Lucy Cavendish Star - issue 2

LUCY CAVENDISH

EDITION TWO | SPRING 2018

STAR THE NEWSLETTER FOR LUCY CAVENDISH COLLEGE

Rugby Winners Our rugby captains lead Cambridge to victory at Varsity 2017.

Sarah Sands Meet our new Honorary Fellow, Editor of Radio 4’s Today programme.

Dr Emma Liu Find out how our new Research Fellow is using pioneering technology in volcanoes.

Hong Kong visit A report by our Development Director on a trip to meet alumnae.

Alumnae news Read about the latest awards, publications and prizes for our impressive alumnae.

WELCOME When we launched this new magazine last year, we could not have predicted such positive feedback from our readers. Thanks for your ongoing support and your submissions!

This second issue of The Star introduces a few new faces including our new Honorary Fellow, Sarah Sands. Our cover photo and research feature introduce new Research Fellow Dr Emma Liu, an expert in volcanoes. We have also continued with some of the popular features from the last issue, including “Elevenses with”, this time interviewing alumna and Hall Manager Kate McCombe.

We often find that our most popular stories are about our new undergraduates. People love to hear about their backgrounds and about their first experiences and interests when they arrive here in Cambridge. We never know whom we are going to meet when the next Michaelmas Term comes around, and this year has been full of great surprises. Our new undergraduates and graduates have thrown themselves into the Cambridge experience from the outset, sharing blog posts, hijacking Instagram, joining sports clubs and volunteering for positions on the Students’ Union. You can read a few of these stories on page three.

Our Development Team has changed a little since our last issue.

Many readers have been in touch to express their congratulations to new Development Director (previously Head of Fundraising) Jo Ryan. We are also delighted to keep Tom Dawson in the team, now promoted to the role of Development Officer. Returning to Lucy Cavendish as Development Assistant is Gemma Coombs, a face that some people might recognise as a former Assistant Domestic Bursar (nee Beevers). If you haven’t met our new ‘dream team’ yet, please come and say hello the next time you're in Cambridge.

As Communications and Marketing Manager for the College, I can’t resist an opportunity to advertise our website and social media channels as a quick way of keeping up to date with our news (details on the back page). Please stay in touch and let us know about your successes, so that we can share them with an ever-supportive College community.

We do hope you enjoy reading this publication, and would welcome any suggestions about what you would like to see included next time.

Meet our new ‘dream team’ in the Development Office!

Contents Page 3

Student News and Elevenses with our Hall Manager, Kate McCombe

Page 4

Interview with Honorary Fellow, Sarah Sands

Page 6

Interview with Research Fellow, Dr Emma Liu

Page 8

An update on The Anna Bidder Society

Page 9

Report on a visit to Hong Kong

Page 10

Alumnae News

Page 12

Upcoming events and ways to stay in touch

Contributor: Rachel Hill Kate Coghlan, Editor

Photographs: Kate Coghlan, Katherine O’Shea

Krc36@cam.ac.uk

Design: Cameron | Print: Ciconi

02 | Lucy Cavendish STAR | edition 2

STUDENT NEWS OUR RUGBY CAPTAINS LEAD CAMBRIDGE TO VICTORY AT VARSITY 2017

Elisabeth said:

Two consecutive captains of the Cambridge University Women’s Rugby Team Lara Gibson and Alice Middleton, made our College proud when they beat Oxford at the annual Varsity match 2017 at Twickenham on 7 December with a score of 24-0 to Cambridge. Their success was followed by a win from the Cambridge men’s team, making a double victory!

LCCBC ROWS ALONE

Our Boat Club announced plans to row separately from Hughes Hall from now on. The combined Boat Club (HHLCCBC, known more usually as “Hucy”) has retired, and women’s boats from each college will compete independently.

