The magazine for the staff of the University of Cambridge lent term 2015
Makespace a place to inspire creativity
Big Data: making Flying science’s things clearer? incredible story page 8 page 10 snapshot
Red lion roars: A long-hidden Cambridge gem has been given a contents new home by Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club. The red lion sculpture which had adorned Lion Cover Yard shopping centre until its removal Cambridge ideas have made some years ago now sits in the club’s a difference to the world for Grange Road ground. Nick Bennett, hundreds of years. Becky the club’s chairman, said: “The red lion Allen visits Makespace, is our symbol and you see it reflected which since 2012 has everywhere in the club. We hope it will helped makers from across bring us more luck in our future Varsity Cambridge transform new matches.” ideas into reality. Turn to page six.
CAMBRIDGE NEWS 2-5 News round-up LEGO Pompeii: A little piece of Cambridge – in the form of Professor 6-7 Cover feature Andrew Wallace-Hadrill – has been 8-9 Know your university immortalised at the exhibition LEGO How we capture, analyse, curate, store, Pompeii. Made using more than 100,000 search and share data is one of the 21st bricks the exhibition opened in January century’s major challenges. Paul Kirkley at the University of Sydney’s Nicholson
useum finds out how Cambridge researchers are
Museum. In a nod to his hugely popular M rising to the challenge of ‘big data’. BBC documentary on Herculaneum,
Wallace-Hadrill can be spotted doing a icholson 10-11 Behind the scenes piece to camera in Pompeii’s Forum. , N From the 1930 maiden flight of the R100
The exhibition runs all year. urner airship to the Whipple Museum’s delicate T glass models of fungi, Louise Walsh ichael
M discovers how science can profit from large-scale technological developments. Featuring events from astronomy to zoology, the Cambridge Science Festival 12 People takes place from 9-22 March this year. The festival provides an opportunity 13 Small adverts for everyone to explore and discuss 14-15 Prizes, awards and honours science with our renowned scientists and stars of the future. If you would like Front cover photograph: Chris Loades to volunteer and be part of this event, contact the festival organisers at: [email protected]. newsletter The Newsletter is published for the staff of the ALICE BOAGEY University of Cambridge and is produced by the Clare College boatman, Anton Wright, Office of External Affairs and Communications. is helping a group of children from If you have a story, or ideas for ways we can Parkside Community College get to improve the publication, please get in touch. grips with rowing. They are helping Tel: (3)32300 or email [email protected]. to repair the boat he used in his 2013 Suggestions for articles for the next edition should reach the Editor by 10 March. World Record row on the Amazon. Managing Editor: Paul Holland They will also learn to row during the Editor: Becky Allen Parkside Rowing Challenge so that, in Design: Creative Warehouse, Cambridge April, they can use it to row along the Printers: Labute Printers Thames. Wright says the project is aimed Contributors: Becky Allen, Paul Kirkley and Louise at giving the children “skills they can use Walsh in the future”. Newsletter online
CAMBRIDGE NEWS www.cam.ac.uk/for-staff
2 | lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter WHAT’S NEW Your comments and contributions are always welcome. Please send them to the Editor at [email protected] The deadline for the next issue is 10 March.
Up and running: new green Data Centre
THE University’s new energy- efficient data centre which aims to significantly cut power consumption is now up and running. The two-storey facility, which houses four data halls over 2,200m², is located on the West Cambridge Site and centralises many of the University’s machine rooms into one secure, managed facility. Ian Tasker, West Cambridge Data Centre manager, said: “The West Cambridge Data Centre project marks out the University as a clear early- adopter of the latest energy-efficient technology, showing what can be achieved and leading the way for other HE establishments to follow.” Initially, the West Cambridge
Data Centre will serve the current illie G and future needs of University amian
Information Services and the D institutions for which it manages Inside the Data Centre located on the West Cambridge site IT infrastructure, the High Performance Computing Service Networks, with back-up power many more racks to be fitted as 1.0 – the West Cambridge Data Centre (HPCS), and the administrative needs guaranteed with enough fuel to run demand increases. This allows for the is expected to deliver a PUE of 1.2. of Cambridge Assessment, which for 72 hours. It also uses a “cooled addition of the latest technologies as The rating is not far off that of large manages the University’s three water” method as opposed to energy- they emerge. global organisations such as Google exam boards. hungry chillers to keep the system Energy efficiency for data and Facebook which have made The main power is supplied via working at the right temperature. centres is measured by Power Usage significant investments in their green dual 11,000KV feeds from UK Power The facility has the capacity for Effectiveness (PUE). The ‘ideal’ PUE is data centres.
