College bulletin: 4 March
The Bridge of Sighs and the Great Gate were illuminated in the Ukrainian national colours on Wednesday to show support for the nation following the Russian invasion. Two photographs can be viewed at the end of the bulletin for anyone who did not have an opportunity to see the spectacle in person. A Vigil for Ukraine was also held in the Chapel on Wednesday to offer a time of prayer and reflection with music and readings. A collection for Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has begun in Chapel and all donations received during services for the rest of term will go to the same cause.
In this week’s bulletin we also have University Challenge news, the latest results from the River Cam as M1, at the time of writing, is head of the river in the Lent Bumps, and the next issue of Eagle Eye is hot off the press so do pick your copies up at all the usual good locations around College.
College news
Read all about it in Eagle Eye
The Lent Term 2022 issue of Eagle Eye is out today and printed copies can be picked up in and around College, or you can read and download it from the website.
Inside, our cover star Mia Myers, a second-year undergraduate, reveals how she is smashing stereotypes surrounding all kinds of disability; PhD student Sally Raudon tells us about her research into what happened to the poor and unclaimed dead of New York City, and we hear from Fiona Boston, the Domestic Bursar’s Secretary, about taking minutes and keeping the staff of F Staircase in Chapel Court powering through the pandemic with a plentiful supply of biscuits.
Read Mia’s story
New, nature-inspired concepts for turning C02 into clean fuels
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed an efficient concept to turn carbon dioxide into clean, sustainable fuels, without any unwanted by-products or waste.
They have previously shown that biological catalysts, or enzymes, can produce fuels cleanly using renewable energy sources, but at low efficiency. Their latest research has improved fuel production efficiency by 18 times in a laboratory setting.
“Electrolysis has a big part to play in reducing carbon emissions,” said Professor Erwin Reisner, who is Professor of Energy and Sustainability and a Fellow of St John’s and led the research. “Instead of capturing and storing CO2, which is incredibly energy-intensive, we have demonstrated a new concept to capture carbon and make something useful from it in an energy-efficient way.”
Covid-19 updates
There are currently no 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.
Other news
St John’s battles it out with nearest rivals
The St John’s University Challenge team was seen pitting its wits against next-door neighbours Trinity College in the popular BBC Two quiz on Monday night as the quarter-finals ploughed on.
Both teams previously lost their first quarter-final but the winners of this week’s knock-out episode has one last shot at reaching the semi-final.
So, how did we do? Watch Episode 32 on BBC iPlayer
Half marathon runners hit the streets
The Cambridge Half Marathon, which is officially sponsored by the University of Cambridge, is taking place this Sunday 6 March.
More than 10,000 runners are expected to pass through King’s College and Jesus College grounds as part of their 13.1-mile run. Road closures, parking restrictions and diversions will be in place on the day.
Best of luck to everyone taking part, including Senior Porter Richard Little and Evening Porter Ian Fleming. Do email your race day photos to the College Communications team if you are happy for them to be shared with our community and beyond. The only thing we run for is to get in the queue for the Buttery puddings.
Full details, including traffic information
Countdown to the Cambridge Festival
This year’s Cambridge Festival, hosted by the University of Cambridge, is taking place from 31 March to 10 April both in person and online, with more than 350 free events and activities to choose from – including talks, podcasts, films, panel discussions, virtual tours and walks.
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.
Student gardeners build greenhouse
Green-minded students have built a greenhouse in the grounds of a College hostel in preparation for the annual vegetable growing season.
Supported by St John’s gardeners, members of the SBR Environment team joined forces with holders of allotments in the student garden in Madingley Road to install the greenhouse – the purchase of which was generously supported by the College’s Annual Fund. The aim is to allow students to more easily propagate seedlings in a warm, sunny and purpose-built location, leading to bumper vegetable crops in late summer.
Photo credit: Bo Peng.
Call for new Millennium Fellows
Applications are open until 31 March 2022 for the Millennium Fellowship Class of 2022, a free social impact leadership programme run by United Nations Academic Impact together with the Millennium Campus Network for undergraduates.
The Class of 2020 included St John’s English undergraduate Amy Bottomley, who was Campus Director for the Cambridge cohort of Millennium Fellows.