Club President, April Bowman said: “Whilst the women’s team has grown under the joint Boat Club, commanding some impressive places in the bumps and beyond, Lucy is very excited to stand on her own and looks forward to seeing the Hughes ladies on the river!”

The Boat Club is now launching an appeal for contributions to help it grow. Please visit this web page for more details: https://goo.gl/7tC6cD PHD STUDENT WINS PRIZE IN ENGINEERING PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

Lucy Cavendish PhD student Elisabeth Gill has won Second Prize in the annual photography competition held by the Department of Engineering. She won the award for her striking image of micro-scale fibres drawn from a viscous gelatin solution across a 3D printed PLA (Polylactic Acid) support structure – the sparkly material you can see along the top of the image.

“ The sample that is pictured is actually an example of the technique I’ve been developing gone hilariously wrong! What I was aiming for was fibres of uniform size and spacing, that are as small as possible. That sample is a beautiful mess! When I took this microscope photo I was going through a period of PhD doldrums, despite this sample being a disaster I couldn’t help smiling at how otherworldly it looked under the microscope. I’ve since figured out what I had been doing wrong, fixed the problem and am soon submitting a paper I have written on the method. ”

MPHIL STUDENT WINS AFRICAN SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Lucy Cavendish graduate student and mother, Mary Ononokpono, has won a writing competition for her short story Firewater, which will be published in an anthology of emerging African writing called The Short Story is Dead, Long live the Short Story! Mary was born in Calabar, Southern Nigeria and has lived in England since she was seven months old. Her story Firewater draws upon work first started on a ‘life-altering’ return visit to Nigeria in 2012, and it reimagines the transatlantic era from unusual and different perspectives.

Mary said: “Winning this prize is like a Christmas present. I’m still pinching myself over the fact that I’m at the University of Cambridge and I’ve fallen in love with the University Library! This institution is unparalleled. I’m incredibly honoured to be here. My course is fantastic - challenging as it is. As is Lucy which is very much a second home.”

ELEVENSES WITH…

> Kate McCombe, Hall Manager

I was a student at Lucy Cavendish before I started working here, so I feel like part of the furniture! I manage the front of house catering staff, running a range of events – weddings, parties, dinners, conferences. I’m also responsible for the weekly Formal Halls, when we cater for up to 135 academics, students and guests.

Our themed Formal Halls are a lot of fun. Sometimes the theme ties in with an external event, like Burns Night or International Women’s Day, and sometimes the students make suggestions. We have a wedding theme coming up, as well as Harry Potter night – when we last had a Harry Potter theme, the students arranged for an animal sanctuary to bring in owls, snakes and spiders!

At Lucy Cavendish we’re like one big happy family – including the odd disagreement!

I have a daughter who was one year old when I started, so I have to work hard to strike the right balance, but the College have been very supportive.

Being an alumna helps, especially in terms of understanding student issues.

As a student you aren’t always aware of the work that goes on behind the scenes.

The best part of my job (apart from banging the gong to call everyone to dinner!) is the feeling of satisfaction when everything goes well. I have a thank you card I was sent after a birthday party pinned to my wall, to remind me of the positive feedback we receive.

I love it when our guests leave on a high!

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IN CONVERSATION With Sarah Sands The College was pleased to celebrate the induction of Sarah Sands as an Honorary Fellow on 23 November 2017. Sarah Sands is the Editor of Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs show, the Today programme. She trained on The Sevenoaks Courier as a news reporter, before moving to the Evening Standard – initially as Editor of the Londoner’s Diary – and took further posts as Features Editor and Associate Editor. She joined the Daily Telegraph in 1996 as Deputy Editor to assume responsibility later for the Saturday edition. Sarah was appointed the first female Editor of The Sunday Telegraph in 2005. In 2006 she worked as Consultant Editor on the Daily Mail and in 2008 became Editor-inChief of the UK edition of Reader's Digest. She was appointed Deputy Editor of the London Evening Standard in 2009 and became its Editor from 2012-2017. >

Interview by Kate Coghlan (Editor) and Hollie Wells (2nd year, English)

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> I’m extremely honoured to join Lucy Cavendish as an Honorary Fellow, because it’s a place that celebrates perpetual learning. As someone who’s had quite a chequered career, I like the idea that there should always be a second chance.