Tube map shows the way ahead for the University’s network
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Zoo Sub Dept Girton Boat Houses The iconic Transport for We created the ‘underground map’ University Farm A A Huntingdon Rd Madingley Hall London Tube map has been given to show the extent of the service
Histon Rd
Halifax Rd the Cambridge treatment to show that we provide, and hope that it Trinity Hall Storeys Way Magdalene West Magdalene Chesterton Rd Magrath Avenue Jesus Green Magdalene East The Colony Mornington Crescent how far the University’s fibre-optic offers an interesting and informative Wychfield River Cam B Murray B Fitzwilliam Edwards St Edmund’s Kettles Yard Magdalene Trinity Hall Thompson’s Lane Thompson’s Lane St John’s Rd network stretches. presentation.” Westminster College
Wolfson Lucy St John’s Astronomy Court IMS Maths Cavendish East Trinity Sidney Sussex Jesus With a nod to classic re-interpret- Like Patterson’s artwork, which St John’s West Trinity Hall Churchill Gravel Farm Hill Clare Whittle Madingley Rd Gonville & Caius East ations of the map, such as artist replaces London’s stations and lines C Old Christ’s C Schools Earth Sciences King’s UIS Clare Fossedene Burrel’s Field Library Memorial Simon Patterson’s The Great Bear, the with the names of saints, artists and Corpus Christi Bene’t Street Veterinary Medicine William Needham St Catharine’s Gates Research KGH Building Institute Social & Political Sciences University Information Services (UIS) stars of TV and film, the GBN stylised Clare Hall Sidgwick Site Darwin Mill Lane North Soulsby Robinson New Museums Site Laundry Farm Cavendish St Catharine’s Cripps Selwyn Harvey Court Queens’ Queens’ St Chad’s Court West East Emmanuel DATA CENTRE transformed it to show the extent of map exchanges the names of routes D D Institute for Corpus Grasshopper Newnham Kelsey Manufacturing Hauser Forum Leckhampton Lodge House Pembroke Downing Site Downing Parker’s Piece Kerridge
Materials Sports Chemical Residencies Science Centre Engineering Newnham Newnham Hughes Hall Mill Lane South its Granta Backbone Network (GBN). and stops with Cambridge-themed & Metallurgy Wolfson Terrace 7 Selwyn Old Addenbrooke’s Gardens Peterhouse Anglia Ruskin Caius Pavilion University Gwen Barton Rd West Raverat Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge Jon Holgate, Head of Networks titles like Bumps and Bruises, The Assessment Mill Road West Grange Rd Engineering Saxon St Chemistry 10 Selwyn Gardens St Catharine’s Architecture Panton Street Harvey Road Fenners E South Green Lodge Barton Rd East Malting House E Darwin Line Under Consideration Botanic Garden for UIS, said: “The University of Turing Loop, and Book Line & Thinker. Book Line & Thinker Leased Fibre Line (Redstone) St. Paul’s Road Chaucer Road Turing Loop Leased Fibre Line (Virgin) Owlstone Croft Grange Rd South Gresham Road Cats & Queens Line Site Fibre Line (Clinical School) Latham Road Cambridge has a world-class, city- A version of the map is available Trinity Hall to CNH NMS River Cam University Press Glisson Road Zoo Line Interchange Stations Bumps & Bruises Line Faculty of Education wide fibre-optic network, stretching by going to: www.ucs.cam.ac.uk/ Astronomy to Cavendish Homerton Russell St. Newton Line GBN Addenbrooke’s Site F F MRC LMB CRUK more than 45 kilometres and linking network/other/images/GBNMap Forvie Site Strangeways
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 two hundred collegiate institutions. V18a.pdf.
lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 3 what’s new
Celebrating Cambridge old and new
ANNIVERSARY celebrations for one of the world’s most iconic buildings – and for two of Cambridge’s youngest colleges – are taking place this year. King’s College Chapel is marking its 500th anniversary, while Wolfson and Lucy Cavendish celebrate their 50th years. The Chapel was completed in 1515 after decades of work that was initiated by Henry VI in 1441. Several events are planned throughout the year including a series of concerts performed in the chapel. A new book about the chapel has been published containing 17 essays heppell and illustrations exploring the artistic, Wolfson’s Lee Library SIR CAM musical, religious and cultural history keith of the building. Specially created stamps are history and achievements since the programme of events to mark the www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/50. also being made available. For more University founded it as University college’s 50th anniversary has been The vision for Lucy Cavendish information go to: www.kings.cam. College in 1965. planned, including a garden tea- came during a lunch meeting ac.uk/chapel/500. “Then it only had one building and party for Wolfson staff and a series of between three women academics in Wolfson was the first Cambridge just enough money for ten years, so high-profile lectures on subjects from 1950 and it blossomed into a college college to accept men and women this is also an occasion on which to human rights law to fashion. in 1965. as students and fellows on an equal thank the generous benefactors who Wolfson is also marking its The college is marking its 50th basis. have made the college such a success, birthday with a ‘50th Anniversary anniversary with a series of events, President of Wolfson, Professor and to look forward to building on Campaign’ that aims to raise £5 including a concert on 7 March Sir Richard Evans, said: “The 50th our achievements for the next 50 million for bursaries, scholarships and featuring the Lucy Cavendish Singers. anniversary provides a wonderful years.” improved accommodation. For More information can be found at: opportunity to celebrate the college’s An extensive and varied more on the anniversary go to: www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/50th.
UK-wide REF assessment confirms Cambridge’s WOW set to global strengths in research inspire all
Almost nine out of ten of Cambridge’s strength in depth services, health, the environment or THE Women of the World Festival Cambridge’s submissions for the across research, in particular quality of life, beyond academia’). will showcase a range of events 2014 Research Excellence Framework confirming our global leadership The results are used by UK higher at the Cambridge Junction on (REF), which assesses the quality and in the pure and applied sciences, education funding bodies to allocate Sunday 8 March. It promises a day impact of research at UK universities, clinical medicine, and in subjects as research funding to universities. of inspirational talks, debates and were rated ‘world leading’ or diverse as the Classics and business Among the case studies performances, focusing on science, ‘internationally excellent’. and management studies,” said submitted by Cambridge for Impact sport, health, and education. The results of the REF, published Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, was research that led to Lemtrada, Talks include a discussion in December, show that 47 per cent Vice-Chancellor. a new drug to treat multiple sclerosis. between panels in Cambridge of Cambridge’s submissions were For the REF, each academic The drug is based on a long- and London that will examine the awarded the highest rating of 4* discipline is assigned to a ‘unit of standing programme of research, difference education makes to overall (‘world-leading’), an increase assessment’. Each unit is judged by which this year received approval by women worldwide. Mariam Khalique, from 32 per cent in 2008. A further 40 three criteria – Outputs, Environment the National Institute for Health and the former teacher of Nobel Prize per cent of submissions were rated 3* and Impact (defined as ‘an effect on, Care Excellence (NICE). winner Malala Yousafzai, will attend. (internationally excellent). change or benefit to the economy, For more information, visit www. For more information, visit www. “These results demonstrate society, culture, public policy or cam.ac.uk/research/impact. wowcambridge.cam.ac.uk
4 | lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter what’s new
Celebrating Cambridge old and new New Pro-Vice-Chancellors appointed
The University Council has 2016, focusing on research. He is appointed three new Pro-Vice- Professor of Biological Chemistry Chancellors who will take up their in the Department of Chemistry positions over the next 12 months. and a Fellow of Christ’s. In 2013, he They are Professor Eilis Ferran, became the University’s first Director Professor Chris Abell and Professor of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Nigel Slater. set up to support the postdoctoral They will join Professor Graham community at Cambridge. Virgo, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Also taking up post on 1 January Education, who took up his post 2016, Professor Slater will focus on in October last year, and Professor enterprise and regional affairs. He is Duncan Maskell, when he starts as currently Head of the Department Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor in of Chemical Engineering and August 2015. Professor Eilis Ferran Professor Chris Abell Biotechnology, and is Professor of The five Pro-Vice-Chancellors Chemical Engineering and a Fellow are responsible for taking forward importance to the University. She is currently Professor of Company of Fitzwilliam. the University’s strategy and policy Professor Ferran, whose and Securities Law in the Faculty They will take over from Professor development, and supporting the appointment takes effect on of Law, chair of the Faculty and a Jeremy Sanders (Institutional Affairs), Vice-Chancellor in his or her role in 1 October 2015, will focus on human Professorial Fellow at St Catharine’s. Professor Lynn Gladden (Research) providing leadership to the University. resources and provide oversight of Professor Abell will take up and Dr Jennifer Barnes (International Each post covers areas of strategic the University’s international affairs. his appointment on 1 January Strategy).
