Gazette: Michaelmas week 5
MCR events
Hustings
We are happy to announce the election of the following officers to the MCR Committee as the roles were uncontested.
- Academic officer: Laurie Jacob
- Computing Officer: Manuel (Manu) Mueller
- Communications and Publicity Officer: Sarah Weinshel
- First Year Representative: Estelle Strangmark and Cam Young
- Equality and Diversity Officer: Josephine Tumwesige
- Women’s welfare: Miruna Radecka
- External Social Secretary: Andrew (Drew) Langford and Lena Alfter
Congratulations to all new and returning members!
The election for the Green Officers is contested, as such, following the TGM and Hustings voting has begun. You can cast your vote here.
The candidates are as follows:
- Alexandra Tien-Smith and Elise Devey
- Thea Fennell and Fergus Powell
Voting will remain open until 2:00 on 30 October.
Hedgehog Art Exhibit
Students with children are warmly invited to our Hedgehog-themed art exhibit on the 30th October. This is the perfect venue to show off your creations from the arts and crafts event from Saturday the 15th, but any entries are welcomed! We’ll be offering prizes in multiple categories. This is part of Churchill’s Hedgehog-Friendly Campus initiative.
Time: 30 October 2pmNote: This event was previously advertised for the 29th, but has been moved to the 30th.
Venue: Seminar Room 3/4
Yoga
Join our weekly yoga class! Whether your an experienced yogi or have never been on a mat before, anyone is welcome to join. We provide mats, but please bring your own if you have one.
We’re in the Jock Colville Hall every Wednesday from 6 – 7pm.
The session on 2 November will be a Yin yoga, so bring a hoodie/pullover/blanket to keep yourself warm.
What’s Whisky?
Whisky tasting at the MCR Bar
Come down to the Vicious Penguin on Wednesday 16th November at 7.30 pm for a relaxed evening of lightly informative whisky drinking. We’ll have six whiskies for you to taste, ranging from classic Scotch, to more modern Japanese whisky and possibly even spirits from further afield. Whether you’re completely new to whisky or already an aficionado, you’re sure to find something interesting in the range of flavours we’ll explore.Tickets will be £5 at the door, but you need to reserve your spot. We’re limited to 30 people so sign up here sooner rather than later. Tickets are limited to Churchill MCR students.Presented by Elre and Elliott from the Cambridge University Whisky Appreciation Society. Heavily subsidised by the MCR Bar 🙂
Submit your entry for Super Short Summaries
We are excited to announce that Super Short Summaries, the MCR’s two minute thesis (2MT) competition, is back on Saturday 19th November, and we are accepting entries. The competition will be followed by the first MCR/SCR common table. If you sign up for the mentoring scheme you can attend this dinner for free with your assigned SCR (fellow) mentor; Super Short Summaries will conclude at 7 pm to provide time for mentees to find their mentors and attend the dinner at 7:30 pm. The event itself will take 1-1.5 hours, depending on the number of entries received.
Postgraduate students from Churchill college, both PhD and Masters students, are invited to register to present using the link above. Presenters will be allowed one slide (with no animations) and given 2 minutes to explain their research to a general audience. Presenters are expected to explain what their research is about, why it is interesting, and what they have found. Since it is aimed at a general audience, they need to assume at most a high school level of knowledge in their field, explain terminology, and avoid jargon. The talks will be judged by the Master, Prof. Dame Athene Donald, the Senior tutor, Rita Monson, and the Senior Postgraduate tutor, Mairi Kilkenny, along with the MCR president, Michaela Taylor-Williams. Prizes will be given for the best talks.
Entries will close on the 5th November. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at mcr-academic@chu.cam.ac.uk
Associate Members
The Churchill MCR would like to welcome all partners of postgraduate students to become Associate Members of the MCR.
With recent changes to the MCR Constitution, partners of postgraduate students must now register their interest to formally become an Associate MCR Member which must be approved by the Senior Tutor. This enables partners to run for MCR committee positions, attend MCR events without their partner, and vote for the MCR Families Welfare Officer.
For further details and the application, please check your email about MCR Associate Members (subject).
Around the College
Give me Inspiration!
The Paradigm Shift with Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE
What do academics actually do? What motivates them to get out of bed each morning and to deliver what is — or in many cases what isn’t – expected of them?
