THEFOUNTAIN ISSUE 30 SUMMER 2021 - TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE
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The Fountain Issue 30 • Summer 2021 ‘Reflection’ by keen photographer and final year engineering student Areeg Ashraf Emarah (2017), who features in the Student spot on page 24.
© AREEG EMARAH
3
Welcome from a Fellow Contents
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Summer Issue 30, Summer 2021
2021 edition of The Fountain as the new Senior
REGULARS:
Bursar. I am very familiar to Cambridge from my
student days so I am humbled to return to this 4–5
beautiful city that holds so many fond memories Alumni News
for me.
6–9
This year, we faced unprecedented challenges. I am impressed by how College News
the College has come together as a community. Personal highlights
include the Masters’ welcome to Freshers in Great Court, my virtual 10–11
fireside chat with the students, and meeting many other Fellows A day in the life of Steven Archer
outdoors in the stunning College grounds.
31
One great example of how the Fellowship, students, staff and alumni Cryptic Crossword
have engaged is around the important topic of climate change. This
year, Trinity has committed to net zero in our endowment by 2050 and
32
Events
pledged to divest from fossil fuel securities by the end of the year, which
you can read more about in College News on page 6.
FEATURES:
This summer edition of the magazine is filled with features to update
12–15
you on what has been happening in all corners of the College over
A year alone, together
the last year – and what a year. TCSU President, Serena Cole (2019)
and her predecessor, Ludvig Brekke (2018) tell us how the pandemic 16–17
has affected student lives, and who and what has kept them going. Litmus Project
Three Trinity medics – Dr Laith Alexander (2011), Dr Rupert Beale,
(1996) and Dr Bronya Gorney (1998) – share how they have been 18–22
helping in the fight to conquer COVID and to support those affected. COVID-19: one year in
Head Gardener Tom Hooijenga talks about how he and his team have
managed during the pandemic, and their plans for keeping the College 23
gardens flourishing long into the future. We spend a day in the life of Trinity treasures
new Trinity Sub-Librarian Steven Archer, and Library Graduate Trainee
24
Vicky Gray reveals a treasure from the Wren Library. We also hear from
Student spot:
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen (e1995), who asks if there is a link
Areeg Ashraf Emarah
between autism and the capacity for invention.
25
We hope that you enjoy reading this edition, and please do share your
Alumni profile: Amanda Talhat
news and views with us at alumni@trin.cam.ac.uk.
26–27
Richard Turnill (e2020) A green haven
Senior Bursar
28–30
Autism and Invention
Fountain Magazine 2021 Produced by the Alumni Relations and Design:
Issue 30 Development Office H2 Associates, (Cambridge) Limited
Photography: Front Cover, Reflection. Editor:
Inside Front Cover, Spring, sprung. alumni-comms@trin.cam.ac.uk
Areeg Emarah (2017). www.trin.cam.ac.uk/alumni
4 The Fountain | Issue 30
Civil and structural engineer, Congratulations to Dr Jonathan
Jo da Silva (1985) OBE C M Wan (2014), Academic
received a Damehood as doctor (oncology) at Guy’s
part of the Queen’s New Year and St Thomas’ Hospitals,
Honours 2021 list for services who was selected for Forbes
to humanitarian relief and magazine’s 30 Under 30
international development. Europe 2021 list in the Science
Jo established Arup’s & Healthcare category.
International Development
business in 2007.
Congratulations to Our Trinity in New York alumni
Amanda Dennis group launched on 22 December
(2006) on her debut 2020 with an evening of conversation
novel Her Here, with Stephen Layton MBE (e2006)
published by Bellevue and music from the Trinity College
On 24 October 2020,
Literary Press on Choir. Thank you to Christos
Dr Peter Biar Ajak (2013)
9 March 2021. Koutsoyannis (1998, pictured above)
became the first South
and the rest of the Committee for
Sudanese national to be
making it happen. To join the group
awarded a PhD from the
please visit: www.trin.cam.ac.uk/
University of Cambridge.
alumni/associations
Global Alumni News
5
Su-Mei Thompson On 19 March 2021, Baron Ajit
(1984), Chief Executive Shetty (1965) received an
of Media Trust, was honorary doctorate degree
appointed to the Board from Ghent University’s
of Commissioners of Faculty of Pharmaceutical
the Equality and Human Sciences for his services to
Rights Commission on science and research.
12 November 2020.
The Master, Dame Sally
Davies (e2019) and the
Senior Bursar, Richard
Turnill, joined alumni in
Hong Kong for a special
‘Meet the Master’ event via
Zoom on 22 February. To join
our Trinity in Hong group,
visit the Associations’ web
page: www.trin.cam.ac.uk/
alumni/associations/
Since last summer, Trinity
in Japan has held meetings
via Zoom with Lord Martin
Rees (1960), Professor
Thank you to all the Venki Ramakrishnan
alumni in Singapore who (e2008), Professor Didier
joined The Master, Dame Queloz (e2013) Dame Sarah
Sally Davies and the Worthington QC (e2011),
Senior Bursar, Richard Sir Gregory Winter (1970),
Turnill (pictured above) and Professor Huw Price
via zoom for a special (e2011). Thank you to all
‘Meet the Master’ event the speakers and group
on 10 March, and who Chair, Gerhard Fasol (1978,
made it such an enjoyable pictured above), for providing
occasion for everyone. such a fantastic programme
of events for members!
6 The Fountain | Issue 30
College News
Trinity’s endowment commits to Net Zero by 2050
and divestment from fossil fuels
In February 2021, Trinity announced that it had amended the College’s investment policy to commit to
achieving net zero carbon emissions before 2050, in line with the spirit of the Paris Agreement.
Trinity’s endowment will now have a amount of greenhouse gas emissions The Master, Dame Sally Davies, said the
dual mandate: to continue delivering produced are cancelled out by those new approach was ‘a significant step in
sustainable income growth and to removed from the atmosphere. Trinity’s journey to addressing climate
commit to a significant, lasting and change. This is clearly an issue that
positive impact on improving its The Senior Bursar, Richard Turnill, extends beyond the endowment. The
environmental footprint and achieving said the decision to change Trinity’s World Health Organisation cited climate
net zero before 2050. The move investment policy had been taken change, along with pandemics, as one
includes divestment from all fossil fuel after extensive consultation with of the key global health challenges of
investments in public equities by the Fellows, students, other colleges the 2020s, and we at Trinity intend to
end of 2021. and experts. bring together expertise both within and
beyond the College to play a greater role
The UK government is legally bound ‘We now have an ambitious plan to in further climate change action.’