Cyber-security precautions
The Russian invasion of Ukraine may make cyber-attacks more likely. All staff and students are asked to follow these basic security precautions to protect their identity online:
- Make sure your logins are resistant to hackers.
a) Use multi-factor authentication (MFA). If it’s available for your accounts, whether personal or work-related, use it. See further information about MFA for University Microsoft accounts.
b) Don’t re-use passwords. Use free password managers to keep track of lots of different passwords.
c) When you get emails and alerts telling you a new login has been seen, pay attention. If it’s not a result of you personally logging in, then change the password on the account immediately.
- Keep your devices and computers up to date. Windows, Apple and Android systems all have settings for automatic updates – make sure these are turned on.
- Install the University’s free anti-virus software.
- Don’t trust unexpected texts, emails or WhatsApp messages – these may be phishing attacks.
Find more information on the UIS website.
What’s on
Chapel
Morning prayer – weekdays, 8.30am
Taking place in Ante-Chapel every weekday morning, lasting about 15 minutes.
Evensong – daily, 6.30pm.
Choral services continue as listed on the website.
Memorial Service for Dr Peter Linehan – Saturday 5 March, 12pm
College Chapel.
A Memorial Service is taking place for Dr Peter Anthony Linehan, MA, PhD, FBA, Fellow and former Dean of St John’s College. Kindly note, ticket-holders only.
Student communion – Sunday 6 March, 8.30am
Student Communion takes place every Sunday at 8.30am, followed by a subsidised cooked breakfast in Hall.
Organ recital – Sunday 6 March, 6pm
Queens’ College Organ Scholar Ben Markovic will be performing works by J.S. Bach, Widor, Byrd and Vierne.
Open to all, free admission.
Evensong sermon series: Doctors and the Divine – Sunday 6 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 Dr Marie Chabbert, whose field is Modern and Medieval Languages.
Open to all, free admission.
Compline by Candlelight – Tuesday 8 March, 10pm
The perfect way to end the day. A group of the choral scholars will be singing, and there will be port and the incomparable College hot chocolate afterwards. The service itself lasts about half an hour.
A Lent Meditation – Saturday 12 March, 6pm
A service of readings, poetry and music is taking place for Lent and Passiontide.
If you wish to attend, please email the Chapel Clerk, Stephen Stokes, to enquire if any tickets are still available.
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).
Follow the Facebook page, SJC Chaplain, for 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 (e.g. carrying a processional candle at Sunday Evensong). Please contact Andrew if you’d like to be involved.
Other events
Green Careers Festival – runs until Friday 11 March
The University Careers Service is holding a careers festival this term covering ‘green’ careers. The festival is an extended event that includes various careers panels, skills sessions and resources.
Details of Career Essential workshops for the second half of term, including the Green Careers Fair on Tuesday 8 March (also listed below). To see the full range of support available, including CV and interview resources, visit the website.
Make sure you’re registered with the service’s careers platform Handshake to access these events and other resources.
Maggie in the Lent Bumps – Friday 4 March and Saturday 5 March
This week saw the return of the historic Lent Bumps on the river for the first time in two years. The College’s Lady Margaret Boat Club has had four men’s boats and three women’s boats competing in the Bumps, and the races continue on the Cam today and tomorrow.
Day three yesterday saw another great day for Maggie with three bumps and headship retained by M1. W2 continued going from strength to strength on the path to super-blades, while M2 cemented their position in Division 1 by bumping Fitz I, the first second boat from any College to achieve this since 2009.
The best place to watch the fun is just down from The Plough in Fen Ditton. All welcome to cheer on Maggie’s crews.
Lent Bumps division times (afternoons):
Fri Sat
M1 4.40 4.40
W1 4.00 4.00
M2 3.20 3.20
W2 2.40 2.40
M3 2.00 2.00
W3 1.20 1.20
M4 - 12.40
Casual badminton session – Friday 4 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.
St John's 2s vs Christ's 1s – Saturday 6 March, 12pm
St John's Playing Fields.
All welcome for their last football game of the season.
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.