When I studied at Goldsmiths, we didn’t have fees to pay. I was there during punk rock, which was an exciting time, and I made some very good friends. I went back about a year ago and saw people graduate, and I think it means more nowadays to the students and their families. People see higher education as a privilege, and don’t take it for granted; because they have to make sacrifices, I imagine that they have more purpose, work harder, and get more out of it.

I started out by going into journalism rather than doing a Master’s. You learn about local communities and build a grassroots network on a local paper. You engage with people and learn to strike up conversations with strangers.

There’s a more careless disregard for fellow human beings now: people forget that they are dealing with real lives.

Moving from papers into radio, I’ve had to learn about the technology, and which buttons to press. I also have to balance my competitive instincts with the idea of public service and thinking ‘one BBC’. The Today programme is the nearest radio programme to a newspaper; we cover a lot of ground, from news and politics through to arts.

The team are considered the crack team –

the standards are unlike anywhere else.

Some politicians are scared of the Today programme because the focus is on your voice, and what you say. On television, it’s easier to distract with appearance and body language, and people aren’t listening as carefully. Radio is precise and merciless. We are polite and forensic, and it’s harder for people to be evasive.

This is a place that celebrates perpetual learning

The hours of the Today programme mean that I’m never not working, so I don’t have much free time. I read novels when I can, and have just finished chairing the Women’s Fiction Prize.

Every woman should read Hillary Clinton’s book What Happened.

Feminism has evolved since I was a student.

Things that seemed perfectly normal then

are no longer acceptable. We were too grateful for the opportunities to make a fuss about maternity leave (mine was three weeks!), whereas now people realise that these things matter. There have been huge strides, but the more subtle and insidious prejudices remain. I believe both parents should take equal responsibility for their children, and I think that women still have some way to go in developing selfconfidence. Equal representation is important, as is developing a pipeline of good women in the boardroom. Global engagement gives us shared female solidarity. That’s where social media is helpful.

If there’s another woman in the room, you watch each other’s backs. On the days when we have two female presenters on the Today programme, it has a slightly different feel; perhaps a bit more generous. In an allfemale environment, you stop noticing that people are women.

My advice to students at Lucy Cavendish would be to make the most of your time here.

It’s a wonderful thing to have time to think. For women especially, it’s very important to manage your time well, because you might not always have the space to think in the future.

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Volcanoes > INTERVIEW WITH RESEARCH FELLOW, DR EMMA LIU

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> How do scientists monitor and study the world’s most active but least accessible volcanoes? How can they collect and analyse the samples required to predict eruptions if they cannot get anywhere near to the volcano’s peak? These are conundrums which Dr Emma Liu, Lucy Cavendish’s new Research Fellow, is striving to solve. Working at the forefront of volcanology, in conjunction with colleagues in Earth Sciences and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bristol, Emma is developing cutting-edge drone technology which will enable scientists to measure the gases and metals released by eruptions from previously inaccessible volcanoes.

Following a successful preliminary field trip in February 2017 to test the equipment and carry out proof-of-concept flights, the team returned to Volcán de Fuego and Volcán de Pacaya in Guatemala in October to ‘get the science going’.

They launched unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), mounted with cameras and sensors to monitor temperature and humidity, which flew 2.5 km above the ground to reach the volcano summit, feeding visual and thermal images back to the team, and collecting ash and gas samples from the volcanic plume.

