Welcome to the spring issue of the e-newsletter
 
Above left: Blossom in Third Court. Above Right: Flying the flag for LGBTQ+ Month.
The evidence that spring has sprung is everywhere at Christ's. The gardens are starting to burst into colour, head gardener Sergio Ballarin, and his team are sowing the seeds ready for the edible garden in Second Court, students have been spotted working in the sunshine, and the slew of spring events such as MA Congregation, Lent Bumps, and Alumni Evensong amongst many others, are well underway.
Fellows’ News
Dr Camilla Nord and Dr Ned Allen have been rewarded in their respective fields. Camilla Nord has been named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science (APS) – this award is presented to outstanding APS members in the earliest stages of their research career post-PhD. Ned Allen has been awarded a STARS grant by the University of Padova where he will be running a project called 'Radio Waves: Network Building and the Making of Modern Europe'. Find out more about his project on our website.
Professor Geoffrey Martin
We are very sad to announce that our Fellow-Commoner, Professor Geoffrey Martin, died on Monday 7th March 2022. Geoffrey was a renowned Egyptologist and most recently served as College Archivist, he was a familiar figure amongst us, visiting his beloved College several times a week. To read more about his extraordinary life and career visit our website.
Above: Geoffrey Martin.
Lent Bumps and Head of the Cam
The College had a very successful Lent Bumps this year, with every crew finishing higher in the rankings than they started, apart from M1 who were hamstrung by illness. W1 bumped Fitzwilliam and First and Third, as well as having two strong row overs, finishing up in eleventh in their division. M1 finished with spoons at seventeenth, but battled valiantly despite being hit by illness throughout the week. W2 had a great Lent Bumps, bumping St Catharine's, St Edmund's, and Clare, ending the week fourth in their division. M2 bumped Robinson and St Catharine's, with two good row overs to also finish the week in fourth place. We are now looking forward to May Bumps next term, which will be held from 15-18 June. Alumni are invited to join their friends and support the CCBC at the College's May Bumps Picnic on 18 June, full event details to follow at a later date!
The College Boat Club's Blades alumni association has traditionally entered crews for the Head of the Cam which takes place every April and is a wonderful chance for Christ's rowing alumni to get together and enjoy racing on a spring day followed by dinner in the evening. After a two-year absence for visiting rowers the Head of the Cam is back again this year on 23 April and Blades is planning to enter as many crews as possible. Whether you are a regular or occasional rower all alumni are invited to join what should be a great day, followed by a great dinner. If you interested in rowing or just coming to the dinner to catch up with old friends, please contact Peter Hobson (m. 1981) at peter@hobsonmoss.net.
 
Above left: W2 Crew on day one of Lent Bumps. Above right: Blades Reunion Day 2021.
Admissions and Access
After a busy interview and offer period, the Admissions Team has not stopped to rest! The team has been very busy, with a return to in-person events as well as continuing with the virtual elements that have proven so successful in the past two years. In February, they hosted a virtual open day, followed by the chance for prospective students to visit for in-person tours. Ellie Wood, Admissions and Outreach Officer said, “This hybrid approach worked brilliantly, it allowed for students all over the world to experience Christ’s and then for those who could make it in person to come and find out more about life here.” Ellie also made a flying visit to some of our link schools in Grimsby and Scunthorpe as part of the University’s Links Scheme, where schools around the UK are connected with Cambridge Colleges. The scheme was established to enable schools and colleges across the UK to build strong relationships with Cambridge Colleges, enable Colleges to get to know specific regions and their local educational environments, and allow them to tailor their outreach activities to the needs of each location. As well as Lincolnshire including North and North East Lincolnshire, Christ’s also acts as the link college for the counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the London Borough of Harrow.
Alongside this, there is the upcoming Women in Maths residential course taking place later this month, which had a massive 500 applications for just 60 places. It was a tough job choosing who should come, but a good problem to have, with such high calibre candidates applying. We will also welcome some 90 students at the end of March in collaboration with King’s College, specifically from schools with lower than average GCSE achievement or low Oxbridge progression. Applications are now open for our annual summer school for students from areas of low participation in higher education, and prospective applicants can now book a place for tours of Christ’s led by current undergraduates. Find out more about the Admissions and Access team and read the latest Outreach News.
Above: Student-led tour poster
Telephone Campaign 2022
Preparations for the start of the Telephone Campaign are well underway. We had a great response from students wanting to take up calling and we have a group of callers ready and waiting to speak to alumni. The campaign takes place from 22 March until 4 April, and you can find out more on the alumni website.
Climate Change Seminars
The Christ’s Climate Seminar Series was held virtually again this year. With an over-arching theme of climate change and sustainability after Glasgow, it was held over a series of two seminars, with panelists, including Christ’s Bye-Fellows, Rob Doubleday and Theresa Marteau, exploring ‘sustainable finance, risk and transition to clean tech’ and ‘behaviour change and sustainability'. If you missed the seminars, you can watch them again here. Thanks to Professor Charlie Kennel (former Distinguished Visiting Scholar) for the inspiration and support of this series.
Above: Christ's Climate Seminar 2022
Harriet Lyon Webinar - A Well-Worn Tale? Re-thinking the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dr Harriet Lyon (Fellow) gave a fascinating, and well-attended, webinar in February. Most people know the Dissolution of the Monasteries as a story about Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell's triumph over monastic corruption, or about the destruction of glorious medieval buildings. However, there are many ways to tell this tale. This lecture explored some lesser-known dimensions of the Dissolution and, in doing so, sought to position the fall of the monasteries as one of the most significant events of the sixteenth century. Harriet is an historian of early modern Britain, with particular interests in the religious and cultural history of the English Reformation and in the field of historical memory. If you missed Harriet’s webinar you can watch it on our website, as well as any of our other previous webinars.
LinkedIn
If you want to connect with other alumni in your field and with current Christ's students, then join our Christ's College Connections LinkedIn group. You can use the platform as an opportunity to share ideas, connect with others, and provide careers advice to current students and recent graduates.
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