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions achieve net zero before 2050, which,
by 100% relative to 1990 levels by while challenging, given the nature of For further details on Trinity’s new
2050, in line with the international the endowment’s portfolio, is achievable approach to its investments, and to
2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to and consistent with the College’s watch a short film with the Senior Bursar,
limit global warming to well below 2 income growth objectives. We will move please visit the website:
degrees Celsius, preferably limited to rapidly where we can, starting with www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/trinity-
1.5 degrees, compared to pre-industrial divestment from all fossil fuel exposure commits-to-net-zero-by-2050-and-
levels. ‘Net zero’ is achieved when the in our public equities this year.’ divestment-from-fossil-fuels
© GRAHAM COPEKOGA
Bountiful blossom in the Fellows’ Garden, Spring 2021.
7
Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian co-awarded
2020 Millennium Technology Prize
Trinity Fellow prizes. Sir Shankar and Sir David’s it’s had. We’re so pleased on behalf of
© NATHAN PITT, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Professor rapid genome sequencing technology all the people who’ve been involved in
Sir Shankar has transformed biology and genomic making the technology happen.’
Balasubramanian medicine worldwide and opened up new
(e1994) and pharmaceutical avenues, for example, to Chair of the Millennium Technology
Christ’s Fellow detect cancer ‘signatures’ floating in the Prize Selection Committee, Professor
Professor Sir blood. The technology has also played a Päivi Törmä, said ‘The future potential of
David Klenerman have been awarded vital role in the fight against COVID-19. NGS is enormous and the exploitation
the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize of the technology is still in its infancy.
for ‘their innovation of Next Generation Herchel Smith Professor of Medicinal The technology will be a crucial element
DNA Sequencing (NGS), technology Chemistry at Cambridge and Senior in promoting sustainable development
that enables fast, accurate, low-cost and Group Leader at the Cancer Research through personalisation of medicine,
large-scale genome sequencing.’ UK Cambridge Institute, Sir Shankar understanding and fighting killer
said, ‘This is the biggest international diseases, and hence improving the
The one million Euro Prize, awarded by prize that David and I have received that quality of life.’
Technology Academy Finland, is one of recognises this technology originated
the world’s most prestigious science from Cambridge and the wider impact Read more: www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/
Neil Hopkinson
Boat Race double victory at Ely
Memorial Fund
On 4 April, Cambridge scored a double victory in the Boat Race,
To celebrate the unique contribution
with both the women’s and men’s teams putting in incredible of Trinity Fellow Dr Neil Hopkinson
performances in the nail-bitingly close contests. (1957–2021) to the study and teaching
of undergraduates in Classics at
Cambridge, the Neil Hopkinson
Memorial Fund has been established.
The Fund will support undergraduates
from low-income households, with
a preference for those who have not
studied Greek before.
Dr Hopkinson was a brilliant and
devoted teacher who inspired and
pushed his students to achieve their
utmost, and the fund in his honour will
enable students to pursue their studies
and to fulfil their academic potential. You
can read alumni tributes and discover
more about Dr Hopkinson and the
Fund on the website: www.trin.cam.
ac.uk/alumni/giving-to-trinity/
neil-hopkinson-memorial-fund
Congratulations to Trinity engineering watch a YouTube film of him in action,
© KATIE LAM (2009)
student Charlie Marcus (2018), who and sharing just what it meant to
coxed the men’s boat for the 166th compete in the Race.
men’s race.
boatrace.pocketmags.com/
You can read a pre-race interview with magazine/reader/213514/118
Charlie in the Boat Race magazine to
discover why he was so keen to beat youtube.com/watch?v=YqHdE8X1J6Q
Oxford – mission accomplished! – and
8 The Fountain | Issue 30
Trinity launches two new Year 12 mentoring schemes
The College has this year launched two new mentoring schemes to encourage Year 12 pupils to aspire
to get to university. Launched on 9 March, the Year 12 Mentoring Scheme is designed to combat the
negative consequences of the pandemic on pupils’ learning, and to compensate for support they could
have missed out on.
The pilot scheme offers 20 less-
© GRAHAM COPEKOGA
advantaged students with a strong
academic record the opportunity
to participate in a series of online
mentoring sessions, and to complete
assignments that will enhance
their curriculum knowledge and
understanding of the Cambridge
application process.
Trinity’s Outreach Coordinator, Jon Datta,
who devised the programme, said:
‘We expect the scheme to break down
barriers, both real and perceived, to
selective universities. We want to be
an ongoing point of contact to provide
support for students, who will likely
feel overwhelmed by the effects of the Target Oxbridge participants at Trinity in 2019.
pandemic constraints on their learning.’
heritage participating in subject-specific ‘I love hearing the impact that access
The second new initiative – ‘Track webinars led by Trinity PhD students. work has had on incoming Freshers and
to Trin’– has been created by Trinity There will also be sessions with Trinity’s hope that the mentoring and guidance
students Serena Cole, Elizabeth Outreach Team offering guidance through Track to Trin will bring high-
Beevers and Vanessa Tang (all 2019), about applying to Cambridge. Aware achieving black students one step closer
who have devised a ‘by students, for of the popularity of Target Oxbridge’s to applying and getting into Cambridge.’
students’ mentoring scheme for Year 12 mentoring programme, Serena,
black students, which builds on Target Elizabeth and Vanessa devised the
Oxbridge’s national programme. student-led pilot when they worked To discover more about Trinity’s Access
together on Trinity College Students’ and Outreach programme, visit the new
‘Track to Trin’ will involve a pilot group Union last year. Serena, President of Outreach Hub:
of students of African and Caribbean TCSU for 2021–22, said: www.trin.cam.ac.uk/access/hub-home
Andrew Marvell: 400 years on
© TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE
The 400th anniversary of the birth of poet Andrew Marvell (1621–78)
was on 31 March 2021. To mark the occasion, Senior Research Fellow,
Professor Angela Leighton (e2006) was asked to contribute a poem
about Marvell to a new collection.