Members of the Regent House are now able to vote online Have you ever had anything published? teaching A book perhaps, bionic or an article in a The default method of voting in year. Members who opted out by 12 ballots of the Regent House is now December 2014 will receive voting magazine? online, having come into effect on papers and supporting materials by 1 January, 2015. post for ballots taking place before If so, ALCS could Members of the Regent House November 2015. who wish to use the online voting In addition to notices of ballots be holding money system need take no further action, being announced in the Reporter, although they may wish to check members of the Regent House will owed to you that they know their CRSid (Raven also be notified of them by email, username) and Raven password. with the weblink for voting being Regents can opt out of the online made available immediately before Find out more at: system and register to continue the email notification is sent out. voting by postal ballot by early The online process will start at www.alcs.co.uk November each year. They will be the same time as voting papers are opted out for one year, until the distributed in hard copy. Flysheets following promulgation of the Roll of and other election materials will be the Regent House in November, and accessible via the web interface at can renew the opt-out request each which online votes will be cast.
univ of cambridge newsletter 2014.indd 1 lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE New8/27/2014sletter 3:53:05| 5 PM cover feature
Knowing how to make things is one of humanity’s most precious resources. Becky Allen visits Makespace, which for loades the past two years has chris : helped Cambridge staff, students and residents
photographs make their ideas a reality
From Hong Kong’s DimSumLabs and and Daniel Charny, Professor of Design South Africa’s Ductape to the Inventor’s at Kingston University and curator of the Cave in Mexico and Tinkartank in V&A’s blockbuster exhibition The Power Build it Norway, ‘makespaces’ are springing up of Making, believes this resurgence of throughout the world. interest in making is important. The 21st century version of the garden Although everyone can make, most shed, makespaces – or hackspaces as people – especially those who live in they’re also known – are places people cities – do not. But, he argues, knowing and they go to meet and work on physical projects. how to make is one of humanity’s most Often community run, sociable spaces for precious resources, a powerful way of sharing tools and exchanging skills, they solving problems and shaping our world. are places for pioneers, prototypers, or “Making is a type of applied people simply pursuing the pleasure of thinking that sits at the core of creating will come making things. new knowledge of all kinds, and the There are now, according to sensibilities of making should actively be Hackerspaces.org, at least 1,854 of them, made a part of our future,” he says.
6 | lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter Cambridge’s own Makespace the Computer Lab who want to use identify people. Most people don’t know opened in 2012 in the Institute for Makespace as a way of extending their their exact date of birth, many countries Manufacturing’s old robot lab on Mill work into the physical world.” don’t have registers of births, and Lane, set up by technology consultant The things people make – from the majority of the population – Laura James, Simon Ford and Jonny energy-generating kites to home power especially in rural areas – don’t have Austin (both now at ARM). monitors – and the reasons they make any identification,” Grigore explains. For Austin, then an engineering are equally varied. Some are hobbyists or “So we came up with the idea of using student at Cambridge, the drive to make bring their children to the Family Makers fingerprints as a unique identifier.” Makespace happen came as much from session on Sundays, others are craft With $400,000 funding from the Bill & his Antipodean roots as his need for an makers, have a start-up in mind or use Melinda Gates Foundation and ARM, antidote to equations. Makespace as their company’s R&D lab. the team developed a low-cost scanner “Studying engineering involves a lot All seem driven by a basic human for NGOs which they have been of mathematical theory, but actually urge to make. “We are very wired to field-testing in Bangladesh. And the it’s really nice to make stuff with other appreciate physical objects, and to Makespace community played a vital people,” he explains. “The fundamental me there’s something very differently role in the process. drive was making things in a sociable satisfying about holding something I’ve “When I joined Makespace I asked way. And sharing what you’ve made, and made,” Austin says. everybody for help, and they were super learning from people, is really fun.” “The other thing that’s interesting helpful,” she says. “Someone stayed about making is the resources we there with me until 2am teaching me Make do and mend have allow you to make tools, which is to do surface mount soldering. Another As a child growing up in New Zealand, fascinating because a lot of members member who’s an embedded software Austin absorbed the country’s can-do use Makespace to make tools that allow developer worked with me for hours spirit: “They have a real ‘let’s do it’ attitude. them to do their primary task better. It’s dictating code. Others helped me design If you want a new shed, or a fence for like our ancient ancestors thinking ‘this the circuit and make the casing on the the school, you just have a ‘working bee’, manual task could be done better if I had CNC mill.” people show up and you build it. Kiwis a tool’.” “There’s “At one point I had a team of six just do it – and if it doesn’t work you fix it. As well as sharing the satisfaction something people from Makespace working on That’s important to me, and that vibe is of having made something, members the project, especially in the run up to very prevalent at Makespace.” also share their time and expertise. differently our trip to Bangladesh. It wouldn’t In fact, it’s a vibe you notice as soon Volunteer-led, Makespace is good satisfying have been possible to achieve what as you walk into Makespace and hang at providing training for members, we have without the Makespace up your coat – on the coat rack made and each piece of equipment has an about holding community, because the people there by one of Makespace’s 225 members, associated training routine plus a group something that love building stuff and get a kick out of Steve Upton. of volunteers willing to train new users. teaching people.” “Rather than buy a coat rack I decided During Makespace’s first year, you’ve made” It’s something Austin hopes can I would go with the spirit of Makespace volunteers ran more than 145 