Gazette: preMichaelmas
MCR events
Term card
The MCR Committee has been preparing a fantastic line-up of events for new and returning students alike; please see the term card below or here.
If you have any questions, please get in touch, and we hope to see many of you over the term.
Become a Churchill Parent
As we start a fun month of Freshers events, we are looking for Parents for our time-honoured tradition of Parenting and Families. It’s a great way to meet new students and have fun with your friends.
Come and pass on your hard-earned knowledge and help Freshers settle into Churchill by signing up here!
Every Fresher automatically joins a family as a Kid. In case you would like to drop out, please email us at mcr-president@chu.cam.ac.uk.
All Parents and Kids are invited for the Parents night: wine and cheese on 5 October from 8pm at Jock Coville Hall.
MCR Movie night
Popcorn, big screen and great company, what else do you need? Maybe some Disney! Mark the date and keep an eye on your emails to get the updates.
Time: 30 September 2022, 7pm
Venue: Music Centre Recital Room
In case of any questions, please contact Éva (ebb26). The event location have step-free access and added seating will be available.
Coffee, Gelato & Cambridge Walk
A guided tour around Cambridge; come along to find out the best places to eat, study and socialise in town. Along the way, grab some gelato from Jack’s gelato, or a coffee from Bould Brothers.
Let’s meet on 1 October at 2pm at Porters Lodge. For furhter info, keep an eye on your emails.
MCR Bar Training
Learn about the MCR bar and how you can open it whenever you want.*
Join us on 1 October at 7pm at the MCR Common Room for the training.
*With some limitations
Sunday Roast
Get to know your MCR colleagues over classic Sunday lunch served in Hall on 2 October from 12pm.
Let’s meet at the Hall a few minutes before noon; bring your student card to pay for the lunch. Vegetarian options will be available, others are subject to the menu that you will find here closer to time.
Around the College
Boat club
Join the Churchill College Boat Club!
Rowing at Churchill is super fun and a great way to stay active, make friends, and experience an iconic aspect of college life. This October, the Boat Club is holding two events for beginners who want to try rowing for the first time.
Boatie BBQ
- Where: Jack Colville lawn (just outside the corridor connecting the buttery to the porters lodge)
- When: 5pm Tuesday 4th October
- Come along and chat to both current and prospective members of the boat club. This is the perfect opportunity to ask any questions you have about rowing. You can have a go on a rowing machine (and enjoy lots of free food!) Can’t wait to see you there!
Try Rowing Day
- Where: On the river! Meet outside porters lodge to cycle to the boathouse in groups.
- When: Saturday 8th October (sign up for 1.5 hour slots)
- This is the perfect taster session if you’re considering joining the boat club. Each boat will be assigned experienced rowers, who will demonstrate how the equipment works and explain the basics. Sign up forms and more information about Try Rowing Day will be sent round nearer the time.
If you have any questions, or if you are keen to try rowing but unable to attend on these dates, then please reach out to one of our committee who will be happy to help!
Virtual tours around the Churchill Gardens
You may be interested in the videos below which John Moore (our Head of Grounds & Gardens) has made, and also the mindfulness courses available to both staff and students on the following link:
Wildflowers, hedgehogs and honey; a walk on the wild side of sustainability | Alumni (cam.ac.uk)
Churchill College Perimeter Path Walk with John Moore – Bing video
Spring around the Perimeter Path – Spring May 2021 – YouTube
Churchill Connect
Churchill Connect is a special networking platform just for Churchillians.
It works a bit like a cross between Facebook and LinkedIn (you can use it for tracking down/keeping up with friends after you graduate, as well as informal networking and mentoring from alumni), but with no ads and no selling your data to anyone!
This is the website we use particularly to advertise opportunities that we hear about such as internships, and you can also reach out to alumni who have marked themselves as willing to help, in order to get some career-related advice.
You can search for users by degree, industry, company, etc, and message them within the platform to ask for help, perhaps by looking over your CV. Registration is free, join here: Churchill Connect.
Around the University
Legacies of Enslavement report
New Cambridge open access fund
The University of Cambridge has established a new open access fund to ensure all Cambridge researchers have the option to publish their research papers in fully open access journals. Researchers who are not supported by other grants that cover open access publishing charges can apply to use this fund to make articles free for all to read. Find out more about eligibility and how to apply for an in-principle decision, or learn about the context for creating this fund.
Open Access team is also developing an online course that will explain the open access landscape and process for making work open access at Cambridge, which they hope you will find useful in navigating the complex queries that sometimes arise. If you have any questions, email the Open Access team.
St John’s College Hinsley Memorial Lecture
Ashok Mody is Charles and Marie Robertson Visiting Professor in International Economic Policy at the School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. He 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. He has also worked at the World Bank, AT&T’s Bell Laboratories, and the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum.
The lecture will begin at 5.30pm in the Main Lecture Theatre in the Old Divinity School and will be followed by a drinks reception in the Central Hall of the Old Divinity School.
