1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. cancer

The magazine for the staff of the University of Cambridge
lent term 2013
Hit the switch:
how to cut energy use
Genius of scale:
I, fly: a life in flies,
Chopin reinvented midges and gnats
page 6
page 10
snapshot
contents
A friend to the University: Dr Alan
Reece, who donated £5m to the Institute
of Manufacturing for its new home at
West Cambridge, passed away on New
Year’s Eve aged 85. He was one of the
North East’s most successful businessmen, and the mind behind engineering
business the Reece Group, which has a
turnover in excess of £211m and 450
employees.
Cover
The University’s first Switch
Off Week is a chance for staff
and students to get to grips
with the importance of
cutting Cambridge’s carbon
footprint. Turn to page
eight.
2-5 News round-up
6-7 Feature
Professor John Rink of the Faculty of
Music explains how a new online tool
can help researchers, performers and
listeners appreciate the restless genius
of Fryderyk Chopin.
Winter shot: January’s snow may have
brought about travel disruption, school
closures and rolling news coverage on
the inclement weather, but it also gave
the University’s photographer at large
Sir Cam the opportunity to capture
some of Cambridge’s finest buildings in
winter clothing. Here is the Sainsbury
Laboratory on a particularly bleak
afternoon. More pictures can be found on
the University’s Flickr site at http://www.
flickr.com/photos/cambridgeuniversity.
SIR CAM
8-9 Cover feature
Royal visit: The Duchess of Cambridge
met staff and students during her and
Prince William’s visit to the city and
University in November of last year.
Among other events, the royal couple
joined more than 400 students, Heads
of Houses from the 31 Colleges, as well
as long-serving University assistant staff
and postdoctoral researchers on Senate
House lawn.
10-11 Profile
Dr Henry Disney’s lifetime commitment
to Diptera (flies, midges and gnats) has
brought him into contact with all manner
of people and places.
12 People
13 Small adverts
14-15 Prizes, awards and honours
16 Backpage
SIR CAM
Front cover photograph: Sir Cam
New appointment: Professor Geoffrey
Ward of Royal Holloway College,
University of London, will become
Homerton’s next Principal on 1 October
succeeding Dr Kate Pretty. Professor Ward
is currently Vice Principal for Students
and Staff at Royal Holloway, where he
previously served as Dean of Arts. Prior
to that he was Professor of English and
Head of Department at the University
of Dundee before taking on the role of
Deputy Principal.
newsletter
The Newsletter is published for the staff of the
University of Cambridge and is produced by the
Office of External Affairs and Communications.
Please send in ideas for content and other ways
we can improve the publication.
Tel: (3)32300 or email [email protected].
Suggestions for articles for the next edition
should reach the Editor by 6 April.
Editor: Andrew Aldridge
Design: www.creative-warehouse.co.uk
Printers: Labute Printers
Contributors: Andrew Aldridge, Becky Allen,
Jacqueline Garget, Sheila Kiggins, Tom Kirk.
Newsletter online
www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/newsletter
2 | lent term 2013 | 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 6 April.
CRI transfer to strengthen cancer research
Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge
Research Institute – based in the Li
Ka Shing building on the Biomedical
Campus – became part of the
University on 1 January 2013.
The University and Cancer
Research UK have also announced
the appointment of Professor Simon
Tavaré as the next Director of the
newly branded Cancer Research UK
Cambridge Institute, succeeding Sir
Bruce Ponder.
The transfer will strengthen the
University’s presence in cancer – one
of its strategic research initiatives
– and benefit the Institute and its
researchers by facilitating interactions
not only with partners on the
Biomedical Campus, but also across
other research disciplines, particularly
in the Biological and Physical
Sciences.
Since it was formally opened
by the Queen in February 2007,
the Cambridge Institute – one of
five CRUK institutes in the UK –
has established an international
reputation for academic and
research excellence, building on
strong scientific and clinical links
with Cambridge University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust, and across
Cambridge. Its key research strands
focus on:
l Basic research into the cellular and
molecular biology of cancer
l Research in molecular imaging,
genomics, bioinformatics and
computational biology
l Translational research on specific
cancer sites
l Clinical investigations including
experimental medicine-based
clinical studies and trials.
Cancer Research UK transferred
the assets of the Institute – both
equipment and the lease on the
premises – and approximately 250
staff to become a department within
the School of Clinical Medicine.
Cancer Research UK will continue to
core-fund the Institute, in addition to
providing significant grant funding
to other departments within the
University.
The integration of the Institute
brought together the skills and hard
work of two project teams, with staff
on both sides providing expertise and
advice in human resources, finance,
procurement, estates, IT, health and
safety and legal services.
Professor Patrick Maxwell, Head
of the School of Clinical Medicine
and Regius Professor of Physic, said:
“Cambridge is extremely strong in
cancer research. The Institute coming
into the University is an important
step in bringing our strengths
together to accelerate progress in
understanding the biology of cancer
and developing new approaches to
treatment.”
Professor Tavaré said: “It is an
honour to be chosen to direct
the Institute after its move to the
University. The Cambridge Institute
looks forward to working with Cancer
Research UK and the University to
uncover more of cancer’s secrets.”
NWC: approval given for phase one
The Regent House, the University’s
governing body, has given formal
approval for the first phase of the
North West Cambridge development.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for
Institutional Affairs Jeremy Sanders
welcomed the decision. “The North
West Cambridge development
is a major part of the University’s
long-term future, providing much
of the residential and research
accommodation that the University
needs as it grows over the next
20 years.
“The endorsement of phase one
by the Regent House illustrates the
commitment that members from
across the University and Colleges
have towards the continuing success
of Cambridge and the wider region.”
Phase one includes approximately
530 homes for qualifying University
and College staff, 450 homes for sale,
accommodation for 300 students,
a local centre with community
facilities, and substantial landscaping
and public space. There will be
enhanced connections to and within
the local area.
It is estimated to cost £281 million,
with the scheme in its entirety costing
£1 billion. Work will start later in
2013 with the first buildings due for
completion in late 2015.
For more information, visit www.
nwcambridge.co.uk
lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 3
what’s new
Reaching out to
people in care
Young people who grew up in care are hugely underrepresented in higher education. It’s an issue the
University is working to redress through taster
days for potential students, foster carers and social workers
This spring the University is
gearing up to deliver its annual
Oxford and Cambridge student
conferences. Among the biggest
outreach events in the UK, these
seminars will be held in football and
rugby stadia, as well as race courses,
and engage 10,000 students and
teachers.
But large-scale national forums
are not the only way in which the
University fulfils its commitment to
identifying and recruiting the very
best future undergraduates.
This half-term, two carefully
focused events will be taking place
in Cambridge for a group that is
hugely under-represented in higher
education. Young people in care,
their foster carers, social workers and
education advocates will come to
Cambridge for a taste of university
life through the collegiate University’s
Realise programme.
The University was awarded
the Buttle UK Quality Mark in 2010
in recognition of its commitment
to supporting applicants and
undergraduates who have experience
of the care system.
The Realise programme was
launched two years ago as a specific
initiative within the University’s
widening participation (WP) work
to encourage young people in care
to regard higher education as an
achievable goal.
Coordinated by a member of
the WP team in the Cambridge
Admissions Office, undergraduates,
academics and University staff give
their time to ensure that each event
is fun, interactive and academically
challenging.
In 2011/12, 390 children from 35
local authorities took part in Realise
events. So far this year almost 200
more young people have been to
Cambridge for events as diverse as
astronomical observation, enzyme
analysis and understanding the
science of risk.
To give an authentic taste of
university, each Realise event
includes at least one session led
by a current Cambridge academic.
October’s Arts and Humanities Day
introduced students to Archaeology
and Anthropology, Philosophy, and
Experimental Psychology. “I study
love. I’m happy about that,” said Dr
Alex Kolgan, from the Department of
Psychology, describing his work on
the biology and psychology of human
kindness.