In a short film on the website, Professor poem, to a backdrop of birdsong in the
Leighton shares her poem ‘By the tide Fellows’ Garden.
of Humber’, which was inspired by a
line from Marvell’s ‘To his Coy Mistress’. www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/andrew-
You can also enjoy actor Pip Torrens’ marvell-400-years-on
(1978) reading of Marvell’s seduction
9
Celebrating 100 years of the Lt. Charles Vice-Chancellor’s
H. Fiske III Scholarships Social Impact
Award 2021
2021 marks the centenary of the Lt. Charles H. Fiske III Scholarship at Trinity.
Mr and Mrs Charles H. Fiske Jr established the Scholarship in 1921, in memory Forth year engineering student
of their son, who was a member of the Harvard class of 1919. Areeg Ashraf Emarah (2017) has
received the Vice-Chancellor’s Social
Although Fiske passed his entrance Scholarship selection committee Impact Award 2021 for her access
exams to Harvard, he first went abroad member, Robert N. Shapiro (1972) and student support work, and
to travel. When World War I broke out, said, ‘The Fiske Scholarship honors her commitment to the May Week
he abandoned his travels and entered historic ties between Harvard and Alternative (MWA) movement. You
Trinity. In Cambridge he had his first Trinity, has a vibrant presence today can read about Areeg’s incredible
military training in the Reserve Officers’ in both institutions, and now launches work during her time at Trinity in the
Training Corps, and returned to enter into its second century. My Trinity year Student spot on page 24.
Harvard in the autumn of 1915. However, was transformative in many ways,
his student career was interrupted by intellectually and personally – that is
© SIR CAM
his war service, and it was brought to a widely shared experience of all Fiske
an end by his death on the front lines in Scholars. I treasure the friendships I’ve
France in August 1918. made at Trinity, insights I gained, and
ongoing connections I enjoy.’
The Fiske Scholarship provides a year
of study and support at Trinity for a
Harvard graduate in the year after To discover more about the Scholarship
graduation, and is awarded to students visit www.hcs.uraf.harvard.edu
who have been actively engaged in their
academic and extracurricular pursuits,
and who show great promise of further
intellectual and personal growth.
Fiske Scholar 1972–73 and former
Eight Junior Research Fellows join Trinity in 2021
Trinity has appointed eight Junior Research Fellows across the academic disciplines,
all of whom will be joining the College in October 2021.
You can ‘meet’ each of
the Fellows in a series of
interviews on the website,
in which they will be sharing
the focus of their research
and what they are most
looking forward to when they
Dr Naomi Richman Mr Wladislaw Dr Henry Lee-Six Mr Oliver Janzer
join the Trinity community:
for research in Michailow for for research in for research in Pure
Anthropology research in Physics Medical Sciences Mathematics
www.trin.cam.ac.uk/
news/meet-trinitys-junior-
research-fellows.
Mr Rory Gregson for Ms Rita Teixeira Da Dr Daniel Sperrin Mr Benjamin
research in Law Costa for research in for research in Marschall for research
Mathematical Physics English Literature in Philosophy
© CHERYL-SAMANTHA OWEN
10 The Fountain | Issue 30
Q ell us about
T
your background
before Trinity.
our holdings; both of these are really good ways
(and excuses!) for me to engage with materials
in the Library, and I really enjoy that. There is
administrative work to be done too, just to dispel the
For the last 4 years I was
myth that librarians only sit and read books all day!
College Librarian at our
sister college, Christ
Church, Oxford, where I
was only the third person
Q hat do you particularly enjoy about
W
college librarianship and what are
its challenges?
to hold the position in the last 65 years! It was
amazing to be given pretty much free rein to One of the unique elements of college librarianship
totally overhaul the Library’s services and really is having that mix of old and new side-by-side. I’ve
re-integrate the Library as the heart of the academic reached a point where I am a head of department,
community within College. Before that, most of my but am still lucky enough to have some hands-on
experience had been working in Cambridge colleges, work with collections and readers. If I were doing a
as Curator and Digital Projects Librarian in the job at a similar level at the University Library, say,
Parker Library, and as Assistant Librarian at Christ’s. I would be mainly a manager, so I really value still
I also spent several years at the London Library in being involved in pretty much every aspect of what
St James’s Square, becoming Head of Reference goes on. The flip side of this is that you have to be
and managing the busy reading rooms. prepared to switch from working on a provenance
enquiry about an early printed book to helping a
Q What appealed to you about the
opportunity to join Trinity, and to make the
move from ‘The Other Place’?
student get access to an online database, when
suddenly you notice a damp patch in the ceiling
that needs investigating. So it’s a pretty varied role!
This is actually a re-joining of Trinity for me; my
first professional job was here as the Library’s
Graduate Trainee. It was the most amazing start
Q ow have you and the team managed to
H
keep the Library ‘open for business’ for the
Trinity community during the past year?
to a library career, and if you asked anyone who
How has technology helped?
knew me in a professional context, they would tell
you that this job is the one I’d always dreamed of We’ve – amazingly, and with thanks to our
Steven Archer, Trinity Sub-Librarian
doing. When the Sub-Librarian post was advertised colleagues across College – managed to keep the
in the middle of the first lockdown last year, it College Library open to readers since term started
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF
certainly wasn’t the ideal time to be thinking about in October 2020 by reducing the number of seats,
leaving my job in Oxford, or starting a new one and installing the now ubiquitous screens, and having a
although its been challenging, I am so glad I did. one-way system in place. In Lent Term we set up a
I was an undergrad in Cambridge so it feels a bit weekly online reading room session where students
like coming home, and as an ASNaC, having some could ‘come’ to the Library for an afternoon and
of the most significant Anglo-Saxon manuscripts work alongside others. Staff ran the sessions and
stored just metres away from my desk is an were there to answer questions, and co-ordinated
exceptional treat. break times so people could chat with others about
what they were working on and have a sense of that
Q What is your ‘typical’ day as Sub-Librarian?
Overall, I am responsible for supporting the
collective space that the Library would normally give.
work of Dr Nicolas Bell, the Librarian, and for
managing the operational aspects of running the
Q hat support initiatives have you
W
introduced to help students to cope with
the situation?