Parking will be available on the College’s playing field, off Queen’s Road.
Please register your place here by 12 October. Confirmation will be sent in due course.
Join i-Teams for the Michaelmas Term
APPLY BY SEPTEMBER 27th
Interested in how new technologies are commercialised? Looking for some hands-on skills and experience? Want to work in a team with post-graduates from other departments and colleges? Then read on!
“Participating in i-Teams has been one of the best things I did while being in Cambridge.”
The i-Teams course includes hands-on teamwork investigating the market potential of an innovative technology, supported by a series of lectures and workshops.
This term’s projects include using reconfigurable wooden partitions for flexible living spaces, a non-uniform random number generator and a novel molecular engineering technique, with target markets ranging from predictive maintenance to drug discovery to sensors.
For more information or to submit an application, see www.iteamsonline.org
No previous commercial, medical or scientific background is required. The course will run every Monday evening (with pizza) at the Institute for Manufacturing (West Cambridge) from October 3rd, with final presentations on December 8th. Participants who are quarantining or away from Cambridge will be able to join sessions and team meetings by Zoom.
Join the Cambridge Philosophical Society
Join a worldwide community of scientists and enjoy a regular series of lectures by well-respected speakers, relevant networking opportunities, a programme of events and visits just for Members, funding support and reduced (free to PhD’s) subscription to our two journals – Biological Reviews and Mathematical Proceedings.The Society currently offers:
- A diverse lecture programme in the Lent, Easter and Michaelmas terms
- Two established and distinguished publications
- One-day international meeting
- Department visits
- Travel Grants
- Research Studentships
- Henslow Research Fellowship
Membership of the Society costs £20 and is paid by annual subscription. Find out more here.
Impact Intros Monthly Drop-In
Are you an academic looking to create impact from your research, ideas or expertise and don’t know where to begin? Are you from the wider Cambridge ecosystem and want to know more about what we do?
Impact Intros takes place from 3.30-5.30pm on the last Wednesday of every month at the Hauser Forum, West Cambridge.
Open to all, our free monthly drop-in session gives you the opportunity to just drop in for a chat and meet like-minded people.
Whether you are new to us and interested in how we can help or worked with us before, we’ll be ready and waiting (with coffee and cake!) to chat and answer any questions you may have.
No need to book – just pop by!
Next session: 28 September 2022
Meet the Careers Service on the Downing Site
On Thursday 29 September from 12.30-13.45 Anne Forde, Lucy Romijn and Mark Gilbert from the Careers Service team will be in the Downing Site courtyard. Come and say hello and find out more about the support we provide to the early career researcher community at Cambridge, we will showcase our key resources and answer any questions you might have about careers and how the Careers Service can help you.
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
Entrepreneurial pathways to impact: spinning out your research
Join us for talks, case studies and advice to inspire academics and researchers in their journey to create commercial impact from research through the formation of spin-out companies.
Time: 18 October 2022, 15:30
Venue: Downing College, Cambridge
Headline speaker: Nobel Laureate Sir Greg Winter
For further details and registration, visit the event page.
Upcoming Medical Library research skills training
Please note: all training sessions are being delivered online, please do not go to the Medical Library to attend training. You will be contacted via email about how to participate in the online training, should you book a place on any training course. If you have any questions, please contact library directly at librarytraining@medschl.cam.ac.uk.
Working restrictions for full-time PGR students – share your views
The Postgraduate Committee is reviewing the University’s rules for the hours and type of work that full-time postgraduate research (PGR) students may undertake.
PGR students, supervisors, College Postgraduate Tutors, and those who support postgraduate education, are invited to complete an anonymous survey to share their views about how employment might be balanced alongside the demands of full-time study in the future. Data from the survey will be considered by the Postgraduate Committee in Michaelmas term with a view to revising the employment rules in 2022/23.
If you would like to share your views please take part in the survey by 28 October 2022.
Researcher Development Language Training Bursary Scheme
As a doctoral student at the University of Cambridge you are eligible to apply for the Language Training Bursary Scheme.
Deadline: Monday 3 October 2022 at 9am
You may apply for a bursary for one of the following only:
a CULP ‘Languages for All’ course https://www.langcen.cam.ac.uk/culp/culp-general-courses.html
attendance at other fee charging courses offered within the University or externally, where there is no CULP course of relevance to your needs. (Please note that ADTIS In-Sessional programme for international students is not an eligible course)
Applicants will be required to demonstrate why this language training is a requirement to support their research and/or employability.
You are advised that many Colleges, at their own discretion, will also provide support for CULP course fees and you should enquire in your College.
Postgraduate Researcher Development Training Calendar
You can now access a Training Calendar of all upcoming courses provided by the Postgraduate Researcher Development team. It is a useful tool designed to make finding upcoming courses a lot easier!
Click here for further details!
CUL Research Skills Programme
Cambridge University Libraries Research Skills Programme
As a researcher you need to find, manage and share information effectively. Have you ever found yourself wondering where to start with a literature review? How to get more people to read your articles? Whether it is safe to share your hard-earned data online?