For a student setting out, the life of senior academics may seem very mysterious, particularly as many may end up taking on responsibilities and activities far removed from where an individual started. The trajectory from student to senior academic is rarely a straight line, with twists, setbacks, time out and/or opportunities (taken or declined) all to be combined with a personal life.
This series of conversations aims to explore the individual paths of some eminent academics who have made it to the top in their own particular ways. How have they found their own solutions to ‘life’, what tips do they wish they’d been given earlier on, and what might they view, retrospectively, with most pleasure or regret?
The next in this series of conversations will be with author, thought-leader and co-founder and CEO of ‘Stemettes’, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon.
This is a hybrid event, taking place in person in the Wolfson Theatre, but also live-streamed online as a Zoom webinar. Please click on the link below to book for either format, you will be asked to specify which ticket you require.
Places are free but bookings are essential, click here to register.
The event will be followed by a drinks reception at 7pm. All are welcome to attend.
ChuSciSoc
How did elephants evolve from microbes?
This week’s talk organised by the Churchill Science Society is about How multicellularity develops in computational models, given by Dr. Enrico Sandro Colizzi.
The talk will be in the Bevin Room at 7 pm on Monday 31 October.
Formal Swap
Term Card
Engineering in F1
Talk and Q&A by Peter Windsor and John Sutton
Churchill College Engineering Society is lucky enough to be hosting F1 journalist Peter Windsor and F1 engineer John Sutton in the Wolfson Hall at Churchill College at 6:30pm on the 3rd November! This event is open to all subjects and colleges, and more information about both speakers is detailed below. If you are interested in joining for this really exciting evening, please RSVP with this form.
John Sutton
John studied Engineering at Churchill College, sponsored by Rolls-Royce (Aero). On graduation, he went to Ricardo, before then working for the Williams, Ferrari and McLaren Grand Prix teams during some of the fiercest and most technically competitive seasons in F1. He was responsible for the design, engineering and development of many innovative systems in transmission and powertrain, then the first generation ‘KERS’ devices, before leading an F1 Research & Development ‘Skunk Works’. Latterly he worked on hybrid and advanced multi-mode propulsion concepts for McLaren’s road cars, notably a future ‘P1’. In 2020 he co-led McLaren’s engineering effort for the government’s ‘Ventilator Challenge UK’. In January 2021 he moved to ‘Arrival’ to work on developing advanced concepts for future EV platforms. He now undertakes engineering consultancy in the above fields, with particular focus recently on low/zero-carbon and new energy.
Peter Windsor
Peter was appointed sponsorship manager at Williams in 1985 due to his close relationship with F1 driver Nigel Mansell. He also worked as the general manager at Ferrari’s UK base in 1989, before returning to Williams as team manager in 1991. Peter now works as an F1 journalist, having worked for Sky Sports as a pit reporter and an on-location reporter for Fox Sports Network to name a few.
Science in Peace and War
A series of events organized by the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College
All events are free and open to all.
Tuesday 1 November at 17.30 in the Jock Colville Hall, Churchill College
Joel Greenberg speaks about his new book ‘The Bletchley Park Codebreakers: in their own words’
For more information please click here.
Wednesday 16 November at 14.00 to 17.00 in the Wolfson Hall, Churchill College
A half-day symposium on The Life and Legacy of A. V. Hill, to mark the centenary of the award of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine to the physiologist A. V. Hill with Otto Meyerhof. Speakers will include Dr Andrew Brown, Professor Nancy Curtin, Professor Paul Weindling, Professor David Zimmerman and Dr Alison Hill
To book and for more information please click here.
If you need further assistance, please contact Amanda.Jones@chu.cam.ac.uk
Details of all our events can be found here.
Try Coxing for Churchill Boat Club
Churchill College Boat Club is looking to recruit coxes to train and race with us this year. This is a great opportunity to get involved with an iconic aspect of Cambridge life, whilst not requiring the same amount of commitment as rowing itself.
There’s more information below, but if you’d like to give coxing a try (no experience required at all!) then please fill in this google form or email Alex (atd39@cam.ac.uk) who is our fantastic coxing captain and ready to help with any questions you might have.
What is a cox? And how do I become one?
A cox is the person responsible for steering the boat and giving instructions to the rowers.
Here at Churchill we are really keen to offer coxing opportunities to anyone who might be interested. There is so much room for development and progression – in the past, coxes who started as complete beginners in Michaelmas have often gone on to cox our boats during the exciting (and prestigious) BUMPS races in Lent and Easter terms.
