St John's College News
Lifetime achievements of John’s academic recognised with prestigious international award
Lifetime achievements of John’s academic recognised with prestigious international award.Historian Professor Ulinka Rublack has been awarded the Reimar Lüst Prize in recognition of her 20 year commitment to academic exchange between the UK and Germany. The prize is given by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to exceptional humanities scholars and social scientists who contribute to ‘the enduring promotion of bilateral relations between Germany and their own country’.…read more‘The Crown’ exhibition showcasing royal documents opens in College Archive Centre
Royal documents dating from Richard the Lionheart to Queen Victoria are on display at St John's.Great Seals of more than 20 monarchs, royal charters, and signatures from Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth I are on display together at St John’s College for the first time in a free new exhibition focusing on the Crown. Confirmation to John de Ospringe of a grant, Richard I while on crusade at Acre and witnessed at Joppa, 1192 The Crown: Royal documents at St John’s College from Richard the…read moreEmmy nomination for former St John’s student
"The tragic events dramatized by this show were a part of history that had been largely overlooked"St John’s writer Tom Rob Smith has been nominated for an Emmy for the smash hit TV mini-series The Murder of Gianni Versace. The programme received a staggering 18 Emmy nominations in total including an Outstanding Writing one for Smith and one for Penelope Cruz for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role playing Donatella Versace. The series was described in the Guardian as “an…read moreBreakthrough made in understanding drug resistance to Breast Cancer treatment
New protein discovery could change the way some cancers are treatedBreast cancer patients who have a hereditary form of the condition could have a protein that stops their bodies responding effectively to treatment, according to new research. Up to 10 per cent of hereditary cases of breast cancer are due to the patient inheriting a faulty cancer-causing gene, such as mutated variations of the BRCA1 gene. Breast cancer is the most common cancer…read moreColombia peace deal brings new threat to country’s rainforest
“The equivalent of 35 football pitches of forest is lost every hour"A historic peace treaty which brought an end to half a century of violence has led to mass deforestation in Colombia, scientists have warned. The 2016 peace deal formally ended 52 years of civil war in Colombia that left at least 220,000 dead and more than seven million people displaced. After four years of talks, a treaty was signed between the Colombian Government and guerrilla groups…read moreCambridge is the home of modern football thanks to John’s man
The ‘Cambridge Rules’ were pinned up on trees around Parker’s Piece where football was – and still is - regularly playedFootball is coming home but why is England the home of the beautiful game? The earliest record of football in Cambridgeshire can be found in the Cambridge University records of 1579 and football itself can be traced back even further to ancient China. In England there were lots of different approaches and rules which meant it was impossible for teams to play each other properly. Teams could…read moreAncient DNA testing solves 100-year-old controversy in Southeast Asian prehistory
"The fact that we were able to obtain 26 human genomes and shed light on the incredible genetic richness of the groups in the region today is astonishing.”Two competing theories about the human occupation of Southeast Asia have been debunked by ground-breaking analysis of ancient DNA extracted from 8,000 year-old skeletons. Southeast Asia is one of the most genetically diverse regions in the world, but for more than 100 years scientists have disagreed about which theory of the origins of the population of the area was correct. One theory…read moreConductor, student activist and international kayaker amongst winners of the 2018 Larmor Awards
Exceptional students honoured with Larmor AwardsSix exceptional St John’s students have been honoured with Larmor Awards – an annual prize begun in the 1940s to recognise “intellectual qualifications, moral conduct, or practical activities". Named after Sir Joseph Larmor, the 20th-century physicist and mathematician who was both a student and Fellow at St John’s, the awards are presented in the Master’s Lodge on the morning of graduation.…read moreSt John’s poetry scene celebrated
The Poetry Pamphlet aims to highlight that St John's has a diverse and thriving arts scene.More than a dozen students, staff and Fellows have contributed to the St John’s Poetry Pamphlet 2018 to celebrate the College’s thriving poetry scene. As well as poetry, the publication, which is now in its second year, also includes Johnian art and photography. The pamphlet gives the College community the opportunity to showcase their creativity. The publication was funded by the College…read moreJohnians recognised in Royal Society of Chemistry Awards 2018
“Each has done their bit to advance excellence in the chemical sciences – to improve the lives of people around the world now and in the future”Professor Erwin Reisner, a College Fellow, and Dr Artem Bakulin, a graduate of St John’s, have been presented with awards by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The society's annual awards are given to people who have advanced the chemical sciences and they also acknowledge the abilities of people who have developed successful collaborations. Professor Erwin Reisner and Dr Artem Bakulin As…read moreSt John's Fellow awarded 2018 Royal Society EP Abraham Research Professorship
Professor Ben Simons will hold his award at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical PhysicsThe Royal Society Research Professorships are the Society’s premier research awards and help release the best leading researchers from teaching and administration to allow them to focus on research. Professor Ben Simons, a Fellow of St John's College, will hold his award at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and he is an associate Group Leader at the Wellcome…read moreSt John’s Fellow made Honorary Member of American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The academy is one of the oldest policy research centres in the USProfessor Malcolm Schofield will be inducted in October to the academy which was started during the American Revolution. Other new members of the academy include former President Barack Obama, actor Tom Hanks, CEO of New York Philharmonic Deborah Borda, and public policy advisor David Miliband. Professor Schofield is the Emeritus Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge,…read moreBaritone and composer recognised for services to music in Queen’s Birthday Honours