Library and its staffing. Days haven’t really been
very ‘normal’ so far, but one of my favourite parts We now have a postal loans scheme set up, so
is very first thing when you’re in the Library before those working remotely can order library books to
anyone else. Opening up with the morning sun be sent to them (free of charge), and we have been
streaming through the Wren windows and being in ordering new books to be shipped directly from
that cavernous space all alone is something that suppliers to students at home. We have also been
makes me feel so lucky every day. requesting ebooks for purchase, and sending scans
out of library materials. We are also very aware that
After that, most days at the moment are a fairly the Library has a welfare role to play, so have set up
relentless round of online meetings with the a light reading collection to encourage recreational
greatest excitement being wondering whether it time away from screens, and have a selection of
will be on Zoom or Teams! We get lots of enquiries board games for loan which students can play in
from people wanting to reproduce images from their household bubbles, or jigsaws with stunning
the collections, or to ask research questions about images of Wren items on them.Q Why are libraries so important, now more
than ever?
in the wake of the 10th century monastic reform
movement, which sought to bring standards back
to English monastic life that had slipped somewhat.
Well, I am probably slightly biased here, but they
Inspirational books like this formed part of this
remain, as they have for centuries, as spaces where
movement, and I think its power and symbolism
knowledge can be discovered and explored at the
readers’ own pace. In an increasingly digital world, are just as meaningful some 1000 years later.
they offer a place to come and consult analogue
material to give our screen-tired eyes a break, and
to browse along shelves in a way that just can’t be Q What is your desert island book, and why?
The librarian in me wants to answer this
replicated online. What we are also seeing, perhaps question with a curt one-liner – books and sand
most importantly, is that libraries provide a social don’t mix! If I could bring myself to overlook that, and
space for people to work in; either in a quiet corner, I’m going to sound like an Anglo-Saxon obsessive
or at a table surrounded by others. That sense now, but I think I’d have to take Richard Hamer’s
of being in space designed for study, and where A Choice of Anglo-Saxon Verse (Faber and Faber,
everyone around you is doing the same thing, plays 1970). As a student it was by my side constantly, and
an important role in our increasingly online and now years later, it’s something I can pick up and dip
isolated way of working. into at any time. I’m not a big fan of poetry overall,
but there is just something so sumptuous about the
Q What’s your favourite item in the Trinity
Collection and why?
opening of the elegiac poem The Dream of the Rood
– ‘Hwaet, ic swefna cyst secgan wylle…Hear while
How can I pick just one? The ASNaC in me feels I tell about the best of dreams…’ that it just draws
I must choose something of that ilk, and the so- me in every time. When I started at Christ Church, I
called Trinity Gospels (MS B.10.4) featured heavily learned that Richard Hamer had, in fact, been Fellow
in my Masters dissertation so I feel I know it quite Librarian there for many years and still came to
well; it’s nice to be reunited after several years! It the Library regularly; now knowing the great man
is a stunning example of a manuscript produced himself makes the book even better!
The lavish opening to
the Gospel of Mark
(MS B.10.4).12 The Fountain | Issue 30
A year alone, together
TCSU President Serena Cole and last year’s President, Ludvig Brekke, spoke with Rachel Sweet of ARDO
about the past student year, coping with lockdown, and keeping the community together through it all.
Q How have you stayed motivated and connected?
© SIMON WARRENER
It was easier in the first phase, because everyone was
really trying, so I had lots of calls with my friends, just talking
and playing games. Now in the later phases, it’s more about
keeping structure – taking breaks to go on a walk, or going to
the shop.
Q What have you missed the most?
I’ve missed the student experience, basically, and all the
traditions of Cambridge. My year has missed two May Balls
now – I’m lucky as a medic that I’ll be here for an three extra
years, but for the rest of my year it’s incredibly saddening.
Other things like Halfway Hall, formals, those experiences
Serena Cole (2019, Medical Sciences) that really make friend groups. You can’t just pop round to
someone’s room at midnight to say hi!
TCSU President 2021–2022
Q What has the COVID-19 pandemic looked like for you?
Q Why did you decide to run for TCSU President
this year?
I spent the first lockdown in Nigeria – I’d gone home
I’ve known for a long time that I was interested in it – I
for Easter and ended up spending 6 months there. It was
remember being inspired by the President when I joined Trinity
the longest time my family had really spent in one place, so
as a Fresher. After being the BME Officer on TCSU last year,
we took the opportunity to work on our family unit and on
I didn’t really think about the different challenge of this year
ourselves. I came back to Cambridge for Michaelmas Term,
– the decision to run was more influenced by other people’s
and then spent this last lockdown in London. I’m very glad
encouragement. Having that support from others on TCSU,
I’ve been in different locations over the last year, which I know
even though the job is very different with the pandemic, meant
hasn’t been the experience for everyone.
there wasn’t any doubt in my mind.
Second year medicine is said to be the hardest, and it has
been – our exams were delayed until September which gave
us months to revise, but afterwards we only had a week until
Q How has the TCSU Committee had to adapt?
The perception of TCSU has changed the most as we’ve
the new year started. We’ve had to keep going without much become a much bigger part of the student experience. We
of a break so it’s been hard to keep the motivation up, knowing realised quickly that if TCSU wasn’t putting on events and
I’m in the hardest year and I’m doing it through COVID-19. activities there just wouldn’t be anything happening. Because
© DAVID ROSE
TCSU welcoming the new arrivals in Nevile’s Court. Socially distanced dinner in Hall.13
© DAVID ROSE
The Matriculation picnic lunch hampers were a definite hit.
of this, TCSU is also a much bigger part of Freshers’ lives than you could have 90 people eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts
usual – particularly during Freshers’ Week when they couldn’t and talking – it was a great way to get outside of your room
go out to clubs. It’s been really sad to see that two of the clubs and get people together.
in Cambridge aren’t coming back after lockdown – Cindies
and Fez – but hopefully the nightlife will recover soon! Consistent communication has also been really important,
like the ‘In Trin’ newsletter for students, which has been great
Q What have you learnt about the Trinity Community
and yourself over this year?
for keeping us up-to-date and connected with College. At the
start of the pandemic, we had emails from the Master each
week with stories and encouragement to keep your head
Just how big the Trinity community is. It’s easy to become
up. This continuity of communications and events has been
isolated within your friend group while we can only see six
really important, so it doesn’t just seem like life has stopped
people, but I’ve still been meeting new people throughout the
because of COVID-19!
year. I’ve also been learning how to avoid taking socialising for
granted – it’s really important to make the most of it, try to
learn more about people and reach out as much as possible.