When you try coxing for the first time, we will have experienced coaches and coxes on the bank to help you out. We can also arrange a taster session at a time that suits you, either a weekday morning or a weekend afternoon.
We don’t have any requirements or conditions – all we ask is that you listen carefully to instructions and are keen to learn. You don’t need to be super bossy or loud, but having a bit of confidence certainly helps!
Doesn’t a cox just steer? Isn’t that a bit boring?
Beyond the basics of safe steering, coxes play a large role in coordinating training sessions on the water. But don’t worry – you are working as a team with both coaches and the rowers themselves. The aim of the whole crew is to have fun, stay safe and (of course) go fast!
A good cox can coach, motivate, think about tactics and steer – all at the same time! which sounds like a lot but really just takes a bit of time to get used to…
There’s nothing really comparable to it. It’s a bit like conducting a group of musicians, while racing a car – you have to make sure the rowers are technically working well together, while safely steering the fastest possible route to beat other boats!
Hedgehog Society
Churchill is getting ready to work towards making the college campus hedgehog friendly and we need as many people to help out as possible! Taking part is completely voluntary and you can dip in and out, picking what tasks you want to help complete (ranging from putting up posters to actively monitoring the hedgehog population). It is an excellent way to get involved in promoting the diversity of the wildlife present in college and destress by working towards a good cause without having to make a large commitment!
Click here for a description of the role to give you a rough idea of what would be involved.
Your place is waiting for you. To claim it, email info@hedgehogfriendlycampus.co.uk, quoting: “I want to be a Student Hedgehog Ambassador”
Churchill Poetry and Play Writing Prizes Prize
For all poets and playwrights, the College runs a prize in combination with the English faculty. All student at the University may enter.
Prizes:
- £500
THE SALT MARLOWE POETRY PRIZE (for a new poem) - £500 & £100 of Drama Books from Methuen Drama
THE METHUEN MARLOWE OTHER PRIZE (for a new play)
Deadline: Last day of Lent Full Term 2023
More details and the entry form can be found here: Poetry & Play Writing Prizes – Churchill College (cam.ac.uk)
Wellbeing Seed Library
What is the Wellbeing Seed Library?
Growing your own produce locally not only saves money but is great for mental health and wellbeing. The Garden Society, Grounds and Gardens team, and College Library have teamed up to provide free seeds, to encourage people getting their hands dirty!
The Wellbeing Seed Library provides free seeds for students and families to use in the garden. Seeds currently include basil, chives, parsley, spinach, lettuce, rocket, radish, mizuma, nasturtium, corn, leek, spring onions, courgette, carrot, pak choi, tomatoes, beetroot, turnip, celery, sweet pea and sunflower.
You can find the Seed Library in the College Library, in the entrance foyer of the Bracken reading room. You do not need a University Card to access this area. Simply take a pinch of seeds from a packet, put them in an empty envelope, label your envelope with the variety, and then you’re ready to get started.
Where can I garden?
In the 70 Storey’s Way Garden there is a student gardening club greenhouse and some raised beds that can be used by students and families.
Compost, pots, a watering can and plant labels are kept in the greenhouse for student use, and the College gardeners will be on hand for any advice.
I’ve never grown anything before, where do I start?
Our suggestions for first-time gardeners are sweet peas, lettuce, or spinach. The Royal Horticultural Society website and Vital Seeds have some helpful tips for growing different kinds of plants.
The College Library also has a collection of books on Gardening and Wildlife.
Around the University
Ukraine and Russia
Sarah Rainsford and Bridget Kendall
Fitzwilliam College Auditorium: Monday October 31st, 6pm Sarah Rainsford and Bridget Kendall in conversation: Ukraine and Russia
On 31st October, the BBC’s East European Correspondent and former Moscow Correspondent Sarah Rainsford (Fitz 1992) will be in conversation with fellow Russianist and former BBC Diplomatic and Moscow Correspondent, the current Master of Peterhouse, Bridget Kendall.
Drawing on their long experience of the region, they will be discussing the state of the current war that was triggered by President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the conflict’s impact on both countries.
You can just turn up on the night, but please book here to help us manage numbers if you can by booking here.
