JOHNIAN NEWS Inside our gardeners’ world n Women on the Tideway for 2015 Boat Race n UK election: the big issues from Johnians Issue 36 Lent term 2015 Johnian News johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk 2 Lent term 2015 Welcometo the Lent 2015 issue of Johnian News This year will undoubtedly be remembered by all female rowers for the historic moment on Saturday 11 April when the Women’s Boat Race is run on the same course as the men’s for the first time ever. LMBC Chief Cox, Abbi Brown (2011), provides a potted history of College news women’s rowing at Cambridge and an insight into the 4 Catch up on what’s been happening at St John’s inequality that female teams are still facing. How our gardens grow All year round, but especially in spring, the College 6 Head Gardener, Adam Magee, reveals what his gardens bring pleasure to everyone who lives and works team get up to here, as well as the many visitors to St John’s. Head Gardener, Adam Magee, has been tending the grounds for Equal footing more than 25 years and was extremely hard-pressed to 10 Abbi Brown (2011) celebrates women rowing the pick his favourite part of the gardens when interviewed! Tideway at last I hope you enjoy hearing about Adam’s plans for 2015, and that you can perhaps visit the College to see the The big issues Johnians speak out ahead of the forthcoming results sometime soon. 13 UK election Johnian News is your alumni magazine, so please do let Groundbreakers me know what you’d like to read about in future issues. 16 Chris Cockcroft (1961) on his inspirational father, Sir John Cockcroft (1922) Jennifer Baskerville, Editor Students add initiative [email protected] 18 Chris Clark (2013) joins a student organisation improving Tanzanian slums Focus on: Medicine 21 Three Johnian medics explain where their career paths have taken them With your support 24 The incredible life sub-aquatic of Dr Helen Scales (1996) Beaufort Society 6 16 26 Dr Manon Antoniazzi LVO (1983) on Wales and women Forthcoming events 28 As well as details of how to contact us Produced by: Development Office, St John’s College, Cambridge CB2 1TP Email: [email protected] Tel: 01223 330722 Cover image: College gardener, Rosie, potting up, by jayneodellphotography.co.uk Opposite: stained glass window in Hall Design and artwork: Out of the Bleu www.outofthebleu.co.uk 18 24 Print: Lonsdale Direct Solutions www.lonsdaledirect.co.uk 3 Johnian News johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk College news Top marks for sustainability Photo by Nic Marchant Nic by Photo The St John’s Catering team have continued their sterling work in making their policies more sustainable by winning three more awards. Along with Robinson College, St John’s was given top marks at the University of Cambridge Catering Managers’ Committee Environmental Awards in In January, the Catering team were already working towards this for late 2014, for its sustainable presented with a Two Stars rating next year. purchasing policy and its by the Sustainable Restaurants approach towards sustainable Association (www.thesra.org), Bill Brogan, Catering and Conference food and staff training. The whose President is chef Raymond Manager at St John’s, said, ‘We are College also received a Blanc. Restaurants are graded One, very proud of our Sustainability Policy, bronze Environmental Award Two or Three Stars depending on which is updated every year. We are certificate acknowledging its how they fare across 14 key areas also the first Cambridge college environmental policies on of sustainability. St John’s came to join the Sustainable Restaurant energy consumption and waste close to scoring the highest rating Association, and other colleges have management. of Three Stars and the team are now been encouraged to join.’ Bed and breakfast If you’re planning to Bed and breakfast rooms are available to the general public between July and visit Cambridge this September at a flat rate of £78 per night summer, for business or for a single room and £110 for a twin. All bedrooms have en suite facilities pleasure, why not stay and are located in Third Court and the night in College? North Court. Visit www.joh.cam.ac.uk/bed-breakfast for more information. 