Giving to the Oxford University Exploration Club
The Oxford University Exploration Club (OUEC) aims to help improve our knowledge of the world through overseas exploration by members of the university. Since our foundation in 1929, we have inspired and supported student-led expeditions to virtually every region of the world: however, there is still much to discover! We continue to foster the spirit of exploration in Oxford students by organizing weekly talks by accomplished explorers, providing advice and other support in planning and preparing for expeditions, and encouraging networking between past and future explorers.
Club alumni are welcome at any of our social or speaker events, and are strongly encouraged to contact us to join our alumni database and/or provide information on past expeditions or club activities.
Gifts to the club’s General Fund will be used to support the club’s activities; they can be directed, at the donor’s request, to specific Club projects or University-approved expeditions, as follows:
Speaker Fund
Talks by external speakers, including both veteran (e.g. Robin Hanbury-Tenison and Benedict Allen) and young (e.g. Nikki Bart and Alex Hibbert) celebrated explorers, have been key to reviving Club membership and enthusiasm for expeditions among Oxford students in recent years. Donations to this fund will contribute towards the expenses of hosting and publicising these talks.
Archive and Bulletin Fund
The Club archives are a valuable resource for expedition planning and future development of the club. One priority for the club is the digitisation and expansion of these archives, particularly of reports and other publications resulting from Oxford University expeditions. Donations to this fund will contribute towards the expenses associated with this work.
Expedition Equipment Fund
The Club owns a variety of pieces of expedition equipment for cheap hire by University expeditions. Much of this equipment is in need of upgrading or repair; donations to this fund will be used for this purpose.
Oxford University Geological Expedition to SW Greenland, July-September 2013
This expedition, involving a team of four Oxford Earth Sciences undergraduates, will entail seven weeks of fieldwork in the area surrounding Igaliku, a remote settlement in the south-west of Greenland. The primary aim is to examine the geological history of a poorly studied, geologically enigmatic area dominated by a ‘fossil’ magma chamber. The team also plan to document their expedition through a blog and videos for schools outreach, with the support of 'Education Through Expeditions'.
Oxford University Expedition to Selin Cuo, Tibet, July-August, 2013
This 5-week expedition will produce a documentary promoting eco-tourism and awareness of wildlife protection in Tibet, with a focus on the current status of vulnerable/endangered species around the saline lake Selin Cuo. This lake is an important habitat for many local and migratory species, such as black-necked cranes, Tibetan antelopes, and argali, which are little-studied and under increasing threat from poachers, unmanaged tourism, and shrinkage of the lake. The documentary produced from this expedition will be screened at short film festivals; animal behaviour observation data will also be collected for a future breeding behaviour study.