College bulletin: 16 June
Exams are not quite over for everyone yet but the transformation of St John’s into the host of the seventh best party in the world has begun in earnest. Colourful carpets have been laid in the Courts and a big top is in situ on The Backs ahead of Tuesday’s May Ball.
The LMBC rowers have been in fine form on the River Cam during the Bumps, and the races are continuing today and tomorrow. W2 rowed over and bumped Downing 2 yesterday to get a foothold in the women’s second division for the first time in five years. For all of the latest Maggie results are available via LMBC’s Instagram account and CamFM.
College news
University promotions for College academics
Six Fellows of St John’s College have received promotions from the University of Cambridge that take effect from 1 October 2023.
Professorships (Grade 12) have been established for Professor Nathan MacDonald, assigned to the Faculty of Divinity; Professor Meredith Crowley (Faculty of Economics); Professor Robert Mullins (Department of Computer Science and Technology) and Professor Hannah Joyce (Department of Engineering).
Dr Dhruv Ranganathan has been promoted to Professor (Grade 11) in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, and a University Associate Professorship (Grade 10) has been awarded to Dr Morag Morrison-Helme (Faculty of Education).
Congratulations, all!
How to be a courteous smoker
The patio area outside the Buttery is a no-smoking area to allow everyone to enjoy the outdoor space and to avoid smoke drifting into nearby rooms.
For anyone who isn’t already aware, smoking and vaping are only permitted in three designated areas: Forecourt, Cripps car park and behind the patio gates near Kitchen Bridge but the latter is only permitted between 6pm and 10pm.
Anyone who uses the outdoor space and the Bar should leave this area quietly out of consideration for people who live in close proximity to the area.
Buttery, Bar and Café closures
Please be aware that the Buttery will close after lunch on Tuesday 20 June ahead of the May Ball. There will be no bar service on the evening of 20 June.
The Café will be closed on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 June. The Buttery and the Bar will reopen at 6pm on Wednesday 21 June.
PhD student to talk at Canadian maths conference thanks to grant award
Maria-Romina Ivan, a PhD student in Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at St John’s, has won funding to attend and speak at a major conference in Canada.
The grant from quantitative research and technology firm G-Research will enable Maria-Romina to go to CanaDAM (Canadian Discrete and Algorithmic Conference) 2023, one of the biggest conferences of its kind in the world, to give a talk as part of its Ramsey Theory Minisymphosia.
G-Research provides up to £2,000 in grant money each month to early career researchers in quantitative disciplines. At the conference Maria will be talking about her latest research on an old question in the field: “Suppose we colour the rational numbers with finitely many colours. Must there exist an infinite set such that all its pairwise sums and products have the same colour?”
She said: “Thanks to the G-Research Grant I will have the possibility to not only present my work, but most likely form new collaborations that will ultimately lead to answering this question fully.”
Business competition win
St John’s postgraduate Enrique Diaz Barriocanal has won this year’s Siemens Smart Infrastructure Case Competition along with four classmates from the University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme.
The competition consisted of developing a business plan and pitching a launch strategy for a theoretical product defined by Siemens. This year’s product was a software tool aimed at achieving energy efficiency in climate control systems of commercial buildings.
Enrique said: “The competition entailed weeks of hard and intense work so I am extremely happy with the result and for putting Cambridge and St John’s at the top.”
The team won a monetary prize and went to visit Siemens HQ in Munich.
Calling Johnian entrepreneurs
Meeting weekly, the Johnian Entrepreneurs’ Club is for College members who are interested in business or entrepreneurship. This could be people who want to start their own business of any kind or network with those who already have startups etc.
The club will be hosting speakers and events next year to strengthen alumni connections and the committee is seeking new members, including for Junior Treasurer and Marketing and Events roles.
There is a WhatsApp group for those who would like to get involved. Contact Olivia, club President, for more information or if you are interested in becoming a committee member.
Lost property
Many personal belongings have been left in the Library this term, from jackets, hats and water bottles to chargers, jewellery, bookmarks and much more.
If you are looking for any lost items, please claim them back from the lost property shelves behind the Issue Desk before Friday 23 June. After this all unclaimed items will be recycled, taken to charity shops or disposed of. For general pictures of the items left behind, please see the JCR and SBR Facebook pages.
Chapel
Student Communion – Sunday 18 June, 8.30am
Gather in the small chapel in the Ante-Chapel for a half-hour service of Holy Communion (aka the Eucharist) with sermon, and then go to Hall for cooked breakfast (subsidised). This appeals to a real cross-section of the student community.
Organ recital – Sunday 18 June, 6pm
St John’s Organ Scholar Alex Trigg will be performing works by Vierne, Howells, Whitlock and Duruflé.
Open to all, admission free.
Sunday Evensong with Sermon – Sunday 18 June, 6.30pm
This term’s sermon series – ‘The Disappeared: attending to the unseen’ – has been inspired by the piece of music that the Choir will sing on 2 July, one of James MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados. In these MacMillan is responding to the horrors of political oppression in Latin America, especially ‘The Disappeared’ in Argentina. This evening Dr Robert Hawkins, Westcott House, will be preaching on ‘the cry of the earth, the cry of the poor’.
