College bulletin: 11 March
Welcome to the penultimate Bulletin of the Lent Term and to mark the occasion we’d like to share a glimpse of life behind the scenes in the Communications Office.
Karen Clare, Communications Officer, spent three hours supervising filming from the top of the Chapel Tower during the height of the pandemic for a fleeting glimpse of the view from St John’s in the latest impactful #goingtocambridge film. A spectacular photograph taken by Karen at dusk from the vantage point can be seen on the back of the new issue of Eagle Eye which is available free of charge around College now.
College news
Nobel prize-winner delivers talk at St John’s
A sold-out audience gathered in the Palmerston Room on Wednesday evening for the inaugural Penrose Lecture.
Fellows, students and staff were invited to the event given by the Nobel Laureate, alumnus, and Honorary Fellow himself, Professor Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS.
The biennial Penrose Lectures will address the interplay between mathematics and other disciplines which have been such a distinctive feature of Sir Roger’s research life. Sir Roger’s inaugural lecture was entitled: Visual Artistry for Mathematics and Science.
Sir Roger is pictured with students and with Dr D J H (Ben) Garling, Fellow of St John’s.
Final countdown to buying May Ball tickets
This evening is the last chance to apply for tickets to attend the first St John’s College May Ball since 2019.
The Ball will be taking place on Tuesday 21 June with party-goers finally hanging up their dancing shoes at 6am.
The St John’s May Ball is a world famous event, named the seventh best party in the world by Time Magazine, and with a history stretching back to 1888. This year, the College will be transformed with beautiful decorations illustrating the May Ball’s special theme, which is kept secret until guests arrive.
Emma Warburton, Co-President of the May Ball Committee with Anna Stevenson, said: “There will be an array of bars and food stands, as well as an amazing headline act, a firework display and plenty of other surprises to keep you entertained until sunrise.”
All St John’s Junior Members are guaranteed a pair of Basic Tickets to the Ball, which cost £400. You must name yourself on this ticket, but are welcome to bring any guest of your choice. Alternatively, single tickets can be bought for £200.
Further information, including for people who rolled over tickets from 2020, can be found in the FAQs on the May Ball website, where you can also apply for tickets until 11.59pm today.
Maggie success in Lent Bumps
The final day of Lent Bumps on Saturday saw strong performances from both the men’s and women’s Lady Margaret Boat Club crews – with the M1 boat retaining headship.
Highlights included another bump from M2 on Christ’s I to move further up Division 1 and strong row overs from W1 and W3. Through the week, St John’s had the highest ranked M1, 2, 3 and 4 and several boats on both sides of the squad achieved multiple bumps. The club now has its sights set on training for the May Bumps in Easter Term.
Women footballers continue their winning streak
The combined St John’s and King’s women's football team had a victorious end to a great season last Saturday with a 4-1 win over Sidney/Magdalene.
Jenny Dunstan, team captain and a second-year Mathematics undergraduate at St John’s, said: “This continues our winning streak and means that we have remained unbeaten in the league all season and so we are looking forward to promotion next year.
“We also made it to the semi-finals of cuppers; a very close 1-0 loss to Jesus who went on to win the cup. Here's to more success next year!”
If you are interested in joining the team, email Jenny.
Postgraduate runs 60 miles in two days
PhD student Gav Topley ran four miles every four hours for 52 hours last week to raise money for charity.
He was accompanied by members of St John’s for different legs of the challenge and he even ran through the night to raise awareness of Papyrus, the national Prevention of Young Suicide charity which is dedicated to the prevention of suicide and the promotion of positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people.
Become a University Proctor
The College has been asked to provide a nominee to join the University’s Proctorial Team from 1 October 2022 for three years, and would welcome expressions of interest from people connected with St John’s who meet the appointment criteria.
The ceremonial duties are well-known, but the role includes other elements, including oversight of University affairs through the Board of Scrutiny and other Committee work, and responsibilities in relation to maintaining good order at events, the Prevent duty and freedom of speech, University Clubs and Societies and the Students Union.
