College bulletin: 21 April
Welcome back to St John’s. It’s time to pack the Easter eggs away – or turn them into a batch of chocolate brownies (please direct all donations to the Comms Office) – and prepare for a busy first week of the new term.
In this bumper edition of the College Bulletin, you can read about getting your tickets to the May Ball, taking part in the Telethon, and cooking up a recipe fit for a King, plus a host of accolades handed out to members of the St John’s community for everything from AI to amateur boxing.
Lastly, please be aware that the UK Government will be testing a 10-second emergency alert system on millions of mobile phones at 3pm this Sunday – see below for more details – so don’t be too shocked if the Library shakes.
College news
St John’s College May Ball 2023 promises to be a night to remember
Plans are hotting up for the spectacular annual St John’s College May Ball – with the chance to win tickets in a charity raffle.
Famously once named the seventh best party in the world by Time Magazine, this year’s all-night extravaganza promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with new spaces opening up plus a post-fireworks surprise.
Playing to her strengths – the engineer taking her skills to places of crisis
Working in some of the planet’s most war-torn and politically volatile nations is a world away from the safe, cobbled streets of Cambridge – but St John’s engineering postgraduate Emma Houiellebecq takes it all in her stride. Emma works in Gaza and Venezuela as part of a PhD research collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Professor Sunshine: the blue-sky thinker using solar energy to create green fuels
In the latest article in the St John’s energy-themed series, we meet Professor Erwin Reisner, whose innovative Cambridge research team harnesses sunlight to turn rubbish and CO2 into sustainable fuels. He explains why he chose this challenge, and reveals the balance between working for the greater good and day-to-day problem solving in the Lab.
Engineering Fellow wins award for innovation
Dr Matteo Seita, a Fellow of St John’s, has been awarded the 2023 The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society’s Young Innovator in the Materials Science of Additive Manufacturing Award.
Dr Seita, Granta Design Assistant Professor, focuses on metal 3D printing in his research, showing how it can be used to enable a lower carbon footprint.
Accolade for academic with ‘vital and compelling’ research to share with BBC audiences
A researcher with ‘big ideas’ from St John’s College has been revealed as a ‘New Generation Thinker’ by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the BBC.
Dr Kerry McInerney is among 10 of the UK’s most promising arts and humanities early career academics to land the 2023 accolade.
Celebrating Cambridge Women
Professor Jean Abraham, Professor of Precision Breast Cancer Medicine and a Fellow of St John’s, has been celebrated as one of the female changemakers across Cambridge University.
The Newell Classical Event 2023
The Newell Classical Event 2023, celebrating the classical world, stars Natalie Haynes, who will discuss her career as a novelist, radio presenter, comedian and classicist in conversation with Professor Tim Whitmarsh.
The event will take place on Thursday 11 May at St John's.
Calling out for Telethon participants
Recruitment has opened to join the Telethon 2023 team.
Are you free 4-18 September and want to work part-time? If you are passionate about the College and happy to chat on the phone, this fun role is for you. No experience necessary, full training and on-going support will be provided, plus you’ll be paid £11.31/hr.
More information and application form
The deadline for applications is 11am on Monday 5 June 2023. Please direct any questions to Jo Beatty.
St John’s rowers help Light Blues sweep to Boat Race victories
Victory in the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Races made all the early mornings and intensive training with Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) squad worthwhile for rowers from St John’s.
Congratulations go to postgraduates Gemma King and Thomas Marsh who rowed for Blondie and Goldie respectively in the Reserve Boat Races that took place on the River Thames on Sunday 26 March.
Blondie beat Oxford’s Osiris by three lengths while Goldie followed up with a one-length lead over the Oxford men.
Gemma and Thomas (both pictured below, centre, post-victory) were part of a clean sweep of wins for all four CUBC crews. It was Cambridge’s third clean sweep in the history of the Races.
Three Cambridge umpires for this year’s races were St John’s alumni: Sarah Langslow, John Garrett and Clare Harvey.
