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Newsletter: Events at Clare Hall, Spring 2024

Dear Clare Hall members and friends,
Please find below a list of events taking place this week and beyond, to which you are warmly invited.

We are restarting the Clare Hall Thursdays Lunchtime Talks beginning on 14 March. Members from the College are invited to speak, including especially PhD students, postdocs, and also spouses. Research subjects and subjects of wider interest such as travel experiences are all welcome. Talks and discussion will last 60 minutes. There will be no recording. The schedule and list of speakers can be found here.

The next speaker on 25 April is Elizabeth Barsotti (Affiliated Postdoc Member): “The Wiring Diagram of the Brain: Practise, Science, and Ethics?”

As we welcome the month of Ramadan, the GSB is excited to invite you and your loved ones to a College Ramadan Potluck Iftar (breaking fast). This cherished gathering brings together our community to share in the spirit of unity, reflection, and delicious food.

Join us as we gather to observe this special time of fasting and coming together. In the spirit of community and sharing, this year’s iftar will be a potluck-style event. We invite each attendee to bring a dish to share with others. Whether it’s a traditional family recipe or a favourite dish, your contribution will enrich our celebration.

This invitation is extended to all students, post docs, fellows, their families, and friends. It’s an opportunity for us to come together, regardless of faith or background, and celebrate the values of inclusivity and togetherness that define our community. We look forward to welcoming those who registered this evening!

We are delighted to invite you to a presentation by one of our Life Members, Dr. Anssi Yli-Jyrä, scheduled for the 12th of April from 13:00 to 14:00 in the Meeting Room.

In this talk, the speaker demonstrates how to embed labeled graphs into code words and bracketed strings.  This perspective opens possibilities for describing graphs via string sets.  A variant of the Chomsky-Schützenberger (1963) theorem can be used to describe a string subset that corresponds to a graph property such as connectivity.  Besides theoretical relevance to representations of semantic structures in natural language processing, this approach gives a tool for enumerating and computing density functions of MSO/CMSO/GSO definable properties of labeled graphs.  The related recent developments in the extensions of Specker-Blatter theorem (1983) and its possible connection to this approach will be discussed.

To ensure we have adequate arrangements for the event, we kindly request you to complete the form if you are interested in attending. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the College Administrator via college.administrator@clarehall.cam.ac.uk.

Are you interested in consultancy and ready to cross the divide from theory to practice?

d-fine, a European Consulting Firm, is organising an exclusive Hackathon with students from Cambridge University, where you will gain insights into our unique projects by applying innovative data analysis methods across different industries. We look forward to receiving your interest in taking part in this event by 7th April 2024. Just click on this link Cambridge University and d-fine – Hackathon and fill out all fields and upload your CV. We will let you know by latest 12th April 2024 if you have secured a place. Masters students, PhD students and Postdocs with a quantitative background in Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science and other STEM field should consider applying

In this unique concert, Charlie Draper presents not only rare music, but also rare electronic instruments. The Ondes Martenot has achieved a certain recognition, largely due to Messiaen, and the music of science fiction movies. The Theremin, invented in 1919, and named after its colourful inventor Leon Theremin, is much less known to the general public. The only instrument played without being physically touched, it creates a fascinating sound, capable of imitating the violin as well as the human voice. The repertoire presented by Charlie Draper, one of Britain’s leading exponents, is partly made of transcriptions, partly original works, all of high musical interest.

Tickets are available here.

Clare Hall’s Colloquia provide members of the College – especially (but not exclusively) Visiting Fellows and Life Members – with an opportunity to present their research, whether in its early stages or already published, in a friendly setting. They are a great way to discuss your ideas, meet fellow members and to contribute to our vibrant community. Read more here.

The Colloquia will resume on 30 April for Easter Term, with Andreii Bovgyria presenting on ‘Cossack Myth’: Construction identity in 17th -18th Century Ukraine.

Get ready to indulge in an evening of elegance and delight at the Clare Hall Whitsun Feast on May 15th, 2024!

19:00 Drinks Reception, 19:30 Dinner in the Clare Hall Dining Hall

Booking Details: Booking is via Upay which will be open on 24th April 2024 and will close on 8th May 2024. Secure your spot early via Upay to ensure you don’t miss out on this unforgettable evening!

Cost: £50.00 for seniors, £34 for students (Includes wine or soft drink)

Dress Code: Black Tie

Join us for the final Fitzwilliam String Quartet concert of the 2023-2024 programme, in what promises to be a spectacular performance! Tickets sold out quickly for our previous concerts, so be sure to reserve your place as soon as possible.

The FSQ will be performing a selection of quartets from Shostakovich, Dvořák, and the contemporary artist Liz Johnson. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

All members of Clare Hall are warmly invited to a special Choral Evensong in Clare College Chapel, on Whit Sunday, Sunday 19th May at 6pm. Our Choir will be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost with two 20th-century works from Estonia and England. Arvo Pärt’s Veni, Sancte Spiritus from his Berliner Messe is paired with Jonathan Harvey’s Come, Holy Ghost which weaves the Veni Creator Spiritus chant throughout his evocative choral textures. The service also displays a pairing of another kind: Responses by Joanna Forbes-L’Estrange, and the ‘New College’ Canticles by her husband Alexander L’Estrange. Our guest preacher is the Rev’d Dr Michael Ward (Theology Faculty, Oxford University), an alumnus of Clare and the world’s leading authority on CS Lewis. Dr Ward will be reflecting on the story of the Day of Pentecost, with the sermon title ‘Resurrecting Language’. The service will last about an hour, and is followed by drinks. At 7.30pm, there is also the opportunity to enjoy a cooked supper in the Great Hall (£7), for any Clare Hall members who would like to join us. 

Please register your interest here.

A rotating display of some 320 pieces of studio ceramics. Learn more at https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/bellcollection/

Join the College’s Book Club as they discuss The Compatibility Gene by Daniel M. Davis. (Please note that the meeting’s date has changed to 4 April due to a bank holiday on the Monday).

All College members are welcome to attend in-person, meeting in Clare Hall’s Meeting Room, or via Zoom. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be, please send an email to gloria.carnevali@icloud.com, confirming your Clare Hall connection and putting the following as the email title: I would like to join the Book Club mailing list.

We are delighted to host lunchtime Pilates classes during Easter term. Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility. The sessions will be held every Monday from 12:15-13:00 in the Richard Eden Suite.

Please bring your own mat, and arrive 5-10 minutes early to help prepare the room.

Sign up through this sheet. Note: These pilates sessions will also be available over the summer, more details and the sign up will be available in due course.

Mindfulness sessions have concluded for Lent term. We look forward to resuming them at the beginning of Easter term.

A reminder that Clare Hall Choir practice takes place in Robinson College Chapel every Monday (in term-time, but not always restricted to the official Cambridge term dates) from 7:30-9pm. New members are always welcome, and no previous singing or musical experience is necessary. The only requirement is that you want to sing and have fun doing it! If you are interested in joining, please email Ben de Souza, the Choir’s Director, who is a Clare Hall Associate, freelance choral conductor and accordionist: bd402@cam.ac.uk.

Recent recordings of the choir can also be found on our YouTube channel.

Find a full range of events at https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/events