training continue to grow when Makespace and make one,” he says on his blog. And sessions, over 480 events and 100 tours. moves out of the old robot lab in rather than simply screwing hooks onto And between them the Makespace December as the site is prepared for a board, he decided to build in a wooden community learned hundreds of redevelopment. Makespace logo using the router. new manufacturing skills, some of “We’d really like to be in the new Since then, Austin and the team have which could help improve the health development on that site. Makespace built up an A to Z of tools, including of thousands of people in the devel- feels very established there and it’s right sanders, saws and lathes for wood, a oping world. to have it in the city centre so people can metal mill and metal lathe, 3D printer, drop in. A lot of our current limitations laser cutter, glass kiln and A0 printer Making a difference are the result of not feeling that we can as well as craft kit such as sewing One of those who learned a new skill commit long term to the space,” he says. machines, knitting machine, vinyl cutter at Makespace was Gates Scholar and “We proved the concept works, now we and T-shirt press. third-year PhD student in Chemical need a permanent home to take it on.” “We’re constantly reviewing and Engineering and Biotechnology, refreshing,” he says. “It’s led by the Alexandra Grigore. Passionate about community and, as directors, Simon, making technology accessible in Laura and I make sure we seed things that developing countries, she is one of four will help us grow into a new community. Cambridge students behind the social Find out more Buying the T-shirt press and sewing enterprise SimPrints. ➔ For more information on visiting machines is an attempt to open us up to Set up in 2013, SimPrints provides Makespace or becoming a member, new groups of members.” identification solutions for developing visit makespace.org. To find out The diversity of its tools attracts a countries. Its first application is in more about SimPrints, visit www. broad spectrum of members. Some healthcare: a fingerprint scanner that simprints.com. users are local residents, others are staff can integrate with mobile health apps ➔ Makespace was founded with the and students from Cambridge or Anglia used by community health workers help of several backers including Ruskin University. “We have students from across the developing world. ideaSpace, Microsoft Research, TTP, Chemistry, Engineering and Architecture,” “The main problem with these ARM, Cambridge Science Centre, Austin says, “plus a good number from mobile health apps is that they cannot The Mathworks and the University.
lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 7 know your university
Too much information? Education data Big Data is a term used more and more Professor Anna Vignoles, director frequently but what does it really mean and of research at the Faculty of Education, uses “comprehensive, longitudinal data” what challenges and opportunities does to track the performance of children it present to the University? Paul Kirkley through the English school system. With around eight million children in investigates the landscape of information school, the data sets are “big by social science standards”, and can help illuminate, for example, the Too much information. It’s a phrase Dr Clare Dyer-Smith, coordinator “Just as water correlation between pupils’ socio- we hear a lot these days, and not just in of Cambridge Big Data. “There are economic backgrounds and their the context of people over-sharing their more than 100 groups represented in is wet in a way academic achievement – information personal details on Facebook. We now the research initiative, from over 50 that individual that can then be fed back to exist in a blizzard of information. Every departments across the University.” policymakers and, ultimately, the day, we create around 2.5 quintillion This interdisciplinary crossfire of water molecules classroom. (that’s a billion billion) bytes of data – ideas also serves to highlight a common aren’t, big data Vignoles believes Cambridge is well we’re generating so much information misconception about big data. Because can reveal placed to drive forward understanding that 90 per cent of all data in the world it isn’t just about big numbers – it’s also – and reap the rewards – of big data. was created in the last two years alone. about putting the data into context. information “Having a university where you have The question of how we capture, “You may have very large amounts in a way that leading researchers across a number analyse, curate, store, search and share of data coming in from an experiment, of fields – life sciences, physical sciences, this data is one of the great challenges so how you deal with those really fast individual bits of social sciences – the opportunities of the age. But the potential rewards for streaming rates is one of the challenges data can’t” for interdisciplinary research, and doing so are great. Because ‘big data’ – of big data,” says Dyer-Smith. “But as the opportunities for methods to the catch-all term for information sets you move into looking at large amounts be transplanted from one discipline to too large for traditional data processing of data on people – the humanities another, are great,” she says. techniques to handle – also presents context – it’s also about how you can us with a new way of understanding use the information to do useful things.” the world. Specifically, by analysing the Which is not to underestimate correlations between large sets of related just how big those numbers can get worry about a building and a facility. We data – or programming computers to – and how much processing power is want to take that pain away from them – analyse them for us – we see patterns needed to crunch them. In astrophysics, give them the facility they need to go off and trends emerge that we would not we’re likely to be talking in terms of and do world-leading research.” have found by examining those data sets teraflops (that’s one trillion arithmetic Moving from data on disks to pages in isolation. As the American technology operations per second). Fortunately, in books, and back again, takes us to Dr writer Clay Shirky puts it: “Just as water the University has responded Christopher Stokoe, head of development is wet in a way that individual water to this need with a brand new for Cambridge Digital Library Programme. molecules aren’t, big data can reveal purpose-built Data Centre that, For a man with a computer science information in a way that individual bits among its other attributes, is one background, Stokoe is an evangelist for of data can’t.” of the most environmentally the ‘analogue big data’ store that is the With an increasing focus on big data in efficient in the UK. University Library. everything from government to industry “This facility is an enabler “When people say big data, to academia, the University has made to allow the University to they seem to want to think about it the subject of a Strategic Research really start progressing with digital data,” he says. “But I don’t think Initiative, serving as a focal point for things like big data,” says Data eight million books or the 1.2 million researchers across all six Schools. Centre manager Ian Tasker. journals and 300,000 manuscripts is small “It’s one of those subject areas which “People can focus on their bit of data in any way, shape or form. It’s one is really, truly multidisciplinary,” explains the jigsaw puzzle and not have to of the largest repositories in the history