Both Cambridge crews also claimed victory in the Investor Lightweight Boat Races on the Thames on 20 March, with St John’s postgraduate and Lightweight Men President Harry Fieldhouse helping secure the win for the men’s crew, beating Oxford by 11 lengths.
A brief history of time
The clocks – or not – of St John’s star in this feature exploring Cambridge’s most iconic clocks, published to mark the start of British Summer Time.
Choir releases new album
The Choir of St John’s has released Magnificat Volume 3, the latest instalment in its critically-acclaimed Magnificat series on the St John’s College label with Signum Records.
It features works by Chesnokov, Dyson, Howells, Kelly, Leighton, Moore and Stanford.
Third time lucky for retiring Jane
Jane Rogers, a Custodian at St John’s, retired on 31 March 2023 after more than 30 years at the College. She tells us about her working life, from Housekeeper to Tutorial Secretary… and an experience to send a chill down the spine in more ways than one.
Full story (login to intranet required)
Cambridge pulls no punches in ‘massive’ Varsity win
The ‘electric’ Varsity amateur boxing tournament has seen St John’s medic William Tan help lead the Cambridge club to historic victory against Oxford. Cambridge University Amateur Boxing Club captain Will and his squad had a ‘massive win’ in the 114th Varsity held in their Dark Blue rival’s home turf of Oxford on Friday 10 March.
Society’s 100th anniversary adds up to a celebratory weekend
Centenary celebrations have been held to mark the 100th year of the Adams Society, the mathematical society of St John’s College.
The celebrations took place in the form of a weekend of inspiring talks.
The Marguerite and Johnian magazines out now
The annual Benefactors’ Review, The Marguerite, and the spring 2023 issue of Johnian magazine are both out now.
Copies of The Marguerite can be picked up from Forecourt and Great Gate Lodges or read online. The digital version of issue 50 of Johnian magazine is also live on the Johnian website.
Work now invited for Poetry Pamphlet 2023
St John's Poetry Society has opened submissions for its annual Poetry Pamphlet.
Any members of St John’s can submit their writing and creative work using the google form at https://bit.ly/3ZYddLN
The pamphlet, which is a fun way to showcase creativity across the College, will be published at the end of the academic year.
Student Art and Photography Competition 2023
St John’s College Student Art and Photography Competition 2023 launches this Monday, when Library staff will be accepting entries from undergraduates and postgraduates who would like to showcase their artistic skills.
Entries can be handed into the Library Issue Desk between 24 April and 28 April and they will be on display in the Library Exhibition Area from 8 May to 15 June.
Photography categories are: black and white prints, colour transparencies or prints, photographs (colour or black and white prints) of the College and College life.
Fine and applied arts categories are: paintings, drawings and prints, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and jewellery, digital films connected with the College.
Winning entries receive prizes of up to £200.
Competition rules and regulations
The proof is in the pudding in Coronation recipe competition
‘Royal’ icing and whisks at the ready – Formal Hall on Sunday 7 May will have a Coronation theme with a dessert recipe competition to whet the appetite of the College chef.
The best-devised dessert will be served that night and the winning student will receive two free places at the Formal, as well as a bottle of champagne.
Student entrants should submit their recipes, ideally with a photo of them produced (to prove they work), to The Rev’d Andrew Hammond, College Chaplain, by 9am on Thursday 27 April. The judging will happen later that day. The chef has provided this spec:
The dessert should:
- Be individually portioned or suitable to serve neatly into portions
- Be able to be produced in a maximum time of 45 minutes
- Contain no more than 15 ingredients, all of which should be readily available, ideally from a supermarket
- When served, be neat to present
- Weigh no more than 200g per portion
AND...
- Have a connection to the Coronation in some obvious or simply explained way.
Andrew said: “We look forward to seeing the fruits of your culinary imagination!”
N-ice ideas in the Café
Summer has arrived early in the Café with the launch of iced coffee, frappes and iced tea.
A branded Café coffee keep cup is also now for sale, which you can use to receive a 20p discount to any takeaway coffee.