Q How do you feel about being a future doctor?
The pandemic has really brought perspective to the
Q What are you most proud of over the last year?
Definitely Black History Month (October 2020). When
degree – we’re in the theory stage at the moment, so it’s
much more focused on cells rather than being with patients.
With the pandemic though, we can learn something about
I was BME Officer I organised the first Black History Month
the immune system, for example, and then be able to see real
for Trinity, which was a really big deal. I’m really proud that
examples in the news.
it will leave a lasting impact on the College, and that people
enjoyed it, which was the main thing.
Also, as a medic, people expect you to know what’s going on
with COVID-19 and to be able to explain things about vaccines
Q Are there any initiatives over the last few terms
you’ve appreciated?
etc. Often it is material we’ve not covered yet, but that
means it’s an opportunity to keep reading around the course
The Welfare Teas had the biggest impact on me. It really material. It pushes me to keep up-to-date with current events
helped structure the week, and because it was in the marquee and connected with the medical community.14 The Fountain | Issue 30
‘… we were probably better prepared
for this than we expected. Being an
academic, resourceful community,
the students have been great at
making the most of an exceptionally
difficult situation and we should
be proud of how we’ve confronted
the challenges’
Ludvig Brekke (2018, Law) TCSU President 2020–2021
Q What has the last year looked like for you?
When I left Cambridge in March, I went home to my family
Q What was it like being TCSU President?
It was a great experience, although I had little idea of what
in Norway. This definitely wasn’t a bad experience, though it I was getting into! As a committee, we quickly realised that it
was a small shock to lose the independence of university life. would be a bigger time commitment than expected – but that
It was lovely to return to College for Michaelmas, and then I we also had a unique opportunity to do more for our fellow
spent Lent Term back in Norway again – in some ways Lent students. It certainly taught me a lot about time management,
was easier than last Easter because we knew what we’d be collaboration, and coping with difficult situations. We were also
going into, though it was also coupled with the exhaustion that able to work more closely with the College leadership than
we are all feeling at this stage of the pandemic. previous committees – we’ve really dealt with the challenges
as a team and as a community.
Q How have you stayed motivated?
It has been very difficult to maintain consistency over
Q What College initiatives have you appreciated?
the last year – there have been days of complete lethargy and It was fantastic to be a part of Freshers’ Week. It was a
ennui – but also times when motivation has been stronger, logistical nightmare, but through very careful collaboration
knowing you have much more time to focus on your work with College we managed to produce something quite special.
with very few distractions. I also started keeping a diary a few The Freshers were a big part of that – I think they knew that
months back, which has really helped me to focus, keep the they needed to make the most of the opportunity to meet
days from floating into each other, and is probably something people and to get to know the College, so they made an
I’ll continue with. incredible effort.
Q Have you been able to continue with your societies?
TCSU was my main focus last year, especially since
The Alumni Office arranged a marvellous event with TV
and radio comedy producer and writer, John Lloyd (Law,
1970) recently. I knew a little about him beforehand from his
most other societies went into hibernation. This year, I’m on
wonderful Desert Island Discs, but the event exceeded all
the University Challenge team so we’ve done lots of virtual
of our expectations. He was so generous with his time – he
quizzing and practice matches – it’s been great to build that
answered all our questions and really engaged with us. He’s
team relationship for when we go on the show. I’m also looking
a man who’s lived such an interesting life and been through a
forward to playing squash and football again.
lot, and at the event he talked about everything very openly.
Q What have you missed the most?
Like many others, I’ve missed the opportunity to relax Q What have you learnt about the Trinity community
this year?
with friends. When you’re by yourself, it can be difficult to
That we were probably better prepared for this than we
switch off without feeling guilty. That’s much easier with other
expected. Being an academic, resourceful community,
people, whether by having a drink or meal, watching a film, or
the students have been great at making the most of an
playing sports. I’ve also missed the Cambridge experience.
exceptionally difficult situation and we should be proud of how
You’re only at Trinity for a few years, and we’re missing out
we’ve confronted the challenges. I’ve also learnt how many
on formals, bops and balls, sports and society events – even
members of the community will go above and beyond to look
lectures and in-person supervisions – it’s difficult to not get
after the students, such as the Tutors, and our Chaplains,
a bit maudlin when you think about the time and experiences
John and Olga, who have been integral to the welfare of those
you can’t get back.
students who have needed to stay in College.15
© DAVID ROSE
Top left: The amazing catering team have been working so hard to keep us all well-fed.
Top right: Out on the rounds, delivering food packages across College.
Above: The Choir leading a rendition of Danny Boy in Great Court during the Freshers’ welcome was a moving and memorable moment.
Q What are you looking forward to?
Hopefully finding out what I want to do with my life! That’s
Q What will you take away from your time at Trinity?
A huge amount of gratitude. First of all, I’ve loved my
the big concern for most people my age, but since graduation time here, and that appreciation is not going to fade away
is coming up it feels more pressing than usual. I’m also looking any time soon. Also the knowledge that this experience –
forward to seeing what we all learn from the pandemic – I the people I’ve met here, the things I’ve learned, the lessons
hope we’ll emerge more open, attentive and appreciative, both from TCSU – will stay with me for a very long time. I am
of how essential human interactions are to our well-being, and very proud to have been here, and to have been a student
of how fragile the status quo is. Normality is a kind of luxury during this weird time, which has definitely come with its
we had forgotten to appreciate, and I hope this lesson spurs own lessons.
us on to be more proactive and collaborative.16 The Fountain | Issue 30
By Lauren Brown (2014),
Litmus Project Coordinator
Why Trinity’s Litmus schools creative
writing project is so important
When I first heard about the Litmus schools creative writing project through my dear friend and last year’s
brilliant project manager and former Trinity Schools Liaison Officer Terri-Leigh Riley, I was so excited.
