St John's College News
Winner of the Brian Runnett Prize Competition 2013
Winner of the Brian Runnett Prize Competition 2013On Tuesday 19 February, St John’s College Chapel hosted the Brian Runnett Prize Competition for organ playing. The competition was open to all Junior Members of the University, with a prize of £500.This year’s adjudicators, Andrew Nethsingha, Catherine Ennis and Daniel Hyde decided to award the Prize to Robert Dixon, Senior Organ Scholar at Jesus College. Robert performed J.S. Bach’s Prelude and…read morePolitics, Psychology, Sociology and International Politics at St John's
Politics, Psychology, Sociology and International Politics at St John'sSt John’s and its students have a long and distinguished record in politics in Britain as well as abroad. Such major nineteenth-century figures as the Prime Ministers Castlereagh and Palmerston studied at the College.So too did William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson, the leading campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade. Currently Johnians are to be found in both Houses of Parliament, as…read moreSt John's Library and Archives welcome Cambridge Archivists
St John's Library and Archives welcome Cambridge ArchivistsOn Friday, 1 March, the Library and Archives played host to over 40 Cambridge and Oxford Archivists. The theme for the afternoon was outreach and accessibility. Ryan Cronin, Rebecca Watts and Tracy Wilkinson discussed current projects within the Library and Archives which are aimed at engaging and enlightening non-traditional users.A fundamental challenge facing Archives and Special Collections…read moreTeach First Bursaries
Teach First BursariesIf you're interested in teaching, and make a successful application to the Teach First Leadership Development Programme (TFLDP), you could be eligible for a bursary of £1000 from the College; up to 2 bursaries will be awarded.Application Process:Apply directly to Teach First via their website, see link below.Teach First will send the College a list of those who have applied and have been…read moreSt John's Top 5: Shrewsbury Tower grotesques
St John's Top 5: Shrewsbury Tower grotesquesThis month we look at drawings of the stone carvings on the Shrewsbury Tower. The tower was restored in 1959-1960. The original carved motifs were severely eroded and it required great skill to provide new figures similar to the old. J Ison of Girton completed the stonework from designs by Mrs DF Kramer. Alec Crook in his book 'From Penrose to Cripps' claims that the two stone faces…read moreNida Trust visit St John's College
Nida Trust visit St John's CollegeA group of students from the Nida Trust visited St John’s College in late February; a visit which was organised by the Access Officer in conjunction with Cambridge Interfaith. The day began with a 'Scriptural Reasoning' session run by the Interfaith team and was followed by lunch in the College Buttery.After lunch, students were invited to grill a panel of current undergraduates about life at St…read more2013 IRA Rollover: Legacy giving to St John's from the USA
2013 IRA Rollover: Legacy giving to St John's from the USAUS alumni and friends of St John's who are 70½ or older can use their individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to make a gift of up to $100,000 to Cambridge in America without reporting the distribution as taxable income. Distributions must be made by December 31, 2013. The transfer, if done properly, counts toward your required minimum distribution in 2013.On January 2, 2013,…read moreTeaching & Directors of Studies
Teaching & Directors of StudiesDirectors of StudiesEvery student has a Director of Studies (DoS) in their subject area. They advise students on which lectures, seminars and supervisions to attend, and they can be approached regarding reading lists, essays, supervisions or any other subject-related topic or concern.Directors of Studies are the first port of call for any academic concerns or advice, and they will always ensure…read moreDan Lu - Natural Sciences (Biological)
Dan Lu - Natural Sciences (Biological)Dan Lu studied Natural Sciences (Biological) 2007-2011, and is now studying for a PhD in Biochemistry.'I’ll be honest; coming here was a dream for me. With so many Nobel Prize winners in the sciences alone, and that’s not even including people like Newton and Darwin, the University of Cambridge is clearly a leading scientific institute. In my opinion, a huge part of this success comes down to the…read moreSophie Dundovic - Arch & Anth (HSPS)
Sophie Dundovic - Arch & Anth (HSPS)Sophie joined St John’s in 2009. She attended a state comprehensive school in Basingstoke and took A-levels in Mathematics, Further Mathematics, German and Economics at Farnborough Sixth Form College. 'My time at St John’s has been thoroughly enjoyable, exciting and intellectually stimulating. I have made fantastic friends and had the opportunity to take part in so many enriching activities that…read moreChristina Farley - History of Art
Christina Farley - History of Art'By the time I arrived for the St John’s Open Day in the September before I applied, I was sick of open days, sick of thinking about university, and sick of not knowing where I wanted to go. I had more or less already decided that the day would be pointless – that, when I got home, I’d stick a pin in the prospectus and have done with it. Then, sitting in the admissions talk and hearing about the…read moreAcross the Cam: College bridges in art & photography
Across the Cam: College bridges in art & photographyThe Library's latest exhibition marks the 300th anniversary of the Kitchen Bridge. Here are a couple of our favourite images from the exhibition.This delightful tiny engraving by Richard Harraden is the earliest depiction of the Bridge of Sighs. Printed in 1829, the year the bridge was built, it is a surprisingly modern portrayal of the river as a place of recreation.Even those who walk through…read moreEwha Womans University visits St John’s
