Robinson College News
November 2020

What's happening at Robinson and how you can join in

COLLEGE NEWS

The Robinson Big Blanket

During Lockdown 1.0, our College community was scattered across the world. Sarah Beck (2017, Geography) had the idea of a communal art project that would bring us together in spirit, if not in body. Inspired by the work of textile artists such as Sharon Mossbeck and Lydia Morrow, the idea for the Big Robinson Blanket was born. Worked in Robinson colours, the project is a real physical representation of the Robinson community’s strength through these trying times.
With the help of Emily Hall (RCSA President 2019-20) and Bradley Sawyer (2016, Engineering), crochet kits were sent around the world, including all the way to Australia. 53 students (postgraduate and undergraduate) and 13 staff members signed up to take part, and 101 squares were made. These squares are now being sewn together with the help of Louise Barnaby (2017, Chemical Engineering). The blanket will hopefully be displayed as a wall hanging in the JCR when complete.

Schools' Liaison Officer reports

 

Ruth Moss joined the Admissions Team in September, and remarked it was “an unusual time to start as the new Schools’ Liaison Officer”. Since then, Ruth has worked on the College’s outreach agenda, on admissions events in the coming year such as the annual Women in Science Festival, Offer Holders’ Day and the ClickCambridge scheme for Black and BPA (Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Arab) students. You can read Ruth’s full report here.

 

Robinson College remembers - Commemoration of Benefactors Service

At this special College event each year on the first Sunday in November, the Warden, members of the Fellowship and invited guests welcome the opportunity to give thanks to College benefactors for their support. This year we remembered our benefactors with a pre-recorded service. It included The Act of Commemoration, a reading and prayers, a music programme featuring Robinson Chapel Choir as well as a conversation with Bishop of Ely, The Right Reverend Stephen Conway. You can watch the service here.

CONGRATULATIONS

We are delighted to report that Carl Ashworth, a IB Engineer, is one of four undergraduate students awarded the first prize for the “Mars Lander” competition. University of Cambridge Department of Engineering holds the competition annually. You can see Carl’s implementation of the Mars Lander on his website by following this link.

ALUMNI NEWS

This Cambridge Life - a pro-refugee fashion statement

People make Cambridge University unique. Cooks, gardeners, students, archivists, professors, alumni: all have a story to share. Our alumna, Tiara Ataii (2016, MML), who graduated this year, has been writing her story for a long time now. In her first year during the Christmas break she volunteered at the refugee camp at Chios in Greece. With her SolidariTee campaign, through which she has given people the opportunity to wear their morals, she has ignited conversations around the plight of refugees and helped to raise funds for translators and lawyers in refugee camps. In September Tiara was named Undergraduate of the Year for Impactful Social Action. Tiara carries on writing her story, now working for the UN, and helping the plight of Syrian refugees and other. You can read the interview with Tiara for This Cambridge Life here.

St Wilfrid Psalter

 

Anthony Gray (2015, Music), former Robinson Organ Scholar, currently Director of Music of St Wilfrid's Church in Harrogate, conceived the original idea for Psalms of the Duchy - The St Wilfrid Psalter, which would offer all the Psalmody as set out in the Revised Common Lectionary provision for each week and feast day throughout the year. Amongst those composers who have written for the project are people with strong links to Robinson: Simon Brown (Director of Music), Jeremy Thurlow (Fellow, Director of Studies in Music), Sarah MacDonald, former Robinson Organ Scholar (1992, Music) and David Warren, former Robinson Organ Scholar (2014, Music). You can read more about this project here.

 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Carol Service, Sunday 29th November

Robinson's traditional Advent Carol Service and Christmas Concert have this year been combined into a Carol Service that will be available online to alumni and supporters all over the world. We hope you will join us on the last Sunday of Michaelmas term, 29th November from 4p.m. by following this link.

This Carol Service at the end of Michaelmas term ends the most extraordinary year in Robinson’s history. In pre-pandemic times, it was a Robinson tradition to invite Freshers  and their Families to a buffet lunch and Christmas Concert at the end of the Michaelmas term. Regrettably, owing to COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to observe this long-standing tradition and meet in person. We hope to find another opportunity to do so as soon as it is safe, and until then some of our traditional events will be available online, including a Carol Service that will feature many of our talented student musicians. We cordially invite you all, but especially our Freshers and their Families, to watch this pre-recorded service online using this link.

With very best wishes from all at Robinson,

Sarah, Catherine, Norbert and Helen
Robinson College Development Office