Postgraduates invited to showcase research at LMB-VBC Graduate Life Sciences Symposium 2023
PhD students of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Vienna BioCenter are inviting postgraduate students at St John’s to a student-organised symposium in Cambridge.
The LMB-VBC student symposium is an international symposium showcasing cutting-edge research from across the Life Sciences. It takes place from the 12-14 July 2023 at the MRC-LMB in Cambridge to celebrate the scientific exchange between the two institutes and make new connections.
Registration closes on 10 July 2023.
Postgraduates are welcome to present their work as a poster, talk, or as part of the three-minute thesis competition. The abstract submission deadline is 26 May 2023.
Find out more or email for more information.
Visiting Fellows
Meet our new Visiting Fellows for Easter Term 2023.
Other news
No need for alarm at UK emergency phone alerts test
Mobile phone users across the UK are being warned that their devices will emit a loud alarm and vibrate in a nationwide test of a new public alert system at 3pm on Sunday 23 April.
The system is intended to be used in life-threatening emergencies such as flooding and wildfires.
The test alert will be received on 4G and 5G mobile phones, along with sound and vibration for up to 10 seconds, and users will receive a message on the home screen of their device. The test will end automatically and you will be able to swipe away the message or click ‘Ok’ to continue to use your phone as normal.
Chapel
Evensong on BBC Radio 3
The BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Evensong sung by St John’s Voices and recorded in Chapel on Wednesday 12 April is available on BBC Sounds.
Student Communion – Sunday 23 April, 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 (which is subsidised). This appeals to a real cross-section of the student community.
Choral Services
Regular services start on Tuesday 25 April at 6.30pm. Evensong is usually held each evening in Chapel – everyone welcome. On Tuesday the service will be a Eucharist for St Mark’s Day. If your name is Mark, it’s your feast day!
Compline by Candlelight – Tuesday 25 April, 10pm
Half an hour of monastic-style singing, followed by hot chocolate and port. The perfect end to the day: ‘Compline’ means ‘completion’.
Commemoration of Benefactors’ Service – Friday 28 April, 5.30pm
A special choral service to give thanks for all the benefactors of the College. The President, Professor Steve Edgley, will give an address entitled ‘The giving instinct’. The music includes one of Handel’s Coronation Anthems – a sneak preview for when we hear all four at the St John’s Coronation Service on Sunday 7 May.
Eucharist – Sunday 30 April, 10.30am
The College’s new Director of Music, Christopher Gray, will conduct at the first Sunday Eucharist of term. Those attending the service (including guests) are warmly invited to join the Master and Mr Mark Hancock for seedcake and madeira in the Master’s Lodge following the service.
Coronation Service – Sunday 7 May, 5pm
A service of music and readings to celebrate the Coronation of HM King Charles III and The Queen Consort. This special service will feature the four Coronation Anthems by Handel, which include Zadok the Priest, accompanied by the Academy of Ancient Music.
Applications for tickets have now closed.
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
Cambridge Literary Festival: How to Speak Whale – Friday 21 April, 8pm
Baillie Gifford Stage, Old Divinity School.
A life-threatening encounter with a whale while on a kayak led to biologist, wildlife filmmaker and St John’s alumnus Tom Mustill’s thrilling scientific investigation into the pioneering world of animal communication, where big data and artificial intelligence are changing our relationship with animals forever. Go along to hear about his findings.
Tickets: £14, concessions (under 25s or unemployed) £10.
Further information and to book tickets
Pub quiz – Monday 24 April, 8.30pm
College Bar.
Anyone who attended the quiz last week now knows the length of a king-size mattress. There’s plenty more to learn this Monday night! Free to enter and open to all.
Follow the St John’s College Catering Instagram page for updates.
Live lunchtime meditation – Tuesdays to Thursdays, from Tuesday 25 April, 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 25 April, 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 which 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 Book Group for undergraduates – Tuesday 25 April, 7.30pm
Merton Hall Cottage.
Undergraduates are invited to join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, for the first book group meeting of Easter Term. This month’s book is Sarah Moss's 2018 novel, Ghost Wall, described by the Guardian as 'a burnished gem of a book', and by the New Yorker as, ‘a short, sharp tale of suspense’.
