A panel discussion with some of the Oxonians most closely involved with the successful Olympics bid, providing a fascinating insight into the thrills and anxiety of preparing for London 2012.

Dame Stephanie Shirley speaks about her personal philosophy of philanthropy, the importance of a social and cultural approach to giving, and her vision of the role of philanthrophy in the 21st century. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

The University of Oxford has a rich sporting heritage and many links with the foundation and evolution of the modern Olympics. Professor Simon Lee examins the role of Oxonians as athletes and administrators within this global phenomenon.

Jennifer Welsh and Hugo Slim from the Oxford Centre for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict discuss "The Responsibility to Protect" in contemporary international relations, and its role in key cases such as Libya and the post-election violence in Kenya.

Professor Myles Allen explains how research at Oxford allows us to quantify just how much climate change caused by past emissions is costing individuals, corporations and potentially entire countries. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Nanotechnology has the potential to transform the way that medical and healthcare solutions are developed and delivered, this talk reviews the properties of nanomaterials for medical applications and the challenges and opportunities of their use. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

For his keynote lecture the Chancellor, Lord Patten of Barnes, examines the rapidly-growing list of challenges facing the world, from climate change to nuclear proliferation, migration to water and energy shortage. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Social networks are now culturally bound to online software such as Facebook and Twitter, with a trend in personal persistent content. Bernie Hogan will review new empirical research on social networks and conclude with advice on future online policy. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Emerging infectious diseases are often in the news but are there really more of them? Here we explore how infections invade human populations, how new pathogens adapt to become efficient infections of humans and how to predict what might happen next.

Dr Marc Ventresca from Oxford University's business school reports on recent advances in economic sociology with examples from markets in high technology, microfinance in Bangladesh, and ecosystem services in Amazonian Peru. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/