As a former Trinity English student and writing, and indeed reading for pleasure,
Trinity Literary Society president-turned- and that’s why I desperately wanted to
writer, journalist and soon-to-be author coordinate this year’s iteration of the
myself, it combined two of my passions: project. I’m so glad admissions tutor
championing underrepresented groups Professor Adrian Poole (1967) has
through outreach work, something I did entrusted me with it.
a lot of when I was an undergraduate
and which I hugely benefited from Founded last year by author Ali Smith,
as a student from a working class the College’s first Senior Fellow
background, and creative writing. Commoner in the Creative Arts, who
wanted to create a ‘writing collective
Of all the gifts studying at Cambridge like no other’, The Litmus Project invites
gave me, learning how to confidently UK students to respond creatively to a
express myself in my own unique voice, theme – in 2019–20 it was ‘in common’,
verbally as well as in writing, has been this year it is ‘the green light’ – and be
by far the greatest. Oftentimes students published on the Trinity website. All
from state schools aren’t given as much of the submissions receive feedback
opportunity to hone these skills as – which was how I contributed to The
their privately educated counterparts, Litmus last year – and in 2019–2020
who broadly have greater access to the number of submissions meant the
activities like debating, and when I team were able to print the majority in
got to Cambridge I struggled at first an anthology, editions of which were
to properly articulate exactly what it signed by Ali and sent to participating
was I wanted to say. I was intimidated students and their schools.
and embarrassed. But as I grew in
confidence, and realised that my accent In 2019 physical creative writing
and linguistic idiosyncrasies were not workshops were held in schools,
only OK but joyously mine, it was like however due to the COVID-19 pandemic
someone had thrown a window open in this year the team – comprising myself,
my mind and let the fresh air flood in. Trinity Outreach Coordinator Jon Datta,
Schools Liaison Officer Lizzie Bowes
Being able to articulate myself has had and volunteer and alumna Sarah Lusack
not only myriad professional benefits (2012) – held and continue to hold
but personal ones too; it’s no secret virtual workshops for students that have
that creative writing, or any form of been hailed as ‘excellent’ and ‘really fun’.
self-expression, helps with mental
health and personal wellbeing. I saw in Even though the deadline for
the Litmus an incredible opportunity to submissions is 1 June, as I write this
© ISTOCK.COM/ MISSTUNI
share this experience with students who in April, we have, incredibly, already
might otherwise never have considered received an unprecedented number17
Lauren (left) with last year’s Litmus Project Coordinator, Terri-Leigh Riley.
of submissions from right across the Jon Datta, Outreach Coordinator,
UK. And while this gives the project a said: ‘The objective of the project for
competitive edge never intended, as the College is to respond to an
we will now have to select which pieces identifiable gap in engagement between
go into this summer’s print anthology, Cambridge and other Russell Group
we’re extremely keen to emphasise that universities with schools in terms
everyone who participates is a winner of English and creative writing; and
and a part of The Litmus. to increase understanding of the
challenges that talented pupils who
Looking to the future, we have an want to read English face in applying The Litmus has been made
exciting collaboration with Cambridge and getting to Higher Education. In a possible thanks to a generous
Literary Festival in the pipeline, a cameo year when the importance of education gift from an anonymous donor.
on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and a and the need to address gaping
new and ever-growing social media inequalities have become clearer than This year’s Litmus was open
presence. We hope to keep growing ever, the aims and achievements of to students in year 9-11 from
this wonderful project, potentially The Litmus Project have taken on a non-fee paying schools, who
expanding it somewhere along the line particular significance. were invited to submit a piece
to include different categories such as of creative writing no longer
short film making, art and more, and to Creativity and emotional intelligence than 500 words responding to
recruit student volunteers and alumni have never been more important and the theme ‘the green light’. All
to write for our blog and participate in we hope, via The Litmus, to foster these information can be found at
future workshops. skills through both the workshops and https://web.trin.cam.ac.uk/
student submissions.’ litmus/ and you can keep
These are our ambitions. And while we up-to-date with the latest
are still in many ways at the genesis of announcements at our twitter
the project, learning what works and page: @litmus_the
doesn’t, what we could change and Lauren’s debut, Hands: An Anxious
what we could build upon, already the Mind Unpicked is out in January 2022 If you are interested in
varied and original work we’ve seen with HarperNorth. contributing to The Litmus
showcased so far is inspiration enough @laurenrbrown95 blog or participating in future
to do everything we can to ensure it workshops, please get in touch
keeps getting bigger, better, as inclusive laurenrbrown.contently.com with the Alumni Office:
as possible and, most importantly, fun. alumni@trin.cam.ac.uk18 The Fountain | Issue 30
Three Trinity medics reflect on their year helping to conquer COVID, and on how
COVID-19: one year in
the global challenge could be resolved.
Dr Laith Alexander (2011)
I matriculated in 2011, and spent nine years at Trinity reading medicine together with a PhD in
neuroscience. I am currently a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor working in acute medicine at St Thomas’
Hospital, London. My work involves covering inpatient medical wards, in addition to working on the
admissions ward.
coffee with the GPs. We were chatting about our
weekends when the senior partner came in, sat
down and said, ‘so what’s the deal with this new
virus in China?’ The opinion of the doctors at the
time was well and truly split: some were worried,
some weren’t. The senior partner wolfed down
his coffee, sighed, and ominously declared ‘this
piece of RNA is going to spread like wildfire – and
it’s going to change the way we practice for good,’
before leaving for his morning clinic. Looks like he
was right.
Q If not for the pandemic, where would you
be now?