Asked why he wanted to
get involved with Realise, Dr
Kolgan explained: “Our childhood
experiences play such a massive role
in determining our futures. This may
be especially true for individuals who
face difficulties in childhood and need
extra help early on to find their path.
“Realise events such as the Arts
and Humanities Day allow us to begin
to level the playing field ever so
gently. We won’t solve the problem
in one day, but we can provide some
opportunity for these young people
to see a different path.”
The events are well supported
by current undergraduates. Their
participation is valued by the young
students as a source of “the real
4 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
“For some, a Realise
event can be the first
time they meet another
young person in care
who wants to aim for
university”
Tom Levinson,
Head of Widening
Participation
information” about university life.
Sam, currently reading History
at Lucy Cavendish, volunteers
regularly on Realise events. “Part
of my role is to meet the students
at the station in the morning and
escort them throughout the day,
answering any questions they may
have. It’s very rewarding to see the
shy groups of the morning develop
into lively, motivated students whose
perceptions of not only Cambridge,
but also opportunities out there for
them, have been transformed.
“The success of these days and the
reason I work on them were summed
Above: a young person taking part in one
of the Realise events for children in care
up by a student on October’s Science
and Environment Day. The last thing
he said to me before getting on the
train was: ‘Thank you so much, you
have all changed my life and I’ll never
forget today’.”
If academic commitments allow,
a current undergraduate from a care
background will also join the day and
share some of their own story.
Tom Levinson, Head of Widening
Participation, who coordinates the
Realise programme for the University,
said: “For some, a Realise event can
be the first time they meet another
young person in care who wants to
aim for university. For others, the fact
that one of our students can stand
in front of them and say, ‘I had 30
foster placements before I was 16 but
I made it to Cambridge’ gives them a
sense of possibility.
“We wouldn’t be able to offer such
a broad and inspiring programme
without the support of the colleges
and departments,” Tom adds.
what’s new
paul wilkinson
Science Festival returns
with hands-on fun
Dr Pete Wothers is one of the many academics appearing at the festival
The 2013 Science Festival opens on
11 March, offering staff, students, city
residents and visitors an opportunity
to discover and take part in scientific
activity at the University.
A quick glance through the
programme reveals some exciting
highlights: Professor John Gurdon,
winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize for
Physiology or Medicine, will discuss
his research and the future of cell
replacement; Professors Andy Parker
and Val Gibson of the Cavendish
Laboratory will talk about a new
chapter in particle physics following
the ground-breaking experiments
at the Large Hadron Collider; and
science journalist Tim Radford hosts
a panel discussion on the future
of energy.
This year the festival welcomes
actor Benedict Cumberbatch as guest
director – someone who, in his own
words, has kept an amateur interest
in science alive through his work:
“As an actor who has researched
playing Stephen Hawking, Joseph
Hooker, Werner Heisenberg, and both
Frankenstein and his creation, I’ve
long had a passion for all fields of
science,” he said.
Family activities have always
been central to the popularity of the
Science Festival. This year many of the
events for children are on Science on
Saturday on 16 March. Listen to BBC
Radio 2 Drivetime host and children’s
author Simon Mayo talk about his
books Itch and Itch Rocks. Get to grips
with fascinating experiments at the
Department of Zoology in Crash,
bang, squelch! Or brace yourself
for an exposition on nasal defence
in Why snot? at the Department of
Pharmacology. There’s also a series
of talks aimed at older teens and
adults called ThinkCon at the McCrum
Lecture Theatre.
Elsewhere, 2012 guest director
Robin Ince returns with his follow-up
show to Happiness through science
with a look at Charles Darwin and
the American theoretical physicist
Richard Feynman on 17 March, with a
second Saturday of science talks and
events on 23 March centred around
the West Cambridge site.
Details of all events can be found
at the Science Festival website at
www.cam.ac.uk/sciencefestival.
If you would like to volunteer at
the Science Festival email Sue Long at
[email protected]
how to book
➔ Online: www.cam.ac.uk/
sciencefestival
➔ Phone: (01223)7667666
➔ Email: [email protected]
UAS success recognised
More than 100 people gathered
to celebrate individual and team
successes across the UAS at the first
UAS Employee Recognition Awards.
The event, held last December in
the Combination Room of the Old
Schools, brought together people
from a range of teams and Divisions,
including those who were nominated
for recognition, their colleagues and
partners.
Sue Davis, Childcare Services
Manager, compered for the evening,
introducing Pro-Vice-Chancellor for
Institutional Affairs Professor Jeremy
Sanders and the Registrary
Dr Jonathan Nicholls.
Both Professor Sanders and Dr
Nicholls congratulated everyone
present for their hard work and
excellent service to the University.
The winners – both individual
and teams – came under four values.
They were:
l ‘We deliver an effective and
high-quality service’: Mike Sinclair
(Finance Division); the International
Student Team (Academic Division)
l ‘We collaborate and work in
partnership’: Felicity Webster
(Finance Division); the Admissions
and Data Services Team (Academic
Division)
l ‘We are open, responsive and
innovative’: Diane Ingham (Estate
Management); the MISD Services
Development Team
l ‘We respect others and value
diversity’: Alan Baldock (Estate
Management); the Childcare
Office Playscheme Team (Human
Resources Division).
lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 5
feature
The virtual
Chopin
One of the greatest composers of the 19th century,
Fryderyk Chopin, had an irrepressible creative
imagination, and his music experienced continual
evolution as a result. Now, a new online resource
is bringing the many versions of his compositions
together in one place, opening up new possibilities
for performers, listeners and researchers alike
Lovers of classical music reading
this will know that it is unusual to go
to a piano recital and not hear a piece
by Fryderyk Chopin. More than 200
years after his birth, Chopin is not only a
household name, but also probably the
most enduring composer of his age.
For some, this comes down to the
ineffable beauty, subtlety and technical
refinement of the music he wrote.
Others point to the fact that unlike many
Romantic composers Chopin rarely tried
to convey a specific message or story
through his music. Publishing under
neutral titles that gave little away, he
preferred to leave interpretation to the
listener. The result is that, even today,
audiences tend to find something
uniquely personal in each piece.
Yet while listeners can simply sit back
and enjoy the music, the obscurity of
Chopin’s intentions makes understanding
his work a challenge for anyone
seeking to get closer to the composer
himself. Chopin is both fascinating and
frustrating in this respect, because he
rarely left behind just one version of his
compositions. More often, there are three,
four, five or more – any number of which
might be an ‘authoritative’ representation
of how he wanted the piece to sound.
Listeners, performers and researchers
alike may find this liberating, but also
bewildering because there are so many
options from which to choose.
John Rink, Professor of Musical
Performance Studies at Cambridge, is
director of a project that is transforming
the way in which we understand
Chopin’s work by bringing this
compositional cornucopia together
in one place. Launched in 2005 with
funding from the Andrew W Mellon
Foundation, the Online Chopin
Variorum Edition (http://www.ocve.
org.uk) is still under development, but
eventually will provide digital images
of all the available primary sources of
Chopin’s music – whether sketches,
complete manuscripts (both Chopin’s
and those of copyists), first editions, or
later impressions. Thousands of pages
from these documents are already
available, and the entire site is free of
charge. Users anywhere in the world
can explore, compare and combine
elements from the great composer’s
music, comment on it as they go, and
ultimately construct their own version
of the Chopin work to an extent that
has never before been possible.
Purists might call that sacrilege, but
Rink believes that it is very much in the
spirit of what Chopin wanted. In fact, he
describes as “indefensible” the notion
that a given version of Chopin was
necessarily what the composer would
have intended for all time.