Women’s History Month with St John’s College History Society – Monday 7 March, 6.15pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Art historian and College Research Associate Dr Sofia Gotti will discuss the work of Josefina Plá (1903-1999), a naturalised Paraguayan artist, poet, novelist and an avid scholar of Guaraní culture. Plá was a champion of indigenous women whose herstories were at the centre of her cultural production. Straddling feminist and decolonial projects, Plá’s work sheds light on the complex relationship between indigeneity, modernity and women’s emancipation in Paraguay.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
More details or email Yasmin.
Johnian Entrepreneurs' Club biotech panel discussion – Monday 7 March, 7.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
With three distinguished speakers, including St John's Fellow Professor Eric Miska, who started out in academia and successfully made waves in the biotech industry with their incredible work.
Open to all, admission free.
Green Careers Fair 2022 – Tuesday 8 March, 1-3pm
Cambridge Zero and the University of Cambridge Careers Service are holding a Green Careers Fair on the Handshake platform. It is the flagship event of the Green Careers Festival, which is running until 11 March (see above). Discover possible career paths and opportunities in sustainability and environment-related organisations.
Palaeography for beginners – Tuesday 8 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 further enquiries, contact the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby.
Aquila concert for International Women’s Day – Tuesday 8 March, 6-7pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Head over to the Old Divinity School for a selection of songs performed by Aquila, the St John’s College all-female vocal group.
All welcome, free admission, no booking required.
International Women’s Day celebration event and Hall – Tuesday 8 March, 7.30pm
Join St John’s Feminist Society to celebrate International Women’s Day in collaboration with Cambridge University Women in Business, starting with speakers and performances in the Palmerston room.
Open to all. Hall tickets available on UPay. No booking is required for the events earlier on in the day.
New Avenues of Research at St John’s, Pre-Dinner Lecture Series: Dr Neil Arnold – Tuesday 8 March, 6.15pm
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
Dr Neil Arnold, University Associate Professor, Interim Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and a Fellow of St John’s, will present a talk entitled Evidence for recent and contemporary liquid water on Mars in this pre-dinner lecture. The lecture will last for 20-30 minutes and will be followed by audience questions and then drinks.
It will also be available on Zoom – email Anna Odorici, Master’s and President’s Office Administrator, for the link.
Open to Fellows and Affiliates.
Lent Bible study – Tuesday 8 March, 8pm
A8 New Court.
The second of three Tuesday sessions, meeting to discuss a Bible passage which is traditionally read in Lent: such as the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.
Open to all, admission free.
The Inaugural Penrose Lecture – Wednesday 9 March, 5.30pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
The inaugural Penrose Lecture will be given by Nobel Laureate and Honorary Fellow Professor Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS. Sir Roger’s lecture is entitled: Visual Artistry for Mathematics and Science.
The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception in the Foyer of the Fisher Building. Registration is now closed.
St John's College Music Society (SJCMS) lunchtime recital – Thursday 10 March, 1.15pm
Lightfoot Room, Old Divinity School.
With Sophie Madden, soprano, and Benjamin Markivoc on piano. Open to all, booking is not required.
Drop-in dissertation support group – Thursday 10 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.
Newell Classical Event talk The Black Sappho – Thursday 10 March, 7.15pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
A talk by Professor Emily Greenwood on The Black Sappho, a recurrent presence in the work of African American women writers, using the figure of the Sappho to examine intersections of gender, sexuality, and race in the modern reception of Sappho. Emily is Professor of Classics at Princeton University and a Cambridge alumna.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required. Can also be attended via Zoom.
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. What really is free speech, and what is its role in society? Are there parameters to free speech, and if so, what should those parameters consider, and how would we enforce them? Most importantly, how do we reconcile different views on free speech to promote growth and reflection in our College community?
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 and then take questions from the audience. The session will be introduced by Mr Richard Partington, Senior Tutor of St John’s, and moderated by Roger Mosey, Master of Selwyn College and a 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.
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.
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.
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 and both universities.
View and book events
And finally
The Bridge of Sighs was illuminated in the Ukrainian national colours on Wednesday to show support for the nation following the Russian invasion. Thank you to The Crane Event and We Are Pink Lamp for donating their fee to Ukrainian charity, The Voices of Children. Two photographs are attached to this email to show the illuminations.
