, and with help with from analogies to Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. In a marquee very close by, students were equal parts intrigued and revolted by the carapace of ‘Belinda’, the Madagascan Hissing Cockroach, and enjoyed being able to hold Toothless, a bearded dragon.

Next door, a film production workshop was underway, with students diving into the behind-the-scenes details of the film business; and in still another workshop, students were learning about the power of creativity, and the role of improvisation in acting.

In the evening, a group of students got to see some acting of their own in an open-air performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in University Parks; others elected to stay in Jowett to take part in sports, which has proven incredibly popular. We’re lucky in Jowett to have constant access to the beautiful Balliol pitches on our doorstep, and under the summer sun a great deal of fun can be had— the only thing to be careful about, with so much potential for enjoyment, is that enough water is drunk!