8 | lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter Development data Africa’s Voices, a project run by the Centre of Governance & Human Rights, studies listeners’ SMS interactions with African radio stations in a bid to learn more about public opinion and the localised conversations taking place across the continent on everything from contraception to Ebola. Researchers discovered that the most useful information came as open answers in a free text format, often in local languages. This meant finding ways to extract the meaning from these texts without going through the laborious process of translation, interpretation and coding. Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes spent three months working with IBM at their research lab in Kenya doing just that. “Everyone who works with big data understands that it’s not only about the tools and the computer capacity to extract information. It’s also about betts
the ability to put this information into nna context – otherwise you’ll be lost in the data,” she explains. ILLUSTRATIONS: A of mankind.” Of course, it is tempting to think that “Analogue data “The equivalent of that today is email Part of Stokoe’s mission is making the much of this information is worthless – correspondence. Or maybe that’s the library’s treasures “discoverable to the after all, you can hardly compare a is now only 6 per equivalent 10 years ago – maybe now world” through digital means. But for a teenager’s Snapchat conversations with cent of the total it’s Instant Messenger, it’s Skype. And legal deposit library like the UL – with a the writings of Charles Darwin. all of those things will be lost in time statutory duty to preserve the nation’s Or can you? data output if we don’t think about, firstly, how to published output for the future – “Darwin’s personal of our species, understand whether those conversations perhaps a bigger challenge is how correspondence, which we hold at the are taking place and, later on, whether to collect and curate the deluge of library, was the day to day ephemera and 94 per cent we should capture them, how we capture data now created every second. of Darwin’s life,” says Stokoe. “More of our output them, and whose role that is.” “Analogue data is now only 6 often than not he was having a bit is ephemera – These are just some of the many per cent of the total data of a moan about his health. But questions kicked up by the rise of big output of our species,” if you want the first traces of his it’s Twitter, it’s data. But behind every ethical, practical says Stokoe. “And willingness to admit the idea of the Facebook, it’s and technological challenge, lies the 94 per cent of our origin of the species might promise of a greater understanding of output is ephemera not be immutable blogs” how the world works – and perhaps even – it’s Twitter, it’s and defined by God, an understanding of how to make it Facebook, those letters have better. Maybe there’s no such thing as too it’s blogs.” those traces. much information after all.
lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 9 behind the scenes cambridge of university the
Dr Ruth Horry examines one of the remarkable glass models on display at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science The scientist who caught fungi spores at 2,000 ft
A passion for fungi led Cambridge On a July day in 1930, British airship R100 took to the air from a Bedfordshire mycologist Dr Dillon Weston to ever- airfield on its first transatlantic flight. As more inventive means of trapping it made its way across the Atlantic Ocean, 2,000ft in the air, a window opened and fungal spores, even from the open Squadron Leader Booth, wearing a pair window of an airship on its maiden of rubber gloves, leaned out. In his hand was a Petri dish. flight in the first half of the 20th century. Below, on the HMS Ausonia, Louise Walsh speaks to Dr Ruth Horry Cambridge mycologist Dr W.A.R. Dillon Weston watched through the porthole about his fascinating story of his cabin. It was his Petri dish – in reality a spore trap capturing minute
10 | lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter particles released from fungi and carried moved his laboratory from the earth into with the wind – that Booth was holding. the skies above. Glass pathogens: clear “The thrill of the airship excited Dillon “He watched the airship through the and present danger Weston as much as the thrill of spore porthole of his cabin, with his spore traps chasing,” explains Dr Ruth Horry from the 2,000ft skywards in the hands of the At the same time as he saw the Department of History and Philosophy airship’s captain,” she says. Using official devastation to crops and financial of Science, who has been researching flight papers, telegrams, family letters ruin that fungi could cause, Dr Dillon his story. and newspaper reports, Horry has pieced Weston was mesmerised by their murray
s This adventure was set against the together not only the events of the day, splendour. “People thought fungi
backdrop of what Picture Post magazine but also how he managed to ‘piggyback’ john repulsive, and I wanted to show how declared a “man-versus-fungi battle”. such a high-profile experimental flight Dillon Weston creates one of beautiful they can be,” he wrote. Wheat rust had wiped out enormous with his homemade spore traps. his delicate glass models Take Phytophthora infestans, the areas of American and Canadian “The airship project had been potato blight pathogen, responsible wheat production and coffee rust had foundering through technical setbacks for destroying potato crops across destroyed entire plantations in Ceylon. and lack of financial support,” she Europe in the 1840s, contributing weston
“Those who know most about them explains. “Sensing an opportunity, the to mass starvation and the Great dillon are still frightened of the fungi,” said Air Ministry co-opted Dillon Weston’s Irish Famine. Dillon Weston used the dr
Picture Post. spore experiment as a means of adding of pathogen as the basis of an intricate