The project is mutually beneficial – the engineers have the expertise in creating optimised aircraft, and the scientists provide a practical application for the technology. The use of drones in science for mapping purposes has taken off over the past couple of years, but the team are among the first to develop drones to carry multiple instruments for in-situ measurements. An important part of Emma’s research is on how to use volcanic gases (CO2, H2O and SO2) to understand what is happening inside the volcano, in order to predict when, and how big, future eruptions will be. She says, ‘Up until now there has been very little gas monitoring of the volcanoes in Guatemala – partly due to lack of resources, but mostly

due to the fact that the volcanoes are so inaccessible. Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) is highly active, producing small explosions multiple times every hour, and large eruptions every three or four weeks. The summit of the volcano is at almost 4,000 m altitude, and it erupts so frequently that it’s impossible to get near enough to take measurements. The regular large eruptions release volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere, putting the one hundred thousand people who live within 10 km of the volcano at high risk. The eruptions also affect aviation, with volcanic ash often forcing closure of the international airport in the nearby capital, Guatemala City.’

‘The ultimate aim is to be able to train local scientists in drone-based research so that they can undertake continuous monitoring in order to predict eruptions. Drones are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and my engineering colleagues are working hard to develop entirely automated flights. We will never be able to stop volcanoes from erupting but we can improve our ability to know ahead of time when they are going to erupt, and likely hazards, so that we can react accordingly.’

It was a visit to Mount St Helens during a family holiday to North America when Emma was six which first piqued her interest in volcanoes. That passion stayed with her throughout her school years, and while she was studying Earth Sciences at Oxford. After gaining her PhD at Bristol, Emma worked in Cambridge as a postdoctoral researcher, before being awarded the Leverhulme Research Fellowship and becoming a member of Lucy Cavendish in October 2017.

Emma says that membership of the College has hugely enriched her Cambridge experience. ‘You never know who you’re going to end up sitting next to at dinner, and so you learn to find ways of communicating what you do and why in accessible terms. I found the College very welcoming right from the beginning – there was no pretence or formality – and being involved in College life (giving research seminars, observing on governing body, helping with postdoctoral events) has been incredibly positive.’

> You can watch a short film about the team’s first trip to Guatemala, narrated by Emma, here: www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/drones-used-toanalyse-ash-clouds-from-guatemalan-volcano

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THE ANNA BIDDER SOCIETY CELEBRATING AND HONOURING OUR LEGATORS

MY LEGACY : ALUMNA HELEN MCCAW

Helen, Boris Johnson & friend, Fleur Hodgkinson

> I arrived at Lucy Cavendish in 1999 to read Economics, a single parent in my early 20s with two young children in tow, having completed three A-Levels on a part-time basis at my local college.

After leaving school at 16, I lived in a converted bus, although I do recall promising that the bus would not be accompanying me to Cambridge (‘We prefer our students to be New Age Travellers before they come to Cambridge!’ was the College line). During my time at Lucy, I received several bursaries – the College did everything it could to enable me to succeed, providing me with nearby family accommodation, paying for my childcare, and even granting me a generous book allowance.

Put simply, the academic, financial and pastoral support I received was excellent.

Even then, Lucy was a forward-looking College that was prepared to give someone a second chance to change their life.

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After graduating, I spent ten years as an Economist at the Bank of England. I am now managing my own global investment portfolio through fascinating and unprecedented economic and political times. Those two small children have grown up – one is studying Maths and Philosophy at Bristol, and the other is a trainee analyst in the financial services industry – but I’ve pressed the repeat button, and now have two more young children, and a husband, too!

I am leaving an unrestricted legacy gift to the College in my will, as well as pledging small regular donations. I feel passionate about Lucy Cavendish – it transformed my life and I want to see it continue to go from strength to strength, transforming the lives of other women through its world-class education.

I feel passionate about Lucy Cavendish – it transformed my life and I want to see it continue to go from strength to strength. . .

> Have you mentioned Lucy Cavendish in your will?

If so, please do let us know so that we can say thank you and include you in membership of the Anna Bidder Society.