Cambridge Trust Funding Petition
Graduate students funded by the Cambridge Trust have launched a petition to get the Cambridge Trust to guarantee four years of funding to all Trust-funded PhD students. 230 people have signed the petition so far, including 115 Trust scholars. We need to get 350 scholars to sign the petition by 10 November to pressure the Trust. If you are a Trust scholar, or simply agree that four-year PhD courses require four years of guaranteed funding, sign here.
Take the student travel survey
The University’s student travel survey is now open. The survey takes about five minutes to complete and is open until 3 November.
We are asking all students how they travel to the University so that we can better understand our environmental impact. We will use student travel data to refine our understanding of the University’s carbon emissions, which will help us design our mitigation work. University staff will complete a similar survey, which will allow us to calculate how much commuting contributes to our carbon emissions. All students can complete the survey, regardless of how they travel to the University. The college with the highest response rate will be offered a Dr Bike session: students will be able to bring their bikes along for a safety check and free basic repairs.
Consultation on Greater Cambridge Partnership’s City Access Proposals
A consultation on proposals to change the way we travel in Cambridge opened this week. The proposals by the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) include a new bus network for the city alongside improvements to cycling and walking routes, with revenue to be generated through a proposed road charging scheme.
If the proposals go ahead, changes to bus services and fares may come into effect as early as next year. Any member of the public can submit a consultation response, and I encourage you to share your views. You can find out more about the proposals and submit a response on the GCP website. An online open meeting with representatives from GCP will be held on 10 November from 12.30 to 13.30. Pre-registration is required.
Universal bus route extended
New electric buses will operate on the Universal bus route from next year, with the service extended to serve Girton, Homerton and Wolfson colleges. A single journey on the Universal bus costs £1 with your University card.
Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs)
It’s the time of year where many JRF opportunities at Oxford and Cambridge are being advertised. If you are trying to work out if a JRF might be a good step for you, or looking for advice on how to prepare your application you’ll find advice on our JRF webpage. If you’re feeling stuck, book a 1:1 appointment with a Careers Consultant, we’ll be happy to discuss how a JRF may fit with your career plans or support you with your application materials.
University Counselling Service: Groups and Workshops
University Counselling Service runs three kinds of groups at UCS – workshops, focused groups and longer counselling groups.
The workshops are generally one-off events and do not require any ongoing commitment. The focused groups are for people who want help with a particular issue. Longer counselling groups offer support over a period of several weeks. To ensure a group experience, they aim to run groups and workshops of six participants or more and if there are insufficient numbers to run a group or workshop it may be cancelled.
If you wish to register your interest in attending the workshops that are accepting registrations, please complete the relevant registration forms, which can be found on clicking the following link for workshops: Workshop registration form
All of the workshops apart from the ‘How Art Thou’ one, will be held remotely, online via Zoom.us (The How Art Thou workshop will be held in the Student Services Centre and in person.)
Open access: where next?
A symposium to challenge the status quo and imagine new futures in academic publishing.
Homerton College, 18 November 2022, 9am-5pm
You are warmly invited to take part in ‘Open access: where next?’, a symposium to challenge the status quo and imagine new futures in academic publishing.
Many researchers are dissatisfied with the current system of publishing and rewards, but it is not yet clear what feasible alternatives could dominate instead. Open access is becoming the norm, and offers many benefits, but is it fulfilling the initial promises of fairness and inclusivity – across disciplines and across the globe?
What would you like the future of academic publishing to look like? It’s time to be bold so we can take action to create that future.
Hosted by Cambridge University Libraries Research Services and taking place in the beautiful surroundings of Homerton College, 18 November 2022, 9am-5pm. Explore the full programme and book your place (free to current members of the University)
Career Essentials for PhDs & Postdocs
- Should I Postdoc or Not? If you’re unsure whether to continue into a postdoc position after your PhD, this video will take you through some key points to support your decision making.
- Narrative CVs A new development in academic recruitment is the use of the Narrative CV to use a wider range of measures for research impact. Find out more about what a narrative CV is and how to write one.
- Research Statements Whether you’re applying for a JRF or starting to think about future funding, find out more about how to write a successful research statement.
University of Cambridge Fairs
If you are not sure what the job market has to offer for you, visit the different Fairs and collect all the information you need to plan your career. It doesn’t matter at which stage you are in your studies, mark the dates and register for any you are interested in, using the links below.