Dillon Weston and fellow scientists scientific legitimation to the scheme – it glass model the height of a hand’s family suspected that one route of spore helped to sell an unknown airship to a span, 400-times larger than the actual the
transmission over long distances was public suffering from ‘airship fatigue’.” to organism. Its delicate tendrils stretch through air currents. But how to test Dillon Weston’s results from upwards, crisscrossing each other in thanks this? “He was carrying out his studies the airship experiment were never a complex and fragile array of strands
in the 1920s and 1930s when research published, as it became impossible with topped by tiny oval heads crammed methodology was in its infancy,” says to repeat this initial trial. Two months The R100 moored with spores. It is beautiful, but this Horry. “Where his creativity literally after the R100 completed her journey, beauty belies the pathogen’s legacy took off was in realising that to test the the British Air Ministry’s airship R101 of death. atmosphere for spores he had to invent tragically crashed on its first voyage “He crafted some of his models in ways to catch them, using aeroplanes to India, claiming the lives of all on Find out more microscopic detail, showing fungal and home-made Vaseline spore traps.” board. Less than a year after the spore processes like spore formation and “At first sight it may appear ludicrous experiment, the airship scheme was release,” explains Dr Horry, who has that the aeroplane can have any terminated. been researching the life stories of significance in biologic research. Is it, Although the experiment was never objects that become part of museum however, absurd?” asked Dillon Weston to be repeated, Horry believes that it collections. in 1929. Intrigued by the finding of some is representative of a wider concept His legacy of over 90 models of his American colleagues that aircraft- in science: the idea of ‘piggybacking’ is now housed in the Whipple borne spore traps could detect spores small-scale experiments on larger scale Below: a brightly coloured Museum of the History of Science at 11,000 feet, Dillon Weston persuaded projects. “Dillon Weston’s scientific Chanterelle mushroom, in Cambridge. Many are impeccable friends in the Cambridge University Air work aboard R100 was a small-scale one of the glass specimens reproductions in microscopic detail created by Dillion Weston Squadron to fly over the Cambridgeshire experiment that required complex which are on show in the of fungi such as those responsible for countryside at various heights. Although technologies to reach its location of Whipple Museum and part the mould commonly seen on bread, his results were as much about devising study,” she says. of the incredible array of the fungus that sweetens wine and the perfect spore trap as about the “As fascinating as this story of airships artefacts in the University the leaf spot found on sugar beet. museums’ collections spores themselves, he concluded that and fungi is, its wider value has been in Others are life-sized interpretations of the air was a viable medium for spores to revealing that historians need a better woodland fungi, brightly coloured in be transported. understanding of scientific experiments russet and ochre, and all would have “Devastating yet invisible plant that are dependent upon large-scale, been an invaluable teaching aid for diseases were an important enemy to external technological programmes for his students who rarely had access to conquer and new aviation technologies their existence.” She points towards three-dimensional representations of were vital in winning the war against astrobiology experiments to study the organisms they were studying. them,” explains Horry. “Newspaper the origins of extraterrestrial life on coverage of the time showed that the board early NASA space flights as a scientist who chased invisible diseases more recent example of piggyback captured both tiny spores and the science. imagination of the public: ‘Disease germs She adds: “The spore experiment’s two miles up – flying scientists chase subsequent disappearance from them’ declared one newspaper.” view acts as an indicator that But it was his next foray into the skies other now-forgotten examples of that is perhaps the most fascinating as a piggyback science could have been milestone in mycology, and the history attached to large scale 20th-century of science, as British Airship R100 took technologies. It may just require us to off with Dillon Weston’s spore traps don our historical rubber gloves, take to aboard. The mycologist had in effect the air and chase them down.”
lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 11 people
sitting in the House of Lords as an Lucy Cavendish and Pembroke welcome independent peer. A keen mountaineer, he was the first journalist and former MP as heads of house MP to ‘bag’ all of Scotland’s munros. Smith was Chairman of the Environment Agency from 2008 to The journalist Jackie Ashley has leading this outstanding college,” 2014, and has been the Chairman of been elected the new President of Ashley said. the Advertising Standards Authority Lucy Cavendish. She will take over “At a time when access to elite since 2007. from Professor Janet Todd OBE in institutions has become such a hot He was a student at Pembroke, where October this year. political topic, and when women are he took a double first in English, and was Ashley, 60, joins Lucy Cavendish after still earning substantially less than men President of the Union Society. He has a distinguished career as a journalist for similar jobs, I cannot think of a more been an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke and commentator for ITN, Channel 4 exciting place to be working. There since 2004. News, the BBC, New Statesman and the is nowhere quite like Lucy Cavendish “I love Pembroke. I have held it Guardian. She also sits on several boards, College. I am proud to be becoming its a privilege to have maintained my including University College London leader and champion.” connection with the college through the Hospitals’ Biomedical Research Council, This October will also see a new years, and I am honoured to have been Birkbeck College and Women in Sport. head of house at Pembroke, when Lord asked to lead the college community as “All my working life, I have been Smith of Finsbury succeeds Sir Richard Master,” he said. campaigning for better rights for Dearlove, who retires this summer. “I look forward to helping our Fellows, women. I’ve been involved in campaigns Best known as the MP for Islington students and staff build on the successes for equal pay, carers, older women, and South and Finsbury – a constituency he of recent years at a period of real on health issues: I could not be more represented from 1983 to 2005 – Chris opportunity and significant challenges delighted to take up the challenge of Smith was created a life peer in 2005, for Pembroke and Cambridge.”