Photo: Haydn Hsin

A WARM WELCOME IN HONG KONG > REPORT BY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, JO RYAN

This January the President, Jackie Ashley, and I had the privilege of meeting alumnae and friends in Hong Kong. We received the warmest of welcomes and enjoyed discovering the cultural contrasts that make Hong Kong so unique.

The highlight of our visit was a reception for Lucy alumnae held in the offices of Squire Patton Boggs thanks to the great generosity of alumna Dr Michelle Chen. During the evening, alumnae described what studying at Lucy Cavendish had meant to them and shared their wonderful stories. It was heartening to witness the warmth of the Lucy community so far from Cambridge and we are delighted that an informal Lucy group is now active who plan to meet again after the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Our thanks go to alumnae Teresa Ma and Stephanie Pun for their generous hospitality.

Teresa treated us to afternoon tea with wonderful views over Hong Kong while Stephanie introduced us to a traditional (and delicious) Dim Sum lunch.

We held meetings with colleagues from various educational institutions and government departments. Jackie led a fascinating discussion on Women and Leadership at the British Council where guests included local entrepreneurs and representatives from organisations including the Department for International Trade, The Women’s Foundation, The Hong Kong Standard and GlaxoSmithKline.

While visiting the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Jackie gave a talk on ‘Gender and Destiny’ during which she argued that gender roles and abilities are not predetermined and that culture is a far stronger influence. Faculty members including Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fanny Cheung Founder of the Gender Studies Programme at CUHK students and staff all attended.

Working at Lucy is forever varied and incredibly rewarding, which was vividly brought to life by the visit to Hong Kong.

Our sincere thanks to all the alumnae and friends who made our stay so memorable.

Dr Michelle Chen, Stephanie Ma, Emily Fan, Jackie Ashley, Dr Lakshmi Jacota, Magnus Renfrew, Julianne Doe, Jacquie Chan and Jo Ryan

Members of the British Council of Hong Kong and guests

Professor Fanny Cheung with Jackie Ashley

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ALUMNAE NEWS > DR SARRA ACHOURI NAMED A RISING STAR

Alumna Dr Sarra Achouri (PhD Physics, 2009) founded the company CamBioScience in 2015 to offer intensive training courses in life science technologies to biotechs, pharmaceutical companies and research organisations.

She was recently accepted by The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) for a year of mentoring with the WISE Accelerator program, which promotes innovations and collaboration in education. She was also included in a list of ‘50 Movers and Shakers’ and called a ‘rising star’ in a Biobusiness report, produced by healthcare innovation platform, BioBeat.

> DR PATRICIA ALIREZA BREAKS THE MOULD WITH HIGH-PRESSURE RESEARCH Dr Patricia Alireza (PhD Natural Sciences, 1999) is an experimental physicist working on Quantum Matter in the new Maxwell Centre at the University’s Cavendish Laboratories.

She runs a laboratory investigating the electronic and magnetic properties of materials under extreme conditions of high pressures, low temperatures and high magnetic fields, focusing on superconductivity, as well as developing new techniques for high pressure research. Patricia divides her time between Cambridge, her family home in London, and Pasadena, where she has a lab and small company that manufactures and distributes devices she has developed for Quantum Matter research. She also works with several physics labs worldwide, including in Holland and Hong Kong.

Born in Mexico, Patricia believes that she challenged the norms from an early age, including getting a PhD in spite of never finishing high school! She holds a BA from Occidental College in Los Angeles, a MS in Physics from UCLA and PhD in Physics from University of Cambridge. In 2010, Patricia received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Occidental College.

She said:

I wasn’t into dolls or playing house. I was always trying to figure out how things worked. I always dreamed of becoming a scientist, but marrying young and moving to Saudi Arabia meant that those dreams would have to wait but the desire to study was always there. Lucy Cavendish College suited me because I met other people challenging the norms in their lives too. Women should have the chance to study at any stage in their lives.