Baritone Simon Keenlyside has been knighted for his services to music, and composer Thomas Adès was appointed a CBE.Two stars of the classical world – and Honorary Fellows at St John’s – have been named as receiving honours from the Queen. Award-winning baritone Simon Keenlyside has been knighted for his services to music, and composer Thomas Adès was appointed a CBE. Sir Simon became a chorister at St John's College School, which was founded by St John’s College for the education of the choristers of the…read moreMaster of St John’s honoured with knighthood in recognition of his ground-breaking research into Alzheimer’s disease
"Sir Christopher has achieved remarkable breakthroughs and been a mentor to many other scientists"Professor Christopher Dobson has been knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2018 to commemorate his illustrious scientific career. The Birthday Honours recognise the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people from across the UK. Sir Christopher, Master of St John’s College, one of the largest and oldest of the Colleges of the University of Cambridge, was honoured for his…read moreUniversity Challenge trophy comes to St John’s after College team triumph
The St John’s College name has now been engraved on the trophy and is on display in the LibraryTelevision’s most coveted quizzing prize is on now display at St John’s after our student team won University Challenge for the first time. The notoriously difficult programme is an intellectual quiz challenge which pitches the very brightest university students against each other. Team members James Devine-Stoneman, Rosie McKeown, John-Clark Levin and reserve team member Aneesh Aggarwal with…read moreNever mind the bar snacks: Gastropubs are developing, not wrecking, the best of British pub culture
According to a new study, the rise of the gourmet pub has been unfairly malignedGastropubs have often been accused of helping to kill off the classic British alehouse. Where once the local was a lively, sticky-floored refuge for serious drinkers, now, critics say, it is just as likely to be a pricey hipster eatery, less inclined to serve pork scratchings with your pint than slow-roasted pork belly with a cider jus. But according to a new study, the rise of the gourmet pub…read moreSt John’s basketball club storm to victory in nail-biting Cuppers final
"By using skills that everyone on our team had in common we were able to outpace the opposition to get more baskets in every game"The Yales beat a determined team from Darwin College 50-41 in a fast-paced Cuppers final to win the inaugural Madden Cup. The St John’s Men’s Basketball Club, the Yales, had an up-and-down season which saw it relegated to Division 2, but they rallied with extra training sessions for their Cuppers run. Their confidence was boosted by the addition of two experienced University first team players…read morePolymer crystals hold key to record-breaking energy transport
“The distance that energy can be moved in these materials comes as a big surprise”Scientists from the universities of Cambridge and Bristol have found a way to create plastic semiconductor nanostructures that absorb light and transport its energy 20 times further than has been previously observed, paving the way for more flexible and more efficient solar cells and photodetectors. The team of researchers, whose work appears today (25 May) in Science, includes…read moreBrain cholesterol associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease
The results represent another step towards a possible treatment for Alzheimer's diseaseResearchers have shown how cholesterol - a molecule normally linked with cardiovascular diseases - may also play an important role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease. In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid beta clusters (red) build up among neurons (green) in a memory-related area of the brain. Credit: NIH Image Gallery via Flickr The international team was led by…read moreMaster of St John’s elected as member of prestigious American Philosophical Society
Membership of the prestigious society include illustrious names such as Charles Darwin, Louis Pasteur and Margaret MeadThe oldest learned society in the United States has named Professor Chris Dobson as one of its new members. The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of America who helped draft the Declaration of Independence. It has played an important role in American cultural and intellectual life for more than 270 years. The purpose of the…read moreInternational conference at St John’s to examine how social inequalities make people ill
The day-long conference will feature talks and discussions with speakers from the UK, Europe and the USHealth lessons humans can learn from other social mammals will be the focus of a free conference at St John’s next month. The St John’s College Reading Group on Inequalities in Health will host the international event in the Old Divinity School on June 1 and it is open to all. The day-long conference will feature talks and discussions with speakers from the UK, Europe and the US on social…read moreSt John’s College appoints Helen Murley as Domestic Bursar
Helen Murley has come to St John’s from The British Council where she spent five years as the Global HR DirectorA new Domestic Bursar has joined St John’s to lead the internal administration of the College. Helen Murley has come to St John’s from The British Council where she spent five years as the Global HR Director. She succeeds Mark Wells, who among his other contributions spearheaded development of the College's new masterplan to help St John's make strategic decisions about its estate. Murley…read moreSt John’s Research Fellow wins Raymond Andrew Prize
“I am thrilled to win this award, as it recognises the enormous progress that we have made as a team"Former PhD candidate and newly-elected Fellow Dr Giuliana Fusco has been awarded the Raymond Andrew Prize 2018 for her outstanding PhD thesis. The Raymond Andrew Prize is awarded annually by the AMPERE Group to a young scientist for an outstanding PhD thesis in magnetic resonance. Giuliana’s winning thesis was entitled ‘Structural Properties of α-Synuclein in Structural Studies of the Functional…read moreThe Reverend Canon Mark Oakley appointed as Dean of Chapel at St John’s
"I greatly look forward to making friendships and working partnerships.”The Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral has been named as the new Dean of Chapel at St John’s College. The Chapel of St John’s is one of the most recognisable buildings in Cambridge and is home to a lively, welcoming and inclusive community. The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley will oversee and manage the provision of services and the conduct of divine worship in the College Chapel, the activities of…read moreNew research shows prehistoric hunter-gatherers were the first people to ride horses and explores its impact on migration and languages
The domestication of the horse was one of the most important milestones in human history.A new study has discovered that horses were first domesticated by hunter-gatherer descendants in Kazakhstan who left no direct modern trace. The domestication of the horse was one of the most important milestones in human history because it allowed people and their languages to move further and faster than ever before and it led to widespread farming and horse-powered war. Academics from around…read more