To qualify for the position, you must be a member of the Senate (either on the Roll of the Regent House or holding a Cambridge MA, other Master’s degree or Doctorate) of at least three years’ standing and should be keeping residence within 20 miles of the University Church and so be available in Cambridge when required. Also you should be under the age of 65 on 1 October 2022, and if you hold a University post you must not be planning a period of sabbatical leave in the next three years.
The current stipends for these Offices are: Pro-Proctor (for 2022-23) £7,994, Proctor (for 2023-24) £13,790, and additional Pro-Proctor (for 2023-24) £7,177.
If you would like further information about this role, please email the President.
Dean of Chapel on Radio 4
The Rev’d Dr Mark Oakley, Dean and Fellow at St John’s, will be joining in a discussion of metaphysical poet and preacher John Donne on BBC Radio 4 this Sunday 13 March at 4.30pm.
In Belief in Poetry, poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama will be considering Donne’s complex faith life through his poetry, 450 years on from his birth. He will be talking with Dr Oakley, himself a writer and poet; Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and Drama at Newcastle University, and Michael Symmons Roberts, poet and Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Sir Simon Russell Beale will be reading four Donne poems during the programme, which will be available shortly after broadcast on BBC Sounds.
Covid-19 updates
There are currently two cases of Covid-19 in College. Visit the coronavirus information pages of the website for latest guidance, and please continue to respect the wishes of others in relation to matters such as face coverings.
What’s on
Chapel
A Lent Meditation – Saturday 12 March, 6pm
A service of readings, poetry and music is taking place for Lent and Passiontide. Please note there will be some seats available for those without tickets. Email Chapel Clerk Stephen Stokes if you wish to have more details.
Student communion – Sunday 13 March, 8.30am
Student Communion is followed every Sunday by a subsidised cooked breakfast in Hall.
Evensong sermon series: Doctors and the Divine – Sunday 13 March, 6.30pm
Every Sunday this term a Fellow of the College is speaking at Evensong about whether their academic subject in any way connects to the human search for God. This Sunday’s preacher is Professor Alexander Bird, Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge.
Open to all, free admission. More details.
Morning prayer – weekdays, 8.30am
In Ante-Chapel every weekday morning, lasting about 15 minutes.
Evensong – daily, 6.30pm
Lent Bible Study – Tuesday 15 March, 8pm
Meet at 8pm in the Chaplain’s room, A8 New Court, to discuss a Bible passage which is traditionally read in Lent. Wine and juice will be served.
Otherwise Choral services continue as listed on the website.
* Follow the Facebook page, SJC Chaplain, for Chapel service updates; and Andrew is on TikTok @thedetoxpriest. The Chapel is always keen to hear from more volunteers to read in services or assist in other ways: please contact Andrew.
Chapel Late – Wednesday 16 March, 8pm
In the Ante-Chapel, an ensemble of choral scholars from St John's, Trinity and Caius will present a programme of choral music for the season of Lent, to include works by Tallis, Lotti and Bruckner, and culminating in James MacMillan’s Miserere.
Free admission, all welcome.
The Sixteen Choral Pilgrimage 2022: Cambridge concert – Friday, 18 March, 8pm
The critically-acclaimed UK-based choir and period-instrument orchestra The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers, will be performing a concert in the Chapel including Hubert Parry’s moving Songs of Farewell, three short pieces by Campion, a selection of medieval carols and a new work by Cecilia McDowall.
Tickets £15-£35 (booking fees apply).
Concert: Chesnokov’s All-Night Vigil – Saturday 19 March, 7.30pm
St John’s Voices will be joined by Cambridge University Chamber Choir for this 80-minute performance of Pavel Chesnokov’s All-Night Vigil.
Chesnokov was one of the most prolific composers of Russian choral music of the early 20th century; despite this only a tiny number of his works are regularly performed. Chesnokov’s music is heavily influenced by the aesthetics of the Orthodox Church, and offers a combination of austere grandeur and sumptuous richness.
