College bulletin: 30 September
Welcome to St John’s and the first edition of the College Bulletin this academic year.
Whether you are returning to College or joining our community for the first time, this is the place where you’ll find the weekly round-up of news and What’s On.
If there’s anything you would like to include, please get in touch.
College news on the website
Tributes paid to stalwart of College community
A popular former member of College staff has died at the age of 62.
Peter Noble, a Building Services Labourer in the Maintenance Department at St John’s, retired from the College in April after 17 years’ employment. He died on Wednesday.
Memorial service to be held for PhD student Jonathan Gilmour
A memorial service for Jonathan Gilmour, a postgraduate student who died earlier this year, will be held in the St John’s College Chapel on Saturday 5 November.
New evidence for liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars
Breakthrough in understanding of how cancer spreads could lead to better treatments
Britain’s gig economy and life for struggling families under spotlight in Ken Loach workshop
Discover life at St John’s College at Cambridge Open Days
Act of Remembrance at St John's College for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Master of St John’s pays tribute to The Queen
The bagpipe-playing asylum seeker who is going to Cambridge
Floating ‘artificial leaves’ ride the wave of clean fuel production
Desperate British householders turning to loan sharks to make ends meet, says new study
St John’s students scoop University accolades for outstanding academic performance
Prehistoric roots of ‘cold sore’ virus traced through ancient herpes DNA
Fast food diet before pregnancy can impact breast milk and baby’s health, say scientists
Other news
Master presents Staff Briefings
Staff Briefings returned to College this week after a hiatus due to the pandemic, and were presented by the Master, Heather Hancock. Thank you to everyone who attended or was involved.
Those who missed the briefings are encouraged to discuss them with their Head of Department and written answers to the Q&As will be circulated in due course.
Staff may be interested in the Cycle to Work and the Cambridgeshire Smart Journeys (previously Travel for Cambridgeshire) car sharing schemes. More information is available on HR Online pages of the staff intranet.
IT Helpdesk reopens in Library
The drop-in IT Helpdesk service has reopened today in the ground floor of the Library.
It is open to all members of the College community Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) during term-time, between 11.30am-3.30pm. If you are having issues with a mobile device, take it along when visiting the Helpdesk.
The IT Support team are available within normal working weekday hours (8.30am-5.30pm), excluding Bank Holidays and College closure days.
Email or contact by phone on (01223) 338751.
New addition to the College family
Fellow Dr Becky Shercliff and her husband Michael are delighted to announce the safe arrival of Lucy Elizabeth, born on Friday 16 September, a new baby sister for Tilly Rose.
Choir releases new album
The Psalms, the latest album by St John’s College Choir, is now out on Signum Records on various streaming and download services.
Watch an introduction by Andrew Nethsingha, Director of Music at St John’s
Academic discusses cost-of-living crisis on podcast
Dr Jodi Gardner, Fellow in Law at St John’s, chats to Hannah Dunleavy from the Standard Issue Podcast about the cost-of-living crisis, debt and loan sharks (episode 770, Pod 222).
St John’s College Poetry Pamphlet 2022 published
This year’s edition of the St John’s College Poetry Pamphlet can be picked up for free in the Great Gate Porters’ Lodge or it can be read online on the College intranet.
Curtain up on St John’s Picturehouse showings
The Picturehouse will be returning with its regular Sunday evening screenings in the Palmerston Room, open to all College members and staff. Full details will be circulated in the coming weeks. If you would like to have first access to ticket releases, please join the mailing list.
What’s on
Chapel
Student communion – Sunday 2 October, 8.30am
Student Communion takes place every Sunday at 8.30am, followed by a subsidised cooked breakfast in Hall.
Morning prayer – weekdays, 8.30am
Taking place in Ante-Chapel every weekday morning, lasting about 15 minutes.
Evensong – daily, from Wednesday 5 October, 6.30pm
Open to all, admission free.
Evensong to mark the 40th anniversary of the admission of women to membership of the College – Saturday 8 October, 6.30pm
Open to all, admission free.
Sung Eucharist – Sunday 9 October, 10.30am
Open to all, admission free.
Organ recital – Sunday 9 October, 6pm
Glen Dempsey, Assistant Director of Music at Ely Cathedral, will be performing works by J.S. Bach.
Open to all, admission free.
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.
Other events
In addition to freshers’ events launching this weekend, here are some of the other activities taking place in and around College.
Boat Club BBQ – Tuesday 4 October, 11am-3pm
Lady Margaret Boat Club (LMBC), 21 Victoria Avenue, CB4 1EH.
Interested in trying rowing? Head down to the Lady Margaret Boat Club for the Boat Club BBQ and try rowing or coxing, meet the Captains and crews and sign up if interested.
If you have previously rowed and want to continue the sport at St John's, please contact Women's Captain Rowan or Men's Captain Rupert.
Open to all College students, admission free.
Lecture on College buildings 1: The Old Courts – Thursday 6 October, 6pm
Palmerston Room.
A slide lecture presented by St John’s Fellow Professor Patrick Boyde as part of the Sans Frontières events programme.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
St John’s College Linguistics Society Freshers’ Social – Friday 7 October, 4pm
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
Go along and get to know fellow Linguistics students. Pastries and drinks provided.
Open to all, admission free.
Live lunchtime meditation – Monday to Thursday, 1.15-1.30pm
Via Zoom.
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.
First session is on Monday 10 October.
Maths for Everyone lecture series: Maths everywhere – Monday 10 October, 5.30pm
Boys Smith Room, Fisher Building.