In brief New head for Architecture obituary ➔ Professor James Crawford Dr Wendy Pullan is the new Head of has been elected a judge of the the Department of Architecture, where International Court of Justice by the she takes over from Professor Koen United Nations General Assembly and Steemers. “I am delighted to become Security Council. A fellow of Jesus, Head of Department at this time of Crawford is an international lawyer growth and change in Cambridge’s and a senior fellow – and former Department of Architecture,” she said. director – of the Lauterpacht Centre “Enhancing the contributions from our for International Law at Cambridge. increasingly large number of graduate ➔ Fitzwilliam welcomes the Revd students and postdocs, the further Helen Arnold as Chaplain and development of new research and design Katharine Parton as Director of teaching initiatives, and engaging with Music. A qualified social worker, the opportunities for a larger building Arnold was ordained in 2006 and was will dominate many of my efforts.” cam
a tutor at Westcott House theological sir college. Parton studied at the University of Melbourne and made Cardwell comes to Engineering Sir John Bradfield her conducting debut with Lyric Opera of Melbourne. She will take Professor David Cardwell has Sir John Bradfield, who has died aged an active role in conducting taken over from Professor Dame Ann 89, was Trinity’s Senior Bursar from 1956 and composing for Fitzwilliam’s Dowling as Head of the Department to 1992. chapel choir. of Engineering. With more than 2,400 His legacy, both in Cambridge and ➔ Professor Tim Bussey academics, students and postdocs it is at Trinity, is enormous. “Many of the (Department of Psychology) and one of the highest ranked engineering things that we now take for granted in his band Violet Transmissions have departments in the world. Cambridge can be traced back to his released a cover version of Thomas “It would be easy to get complacent inspiration,” the college said. Bradfield Dolby’s 1982 hit She Blinded Me With given this success, but I see a led the establishment of Trinity’s Science Science. Available on iTunes the tremendous opportunity to take the Park and the development of Felixstowe song celebrates women in science department to a new level,” said into Britain’s largest international port. with proceeds going to ScienceGrrl, Cardwell. “My aim is to do everything I He was instrumental in the foundation a grass roots organisation that can to allow everyone here to perform of Darwin College, and was chairman of supports women in science. at their best, engage with real issues and the Cambridge University Hospitals Trust make a difference.” from 1993 to 1997.
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lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 13 prizes, awards and honours
the theory of nonlinear tomography and Samuel Johnson Prize judges Claire Awards his track record of scientific innovation. Tomalin said: “Writing about wildlife ➔ Millennium Scenes by Richard and the environment has never been ➔ Professor Phil Allmendinger of the Causton (Faculty of Music) was named better or better informed than this.” The Department of Land Economy has been record of the year in the contemporary memoir tells the story of how she bought elected a fellow of the Academy of Social composers category in the Sunday Times Mabel, a goshawk, and began training Sciences. top 100 records of 2014. According to her in Cambridge as a means of coping ➔ The Society for General Microbiology’s the judges: “Causton is among our most with the death of her father. 2015 Prize Medal has been awarded to imaginative composers, as this sequence ➔ Professor Clément Mouhot of Sir David Baulcombe of the Department of five works makes clear. The powerful the Department of Pure Mathematics of Plant Sciences. orchestral diptych of Millennium scenes and Mathematical Statistics has been ➔ As well as being awarded an honorary has a fierce ‘social criticism’ opening, awarded a Whitehead Prize by the doctorate from the University of London, flaunting declamatory unison strings, LMS for his fundamental mathematical Professor Mary Beard of the Faculty Dr Sachiko Kusukawa screeching piccolos and clubby thuds.” contributions to the foundations of of Classics has won the best presenter ➔ Dr Colm Durkan of the Department statistical mechanics and the Boltzmann category in Sky’s Women in Film and TV of Engineering has been elected a Fellow equation. Mouhot also won the 2014 Prix awards. of the Institution of Engineering and de Madame Victor Noury, a major award ➔ Dr Sarah Bohndiek of the Technology. given annually to a French scientist under Department of Physics has been awarded ➔ Professor Philip Gibbard the age of 45. the European Commission 2014 Marie (Department of Geography) has been ➔ Based on her PhD at the Faculty Skłodowska-Curie actions prize, and the awarded the James Croll Medal by of Classics, Dr Alex Mullen’s book 2014 WISE Research Award. Sponsored the Quaternary Research Association Southern Gaul and the Mediterranean: by the Institution of Engineering and in recognition of his outstanding Multilingualism and Multiple Identities Technology and the Wellcome Trust, the contributions to the field of quaternary in the Iron Age and Roman Periods has WISE award was for her research using Dr Sarah Nouwen science. been awarded the 2014 James Henry physics and engineering to develop a ➔ Professor Deborah Howard of the Breasted Prize by the American Historical tool for early cancer detection. Department of History of Art has been Association. Mullen is now a postdoc ➔ Awarded annually since 2001 for awarded an Honorary Doctorate of at Oxford. outstanding scholarship, the Philip Letters by University College Dublin. ➔ Dr Joan Oates of the McDonald Leverhulme Prizes for 2014 were ➔ Professor Gary Hunt of the Institute for Archaeological Research has announced in December. The 30 prizes Department of Engineering has received been awarded the 2014 Grahame Clark are worth £3 million and seven were the Telford Gold Medal for his work Medal by the British Academy for her awarded to Cambridge academics: on the influence of room geometry on work on Mesopotamian prehistory and Dr Tim Button (Faculty of Philosophy); the overturning of smoke owing to ancient Near Eastern Civilisation. Dr Hazem Kandil (Department of a floor fire. ➔ Bronze Age Bureaucracy: Writing and Sociology); Dr Elizabeth Murchison Dr Hazem Kandil ➔ CIMR’s Professor Jim Huntington the Practice of Government in Assyria by (Department of Veterinary Medicine); and the team at XO1 Ltd received a Professor Nicholas Postgate (Division Dr Renaud Morieux (Faculty of Cambridge News Top Innovation award of Archaeology) has been awarded the History); Dr Sarah Nouwen and for the development of a new synthetic 2014 Frank Moore Cross Award by the Dr Michael Waibel, both from the antibody that could prevent heart American Schools of Oriental Research. Lauterpacht Centre for International attacks and strokes without causing ➔ Dr Markus Ralser of the Department Law; and Professor Richard Samworth bleeding. of Biochemistry has been awarded the (Department of Pure Mathematics and ➔ Dr Sachiko Kusukawa (Faculty of €10,000 South Tyrolean Science Prize. Mathematical Statistics). History) has been awarded the 2014 ➔ The sixth book of poetry by ➔ Kevin Brindle (Department of Pfizer Prize by the History of Science Professor James Russell (Department