Some things would have stayed the same. I would
still have been an FY1 at St Thomas’ working on
acute medicine, although without COVID-19 there
would’ve been a lot less respiratory failure and a lot
Q What was your situation when the world
first became aware of COVID-19?
more diversity in the type of medical presentations
(which has consequences for training). I felt the
I was in the final year of medical school on GP impact of the pandemic particularly forcefully in
summer 2020. My final year of university was cut
placement in a small village east of Bury St
short, I missed out on my graduation ceremony
Edmunds. I had finished my written finals in early
(which would’ve been on my birthday) and I
December 2019 and I was still riding the post- couldn’t say goodbye to my friends. Instead, I
finals high. The news of the virus grumbled in the was recruited into the NHS early as an ‘interim’
background over Christmas and the New Year, doctor and spent most of that summer living in a
but I most distinctly remember a conversation hotel next to St Thomas’ where we’d been granted
on a Monday morning in early February over accommodation. Very surreal, looking back.19
Q ell us about the work you’re doing in the
T
fight against COVID-19, and did what you
learnt at Trinity help in any way?
response). It’s also critically important that we
continue to address the health inequalities that
were made so apparent by the pandemic. The
patients I saw become seriously unwell were all
The admissions ward and general medical wards
too often poorer; black, Hispanic and Latino
were very much at the coalface of the pandemic,
American; in jobs where they had been exposed to
and being at Trinity taught me three key skills
lots of other people (such as supermarket workers)
that were invaluable as a fledgling doctor in these
or obese with other lifestyle-related diseases.
settings. Firstly, prioritisation: performing a mental
The famous German pathologist Rudolf Virchow
triage of the tasks at hand is critical to determine
said, ‘Medicine is a social science, and politics is
what needs to be done now and what can wait.
nothing else but medicine on a large scale,’ and I
Secondly, resilience: I nurtured coping strategies
saw this first-hand.
for times of stress. The day before my first-year
anatomy exam, when my capacity to revise was
well and truly spent, I sat on the banks of the
Cam for two hours to read a book (Jane Eyre, no
Q What has helped you through lockdown?
Being able to go to work has been a blessing.
less). I did exactly the same at St Thomas’ after It certainly hasn’t been easy starting as a doctor
a difficult shift, except this time I sat on a bench in the midst of the pandemic, but at least it has
next to the Thames (and the book was Where kept me occupied. The hours have been long but
the Crawdads Sing). Thirdly, valuing diversity of I figured that I wasn’t really missing out on much
opinion: my favourite thing about Trinity – and during lockdown, even on the weekend night shifts
Cambridge – is that if you ask two people a (except for Line of Duty). I’ve been able to stay
question, you’ll get ten different answers. Being involved with research by helping to write papers
able to collaborate and work together in a multi- and review articles. Beyond that, books, exercise
disciplinary team is key in medicine, and having a and trying to stay in touch with friends and family.
variety of perspectives is incredibly useful when I’ve tried to improve my cooking skills too, but
treating patients with complex medical and social that’s very much a work in progress…
problems, and when deciding on ceilings of care for
the most critically ill.
Q What have you missed most?
Gosh, there’s so much. It’s everything I took
Q How do you think the COVID-19 situation
will resolve itself?
for granted before: seeing my friends, travelling,
going to the gym, going out for a coffee and going
Vaccines are clearly key to resolving the pandemic. to see plays. Most of all, I miss my family who are in
But vaccines alone aren’t enough: there needs Manchester – I’ve not seen them in person for over
to be ongoing surveillance, testing, tracing, a year. After the restrictions are lifted, I’ve promised
isolating and social distancing, with measures to myself to never turn down an opportunity to go
control the spread established internationally. out… let’s see whether that lasts when I’m on my
Controlling transmission of the virus in one A&E rotation.
© ISTOCK.COM/ IUZA STUDIOS
country is inadequate if the virus spreads in other
places, creating genetic cauldrons for new strains
to develop (and potentially ‘escape’ the vaccine20 The Fountain | Issue 30
Dr Rupert Beale (1996)
COVID-19: one year in
I arrived at Trinity to read Medical Sciences in 1996, followed by the MB/PhD course at Cambridge
that afforded some respite from the Gradgrind nature of medical education. I was lucky enough to be
in the late, great Michael Neuberger’s (1971) lab in the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB)
for my PhD.
After further medical training I was appointed as
Clinical Lecturer in renal medicine and immunology
at Cambridge. Kidneys are often subjected to
immune attack, and so I was able to explore my
interest in viruses and immunity in Felix Randow’s
lab (again in the LMB). I discovered something
strange about how influenza interacts with our
cells’autophagy (self-eating) machinery. This
forms the basis of my ongoing research, first in the
Division of Virology in Cambridge, and subsequently
in the Francis Crick Institute, London where I was
appointed the first Clinician Scientist Group Leader
and I run the Cell Biology of Infection Laboratory.
Q What was your situation when the world We got great assistance from Public Health
first became aware of COVID-19? Wales, bulk chemicals from Canada, special
favours from airline companies and very little
The Francis Crick Institute is the UK’s flagship sleep. Developing these tests to the highest
medical research institute, situated next to St standard became a collective obsession. We
Pancras Station. By late January 2020 colleagues published all our protocols and assisted other labs
at The Worldwide Influenza Centre, based at the as quickly as we could. A ‘Lighthouse’ lab asked
Crick, were seriously alarmed. I was in touch with a technical question on a Sunday lunchtime, we
colleagues at Edinburgh and other universities in returned them a comprehensive answer within
the UK who assumed already that we were about fifteen minutes. We were able to repay our debt
to undergo a very serious pandemic, and we to Public Health Wales by sending them a reagent
started to formulate plans to study the new virus. they’d run out of due to failure of commercial
We obtained a culture of the virus and started to supply by making it ourselves and sticking it on a
develop simple models to study its cell biology. motorbike. The party line was that it couldn’t be
done. We did it.
It soon became apparent that academic study
of the virus was not what was imminently needed. There was a lot to be excited about reading
A catastrophe was developing on our doorstep in Medical Sciences at Trinity in the late 90s. John
central London, and we had to help as best Brown (1974), our Director of Studies, expected
we could. us to go far beyond the taught course (ignoring as
best we could the pettifogging requirements of the
Q ell us about the work you’re doing in the
T
fight against COVID-19 and did what you
learnt at Trinity help in any way?