If you are interested in joining this or the book group for undergraduate students, email Vona.
A Tour of the College’s wine cellars – Wednesday 26 April, noon-2.30pm
Meet in the passage between First and Second Court, outside the kitchens and opposite the entrance to Hall.
With Jim Wocha, the College’s Wine and Provisions Manager. Please note that no big coats or bags are allowed in the cellars.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
All places on this tour have now been filled.
Social tennis sessions – weekly in term-time from Friday 28 April
St John’s tennis courts, behind the College playing fields.
Hour-long social tennis sessions run by St John’s Tennis Club, every Friday afternoon during term time. No prior experience is needed, the games are intended for all students of all ages and all abilities. There is no need to come with a partner or tennis balls. Please contact Jonny Fox for more information and if you need a racquet.
Open to all St John’s students, admission free, no booking required.
Lament: A One-Day Celebration of Irish Keen – Wednesday 3 May, 10am-7.30pm
Cripps Auditorium, Magdalene College and online via Zoom.
Marking the 250th anniversary of the much-loved Irish poem Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire / Lament for Art O'Leary, The Cambridge Group for Irish Studies presents a symposium with talks, music, film and poetry honouring the Irish tradition of the keen, and also exploring mourning rituals, improvised poetry, questions of translation, and women's public voices in the 18th century. Speakers include St John’s Writer-in-Residence Vona Groarke.
Open to all, admission free. Full details and to register
POSTPONED: Talk on Portuguese artist Paula Rego – Wednesday 3 May, 8pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Kindly note, due to unforeseen circumstances, Professor Lisboa’s talk will no longer take place on 3 May as advertised but has been postponed until a future term.
Port Latin Feast – Friday 5 May
Details to be confirmed.
St John’s Book Group for postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff – Wednesday 10 May, 5.45pm
Merton Hall Cottage.
Postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff are invited to join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, for their first book group meeting of Easter Term. This month’s book is Sarah Moss's 2018 novel, Ghost Wall, described by the Guardian as ‘a burnished gem of a book’, and by the New Yorker as, ‘a short, sharp tale of suspense’.
If you are interested in joining this or the book group for undergraduates, email Vona.
Coronation-themed Hall – Sunday 7 May, 7.45pm
Hall.
Open to all College students and their guests (maximum two guests per student).
Tickets from £10.38 without wine, £14.50 with wine. Register via Upay.
Student Art and Photography Exhibition 2023 – Monday 8 May to Thursday 15 June
Library Exhibition Area.
View all the entries in this year’s St John’s College.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 10 May, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay.
The Newell Classical Event 2023, in conversation with Natalie Haynes – Thursday 11 May, 7.15pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
The Newell Classical Event 2023, celebrating the classical world, stars Natalie Haynes, who will discuss her career as a novelist, radio presenter, comedian and classicist in conversation with Professor Tim Whitmarsh.
Free event. All are very welcome, and no knowledge of ancient literature or history will be required. No need to book.
Notes from the Jury: Reflections on the Chopin Competition – Wednesday 17 May, 9pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Professor John Rink, St John’s Fellow and Director of Studies in Music, shares some of his experiences as a member of the jury of the Chopin Competition in 2015 and 2021.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
The history and development of Cambridge University – Tuesday 23 May, 8pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Richard Partington, St John’s Fellow and Senior Tutor, presents a talk on the history and development of the University.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 7 June, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay after Wednesday 10 May.
Tour of the College gardens – Wednesday 14 June, details tbc
With a focus on sustainability, members of the Gardening Department will give a tour of the beautiful and varied grounds of St John’s. No more than 15 in a group.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
St John’s College May Ball 2023 – Tuesday 20 June
Get ready for the College’s spectacular annual May Ball. Spanning 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.
Visit the May Ball website to buy tickets
And finally
Cambridge is used to experiencing four seasons in one day but the Easter vacation weather led to an unexpected phenomenon in the sky over St John’s – a double rainbow.