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> DR SUZANNE DOYLE-MORRIS IS FINALIST IN THE HERALD’S AWARDS It’s been quite a year for Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris (PhD Education, 1999), who won a continuation of her SMART Award from Scottish Enterprise for her innovation in bringing online games to help managers reduce bias into live and webinar workshops.

InclusIQ Ltd is one of the very few female-led businesses to receive this type of UK technology award. That great news was followed by selection as a Finalist in The Herald’s‘GlobalGameChangers’ award for Woman of Innovation, following a recommendation by a client, the City of Glasgow College.

Come and hear Dr Doyle-Morris’ talk in September as part of the Cambridge University Alumni Festival.

> DR ROSENA ALLIN KHAN SPEAKS OUT ABOUT REFUGEES Dr Rosena Allin Khan (Medicine, 2001) is the Labour MP for Tooting and a former humanitarian aid doctor. She hit the headlines recently when she went to meet Rohingya refugees who have fled violence in Bangladesh. She recorded a film about her experience, and has raised the subject and argued for more aid in Westminster.

We were delighted to welcome her back to College during the Alumnae Weekend last year to participate in a discussion on feminism and the rise of populism.

> DR PU ZHAO AWARDED THESIS PRIZE Alumna Dr Pu Zhao (Earth Sciences, 2011) has been awarded the PANalytical Thesis Prize 2017 for her PhD thesis on Physical Crystallography, submitted two years ago whilst at Lucy Cavendish College. It was called ‘The structure-property relations of zeolitic imidazolate framework 7 for carbon dioxide capture’. Dr Zhao came to Cambridge after her first degree in Chemistry at Fudan University, PR China, and she now works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Oxford.

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UPCOMING EVENTS DATE

EVENT

INFORMATION

> Thursdays during termtime

Formal Hall

Alumnae, Associates and Emeritus Fellows are very welcome to book places for Formal Hall using the new online booking system found here: http://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/alumnae/formal-hall/

> 26 April 2018

Talk: Professor Muthesius on Cross-cultural exchange and the mediaeval world of silk

6-7pm. Strathaird, Lucy Cavendish College.

Please book through the College website.

> 3 May 2018

Talk: The Female Lead by Edwina Dunn

6-7pm. Strathaird, Lucy Cavendish College.

Please book through the College website.

> 16 May 2018

Anna Bidder Research Evening: Genome-WHITE association studies: The lack of diversity in genetic studies by Dr Karoline Kuchenbaecker

6-8:30pm. Reception Rooms, Lucy Cavendish College.

Please book through the College website.

> 7 June 2018

Talk: Mary Sharpe on Internet Pornography and the Adolescent Brain

6-7pm Strathaird, Lucy Cavendish College.

Please book through the College website.

> 15 June 2018

Lucy Cavendish College Garden Party

Please save the date for this event. More details will be available on the College website in due course.

> 21-22 September 2018

University of Cambridge Alumni Festival 2018 Including: • Womens’ Colleges Panel Discussion, hosted by Murray Edwards College • Lucy Cavendish College Alumnae Association AGM • College Community Drinks • Alumnae Dinner with special guest speaker Dame Joan Bakewell

Please save the date for this event. More details will be available on the College website in due course.

> 23-28 September 2018

Lucy Cavendish Creative Writing Course

Writers of all levels of experience, irrespective of gender are eligible to book. The course is fully residential and costs £950 per person. To book, please visit: http://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/events/

> 27 October 2018

Anna Bidder Society Lunch

This event is open to those who have remembered Lucy Cavendish College in their wills. Invitations will be sent in early September.

> Autumn 2017

Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Admission of Female Graduates at the University of Cambridge

Taking place at the Oxford & Cambridge Club, London.

More details will be available on the College website in due course.

WAYS TO STAY IN TOUCH www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk Facebook@LucyCavCollege @lucycavcoll lucycavendishcollege development@lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk