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Welcome to the Winter issue of the e-newsletter
Following the end of term and the interview period, the vacation is beginning in earnest. The Christmas spirit can be seen everywhere around Christ's, from the decorations in the Porters' Lodge, to the Christmas tree in the Library, and in the last week we have held our Christmas party for the children and grandchildren of staff and Fellows, our annual College Carol Service, and the Pensioners' Christmas Lunch. Please do take the time to read more about our activities, and future plans, in this e-newsletter.
It has been a busy Michaelmas, with highlights such as the admission of Scholars, but sadly the term has ended with the loss of two of our most distinguished and most loved Fellows: Sir Hans Kornberg and Professor Archie Campbell. Both of them have been key members of the College community over many decades, and we are thankful for the constant friendship and support they showed Christ's.
Sir Hans Kornberg (1928-2019)
We are very sad to report that our former Master, Sir Hans Kornberg, passed away on Monday 16 December 2019. Hans was admitted to the Fellowship in 1975, when we was appointed to the Sir William Dunn Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, and was elected the 34th Master of the College in 1982. He served as Master until his retirement in 1995, and was greatly involved in College life during that time.
Although he and his wife, Donna, left Cambridge in 1995, when he took up a position at Boston University, they returned frequently to Christ's.
As well as a much-loved colleague and friend, Hans was an eminent scientist, and received many honours for his work, including election to the Royal Society in 1965, and a knighthood in 1978. He was awarded 11 honorary doctorates and was elected into memberships of many institutions.
Professor Archie Campbell (1940-2019)
We are very sad to report that our Fellow, Professor Archie Campbell, passed away on Thursday 21 November 2019.
Having been admitted to the Fellowship in 1966, he played a central role in College life, including acting as a Tutor, serving as Vice-Master, and chairing both the JRF Scrutiny Committee and the Fellows' Committee.
Outside the College, Archie was a valued member of the Department of Engineering, acting as both a University Lecturer, and Professor of Electromagnetism. In his 40 year career, he pioneered the Campbell technique, named after him, and co-wrote a subject-defining monograph on flux in superconductors; upon retirement in 2007, the Campbell Conference was held to recognise his significant contributions to the field.
News from Fellows, Alumni and Students
Christ's Fellow Daniel Field, having already received a prestigious Future Leader Fellowship in September, was the winner of the Behaviour category in the Royal Society Photo Competition for his photo of 'Mudskipper turf war'. You can see more of his photos here. Meanwhile, Liszt's Sardanapalo opera, re-discovered by Fellow David Trippett, won Presto Classical's award for the 'Premiere Recording (Rediscovery/Reconstruction)' of 2019, and was one of The Guardian's Top Ten classical releases of 2019. Congratulations also go to Duncan Bell whose latest book, Empire, Race and Global Justice, was awarded the prize for best edited collection by the International Studies Association Theory Section.
Cipla, the pharmaceutical company of Yusuf Hamied (m. 1954, Honorary Fellow), has just introduced a revolutionary new strawberry-flavoured HIV drug, designed for babies, and to be offered at $1 day. Meanwhile, Priya Guha (m. 1993) was named in the Inclusive Boards 100 list of the most influential BAME leaders in UK Tech.
Amongst our students, graduate student Matthew Pryn (m. 2009) was awarded a CAPE Acorn Blue Sky Research Award - his project will run up to September 2020.
To find out more about any of these news items, you can follow us on social media or check our website. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Congratulations to our Scholars
At the beginning of the month, we held our annual ceremony in Chapel to admit our new scholars: those undergraduate students whose exam results earned them a scholarship, and our graduate students who received awards upon entry. This year, a record 81 scholars were admitted, which does not include students who had already received a scholarship in previous years - well done to them for all their hard work.
Interviews at Christ's
As mentioned above, the interview season at the College has just finished, and we have welcomed a large number of prospective students to Christ's over the past two weeks. Below is a photo of our students at the Admissions Helpdesk, who made sure that all our interview candidates received a warm welcome at Christ's.
BME Student/Alumni Dinner, Friday 14 February 2020
Ebbaa Elfneh (m. 2018), the JCR BME Officer, is organising a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Student/Alumni Dinner in College, for past and present students of colour to connect and celebrate the experiences of BME students and alumni. He hopes it will be an interesting and engaging opportunity to foster a dialogue between the extended BME community of Christ's, and to share both the positives and challenges faced by people of colour at the College. He is planning to hold the event on Friday 14 February 2020 in the OCR at Christ's, and would be pleased to hear from alumni who would be interested in attending the dinner, or in participating in future events. He can be contacted via alumni@christs.cam.ac.uk.
Winter Drinks
Christ's annual Winter Drinks were held at the Oxford and Cambridge Club again this year on 3 December, and, despite President Trump's UK visit causing congestion on the roads, over 70 alumni and friends were able to attend. It was a wonderful occasion, and great to see so many people there; hopefully we will see even more alumni in London next year.
College Closure for the Vacation
A reminder that the College will be closed to all visitors from Monday 23 December to Thursday 2 January. We wish you a very Happy Christmas, and a happy and healthy 2020.
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