Ewha Womans University visits St John’sIn early January St John’s welcomed a group of students and professors from Ewha Womans University, South Korea, to experience the Cambridge collegiate system.The visit comes as Ewha Womans University also plans to implement a collegiate system. The delegation met with the JCR committee and College Fellows to discuss the advantages of a collegiate system, and St John’s own vision and aims. Our…read moreAsh Wednesday Service on BBC Radio 3
Ash Wednesday Service on BBC Radio 3This year's Ash Wednesday Service, held at 3.30pm on Wednesday 13 February, was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.The Service can also be listened to via the BBC iPlayer following this link. For more information on the Service list and music to be performed by the Choir of St John's College, please see the link below.read moreCatering and Conference Manager receives 'Special Achievement Award'
Catering and Conference Manager receives 'Special Achievement Award'Bill Brogan, Catering and Conference Manager at St John's College, Cambridge, recently received the 'Special Achievement Award' at the inaugural Health & Vitality Honours dinner held at Lords cricket ground.Since his appointment in 2005 Bill has embarked on an ambitious programme of internal and external initiatives that have brought sustainability and health to the forefront of the agenda,…read moreStudents awarded prizes for excellence - February 2013 update
Students awarded prizes for excellence - February 2013 updateThe following students are among those who have been awarded University prizes for their outstanding academic achievements since December 2012.Robert Gardiner Memorial Scholarships have been awarded to Christopher Blair (Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics), Joan Redmond (History) and Sean Ryan (Chemistry).In addition, Stephanie Hyland has been elected to an Honorary Robert Gardiner…read moreNew acquisitions
New acquisitionsRecent acquisitions RSS Feed Audio-Visual AV D.civ Civilisation : a personal view by Lord Clark : the complete series [DVD]/ written and narrated by Lord Clark ; directed by Michael Gill, Peter Montagnon and Ann Turner. [s.l] : BBC, 1969. AV ML.DAV Sketches of Spain [sound recording]/ Miles Davies London : Not Now Music, 2011. AV ML.CHA Emmanuel Chabrier [sound recording] : Piano Works/…read moreSt John's Top 5: Northern estates (1930s)
St John's Top 5: Northern estates (1930s)This month we’re taking a look at some views of the College's northern estates, taken by Mr Udny Yule, fellow, during inspection in 1933.Click on an image to make it larger.Farm yard and livestock, Skeffling, Humber bank (East Yorkshire)Farmhouse at Addingham, Cumberland with the tenant’s wife (and dog)Milner’s farm with children, Staveley, DerbyshireFarmhouse at Millington, Yorkshire – with…read moreAnnual Election of Research Fellows 2013
Annual Election of Research Fellows 2013The following are elected into Fellowships under Title A from 1 October 2013:Mr Timothy Michael Adamo(BS, Pittsburgh) for Mathematical PhysicsMr Samuel Ian Albert Cohen(BA, MSci, Cambridge) for Biophysical ChemistryDr Michael Thomas George Humphreys(BA, MPhil, PhD, Cambridge) for Medieval HistoryDr Sichen Shao(BSE, Princeton, PhD, Johns Hopkins) for Molecular BiologyMr Robert Stewart Weatherup(BA…read moreCaledonian Society
Caledonian SocietyThe Caledonian Society is a student society with the aim of bringing together all members of the College interested in Scotland and its history, and building on a number of age-old traditions.The society has a number of events where Scots can share their culture and get to know each other. Members do not have to be born in Scotland, anyone is welcome to join in! Highlights of the year include the…read moreProfessor Roger Blandford awarded Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal
Professor Roger Blandford awarded Royal Astronomical Society Gold MedalProfessor Roger Blandford FRS, a former Research Fellow at St John's College (1973-76), has been awarded the Gold Medal in Astronomy by the Royal Astronomical Society.The Gold Medal is the highest honour awarded by the Society, recognising 'extraordinary lifetime achievement'. Professor Blandford's citation describes him as 'widely regarded as the outstanding all-round theoretical astrophysicist…read moreJohnian graduates win conference prizes
Johnian graduates win conference prizesTwo of the three prizes for student presentations at a recent scientific conference in Australia have been awarded to St John’s graduate students.Prajwal Ciryam, a Benefactors’ Scholar and Priyanka Narayan, a Marshall Scholar, received their awards for delivering outstanding lectures at the International Proteostasis and Disease Symposium held at the University of Wollongong, near…read moreEmanuel Miller Prize 2013
Emanuel Miller Prize 2013By a bequest under the Will of Dr Emanuel Miller, St John's College received a sum of money for the establishment of a prize in the Philosophy of Science with special reference to the behavioural sciences (psychology and social science).All members of the University are eligible to apply.Full details can be found on the Emanuel Miller Prize page.read moreDr David Hill appointed Principal Conductor of the Yale Schola Cantorum
Dr David Hill appointed Principal Conductor of the Yale Schola CantorumDr David Hill (1976), former Director of Music at St John’s (2003-2007), has been appointed Principal Conductor of the Yale Schola Cantorum. He will also hold the post of Professor (Adjunct) of Choral Conducting for a three-year term in the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale School of Music.You can find out more about the College Choir's previous Directors of Music on the Choir website.read moreStudent experiences
Student experiencesFind out about St John's from some of the people who know it best - our students! Each article is related to a subject, but they all contain useful perspectives on College life as a whole.read more