Maths is becoming more important in many academic areas, and in the outside world. St John’s Fellow Professor Nick Manton presents the first in a series of eight lectures aiming to broaden and deepen your understanding of what maths can do and how it works, through stimulating examples from a wide range of areas.
This first lecture looks at numbers, shape and pattern, the language of maths, logical argument, abstraction, maths as explanation, mathematical models and prediction, approximation and uncertainty.
It will help if you have some familiarity with A-Level maths topics.
Open to all College members. Admission free, booking not required.
Paleography for beginners – Tuesday 11 October, 3pm
Weekly online sessions for anyone interested in reading handwriting from 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. Photographs of the documents will be emailed out in advance.
Open to all College members, admission free.
To register or make further enquiries, contact the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby.
Pre-Dinner Lecture Series talk: ‘Bayesian Machine Learning: A Gentle Introduction and Historical Appreciation’– Tuesday 11 October, 6.15pm
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
St John’s Fellow Dr Vincent Fortuin presents an introduction into the modern science of machine learning within the framework of artificial intelligence. Dr Fortuin aims to convey a general intuition for the fundamental principles of these algorithms and will outline the problem of uncertainty in machine learning and how it can be overcome with Bayesian methods, which he will introduce in their historical context.
The lecture will last for about 20-30 minutes and will be followed by questions from the audience and then drinks.
Open to Fellows, affiliates and postgraduate students. Admission free.
Dinner for new postgraduates – Wednesday 12 October, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to new College postgraduates. By invitation only.
Historical walk 1: Medieval Cambridge – Sunday 16 October, 2pm
Meet at Cripps Porters Lodge.
A tour with St John’s Fellow Professor Tim Bayliss-Smith of the highlights of medieval Cambridge including Castle Hill and St Peter’s Church.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
Hinsley Memorial Lecture: Viewing Economics through a Moral Lens – Tuesday 18 October, 5.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
The 22nd Hinsley Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Ashoka Mody, Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in International Economic Policy at the School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.
Professor Mody is author of EuroTragedy: A Drama in Nine Acts. He has was previously Deputy Director in the International Monetary Fund’s Research and European Departments and has also worked at the World Bank, AT&T’s Bell Laboratories, and the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum.
The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in the Central Hall of the Old Divinity School. Fellows who will be dining after the lecture are then warmly invited for dessert in the Combination Room.
Open to all College members, admission free.
Register by 12 October: Fellows’ registration; staff and students’ registration.
Johnian Society virtual talk: interview with Jez Butterworth – Wednesday 19 October, 6.30pm
Online.
Alumnus Jez Butterworth (1988) is a playwright, director and screenwriter whose notable works include Mojo, Jerusalem and The Ferryman. Jez followed his brother Tom (1985) to St John’s to study English Literature.
Emily Brand (1987), a member of the Johnian Society Committee, will host the conversation with Jez, exploring his writing journey from that moment as a teenager and practising his craft at St John’s to becoming one of the most in-demand writers of his generation.
The interview will be followed by a Q&A; audience questions can also be emailed in advance.
Open to all College members, admission free. Registration closes on Monday 17 October.
Further details and to register
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 19 October, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay.
Please note that ‘Postgraduates Dine with Fellows’ events take place throughout the academic year (currently twice per term). Postgraduates are kindly asked to limit attendance to one per academic year.
Tour of Chapel – Wednesday 26 October, 2pm
Meet in the Ante-Chapel.
With an introduction by The Rev’d Dr Mark Oakley followed by a 95-minute tour with Stephen Stokes, Chapel Clerk.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
Tour of the Fitzwilliam Museum – Saturday 29 October, 2pm
Fitzwilliam Museum.
With Professor Patrick Boyde. Meet at the museum’s public entrance.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
Jonathan Gilmour memorial service – Saturday 5 November, 12pm
St John’s College Chapel.
A memorial service is being held for postgraduate student Jonathan Gilmour, who died in April.
All welcome to attend. Please register in advance to assist with planning seating and refreshments.
Full details and registration form
SBR’s Postgraduate Research Symposium – Saturday 12 November
Palmerston Room and Fisher Building Foyer.
Details to be confirmed.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 16 November, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay after 20 October.
Dramatisation from the Divine Comedy – Wednesday 16 & Thursday 17 November, 7.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
In Italian with subtitles.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
Ghost walk – Thursday 24 November, 5.45pm
Meet in the Third Court Cloister by the Bridge of Sighs.
With Fellow Dr Mark Nicholls.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
Precarious lives: inequalities in health through the lens of the film maker – Wednesday 30 November, 1.15pm for 1.45pm start
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
Director Ken Loach is due to appear at this rare afternoon workshop and screening of his acclaimed 2019 film Sorry We Missed You.
St John’s Reading Group on Health Inequalities has organised the event, which comes at a time of deep concern about the impact of rising poverty on child health and development, in association with the University’s Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH).
Free of charge. Donations will be collected at the event for Cambridge City Foodbank and Cambridge Aid.
Book your place via the CRASSH events page
Ghost stories – Wednesday 7 December, 8.45pm
Combination Room.
With Professor Patrick Boyde.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, visiting Fellows and their guests. Admission free, booking not required.
And finally…
Prince of quince
Quince harvested from the tree in the Scholars’ Garden are being given away by Head Gardener David Austrin and his team to College members.
Quince is a hard, aromatic fruit that is perfect for making jellies, jams and other preserves and goes particularly well with cheese.
If you fancy trying out some recipes, a tray of quince is being left outside Forecourt Lodge today for people to help themselves.