Biochemistry) has been elected a Fellow Society for her book Picturing the of Psychology) – A True-Dream Run – is of the European Academy of Cancer Professor Deborah Howard Book of Nature. Described by the prize among the winter selection of the Poetry Sciences. committee as “a work as erudite as it is Book Society. ➔ Dr Cathy Burke (Faculty of Education) lucid”, the book explores how pictures ➔ Dr Oren Scherman of the Department has won the History of Education Society constitute knowledge and how images of Chemistry has been awarded the UK’s Anne Bloomfield prize for her book entered printed books in sixteenth 2014 Bob Hay lectureship by the Royal A Life in Education and Architecture. Mary century texts on human anatomy and Society of Chemistry’s Macrocycles and Beaumont Medd 1907–2005. medical botany. Supramolecular Chemistry group. ➔ PhD student Richard Butler ➔ Professor Sir Geoffrey Lloyd of the ➔ Professor Yasir Suleiman (Faculty (Department of History of Art) has been Faculty of Classics has won the 2014 Prix of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies) awarded the Hawksmoor Medal by the international from the Fondation Fyssen. has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Architectural Historians of ➔ Published to much acclaim last year, College of Physicians of Edinburgh for Great Britain for his essay on the Irish H is for Hawk by Dr Helen Macdonald exceptional distinction as a member of courthouse. (Department of History and Philosophy the lay committee of the College. ➔ Dr Weiwei Cai of the Department of of Science) has won the Costa Biography ➔ Dr Sarah Teichmann of the Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Award and the Samuel Johnson Prize Department of Physics has won the has been awarded the 2014 Masao for Non-Fiction. Describing it as “a book Biophysical Society’s Michael and Kate Horiba Award for his pioneering work in unlike any another”, chairman of the Bárány Award for Young Investigators for
14 | lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter prizes, awards and honours her fundamental insights into protein biophysics, protein complexes and gene New Year honours for Peacock and Barker regulation. ➔ Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill of the Faculty of Classics has been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Reading. ➔ Professor Tim Whitmarsh (Faculty of Classics) has been awarded the Charles A Goodwin Prize for Merit 2014 by the Society for Classical Studies for his book Beyond the Second Sophistic: Adventures in Greek Postclassicism. ➔ Mexico’s Sombrerete Community Centre won first prize in the Servicios y Asistencia Pública category of the 2014 CEMEX Awards. Part of an ongoing collaboration between the University’s Professor Sharon Peacock Professor Graeme Barker Tim Oates Cities South of Cancer and Taller Activo (TEC Monterrey in Querétaro, Mexico), and led by architect Juan Professor Sharon Peacock and “Archaeology is Africa. One of his major contributions has Alfonso Garduño, 13 Tripos students Professor Graeme Barker are among been work showing how humans have from the Department of Architecture those honoured in this year’s New Year a team subject adapted to climate change in the past, participated in the construction of the Honours list. par excellence and the lessons that can be learned from community centre in 2013. Clinical microbiologist Professor this today. Sharon Peacock was made CBE for and in accepting Reacting to the news, he said: her services to medical microbiology. the award I “I changed to archaeology half way Peacock is known for her work with have felt very through my undergraduate degree Staff achievement the Wellcome Trust Major Overseas at Cambridge, inspired by meeting Programme in Thailand where for seven much that it Colin Renfrew, then a Research Fellow, recognised by years she directed a wide-ranging celebrates the and was privileged to succeed him as programme of bacterial disease research. Disney Professor in 2004. It has also UAS awards In the UK she has focused on the role of achievements been a privilege to work in archaeology, sequencing technologies in diagnostic of so many which has so much to tell us about ➔ Individual and team winners for microbiology and public health. what it means to be human. It is a team this year’s UAS Employee Recognition Peacock chairs the Cambridge colleagues” subject par excellence and in accepting Scheme have been announced. There Infectious Diseases Initiative and is Graeme Barker the award I have felt very much that it were eight awards in total – one Deputy Director of the Wellcome Trust celebrates the achievements of so many individual and one for teams against Cambridge Centre for Global Health colleagues, and good friends from all four UAS values. This year’s winners Research. She was elected to the parts of the world whose support has for ‘We deliver an effective and high- Academy of Medical Sciences in 2013. been so important to anything I have quality service’, were James Knapton, “I have the privilege of working with achieved.” (Information Compliance Officer) and an outstanding group of scientists at Tim Oates, Group Director of the Compliance team, HR Division. the University of Cambridge and at the Assessment Research and Development Recognised under the ‘We collaborate Sanger Institute, and this honour reflects at Cambridge Assessment, was also and work in partnership’ were Ralph their support and efforts. The award made CBE for services to education. Ecclestone, (Research Strategy also reflects the importance of basic Trevor Llewellyn Richards, formerly Manager) and the Web Recruitment and applied microbiological research Capital Project Liaison Officer at the team (cross-divisional project). Juergen for individual and public health,” School of Clinical Medicine, was made Wastl, (Head of Research Information) Peacock said. MBE for services to biomedical research and the Draftsman and Reporter Professor Graeme Barker was made and the welfare of animals in research. Office were recognised for ‘We are CBE for services to archaeology. The Described as an “outstanding biofacilities open, responsive and innovative’. former Disney Professor of Archaeology manager”, Richards was Director of Rewarded for the value of ‘We respect and Director of the McDonald Institute Central Biomedical Resources from 1996 others and value diversity’ were Julian for Archaeological Research, Barker’s to 2012. Jacobs (Departmental Administrator) research focuses on prehistoric Renowned Cambridge letter cutter, and the Finance Division Social archaeology, the relationship between Life Member of Clare Hall and Honorary Committee. landscape and people, transitions from Fellow Elect of Magdalene College, Lida foraging to farming, and the origins of Cardozo Kindersley, has been made If you have an awards story, send your text human behaviour and migrations. MBE for heritage crafts and letter cutting. (maximum 70 words) to the Editor by 15 Barker has worked all over the world, Many examples of her work adorn the March at [email protected]. We including in the rainforest of Borneo, and University, colleges and other parts of reserve the right to edit contributions. the deserts of the Middle East and North the city.
lent term 2015 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 15 the pitt building … a conference centre of distinction in central Cambridge
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