General Medical Council) and instead to grapple
with the experimental basis for our understanding
of those branches of physiology and pathology
In March 2020, COVID-19 was rife amongst hospital that fired our imagination. Enthusiasts of
staff, many of whom were mildly symptomatic but immunology volunteered for an extra two hour
still working, being ineligible for a test. The Crick supervision from Doug Fearon (e2001) every week.
decided to set up a testing pipeline, and to achieve Doug had been making immunological discoveries
this pulled together the best and most determined of seminal importance since the 70s at Johns
team of scientists I have ever encountered. Within Hopkins and Harvard. We would explore the latest
this team I was tasked with working out how to get publications and be taught the old, half-forgotten
swab samples of a horrifyingly wide variety into a observations that underpinned what everyone
standardised molecular test. Visiting the local NHS assumed to be true. ‘That’s the party line’, Doug
laboratories revealed the extent to which authorities would say, ‘but…’.
in the UK had messed this up. They were running
out of everything, and it was clear we would have to
make our own tests in such a way as to not compete Q If not for the pandemic where would you
be now?
with the NHS for scarce resources. On holiday.© ISTOCK.COM/ LOOPS7
21
Q How do you think the COVID-19 situation
will resolve itself?
Virology Consortium that’s looking at what makes
SARS-CoV-2 variants more dangerous, it’s really
interesting and very complicated.
The best way to manage the pandemic would
have been to copy those countries that mounted
a determined effort not to let the virus get out
of control in the first place. It’s not too late to
Q What has helped you through lockdown?
Long walks, surreptitious drinks with
learn this lesson. Fortunately the vaccines are colleagues, writing a series of semi-cathartic
extremely effective, and it’s possible to control the articles for the London Review of Books, the odd bit
pandemic by using a combination of public health of cricket, a bunch of people I sing with (especially
measures (including vaccination) to minimise Rachael Beale, (1995).
transmission of the virus. The big question is
whether evolving variants will remain susceptible
to the vaccines. If we can make vaccines that target
the virus in all its potential forms then it might
Q What have you missed most?
Choir and subsequent Sunday lunch at a
mediocre pub.
become a bit like measles – we largely eliminate
it from the population and only have to deal with
sporadic outbreaks. What’s perhaps more likely www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/
for the next few years is that the virus evolves rupert-beale
to escape partially the current vaccines, and we Read Rupert’s London Review of Books articles:
have to re-vaccinate with updated vaccines every www.lrb.co.uk
year or two. I’m part of the ‘G2P-UK’ National
Dr Bronya Gorney (1998)
I am a GP (NHS), GP Appraiser, Preventicum doctor, Coach, Trainer in Coaching and Communication
skills, and mother of two monkeys intent on mischief.
Q What was your situation when the world
first became aware of COVID-19?
I miss seeing my patients face-to-face for so many
reasons. The energy that flows through me when I
connect deeply with a patient, has been my deep
On 31 December 2019, when the initial report of a
well of strength throughout a demanding career.
new SARS virus was being delivered to the W.H.O.,
That vibrant inter-relational spark has reliably
I was delivering my own life-changing, paradigm-
fuelled me through years of interminable clinics,
shift-inducing, second child. Oliver was born into a
the energy from each interaction bouncing off the
room packed with expertise; brilliant obstetricians,
walls and injecting me with renewed zest for my
paediatricians, anaesthetists and midwives, who
next encounter.
stabilised and looked after us calmly, professionally
and with genuine kindness.
Sitting alone, phone call after phone call, feels
both flat and alarming. I can’t help but think of all
Receiving such world-class medical care from an
the physical pathology I’ve picked up over the years
NHS I feel passionately about, was emotional and
heart-warming. Little did I know then, how this
sense of pride in my medical colleagues would
be a feeling I would repeatedly return to over the
following year.
Q If not for the pandemic, where would you
be now?
If not for the pandemic, I would be in almost exactly
the same place, but doing things rather differently.
I’m now back from maternity leave, working as an
NHS GP again but I’ve returned to a vastly different
landscape in Primary Care. Most of my clinics
are now by telephone appointment and I only see
patients in person if it’s necessary to examine them.22 The Fountain | Issue 30
COVID-19: one year in
© ISTOCK.COM/ MONGKOLCHON AKESIN
by actually laying my hands on someone, as well as people have to effect change in this world. They will
the non-verbal clues that alert me when someone is be the ones who uncover the creative solutions we
struggling. All of this can be missed over the phone. need to transform our society.
However, the pandemic has also enabled a
staggering level of innovation. Q How do you think the COVID-19 situation
will resolve itself?
It would be easy in the UK to relax into some kind of
Remote working has become essential for when
reassurance, that with an annual Covid vaccine and
doctors (or worse still, multiple doctors) need
some degree of ‘lockdown light’ each winter, we
to isolate. The silver lining is how this allows me
could be buoyed through this storm.
to come home to do bedtime with my children,
restarting my work once they’re asleep. It’s been a
However, to really contain this virus, we need a
game changer for me as a working mother.
much broader and more inclusive vision as to how
we see ourselves and how we define our networks.
Q ell us about the work you’re doing in the
T
fight against COVID-19, and did what you
learnt at Trinity help in any way?
In a globalised society, our fate has become
intertwined with almost everyone else’s on the
My main work in the fight against Covid includes planet. SARS CoV 2 has become a globe-trotter
managing acutely sick patients, but now seems on steroids, connecting us to places we could
more focused on the fallout from this pandemic; never imagine.
untangling the mangled and wrangled lives left in
the wake of this viral tsunami. Covid helpfully highlights the ‘inconvenient
truth’, that unless we actively protect vulnerable
Even before Covid hit our shores, mental health populations in countries who can’t afford a
was already sliding into an abyss of ever greater vaccine roll out, we will continue to be impacted
need and increasingly scant resources. However, by a virus that has endless opportunity to evolve
I’ve never witnessed this intensity of need before and mutate.
and it’s especially severe in our teenagers. So many
of them are in violent distress. The invitation is for us to step into a more evolved
and connected global dynamic. So aside from more
We need much better conversations about what it healthcare resources, what we really need is more
means to look after our mental health. Few of my courageous and compassionate leadership.
patients have ever considered how to ensure their
minds and emotional selves survive, let alone thrive.
We need to help our young people reclaim back
Q What has helped you through lockdown?
Naked bottoms waddling round the garden
searching for snails.
their self-confidence, shatter the hot house that
thrusts a negative body image onto so many, and
help each individual discover novel ways to bring
more joy into the world.
Q What have you missed most?
Sharing food with people I love, dancing in
fields with people I’ve only just met, and celebrating
What I have learnt from Trinity is the mesmerising life surrounded by loved ones. Connection,
brilliance and phenomenal capacity that young connection, connection!You can also read