6 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
“We need to
understand
Chopin’s music
as existing in a
state of flux – a
process involving
not only the
composer but
also those who
later came into
contact with it”
Professor John Rink
“For Chopin there was no definitive
version: he continually changed his mind,”
Rink says. “We might identify a particular
source as representing his conception
of the music at a given moment, but
the next day he might well have heard,
played or notated it differently. We
therefore need to understand his music
as existing in a state of flux; a process
involving not only the composer but also
all those who later come into contact
with it – including performers, listeners,
editors, critics and so on.”
Contemporary evidence confirms
that Chopin’s genius was restless and
boundless, in that he continually modified
his work on paper while correcting errors,
refining the notation, or indulging in
other creative possibilities. To minimise
the risk of piracy, he also published
separate editions in France, England
and the German states, usually leading
to the release of three distinct versions
of his music, which might be altered yet
again – either by Chopin or his publishers
– when a given print run sold out and a
new impression was required. Even his
rare, sensational public performances
were a creative act: according to one of
his piano tuners, Chopin never played his
own music the same way twice, instead
varying his approach to suit the occasion.
The numerous variants that he pencilled
into the scores of his students hint at the
bibliotheque nationale de France
improvisatory character of his playing.
Rink can point to numerous examples
already available through the Variorum
that prove just how flexible the Chopin
work is. The C minor Prelude Op. 28 No.
20, for example, is a controversial piece
because nobody is sure what Chopin
really wanted. Remarkably, the debate
hinges on the ending of a single bar.
Trivial though that may seem, the music
sounds different depending on which
version is played – one is brighter, the
other sombre. Either could be correct,
but then again both versions might
simply represent what Chopin wanted
at different times. Even more striking,
perhaps, is the fact that the piece exists
in two original versions: one nine bars
long, the other thirteen. Only the latter is
performed today, but the former, which
was not meant for publication, may
reflect Chopin’s earliest conception.
In some cases users can see several
layers of corrections on the page itself.
The Second Ballade Op. 38 is a case in
point. Here, Chopin wrote two different
endings and then vacillated between
them; his manuscript shows the original
ending scribbled out and replaced with a
second version, which made its way into
one of the first editions, whereas another
conforms to the original. Again, the effect
is quite different depending on which
ending the pianist chooses to play, as the
second version is more imposing than its
understated counterpart.
Rink believes that despite this
seemingly limitless variety, Chopin’s
music should not be altered capriciously.
“To make a musically sensible decision
about what you put forward as a
performer, you need to have sound
criteria along with the knowledge and
judgement that can accrue only over
time,” he says. This last point is critical:
“Merely having access to the original
sources does not in itself allow one to
make informed, convincing decisions
about how this music ‘should’ be played
and understood.”
For this reason, the Variorum provides
more than just an archive of digitised
manuscripts and printed editions culled
from dozens of international libraries
and private collectors. Visitors to the
OCVE site can browse a full index of
the materials that have been uploaded,
select a work, then view the different
versions on offer. But the main feature
of the Variorum is the ability to select
and compare particular bars or passages
across all the different sources for a given
piece, thereby revealing the music’s
creative history. Background information
is provided at an overview level and
on an in-depth, bar-by-bar basis. The
site also works as a ‘virtual notepad’,
enabling users to jot down ideas about
Above left: Professor John
Rink, in a film about Chopin
that will appear shortly on the
University’s YouTube channel
Above right: the Online Chopin
Variorum Edition provides
digital images of primary
sources of Chopin’s music
the music as they work their way through
it. They can keep these annotations to
themselves, or share them with others.
Despite the growing significance of
digital media in the arts and humanities,
no musical resource quite like this has
been attempted: the Variorum offers
unprecedented opportunities to compare
and reconstruct Chopin’s creative process
in a way that would not be possible
on the printed page – where even the
comparison of a few bars in different
sources requires a large desk as well as
juggling skills. In time, Rink hopes that
the Chopin Variorum might serve as a
model for “dynamic editions” of other
composers’ works.
For now, it means that, rather than
having Chopin’s musical legacy mediated
for us, we can make up our minds about
how to hear or perform his works. This
seems to have been Chopin’s intention.
“Music does not exist in a single, correct
version,” Rink notes. “It constantly
changes over time. Chopin reminds us of
that because he himself kept changing
his music. Whenever we perform or listen
to it, our experience is different from the
last. By putting his compositions into a
digital space, we can model and capture
that evolutionary process. In doing so, we
breathe new life into Chopin’s music and
witness for ourselves his compositional
genius at work.”
lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 7
making a difference
Tune in,
switch off
The University’s first Switch Off Week runs from 18-24 February. It’s a
chance for everyone to get involved in cutting Cambridge’s carbon
footprint and consider the best behavioural and technological ways
of reducing energy use
As well as being home to a worldleading university, Cambridge can lay
claim to being the UK’s capital of cycling,
and in February a new velocipede arrives
in the city. Looking like a cross between
a gym bike and a unicycle, it should get
staff across the University talking about
some very important issues.
The Energy Bike, as it’s known, will
tour different parts of the University
during Switch Off Week. As well as being
a fun break from work, the intention is to
show people how hard it is to power their
gadgets, and to demonstrate the energy
costs associated with everyday tasks.
Taking a ride on the Energy Bike is just
one way of getting involved in Switch
Off Week. Many of the events will be fun,
but the underlying message is serious,
says Professor Jeremy Sanders, ProVice-Chancellor for Institutional Affairs:
“Switch Off Week is a great opportunity
for staff and students to understand
the environmental and financial impact
of their actions, to take responsibility,
change their behaviour and see the
benefits for their departments.”
Those costs and potential benefits
are enormous, he says: “Environment
and energy are important from at least
two perspectives. The first is purely
financial. The University’s electricity
bill is more than £10m a year and, if
we don’t do anything, it will carry on
increasing. Secondly, there’s the whole
question of leadership and our impact
on the environment. The University has
world-class research in energy, from
fundamental physics and chemistry
to applied engineering. We have a
wonderful range of expertise in the
research area but the question is how
do we apply that expertise in our own
buildings?”
The answer lies partly in the
University’s Energy and Carbon Reduction
Project (ECRP). Launched in 2010 with
an annual budget of £2m, the ECRP is
working with five pilot departments:
Engineering (the largest department
in the University and one with major
research and teaching interests in energy
8 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
Staff can
get more
involved by
volunteering as
a departmental
Energy
Champion or
Environmental
Coordinator
technology); the University Library; and
three large energy users –­ Plant Sciences,
the Gurdon Institute and Chemistry.
The object of the exercise is to find
the best behavioural and technological
ways of reducing energy use. “That
might mean more efficient pumps and
more efficient computer cooling, but
also everybody being more careful
about turning off lights and computers.
All those things contribute,” Professor
Sanders explains.
“The five pilots have been chosen for
their different patterns of energy use,
the idea being to test experimentally
ways of reducing energy consumption in
those departments. The second part of
ECRP’s remit is to take those successful
approaches and apply them across the
operational estate.”
The Gurdon Institute decided to
take part because of its high energy
consumption. “We use about 5m kWh
of electricity a year but only occupy a
7,000m2 building,” explains its Building
Facilities Manager Kathy Hilton. “The
Gurdon volunteered because we’re aware
that we are an energy intensive building
and we also have a biomedical facility. It’s
an area that has very close environmental
conditions with lots of air turnover,
heating and cooling.”
The Gurdon decided to focus on
behaviour change for the pilot, holding
a three-day exhibition in their tea room
and asking staff to sign a pledge to be
more energy aware. Then, between
March and September 2012, they ran
a competition to see which lab could
reduce its energy use most each month.
The results impressed Hilton,
somewhat sceptical at the outset. “You
see places lit up like Christmas trees and
wonder what the point is of saving a
couple of kilowatts on your computer.
But we’ve shown that little savings from
everyone make a significant difference.”
The winning lab was Professor Andrea
Brand’s. “They took it really seriously
and transformed their whole culture,”
says Hilton. “The reductions persisted
after the competition ended. Looking at
the year-to-date, 80 per cent of the labs
had managed to reduce their energy
consumption, and the Brand lab by an
impressive 60 per cent overall.”
For its part of the ECRP, the
Engineering Department has focused on
how existing building services – heating,
lighting and ventilation – are provided,
centralising and updating key services.
“One example is our computer rooms,”
says David Green, Superintendent of the
sir cam
Illustrations: felix bennett
Photovoltaic panels
at West Cambridge
Engineering Workshops. “We’ve moved
from having several small computer
rooms with two or three racks of servers
to two much larger facilities, and then
we’ve made them as efficient as possible.
We’re particularly proud of the work
we’ve done to improve the energy
efficiency of the cooling in the server
rooms.”
Using evaporative cooling (or fresh
air) Engineering is saving £75,000 a year
on its electricity bills, as well as hundreds
of tonnes of carbon, and payback time
on the investment is just five years. The
improvements make a major difference to
the department’s performance under the
Energy Incentivisation Scheme. “At the
end of 2008/09 when the scheme came
in we got a bill for £35,000 because we’d
exceeded our target. Our computer room
has reversed that in one hit,” he explains.
At the time, it made Engineering’s data
centre one of the most efficient in higher
education and beyond – lessons Green
has shared with other departments,
student groups and other universities.
“We were proud of it, we wanted to fly
the flag, but we also wanted to share
the knowledge of what we’ve learned
and achieved. It’s been a good academic
exercise,” he explains.
But saving money is only one reason
for saving energy, he believes. Leading
by example and putting engineering
research into practice are important too.
“We’re putting photovoltaics onto one of
our roofs, which will put energy back into
the grid using technologies developed in
this department. We’re particularly proud
of that.”
Rather than installing commercially
available photovoltaic units, Engineering
is fitting panels that incorporate a
microinverter and thin-film technology
developed at Cambridge. “That means
we can compare and contrast, push the
boundaries a bit, which is what we’re here
for,” Green adds.
Find out more
➔ Switch Off Week:
www.admin.cam.
ac.uk/carbon/getting_
involved/sow.html
➔ University of
Cambridge Carbon:
www.admin.cam.ac.uk/
carbon
➔ Cambridge University
Environmental
Consulting Society:
www.societies.cam.
ac.uk/cuecs
➔ Green Bridge:
www.societies.cam.
ac.uk/greenbr/index.
htm
Departments exist to teach, as well
as do research, and Engineering’s energy
roof has formed part of fourth-year and
PhD student projects. Involving students
in sustainability is vital says University
Environmental Officer Joanna Simpson:
“Cambridge graduates are going to
go on to become future business
leaders and politicians, and could have
a huge positive or negative impact
on sustainability, depending on their
viewpoint, when they leave university.”
As well student societies with a
green focus, staff and students can get
involved with the Green Impact scheme.
“This is the first year Cambridge has
been involved. It’s a staff and student
engagement programme that supports
them to undertake simple actions in
offices and departments. It’s structured
through an online workbook and at the
end of the year teams are recognised
with either a bronze, silver or gold award,”
Simpson explains.
Staff can get more involved by
volunteering as a departmental Energy
Champion or Environmental Coordinator.
For the past two and a half years, Web
Services Manager Sarah Cater has been
Environmental Coordinator at the
Cambridge Judge Business School, where
she’s examining how to save paper by
making more material available online.
Over coming months she will be
documenting paper consumption and
time staff spend on producing printouts,
and asking users for their views. “Our
Executive MBA programme is a great
example. Delegates are mostly from
overseas and the programme is 100 per
cent paperless, so it’s a great example of
how it can work,” says Cater.
Colleges also want to share best
practice, says Carole Birtwhistle, CRC
Coordinator for the Cambridge Colleges.
“The National Trust has developed an
energy map for its properties showing
the kind of technologies they have at
different sites, and I’d like to introduce
something similar for the colleges.” Prime
candidates for inclusion will be Jesus
College’s new ground source heat pump,
photovoltaic installations at Downing and
Homerton colleges, Churchill’s Combined
Heat and Power plant, and Magdalene’s
new staircase sub-metering.
There’s a great deal going on, but
a great deal more needs to be done,
says Simpson: “The target in our Carbon
Management Plan is to reduce our
carbon emissions by 34 per cent by
2020 from a 2005 baseline. It’s a big
challenge.”
lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 9
profile
illustrations by felix bennett
Abuzz about
ecology
Dr Henry Disney’s career as an
ecologist researching flies, midges
and gnats has brought him into
contact with all manner of people
and situations, while his discovery
of new species – and abolition of
others – demonstrates the invaluable
contribution taxonomy still has to
make to science.
10 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
Ulcerating lesions, botched
burglaries and mysterious, blood-sucking
flies – Dr Henry Disney’s passion for an
order of winged insects has taken him
from courtrooms to tropical rainforests,
where his meticulous attention to
detail has solved countless puzzles and
generated a new understanding of an
integral component of the natural world.
Disney graduated from the University
as an ecologist in 1962. Fifty years later,
as a Senior Research Associate at the
University Museum of Zoology, his
enduring fascination with the Diptera
– a large order of two-winged insects
including flies, midges and gnats – and
scuttle flies in particular, continues to
connect him with an incredible range of
people and situations.
Back in the 1960s, Disney was a
medical entomologist at the Dermal
Leishmaniasis Research Unit in Belize,
employed by the Ministry of Overseas
Development.
“The people working in the rainforest
were contracting a parasitic infection
that formed ulcerating lesions on their
skin,” he says. “It was my job to find out
what insect was transmitting this. It
was an unforgettable moment when I
proved that the parasites in a sandfly I
had dissected were in fact Leishmania
mexicana, the cause of the problem.
Within the first 100 years of medical
entomology existing as a science I had
the privilege of discovering a diseasetransmitting vector.”
Disney went on to join the overseas
staff of the Medical Research Council
as the medical entomologist at the
Helminthiasis Research Unit in Cameroon,
where he investigated black flies in
relation to river blindness, before
returning to the UK to run the Malham
Tarn Field Centre and natural nature
reserve in North Yorkshire.
“In Yorkshire they had done a big
insect survey in the 1950s, but they
hadn’t dealt with scuttle flies because
the taxonomy was in such a mess. The
textbooks said they were all muckbreeders, but I didn’t agree. I found one
scuttle fly species parasitising the larvae
of a lesser fungus gnat, and another
preying on slug eggs. So I set out to put
together a complete list of species for the
nature reserve, this time including the
scuttle flies.”
That said, many scuttle flies do breed
in muck – or decaying organic material
to be more precise – and this includes
human corpses. It was their predilection
for dead bodies that led to one species
being nicknamed the coffin fly. Since his
return to the University’s Department
of Zoology, Dr Disney’s expertise has
led him to be involved in high-profile
murder inquiries in which scuttle flies
have provided key evidence leading to a
conviction.
“There was a case in Sussex in 1999 in
which a man broke into an elderly lady’s
house. He killed her and left her on the
floor before working through the house
over the next few weeks, even forging
her signature on cheques to pay the bills
and keep up the pretence that she was
still alive.”
When a species of scuttle fly was
found on the body in the ensuing
forensic investigation, Disney was called
in. “I worked out that the fly eggs had
been laid in July, which conflicted with
the written evidence of the date of death,”
he says.
“This proved that the offender had
been lying. In the end the whole case
hinged on the scuttle flies.”
Dr Disney has also been asked to
identify and comment on specimens
submitted for forensic examination by
trading standards officers, commercial
companies under threat of litigation, and
animal welfare officers.
“I’ve abolished a lot of species and
contradicted a lot of facts in textbooks
about scuttle flies over the years,” he
says. “In the 1990s I got funding to pull
together everything that was known
on scuttle flies, and I published a key to
world genera, and a review of the world
“We now realise
that about 80
per cent of
the species on
planet Earth
are actually
unknown to
science, and
fundamental
taxonomic work
is vital”
literature. I started finding new species in
my own garden – I became an obsessive.”
With the subfamily Termitoxeniinae,
whose highly aberrant females live in the
fungus gardens of termites: “What have
been described as different species of
scuttle fly have, in many cases, turned out
to be the same species at different stages
of their development,” says Disney.
“In one case, I took a sample of
these females – presumed to be various
different species – from a termite nest in
Java. I mounted the flies on microscope
slides and measured the lengths of their
hind femora. When I plotted a graph of
femora length against the lengths of
the developing eggs the flies contained,
there was a perfect correlation. These
different-sized flies were actually the
same species, just growing. To grow,
which is not usual in adult flies, it was
hypothesised that by imbibing juvenile
hormones from the blood of the termites
they were preventing cessation of growth
as adult flies.”
In 1995, the Leverhulme Trust funded
Disney to travel to the Far East to try to
unravel the uncertain and much debated
taxonomy of Termitoxeniinae. “I revised
the taxonomy of the Afrotropical and
the Oriental species. The latter enabled
my Japanese collaborator Dr Munetoshi
Maruyama to identify species found living
in the extreme south of Japan, and to
recognise a whole new genus. This led to
a publication in Entomological Science in
2011 that aroused exceptional interest,
and has just won an award from the
Entomological Society of Japan.”
Dr Disney’s work has led to many
important publications, including the
popular Naturalists’ Handbooks series,
which he started and co-edited with
colleague Dr Sarah Corbet, helping
thousands to undertake field studies and
make accurate identifications across a
whole range of taxonomic groups. He
has also published the only book ever
devoted to scuttle flies, plus a staggering
500 papers on this family of insects.
“Ninety per cent of the flies I work
on are sent to me from other people,”
said Disney. “When people heard I was
working on scuttle flies, they started
asking me to look at specimens they had.”
Through many decades of observations
at the microscope, Disney has become
intimately familiar with the critical
features of the scuttle fly, and his expert
eye now enables him to identify them,
and determine whether they are entirely
new species.
“I greatly enjoy sorting out the
taxonomy to help people with the
publication of novel natural history
data they have obtained,” he says. “For
example, a new species found in Trinidad
whose larvae prey on the eggs of a frog,
and another whose larvae feed on the
pollen stores of a solitary bee in Australia.
At the moment I’m looking at a collection
from ancient forests in England. I’ve
already got three species new to science,
and this is from Britain, which has the
best documented fauna in the world.”
Dr Disney’s work has enabled him
to amass the greatest collection of
slide-mounted scuttle flies in the world
at the University Museum of Zoology.
A staggering 638 of his 1,296 named
species are ‘Type’ specimens, which are of
the highest scientific importance, acting
as the universal references for classifying
and naming species.
“I’m really an ecologist who found that
every question comes back to taxonomy,
because you keep finding things
that aren’t in the literature,”
he says. “When I was
a graduate student
studying ecology at
Cambridge in 1962, I
shared the common
view that taxonomy
was something
the Victorians did.
But in fact we now
realise that about 80 per
cent of the species on
planet Earth are actually
unknown to science, and
fundamental taxonomic work is
vital. The habits of most species
remain unknown, so there is still a
great deal for naturalists to explore.”
lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 11
people
caroline djanogly
Appointments
Dr Beverley Glover has been
appointed Director of the Botanic
Garden. Dr Glover will take up
the post, and the associated
Professorship of Plant Systematics
and Evolution to which she has been
elected, in July 2013.
Dr Glover, currently Reader in
Evolution and Development in the
Department of Plant Sciences, said:
“The Botanic Garden is a central
and much-loved part of both the
University and the wider community,
and I am very much looking forward
to working with the Garden’s highly
skilled and dedicated staff to develop
further the collections, and to ensure
they play their full part in botanical
research and teaching.”
Dr Glover read Plant and
Environmental Biology at St Andrews
University before completing her PhD
in the molecular genetics of cellular
differentiation in the plant epidermis
at the John Innes Centre. She came to
Cambridge first as a Junior Research
Fellow at Queens’, before progressing
from Lecturer to Reader in the
Department of Plant Sciences.
Professor Keith Richards, Chair
of the Botanic Garden Syndicate,
said: “Beverley is well known to
everyone in the Garden, having
served on the Syndicate for ten years,
and has already made many highly
valued contributions to its outreach
programme and its integration into
University teaching.
“Her own interdisciplinary
work will help to strengthen the
Garden’s research role and build on
relationships with the Department
of Plant Sciences, the Sainsbury
Laboratory and the Cambridge
Conservation Initiative.”
Mr Tim Knox will succeed Timothy
Potts as Director of the Fitzwilliam
Museum when he takes up the post
in April.
Mr Knox is currently Director
of the Sir John Soane’s Museum in
London where he has been since
2005. He studied History of Art at the
Courtauld Institute of Art, and was
appointed Assistant Curator at the
Royal Institute of British Architects
Drawings Collection in 1989, moving
in 1995 to the National Trust as its
Architectural Historian, becoming
Head Curator in 2002.
The Fitzwilliam Museum has
enjoyed record-breaking visitor
numbers in recent years, with
critically lauded exhibitions including
Vermeer’s Women and The Search for
Immortality: Tomb Treasures of Han
China drawing tens of thousands
of extra visits to these and the
permanent collections.
Mr Knox said: “I am extremely
pleased and proud to be appointed
the next Director of the Fitzwilliam
Museum.
“The museum and the other
collections of the University play
an important role in the cultural
enrichment of the University, the
city of Cambridge and its surrounding
area – and indeed of the nation as
a whole.”
Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir
Leszek Borysiewicz said: “Tim Knox
has a tremendous reputation as a
museum director. He has shown at
the Soane Museum a sensitivity to
the legacy of the founder coupled
with a creative vision.
“I am delighted that he will
bring these abilities to bear at
the Fitzwilliam.”
12 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
Professor Didier Queloz, one of
Europe’s leading experts on planets
located beyond the Solar System, has
been appointed Professor of Physics
at the Cavendish Laboratory.
Professor Queloz said: “I
am delighted to be moving to
Cambridge. It is a real honour for me
to join a University that has been the
home and source of inspiration to so
many great scientists.”
Extra-solar system planets, or
exoplanets, were first detected by
Professor Queloz and his colleague
Michel Mayor in 1995. Since then,
more than 800 exoplanets have been
discovered.
Professor James Stirling, Head
of the Department of Physics, said:
“We are delighted that Didier will
be joining us as a professor in the
Cavendish Laboratory. We have
made a very considerable investment
in experimental astrophysics in
recent years, including a brand new
building to house our astrophysics
group. Didier’s appointment will
open up a new strand of research
in one of the most exciting areas of
modern astronomy, and will build
on the expertise we already have
in instrument development, star
and planet formation, atmospheric
chemistry, planetary geophysics and
climatology.
“It will also further cement links
with our colleagues in the Institute
of Astronomy and the Department
of Applied Mathematics and
Theoretical Physics, and help
maintain Cambridge and UK
leadership in fundamental science.
Professor Queloz will maintain a
part-time connection with the
University of Geneva.”
Professor Ottoline Leyser has been
named as the new Director of the
Sainsbury Laboratory.
Professor Leyser, formerly
Associate Director of the Laboratory
and also Professor of Plant
Development at the Department of
Plant Sciences, said: “This is a really
exciting time to be a plant biologist.
We have an impressive array of
tools and technologies to make
rapid progress, and the Sainsbury
Laboratory will be at the forefront
of a new integrative approach to
understanding biological systems.”
Professor Leyser received her
BA and PhD in Genetics from the
University of Cambridge. After
postdoctoral research at Indiana
University and Cambridge, she built
an independent research programme
at the University of York, where she
worked from 1994 until 2010.
She was appointed a CBE in
the 2009 New Year Honours list,
is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a
Foreign Associate of the US National
Academy of Sciences and a Member
of the European Molecular Biology
Organisation.
Professor Sir David Baulcombe,
Regis Professor of Botany and
Chair of the Sainsbury Laboratory
Management Board said: “We
warmly welcome the appointment of
Professor Leyser to the Directorship
of the Laboratory.
“She has worked in partnership
with inaugural Director Professor
Elliot Meyerowitz to establish
the Laboratory and recruit the
founding group leaders. We look
forward to her continued work in
developing research, recruitment and
collaborations.”
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HOUSES TO RENT (UK)
➔ Butley, Suffolk
Comfortable, spacious, well
equipped cottage with piano
in Butley, Suffolk. Available for
Aldeburgh Festival, weekends and
short breaks throughout the year.
Close to Orford, Sutton Hoo, Snape
and Minsmere. Sleeps up to eight.
Phone Miranda on (01223) 357035
or email info@butleycottage.
co.uk. More information at www.
butleycottage.co.uk.
➔ Cornwall
Traditional granite cottage in
peaceful countryside between St
Ives and Penzance. Sleeps five in
three bedrooms, with comfortable
sitting room, kitchen-breakfast
room and bathroom. Sunny garden
and off-road parking. Close to
beaches and coves, coastal path,
sub-tropical gardens, historic
properties. Email Penny on pb29@
cam.ac.uk or phone (01638)
507192. Details and photos at www.
tinminerscottage.co.uk.
HOUSES TO RENT (OVERSEAS)
➔ Algarve, Portugal
Spacious, family owned apartment,
sleeps up to five in idyllic village.
Private patio and roof terrace with
shared pools. Picturesque beach five
minutes walk. Restaurants within
village. Tennis, golf, water parks
and shopping close by. Faro airport
45 minutes. Stunning and quiet
location. Short and long breaks
available. Email Helen.floto@gmail.
com, phone 01954 267291 or visit
www.holiday-home-rentals.co.uk
(property 4995).
➔ Amalfi Coast, Italy
Small B&B in peaceful, traffic-free
mountain village above Positano.
Ideal for those seeking a quiet
mountain retreat with modern
conveniences. All rooms ensuite
with panoramic sea views of the
Amalfi coast. Situated on famous
Sentiero degli Dei (Footpath of
the Gods). English speaking host.
Double room and breakfast from
65 euros per night. Easyjet flights to
Naples from Stansted. Phone Penny
Marrone on 01954 210681. Further
information and photos at http://
ninobb.moonfruit.com.
➔ Carry le Rouet, France
Large, comfortable flat in famous
Côte Bleue resort of Carry-le-Rouet,
close to the Camargue, Marseilles
and all Provencal places of interest
such as Arles, Avignon, Aix-enProvence and St Rémy-de-Provence.
Seafront, beach and coves within
100 metres. Excellent for swimming,
snorkelling, scuba diving, sailing,
walking and cycling. Twenty
minutes from Marseilles airport and
30 minutes from Marseilles TGV
station. Sleeps six. Private parking.
WIFI network. Contact Anita Ogier
on [email protected].
➔ Hydra, Greece
Historic 1810 mansion lovingly
restored by family of original
owners and converted into a
beautiful boutique hotel. Located
on a car-free island opposite the
Peloponnese and only 200 metres
from the port (where sea taxis to
beaches and coves can be taken).
Cafes and restaurants a short
walk away, although the house
is situated in a quiet area with
courtyards, garden and veranda
with lovely views. High-quality
suites/rooms with authentic
furnishings. Jacuzzi/internet
available. Email info@cotommatae.
gr or visit www.cotommatae.gr/enus/home/cotommatae-hydra.
➔ Languedoc countryside
Historic village house in beautiful
Languedoc countryside, with
spring-fed lake, river swimming,
walks, Cathar castles, markets
and vineyards close by. Stylishly
renovated, with panoramic views
of Corbières hills from roof terrace;
use of garden. Sleeps four or five
with two bedrooms, bathroom and
ensuite; state-of-the-art kitchen;
separate dining and living rooms.
40 minutes from Carcassonne
airport. Car essential. Available now
for short (€550-€750) and long lets.
Email [email protected]
for more information or visit http://
www.corbiereshouse.com/index.
php/contact.
➔ Nice, France
Quiet apartment near the
Promenade des Anglais and city
centre. It is in the ‘Musicians’ area’
on the fourth floor, accessed
by lift. Sleeps two, with living
room, bedroom with double bed,
separate, fully equipped kitchen,
modern bathroom, separate w/c,
small balconies front and back. Price
per week, including linen, £350
October to March, £400 April, May,
September, £450 June to August.
Contact Robin Spence on rjs2@cam.
ac.uk or 07808932943.
➔ Paris
Paris flat to let Rue Chanzy, 75011.
Nicely furnished in the heart of
lively 11eme close to Bastille (metro
Charonne et Faidherbe Chaligny).
Excellent local shops, restaurants,
cinemas and transport throughout
Paris. Bedroom, bathroom, semiopen plan kitchen, sitting room
with sofa bed, TV and internet.
Third floor of well-maintained 1930s
building with concierge and lift. Suit
couple or individual. Minimum onemonth let. Contact Jenny.zinovieff@
gmail.com or phone 07801268820
for rates. Visit http://www.flickr.
com/photos/parischanzy.
➔ Provence
Le Mazet des Cypres is a beautifully
restored stone farmhouse that
sleeps eight with spectacular views
of Mont Ventoux and the Vaucluse
hills. Surrounded by vineyards
in a quiet location the house
has four bedrooms, three bath/
shower rooms and an 11-metre by
five-metre swimming pool. Close
by are the ancient and picturesque
cities of Avignon, Orange, Aix-enProvence, Nimes and Arles. Email
Sarah Banbery at sjb258@emma.
cam.ac.uk or visit http://www.
lemazetdescypres.co.uk/.
➔ Slovakia
Timber cottage deep in unspoilt
forests, a good place for walking
holidays, bird watching and fishing.
The peaks within three miles are
higher than Snowdon or Table
Mountain. Walk for miles above
an altitude of 1,000m along the
long-distance European walking
trails E3 and E8. Hiking maps
provided in the cottage. Cottage
sleeps four to six people with prices
between £350 and £450 per week.
Phone 01844 339754 or visit www.
SlovakiaHolidays.org.
SERVICES
➔ Purchasing exhibition
Procurement Services will be
holding the Annual Purchasing
Exhibition 2013 – Future-proofing
Procurement in the University
– from 10am to 2.30pm on
Wednesday 27 February 2013 in
the Large and Small Examinations
Halls, New Museums Site. For more
information on how to register
visit http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/
offices/purchasing/events/.
➔ Lovely food, sensible prices
The University Social Club (USC) in
Mill Lane is the ideal place for lunch
and to unwind after work. It boasts
real ales, delicious, affordable food
at lunchtime, and snooker, pool,
darts and table tennis. The club
has function and meeting rooms
available for hire, and is open to
all University staff, students and
affiliates. The USC is open from 12
to 2pm and 5pm until 10.30pm
Monday to Friday. Various dancing
classes (salsa, tango and ceroc) are
held most week nights. For further
information phone 38090 or email
[email protected].
➔ Bottisham Garage
Friendly, independent garage
servicing all makes and models
of car. MOT tests, diagnostics,
brakes and tyres all catered for.
Free courtesy car by arrangement.
10 per cent discount on labour
to University card holders when
mentioned at time of booking. Free
MOT test last Thursday of every
month. Phone 01223 811666 for
appointments.
➔ Wine tasting
Cambridgeshire Wine School runs
Wine tasting evenings and courses
in central Cambridge. We do not sell
wine (we choose from local retailers)
and our courses and events are
suitable for everyone – from the
beginner to the enthusiast. We
hold single evenings focusing on
particular regions of the world, an
eight-week ‘world tour’ (save £30)
and Saturday courses (including
two-course lunch and Champagne).
We also arrange events for private
groups. Book online at www.
CambridgeshireWineSchool.com.
VOLUNTEERS
➔ Coton Countryside Reserve
Cambridge Past, Present & Future,
the local charity that champions
enjoyment of green spaces and
sustainable development of the
city, is looking for people to help
out at the Coton Countryside
Reserve. Volunteers help shape
and maintain the reserve, with
assistance conducting wildlife
surveys, practical conservation
tasks and research on the history
and archaeology of the site of
particularly high importance. To
find out more about volunteering,
call (01223) 243830 or visit http://
cambridgeppf.org/volunteering.
shtml.
➔ Help with professional skills
Cambridgeshire ProHelp has
relaunched for professionals
committed to making a difference in
their local community by providing
free advice and expertise. Expertise
from marketing and businessplanning, to architecture and law
is sought. Volunteering can be a
great way to develop skills while
benefiting the community. If you
are interested in finding out more,
please visit http://www.bitc.org.
uk/east_of_england/programmes/
prohelp/.
➔ Local charity seeks trustees
The trustees of Cambridge United
Charities manage 29 almshouses
in the city, administer grants to
local people in need of financial
help and support organisations
working with young people. Would
you consider joining us? If you
have an interest in housing for the
elderly, experience of property
or investment management, or
practical concern for the welfare of
others, we would like to hear from
you. For further information phone
Chairman of Trustees Philippa
Slatter on (01223) 701733 or visit
www.cambridgeunitedcharities.org.
➔ Blood cell study
Would you like to help with a
research project? Are you male,
aged 45-75 or female, aged 45-75?
We are seeking volunteers to help
us with a research project looking
into how specific white blood cells
behave in the body. If you are a
healthy volunteer or have asthma,
and would like to help, please
contact Ros Simmonds, Research
Nurse on (01223) 762007 or 07525
803785 for further information. You
will be compensated for your time
and inconvenience.
OTHER NOTICES
➔ Private vocal tuition
I am a classically trained soprano
with several years experience
in teaching music. I teach vocal
students of all levels, music
theory and dictation/solfege. All
lessons held at my studio in the
King’s Hedges area of Cambridge.
Beginners welcome. Please contact
Bonnie Cooper at bmcambs@gmail.
com or bonniecoopersoprano.com
to enquire about lesson availability
and rates.
➔ Connect with your voice
Singing lessons from a
knowledgeable and experienced
professional teacher and performer.
Learn how to build your instrument
and develop a reliable technique
that will allow you to connect with
your voice and express yourself
musically. For more information
and for lesson rates please contact
Charbel Mattar on 07980 621704 or
email [email protected].
➔ Rowers needed
Interested in rowing? Want to get
back on the river after a break?
Fancy coxing men’s or women’s
crews? X-Press Boat Club can help
you. We are a friendly town club that
welcomes adult rowers and coxes
of any ability, from beginners to
experienced competitors. We row in
most categories (single, pair, double,
four and eight) and regularly
compete successfully on the Cam
and elsewhere. Email enquiries@
xpressbc.org.uk or visit www.
xpressbc.org.uk.
The University of Cambridge
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lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 13
prizes, awards and honours
Awards
➔ Dr Duncan Bell (Department of
Politics and International Studies) and
Dr Sujit Sivasundaram (Faculty of
History) have won Philip Leverhulme
Prizes, awarded “to outstanding
scholars who have made a substantial
and recognised contribution to their
particular field of study, recognised
at international level, and where the
expectation is that their greatest
achievement is yet to come”.
➔ Dr John Coates was shortlisted for the
2012 Wellcome Trust Book Prize for
The Hour Between Dog and Wolf.
➔ Professor Alastair Compston,
Head of the Department of Clinical
Neurosciences, has been elected
to the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Election to the IOM is considered one
of the highest honours in the fields of
health and medicine, and recognises
individuals who have demonstrated
outstanding professional achievement
and commitment to service.
➔ Professor Dame Athene Donald
has been appointed a member of the
Scientific Council, the governing body of
the European Research Council. The term
of office runs until the end of 2013 when
the European Union Seventh Research
Framework Programme ends.
➔ Professor Henry Elderfield of
the Department of Earth Sciences
has been awarded the 2013 VM
Goldschmidt Award, the premier
medal of the Geochemical Society. The
award recognises major achievements
in geochemistry or cosmochemistry
consisting of either a single outstanding
contribution or a series of publications
that have had great influence on
the field. Professor Elderfield is
acknowledged for his wide-ranging
contributions to marine geochemistry
and paleoclimatology. The award
will be presented at the Goldschmidt
Conference in Florence in August.
➔ Professor David Ford, Founder and
Director of the Cambridge Interfaith
Programme, has been honoured with
the Coventry International Prize for
Peace and Reconciliation. The peace
prize is an annual accolade that was
relaunched in 2010 to commemorate
the 70th anniversary of the Coventry
Blitz. It honours initiatives, organisations,
individuals or projects that have made
an exemplary contribution in the areas of
peace, reconciliation and campaigns for
social and environmental wellbeing.
➔ Professor Daan Frenkel, Head of
➔ Dr Eric Miska is the 2013 winner
the Department of Chemistry, has
been elected an Associate Fellow
of the Academy of Sciences for the
Developing World. The honour has
been made in recognition of his
outstanding contribution to science
and its promotion in the developing
world. The academy is an autonomous
international organisation whose mission
is to promote scientific capacity and
excellence for sustainable development
in the developing world.
➔ Professor Stephen Hawking has
been announced as recipient of a Special
Fundamental Physics Award of $3m for
his discovery of Hawking radiation from
black holes, and his deep contributions
to quantum gravity and quantum
aspects of the early universe. The
Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation is
a not-for-profit corporation established
by the Milner Foundation and dedicated
to advancing knowledge of the universe
at the deepest level by awarding annual
prizes for scientific breakthroughs, as
well as communicating the excitement
of fundamental physics to the public.
Professor Hawking said: “I’m delighted
and honoured to receive a special
prize for fundamental physics. No one
undertakes research in physics with the
intention of winning a prize: they do so
for the joy of discovering something that
no one knew of before. Nevertheless,
prizes like these play an important
role in giving public recognition for
achievement in physics. They increase
the stature of physics and interest in it.”
➔ Miss Katherine Hughes, Girton
Fellow in Veterinary Medicine, has
been awarded the Royal College of
Pathologists’ Gold Research Medal
for her entry covering the specialty
of veterinary pathology. The medal is
awarded for the best original research
undertaken across the College’s various
specialties and published between 30
June and 1 July.
➔ Dr Robert Macfarlane (Faculty of
English) is to chair the judging panel
of the 2013 Man Booker Prize. Fellow
judges are biographer and critic Robert
Douglas-Fairhurst, author, broadcaster
and classicist Natalie Haynes, writer
and critic Stuart Kelly, and broadcaster
Martha Kearney. The longlist of
authors will be announced in July
this year, followed by the shortlist in
early September. The winner will be
announced at an awards ceremony at
London’s Guildhall on 15 October.
of the British Society for Cell Biology
Hooke Medal, awarded each year to
an outstanding UK cell biologist who
has been working as an independent
research scientist for less than 10 years.
➔ Professor Andrew Pitts of the
Computer Laboratory has been made a
Fellow of the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM) for his contributions
to the theory of programming language
semantics. The ACM Fellows Program
was established in 1993 to recognise and
honour outstanding ACM members for
their achievements in computer science
and information technology, and for
their significant contributions to the
mission of the ACM. The ACM Fellows
serve as distinguished colleagues to
whom the ACM and its members look for
guidance and leadership as the world of
information technology evolves.
➔ Margaret Scott Robinson,
Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at
the Cambridge Institute for Medical
Research, has been elected to the
Fellowship of the Royal Society.
➔ Dr Chris Smith of the Naked Scientists
won the Society of Biology’s 2012 Science
Communication Award for established
researchers. The awards recognise
and reward outreach work carried out
by biologists to inform, enthuse and
engage the wider community, including
schoolchildren, patients and the general
public. Sue Thorn, Chair of the judging
panel, said: “Chris works to bring
science to a wide audience of different
backgrounds in the UK and abroad. His
approach is always innovative and makes
science appealing to new audiences.”
➔ Dr Marcella Sutcliffe was awarded
the 2012 Scouloudi Historical Award for
her forthcoming monograph Victorian
Radicals and Italian Democrats: a Long
Connection, which will be published
within the Royal Historical Society’s
Studies in History series. Dr Sutcliffe
works in the Faculty of History as AHRC
postdoctoral research associate on
the project Active Citizenship, Public
Engagement and the Humanities: the
Victorian Model.
➔ Professor David Watkin, Emeritus
Professor of the History of Architecture,
has been announced as the winner of
the Henry Hope Reed Award for 2013.
The award is given by the University
of Notre Dame to an individual who
has supported traditional and classical
architecture through writing, planning
and promotion.
14 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
Professor Henry Elderfield
Dr Robert Macfarlane
Professor Margaret Robinson
Dr Rowan Williams
prizes, awards and honours
➔ Dr Rowan Williams, the former
Archbishop of Canterbury, has been
made a life peer. He takes the title
Baron Williams of Oystermouth in
the City and County of Swansea. Lord
Williams was admitted as Master of
Magdalene in January during a short
ceremony witnessed by Fellows, junior
members and staff of the College. He
said: “I am delighted and honoured to
be joining the College as Master. My
first priority is to get to know this richly
varied community, and to work with its
members to keep the College a place of
warmth and cooperation, challenge and
excellence.”
➔ Three academics from the Department
of Engineering have been awarded
fellowships of the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). They
are Professors John Robertson (Solid
State Electronics and Nanoscale Science
Group), Phil Woodland (Machine
Intelligence Laboratory) and Nick
Kingsbury (Signal Processing and
Communications Group). The IEEE is the
world’s largest professional association
dedicated to advancing technological
innovation and excellence for the benefit
of humanity.
New Year Honours for Cambridge academics
Three Cambridge academics were
named in the New Year Honours list.
Professor Frank Kelly, Master of
Christ’s, is awarded a CBE for services
to mathematical sciences; Professor
Mary Beard of Newnham receives
an OBE for services to classical
scholarship, and Professor Janet
Todd, President of Lucy Cavendish,
an OBE for services to higher
education and literary scholarship.
Speaking after the announcement
Professor Beard said: “This is
delightful and flattering. While I
am not sure I believe in the British
Empire, I do believe in Classics, and
so long as people can get any kind
of award for services to classical
scholarship, I’m over the moon.
Whatever I’ve been able to do for
Classics over 25 years has been with
the amazing collaboration of all my
mates in the Classics Faculty. It’s an
unrivalled place to study Classics and
I’ve been very lucky to be here.”
Professor Todd said: “I am pleased
Professor Janet Todd
Professor Frank Kelly
by this award. Along with other
scholars, I’ve devoted a lot of my life
to the study of past women writers
who were largely ignored when I
began, so I’m delighted that this
aspect of my professional career
has been honoured. I’m also glad
that the award has come while I’m
President of Lucy Cavendish. We’ve
just celebrated the 40th anniversary
of women’s entry into Cambridge
men’s colleges but, although great
strides have been made, equality
of opportunity still has not been
achieved, and I believe there remains
a place for women’s institutions”.
Also honoured were Cambridge
businessman Dr David Cleevely,
Founding Director of the Centre for
Science and Policy, who is awarded
a CBE for services to technology
and innovation, and Sherry Coutu,
the angel investor who sits on the
University’s Finance Committee,
who is awarded a CBE for services to
entrepreneurship.
lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter | 15
back page
The worm that
turned east
The contents of Crusader latrines are helping researchers
probe the history of parasite infections in humans
When the crusaders of the Order of
St John first built a 35-latrine toilet
complex in the medieval city of Acre,
they could scarcely have considered that
researchers would be sifting through its
contents 900 years later. Yet the 13thcentury latrine soil is providing another
chapter in understanding the long
history of our relationship with intestinal
parasites.
Biological anthropologist Dr
Piers Mitchell of the Department of
Archaeology and Anthropology has
been extracting sediment derived
from decomposed faecal material and
analysing it under the microscope. Long
after the many types of parasite have
perished, their tenancy in the intestine of
their human host can be deduced by the
presence of their eggs, now hundreds or
even thousands of years old.
There is a growing body of research
worldwide that attests to the fact that
parasitic worms have been uninvited
guests of the human intestine for
millennia. It’s a relationship that is still as
strong as ever: today, 740 million people
in the tropics have human hookworm
according to estimates by the World
Health Organization.
One aspect that has captured the
attention of researchers is the ability to
trace ancient human migrations through
the parasites they took with them –
for instance, the sequential waves of
peopling of the Americas has been timed
through the hookworms the migrants
took with them from Asia.
Such research also provides an
opportunity to look back to when and
how parasites came to cause disease
in humans.
“We can then understand what impact
these infections have had, and will
continue to have, upon our evolution,”
explains Mitchell.
Viewed collectively, the Crusades were
arguably the greatest migration event
that took place in medieval Europe. In
the 12th and 13th centuries, hundreds
of thousands of Europeans travelled to
the eastern Mediterranean on military
campaigns, pilgrimage and trade.
“The Crusades are often blamed for
the spread of disease during the medieval
period,” says Dr Mitchell. “But only limited
research has investigated which diseases
might have been spread, in which
direction, eastwards or westwards, and
what impact this may have had upon the
endemic patterns of disease.”
Latrine analysis
When Dr Mitchell analysed the crusader
latrines, he was able to identify the
eggs of roundworm, whipworm, beef/
pork tapeworm, dysentery and fish
tapeworm. The latter is of particular
interest. “Fish tapeworm is found
in northern Europe where it
infects humans when they
eat salted, smoked or
dried fish: it’s not found in
the Middle East, probably
because the environment
doesn’t seem to support the
lifecycle of the worm,” he explains.
“We were able to confirm that
the parasite was not there before
the Crusades. We believe
the crusaders brought
the parasite with them
when they travelled to the
eastern Mediterranean with fish
tapeworms in their intestines. This
is a great example of how migrations in
the past can move diseases around the
planet. Sometimes they take hold there
16 | lent term 2013 | UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE Newsletter
and become endemic, and sometimes
they don’t.”
Dr Mitchell now plans to extend
his research even further back in time,
focusing on the wider Fertile Crescent
– a region that stretches from Jordan to
Iran. Some of the earliest civilisations
developed here as long as 10,000
years ago.
“There are theoretical arguments
that when our ancestors were hunter
gatherers perhaps they had fewer
parasites because they kept moving.
Once they settled and lived in the
same places, did that make them more
predisposed to reinfecting themselves
with their parasitic diseases?”
His new research will trace the
history of parasitic infections in
the Middle East
from 9,000 BC
until Roman
times, and will ask
such fundamental questions
as: when did intestinal parasites first
become common in humans? Did the
introduction of farming practices such
as irrigation expose people to new
species of parasite? And even, what
impact did the invention of the humble
toilet seat have on public health?
“Migrations of the
past can move
diseases around
the planet”