If interested, please search available courses and book your place here.
The Engaged Researcher series
The Engaged Researcher training covers all aspects of creative engagement with research through session ranging from storytelling, films, podcasts, illustration, animations etc. Sessions include topics on storytelling, public engagement with impact, policy engagement, creative writing and many more.
To find and book your course, please click here.
EnterpriseTECH
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday 17 October
Are you curious about the start-up world? Could you be an entrepreneur or a future founder? EnterpriseTECH helps you build your entrepreneurship skills, understand commercialisation pathways and early-stage business development.
Programme fee: £650 (for Cambridge researchers)
There will be small number of discretionary scholarships available for University of Cambridge researchers who can not secure funding from other sources (e.g. their College).
Click here for further details!
Newcomers and Visiting Scholars – Michaelmas Term
Newcomers and Visiting Scholars is a volunteer run group for University members and their families. You are invited to become part of this community and discover more about Cambridge.
There is a Welcome Coffee Morning every Tuesday, along with activities and events throughout the week, most of which are free to attend.
Highlights of some events for Michaelmas Term
- Walking tours
- International Cookery classes
- Art classes for children
- Discussion groups
- Traditional Afternoon Tea
- Tours and Day trips: Ely Christmas Market, Farm visit
To join go to the NVS website and click on “Register with us”. You will then receive a weekly newsletter including passwords to sign up for events.
Cambridge Graduate Orchestra is recruiting
Other opportunities
Symposium of Biological and Life Sciences
SymBLS is a free event for all postgraduate biological and life science students across all departments and institutes at Cambridge University. This year it will be held on Friday 25th November at Magdelene College, with a theme of ‘Overcoming Adversity in Science’.
Find out more by visiting the website.
For registration, click here!
Abstract submission for talks and posters is also open! If you would like to present a poster or give a talk, follow the ‘submit an abstract’ link on the website, and follow the instructions. SymBLS is a great opportunity to present your research in a friendly environment to a wide group of Cambridge postgrads!
Cambridge Zero Research Symposia
This Michaelmas term, Cambridge Zero in collaboration with Hughes Hall Centre for Climate Engagement are running four half day symposia. The aim of these symposia is to showcase the ground-breaking research related to sustainability, climate change, and net-zero that is happening across Cambridge, to connect researchers from across different communities and disciplines, and encourage new collaborations. Attendance is free.
The list of symposia is as follows:
- 28th October – Economy & Society: achieving sustainable development using natural capital, social capital and sustainable finance.
- 8th November – Carbon Capture & Climate Repair: what, where, when, how, by whom and for whom?
- 21st November – Behavioural Change & Education: tackling misinformation and promoting institutional and individual action
- 7th December – Climate & Disease: drivers, impacts and solutions
Each symposium will be held in the Pavilion Room at Hughes Hall, Cambridge. They will run from 1pm to 5.10pm with lunch from 1pm – 1.50pm. There will also be a drinks reception from 5.10pm until 6pm.
Each symposium will feature a number of keynote presentations from senior Cambridge academics, and we are inviting submissions from Early Career Researchers (Cambridge Postdocs and PhD students) to present their research in a series of 10 minute presentations. There is also the option to give a 2-minute ‘lightning’ presentation instead of a 10 minute one. This would consist of a single slide and a (very) brief explanation of your research. This may be a suitable option for those just beginning their research project or to present ideas for future research projects.
We invite interested researchers whose work fits under the broad remit of sustainability and/ or climate change to submit abstracts via this form.
The audience is likely to predominantly internal Cambridge researchers, but we also expect some external interest.
If you would like to attend without presenting, you are also welcome. In this case, please email Daniel Robins djr80@cam.ac.uk so that we know how many will be attending.
Sensors Day 2022: Sensors in an Uncertain World
Summary: A showcase of multidisciplinary sensor research – Inspiring talks by leading experts on the latest sensor technology developments
Venue: Moller Institute, Churchill College, Cambridge
Time: 12th October, 2022
Sensors Day 2022 will showcase highlights of sensor research and applications from all areas of science and technology. This year, we have a diverse field of speakers covering sustainability, healthcare, ethics and citizen science. The title of the conference will be “Sensors in an uncertain world” in recognition that sensors can bring certainty to our world.
Registration for Sensors Day 2022 is now open and free for students. Register for the in person event or the virtual event. For further details, visit the event page.
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.
Nucleate Activator Programme
Nucleate is a free and collaborative student-led organization that facilitates the formation of pioneering life sciences companies.
Current academic trainees who want to launch a life-science venture can apply for the activator programme. The programme includes mentoring by successful biotech founders and investors to give you a competitive advantage on the lab-to-market journey.
Each participant may apply as a technologist or a generalist (to be matched during team formation phase), and should have approval from principal investigator and TTO if applicable. Team should be intending to ‘spin-out’ in the near future.
Deadline 1st of October.