- Consultancy Fair 2022: in person or virtual
- Banking & Finance Fair 2022: in person or virtual
- Law Fair 2022: in person or virtual
- Maths & Quantitative Finance Fair 2022: in person
- Economics Fair 2022: in person
- Engineering Fair 2022: in person or virtual
- Tech Fair 2023: in person
Other opportunities
Registration open for CID ECR symposium
Registration is open for the upcoming Cambridge Infectious DiseasesEarly Career Researchers’ symposium ‘Work in progress and challenges in infectious diseases research’.
The symposium takes place on Tuesday 6th December, from 1.30 to 4.30 pm, at the Postdoc Centre at Eddington and aims to encourage the ECR participants to share what they are working on, even if these are not conclusive results, and give mutual advice.
You can register to attend using the Eventbrite page here. In order to plan for catering, register your attendance before 25 November.
Fill in this form to present a talk (15’) or a poster by 11 November.
During the poster session, there will be some food and drinks, sponsored by New England Biolabs. If you have any questions, please contact the organisers (mb2464@cam.ac.uk).
Invest in Innovation 2022
Setting the stage for the next healthtech revolution
Invest in Innovation 2022 brings together leading investors, founders, and industry leaders from around the health and technology space to set the agenda for the next stage in healthcare innovation. This an exclusive opportunity to apply to engage with the leading innovators shaping the future of healthcare technologies. This half-day conference will be fully online on the 9th of December 2022. With opportunities to engage and connect with fellow participants, browse top startups from across deeptech, and listen to key opinion leaders discuss. Apply for your free ticket now.
Innovation Forum is recruiting
Could you be part of our Central and Cambridge teams?
We are looking for proactive, engaging scientists and those with a passion for healthcare innovation to participate and engage with our diverse network of academics, industry leaders, investors, and start-up founders. The Innovation Forum gives opportunities for PhDs, Postdocs, and early career researchers to demonstrate their capacity to shape their ecosystem by leading events, working closely with both a local and international team of volunteers, supporting exciting early-stage start-ups, and engaging with key opinion leaders in leading organisations.
We have positions available in our Central team in business development, events, and marketing, and leadership roles available in our Cambridge team. You will be able to coordinate global activities within our network and gain project management experience working on different initiatives including our accelerator programme, global conference, forming and managing global partnerships, and more.These are purely virtual positions therefore we accept applicants from all locations. Find out more and apply online.
Takeda UK Limited ADHD innovation challenge 2022
Takeda UK in partnership with The ADHD Foundation and the Eastern Academic Health Science Network (EAHSN) is searching for innovative solutions to help patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We are looking for innovations which could help to increase ADHD recognition and diagnosis or to enhance patient educational resources, support, and monitoring.This project is funded by Takeda UK. International applicants are encouraged to apply, however, the winner will be obliged to carry out the pilot in the UK. To learn more or begin an application, please visit us here: https://ichallenge.takeda.com/adhdUK
Cambridge Crepes Deal
£1.50 off any crepe including friends and family at any time until July 1st 2023 when you show your photo ID college card. Open Thursday-Sunday 11-5pm. Now also serving vegan and gluten free buckwheat crepes. Follow them on Instagram @cambridgcrepes for freebies and more discounted offers. Enjoy!
Watersprite Film Festival recruitment
Watersprite Film Festival is looking to recruit student volunteers in a variety of roles to help with the organisation of the festival.
They’re particularly looking for people to fill the roles of co-head of Awards, co-head of Education and Outreach and the Education and Outreach subcommittee.
Click here for further details and to apply!
MRI Study
Earn up to £ 65 in multi-session MRI study: 2x2h MRI scans (Addenbrooke’s) while performing a visual task. We are currently recruiting for a brain imaging study looking into visual perception.
If you are interested and:
- 18-35 years old
- With perfect or corrected-to-normal vision (contact lenses only, glasses cannot be taken into the scanner)
- Without history of neuropsychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders
- Under no medication
- Right-handed
- MRI safe (contact us if unsure)
then please drop us a line at abgresearch@psychol.cam.ac.uk using 7T_PREDICTION as subject.
2023 CSAR Student Award
The Cambridge Society for the Application of Research is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the 2023 CSAR Student Award programme.
Submission deadline: December 2022
Selection: Candidates will be notified of the outcome in February 2023
Interviews: We aim to interview shortlisted candidates in April 2023
The CSAR PhD Student Award of £1000, is intended to recognise outstanding research with real world application and to assist students to pursue their research or careers.
The application link can be found here.