4 Lent term 2015 Library exhibitions 2015 Johnians are always welcome to view the regular exhibitions in the Library Exhibition Area, which is open to visitors from Monday to Research Friday, 9am–5pm. Easter Term 2015 n St John’s College Art and highlights Photography Competition, showcasing current students’ artistic talents. October–December 2015 (TBC) n ‘Some Earlier CHEMISTRY: Age’: Children’s books in the College Library Research team, including the Master and several College Fellows, find molecular inhibitor that breaks January–March 2016 (TBC) n ‘Remembrance cycle leading to Alzheimer’s disease. with Posteritie’: An exhibition marking the quarter- centenary of the first folio of Ben Jonson’s works. There are also special events taking place BIOLOGY: throughout the year. For more information, visit World’s first artificial enzymes created using synthetic www.joh.cam.ac.uk/library, or for regular updates, biology, by team including Johnian post-doctoral follow the Library on Twitter @StJohns_Library. researcher. MUSIC: Earliest known piece of polyphonic music discovered Honoured alumni by St John’s PhD student. Congratulations to the following five PHYSICS: College Fellow leads breakthrough study on the Johnians who were included in the coherence of electron spin. New Year Honours List 2015: Professor Graeme Barker Michael Sweeney (1963), (1965), Fellow of the formerly Chairman of the College and Senior Fellow Henley Royal Regatta, was of the McDonald Institute appointed as a CBE for for Archaeological services to rowing. Research, University of Cambridge, was appointed Professor Hugh as a CBE for services to Williamson (1970), archaeology. formerly Regius Professor of Hebrew, University of Professor Sharon Peacock Oxford, was appointed (2013), Fellow and as an OBE for services to Professor of Clinical scholarship and theology. Microbiology in the Department of Medicine, John Woolf (1966), Music University of Cambridge, Director at the Royal was appointed as a CBE Shakespeare Company, for services to medical was appointed as an MBE For more information on these stories microbiology. for services to music in and other College news, visit the theatre. www.joh.cam.ac.uk/news Photo by iStockphoto.com 5 Johnian News johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk How our grow… 6 Lent term 2015 Spring is most gardeners’ favourite season of the year, albeit the busiest too. St John’s Head Gardener, Adam Magee, spares some of his precious time to tell us about the work of his gardening team over 22 beautiful and varied acres of College grounds. How many gardeners work river and are based in the Fellows’ at St John’s? Garden. We’ve got seven currently. One of My daughter, us works three days a week, but Rosie, Paul and Peter are the newest Rosie, works everyone else is here full-time, gardeners we’ve got. Myself, Mick, throughout the year. Steve and Shaun go back over the greenhouse 25 years! I mainly work on the areas of the area, where we College east of the river and my Does your work change from office is in one of the outbuildings year to year? grow all our of the Master’s Lodge. I have two Compared to my youth, seasons have bedding plants. other gardeners working from there, become more interchangeable now. one of whom is the Propagator, who It isn’t quite as easy to predict and is actually my daughter, Rosie. She you have to be more flexible, but works the greenhouse area, where you still generally follow the same we grow all our bedding plants for patterns. Some of the things we get spring/summer and autumn/winter up to in late winter and spring are from seed. My deputy, Mick Ranford, tree pruning and lifting; supplying oversees the rest of the team who wood for the Master’s Lodge; s work on the areas to the west of the repairing lawn edges; and applying Photos by jayneodellphotography.co.uk by Photos 7 Johnian News johnian.joh.cam.ac.uk s top dressings and mulch to the or Merton Court. Then as the grass where people can sit, meet and herbaceous borders. We produce cutting season slows, autumn begins study. It’s all about creating and some of our own compost, rather and we’re collecting leaves up until maintaining an environment for than getting rid of everything. Then Christmas. So we’ve tried to save everyone to enjoy. we move on to planting new and money on skips by either mulching replacement shrubs and trees, and or storing to create a compost. What new planting plans do pruning roses and shrubs. As we get you have for 2015? into spring we’re starting to lift and What is the ethos of the One of our new gardeners, Paul, divide herbaceous border plants, gardens? has taken a really big interest in and plant new ones. It’s a range of things. It’s making the main herbaceous border at the sure we complement the buildings, front of New Court, so I’ve given him Producing your own compost but also being aware of history. For the job of managing it. We’ve come must save money? instance we’ve got the Wilderness up with a planting design and have Our green waste used to be skipped area/Fellows’ Garden that was ordered a lot of new herbaceous and taken away, and that cost almost designed, we believe, by Capability plants, so we’re planting that up £12,000 per year.