The larger choir will be similar in sound to the original Moscow Synodal Choir of pre-Revolutionary Russia. The concert will be presented in Chapel ahead of being recorded a week later.
Tickets are £15 from ADC ticketing; £5 for students on the door only.
Other events
Discussion: The Role of Free Speech in Society – Friday 11 March, 7.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Contemporary discussions about free speech are rife with controversies and disagreements: Does free speech matter? Should free speech be limited? Free for whom? How do we reconcile free speech with the dignity of the individual? Do we have the right not to be offended? The British government is currently putting forward a bill that will strengthen the protection of freedom of speech in higher education. Is this necessary?
University spaces reflect larger societal forces and contentious discussions about free speech have been debated from lecture halls to social media groups. This discussion will address but go beyond the current socio-political moment, to fundamental issues about the role of free speech in society.
Guest speaker Dr Arif Ahmed has led the campaign for free speech at Cambridge and was recently awarded a Freedom of Expression Award by Index on Censorship. He will talk about the issues before taking questions from the audience. The session will be introduced by Richard Partington, Senior Tutor of St John’s, and moderated by Roger Mosey, Master of Selwyn College and former BBC journalist.
To register, please email Emma Clark, Senior Tutor’s Administrator. While this event is primarily for St John’s students, if you have a friend in another College who would like to attend, please enquire with Emma.
Castalian Quartet – Sunday 13 March, 2pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Internationally-renowned ensemble the Castalian String Quartet presents an exciting and eclectic programme of 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century works, including the world premiere of St John’s Fellow Tim Watts's String Quartet At the end of the storm.
Tea and biscuits in the Central Hall after the concert. Free admission, all welcome.
Live lunchtime meditation – 1.15-1.30pm Monday to Friday (online)
Spend 15 mindful minutes relaxing or meditating with the University’s mindfulness practitioner, Dr Elizabeth English, in these weekday sessions, free to students and staff.
Lecture: Light-Rechargeable Batteries: A New Tool to Fight Climate Change? – Monday 14 March, 6.30pm
Babbage Lecture Theatre, New Museums Site, Downing Street.
Professor Michael De Volder, Professor of Advanced Materials Engineering at the University’s Institute for Manufacturing, Director of Studies for Engineering and a Fellow of St John’s, will introduce a new type of battery electrode that can be recharged directly by light in his Cambridge Philosophical Society Lecture.
Free event; register online.
Life at the Bar with Andrew Simmonds QC, Winfield Society event – Monday 14 March, 7pm
Castlereagh Room, Fisher Building.
Andrew Simmonds QC will be giving a short talk on his life as a barrister, followed by a Q&A, at this special event run by Winfield Society, the St John’s law society. This is a rare opportunity to ask an established QC any question about becoming a barrister or about life in law.
Please fill in the Google Form with your questions. If you tick the box wishing to remain anonymous, your question will be asked for you during the session.
All questions are good questions – this event is designed for students to learn about becoming a barrister, so no prior knowledge is expected.
No need to RSVP for the event, just turn up.
Palaeography for beginners – Tuesday 15 March, 3pm
Weekly online sessions for anyone interested in reading handwriting from c.1500-c.1750, using documents from the College’s institutional archives.
Sessions are informal and aimed at beginners, or those with a little experience who wish to practise their skills. Photographs of the documents will be emailed out in advance.
Open to all College members, admission free.
To register or make enquiries, contact the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby.
Lecture: The Challenge of Decarbonising Heating: Insights from St John’s – Tuesday 15 March, 6pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Professor Andy Woods, St John’s Fellow and Chair of the College’s Energy Working Group, will speak about decarbonising heat using examples from the work being undertaken by the College.
