NIC calls for improved Oxford-Cambridge infrastructure 

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) released its Interim Report this week. It calls for the government to commit £27 million to fund the next stage of development for the improvement of infrastructural links between Cambridge and Oxford. The report says that an Oxford-Cambridge Expressway would provide the “first, high quality road link” between the two university cities. It could potentially boost the entire economy, as well as cut journey times by as much as 40 per cent. The plans are part of an overall scheme to improve links along the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford corridor.

Professor Hawking addresses CCIMI

Speaking at the launch of the Cantab Capital Institute for the Mathematics of Information (CCIMI), Professor Stephen Hawking acclaimed the potential of ‘big data’ in pioneering developments across an array of scientific and social fields. CCIMI is a new institute accommodating research activity into the analysis and processing involved in understanding data, which sits within the Faculty of Mathematics. It will work across a variety of disciplines, utilising data analysis to advance understandings in fields from financial markets to healthcare. Professor Hawking explained that in a society awash with data it is essential to develop the tools to critically analyse all the information in order to “enrich a multitude of fields of relevance to us all”.

Fearless filming commences in Cambridge

Sir Michael Gambon was in Cambridge on Thursday to begin filming for ITV’s new legal conspiracy thriller Fearless, created by Homeland writer Patrick Harbinson. Gambon will play University professor Sir Alistair McKinnon in the upcoming drama, starring alongside Skyfall actress Helen McCrory. Fearless follows solicitor Emma Banville (McCrory) as she attempts to clear a man who she believes has been wrongly convicted for the murder of a schoolgirl. The show is set to air in 2017. 

Library hacker targets Cambridge

This week, a court heard that the teenage hacker who instigated a “significant and sustained” attack in October 2015 on the mobile network provider TalkTalk also broke into the IT systems of some British universities. This included a library website belonging to the University of Cambridge and the staff and student database at the University of Manchester. The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted seven charges of hacking as part of the cyber-attack that cost TalkTalk an estimated £42 million. However, both universities were principally unaffected by the hack and were able to trace the IP address back to the teenager’s home address. He will be sentenced on December 13th. 

Newnham mulls shared accommodation

The introduction of shared accommodation has been proposed as a potential solution to the shortage of rooms that Newnham College could face next year. The College has not offered shared accommodation in the past, but concerns about the number of available rooms has prompted suggestions that room sharing could be introduced to alleviate pressure. The suggestion was raised at a College Council meeting last week but the College are yet to officially comment on the idea.