Ten Year Evensong sung by St John's Voices – Sunday 25 June, 5.15pm
St John’s Voices celebrates its tenth birthday with a reunion Evensong. Many past members of the Choir will be returning to sing with the Choir, and those who remember them – and others – are warmly encouraged to attend Evensong and a drinks reception after the service.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
For all other regular services, see the Chapel webpage. Follow the Facebook page, SJC Chaplain, for Chapel service updates; and Andrew is on TikTok @thedetoxpriest. The Chapel team is always keen to hear from more volunteers to read in services or assist in other ways: please contact Andrew.
Other events
Superhall: Lazy hazy crazy days of summer – Friday 16 June, 7pm
Hall.
Doors open at 7pm for drinks, dinner at 7.30pm. Ticket applications are now closed.
May Bumps – Saturday 17 June, 1pm-4pm
The final day of the biggest week of College boat racing of the year. St John’s has three women’s boats, W1, W2 and W3, competing this year and four men’s boats, M1, M2, M3 and the men’s rugby Red Boys’ boat, M4. So grab all the red clothing you own and head down the towpath to support your friends from the river bank.
The best place to watch is just down from The Plough in Fen Ditton. All are welcome.
Buttery Summer BBQ Lunch – Saturday 17 June, 11.30am-2pm
Buttery patio.
Instead of brunch. Entry via Third Court. Maximum two guests per person.
Open to all College members, no booking required.
Concert of Turkish classical music – Saturday 17 June, 8.30pm
Old Divinity School.
Dr Murat Gürel of the Samsun Conservatory, Turkey, will perform a solo violin recital featuring works of Turkish classical music and original improvisations. In collaboration with St John’s College Music Society.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
Walk to the Adams tombstone – Monday 19 June, 2pm
Meet at the New Court Cloisters.
College Fellow Professor Nicholas Manton, Professor of Mathematical Physics, will lead a walk to the tombstone of alumnus John Couch Adams, a distinguished mathematician who predicted the existence of Neptune. Organised by The Adams Society.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
St John’s College May Concert 2023 – Monday 19 June, 8pm
College Chapel.
With contributions from the College Choir, St John’s Voices, Aquila and a number of wonderful solo instrumentalists from the College. The concert will be followed by drinks and nibbles in Chapel Court, all finishing in time for those who want to watch the Trinity fireworks from the Paddock.
Ticket applications are now closed.
Pub quiz – Monday 19 June, 8.30pm
College Bar.
Open to all, admission free. Follow the St John’s College Catering Instagram page for updates.
Live lunchtime meditation – Tuesdays to Thursdays, 1pm-1.15pm
Via Teams.
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.
Full details and Mindfulness programme
Palaeography for beginners – Tuesday 20 June, 3pm
Zoom.
Weekly ‘have-a-go’ sessions for anyone interested in reading handwriting c1500-c1700, 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. Meetings are held online, using photographs of the documents that will be emailed out in advance along with the Zoom link.
Open to all, attendance free. If you would like to join in, please contact the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby.
St John’s College May Ball 2023 – Tuesday 20 June
The College’s spectacular annual May Ball will span the length and breadth of the historic courts of St John’s. This lavish event features live music, all-you-can-eat food and drink and a world-class fireworks display, with the theme famously kept secret until the night itself.
The Ball is now sold-out.
Upper Library opening – Wednesday 21 June, 2-4pm
Enter via E staircase, Second Court.
Open every Wednesday afternoon during term time, manuscripts and rare printed books from the collections are on display in the 17th-century Upper Library. Requests for material to be exhibited can be emailed to Special Collections and they will do their best to accommodate these over the course of the term.
Open to College members and their guests. Admission free, no booking required.
Women’s tennis sessions – Thursday 22 June, 11am
St John’s tennis courts, behind the College playing fields.
Hour-long sessions for women of all ages and abilities with some experience of the sport, this should be a fantastic break from revision to get some fresh air and play some tennis.
There is no need to come with a partner, racquet or tennis balls. Email Emilia Murray if you’re interested in joining or if you need a racquet.
Open to all St John’s female members. Free, no booking required.
St John’s College Graduands’ Garden Party – Thursday 22 June, 3pm
Master’s Lodge garden.
All 2023 undergraduate graduands and Fellows are invited to a garden party hosted by the Master, Heather Hancock. There will be food, drinks and Jack's Gelato ice-cream to celebrate the forthcoming graduations.
Admission free. Book your place.
Registrations close Sunday 18 June.
Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert 2023 – Thursday 22 June, 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and online.
The 17th annual Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert will be given by Thierry Escaich, who will play an hour-long programme of organ works by Bach, Franck, Vierne, Brahms and Widor. The performance will also be livestreamed.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
Bin end wine sale: magnums and mixed cases – Friday 23 June, from 2pm
College Bar.
List of wines to be confirmed.
Open to all College members.
Twentieth-Century Masterpieces for Choir – Saturday 24 June, 8pm
St John’s Chapel.
St John’s Voices returns to the concert platform for a celebration of the 20th century’s finest choral music including pieces by Janacek, Britten, Walton and Copland. With solos from Ruth Murphy, John Stowell and Eleanor Medcalf, alongside organists and pianist Benedict Turner-Berry and Jack McCabe.
Open to all. Tickets £5-10 for students, £10-20 for general admission.
Further information and tickets
And finally
New Court Cloisters looking pretty in purple.