One of the most challenging aspects of decarbonisation for the UK is associated with domestic heating systems, with more than 23 million houses using gas boilers. This challenge is mirrored in St John’s where the dominant source of carbon emissions arises from the heating system. In this talk, Professor Woods will explore some of the options for reducing the energy used for heating the College, and for eliminating the associated carbon emissions. Given the nature and variety of the College buildings, and the variable usage patterns, this is a formidable challenge, but a plan is being developed to decarbonise the heating system.
This is your chance to learn about the potential solutions, which involve a combination of ground, river and air source heat pumps, together with gradual upgrades to the fabric of the College.
Open to all, priority will be given to Fellows, students and staff of St John’s.
New Avenues of Research at St John’s, Pre-Dinner Lecture Series: Dr Lauren McHugh – Tuesday 15 March, 6.15pm
Castlereagh Room, Fisher Building.
Make Glass Great Again is the Pre-Dinner Lecture by Dr Lauren McHugh, a Leverhulme Trust Postdoctoral Research Associate in materials chemistry and St John’s College Research Associate in Natural Sciences (Physical). Details and Zoom link to be circulated closer to the time.
Open to Fellows and Affiliates.
Play: The Student Union – Wednesday 16 March to Saturday 19 March, 7pm
Sir Humphrey Cripps Theatre (Cripps Court Auditorium), Magdalene College.
Written and directed by Jasper Cresdee-Hyde, a third-year Human, Social and Political Sciences student at St John’s, The Student Union is an original and interactive political satire exploring power, truth, and democracy where the audience votes for the ending. Jasper’s play was inspired by the likes of Succession, The Big Short and The Thick of It.
The shock resignation of the President of the Student Union sparks a succession crisis among the surviving sabbatical officers. Meanwhile, a febrile mental health crisis and the emergence of a mysterious, anonymous gossip blog threaten to destabilise the student community – and secretive plans are afoot at the highest levels of the university.
As candidates campaign and conspiracy theories run rife, how far will they go to succeed? And who will emerge victorious?
Tickets, priced £8 (£6 concs), are available from ADC ticketing.
Postgraduate Academy official launch event – Wednesday 16 March, from 7pm
Paul Brown Conference Centre, Murray Edwards College.
Cambridge Zero is launching a new Postgraduate Academy, which will bring together postgraduate students (MSc, MPhil, PhD, etc.) from across all disciplines at the University of Cambridge who are working on, or have a research interest in, climate change and net-zero.
The launch event for this student-led initiative will feature a programme of speakers, followed by networking, with drinks and nibbles.
Ballroom and Latin dancing – Wednesday 16 March, 7pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
A social practice session for people who have danced before, no need to bring a partner.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
Drop-in dissertation support group – Thursday 17 March, 2pm
Weekly online group run by the Library, offering a structured study space, support and encouragement for any undergraduate student who is taking on a dissertation next academic year.
Email Rebecca if you have any questions.
Casual badminton session – Friday 18 March, 5pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
Weekly two-hour sessions for players of all abilities. Rackets and shuttlecocks are available at Cripps Porters’ Lodge upon request.
Open to all College members. Admission free, no booking required.
Cambridge Festival – 31 March to 10 April
Choose from more than 350 free events and activities – both in person and online – that are taking place at this year’s Cambridge Festival across the city.
Organised by the University of Cambridge, St John’s-related events include Weigh Me the Fire: The Elements of an Old Library, an exhibition of treasures themed around the four classical elements of fire, air, water and earth in the College’s Old Library on Saturday 9 April.
View and book events
And finally…
Runners from across the St John’s community took to the streets of Cambridge on Sunday for the city’s half-marathon.
Some 14,000 runners took part in the 13.1-mile race, which is in its 11th year, including St John’s staff, Fellows and students. Well done to all participants, including Susannah Rose, Head of Alumni Relations – seen below (centre) with friend and Johnian Suzy Ashworth on the left – and undergraduates Felix Haynes and Paula Espada Blanco, pictured bottom.
Felix will be running his first 26-mile race at the London Marathon in October, raising funds for JDRF, a charity working towards eradicating type 1 diabetes.
