Cambridge Moonsighters are in orbit

Cambridge has collaborated with the University of Leeds to create The Moonsighters Academy, an initiative for teaching Muslim communities in the UK how to conduct lunar observations. The Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle, with each month beginning at the first sighting of the crescent moon. The crescent sighting also marks the start and end of Ramadan. The Moonsighters website explains how the UK’s constant clouds have made it difficult for Muslim communities to establish regular lunar observations and celebrate holidays at the same time. The Moonsighters Academy, inspired by the research of Cambridge PhD student Imad Ahmed, aims to assist Muslim individuals and families across the country to connect with their community while celebrating religious festivals. The educational program launched this month and according to the initiative’s website, currently holds 38 participants, including imams, school teachers, scout leaders, and “at least one grandmother”.

Michelin at Magdalene

Chef, restauranteur, and TV personality Marco Pierre White stopped by Magdalene College’s kitchen this week to give a “demonstration and taster session” to college chefs. In an Instagram post celebrating the visit, which shows White displaying and collaborating with college chefs to plate dishes, Magdalene shared that over 40 chefs from various colleges attended the demonstration. The college described the event as “a delightful day of learning and eating.” This was not White’s first visit to the University – the chef attended a speaker event at the Cambridge Union just last year, and previously in 2019.

Racers make sub-zero splash

This week, Cambridge and Oxford students travelled to Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in northern China and competed in the HIT-Cambridge-Oxford Cup Ice Dragon Boat International Friendship Race. Ice dragon boating is the winter adaptation of traditional Chinese dragon boating, complete with the addition of skate-like blades on boats and spiked iced picks for rowing across frozen rivers. The race saw 14 teams compete from both the UK and China, including Cambridge, Oxford, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University and the University of Macau. Harbin is often referred to as China’s “ice city” due to its extreme winter weather, and racers braved temperatures as low as -20°C.

Climate-conscious hillwalkers

This week, Cambridge University Hillwalking Club (CUHWC) announced that they tried out using electric vehicles on their most recent journey. The club reported a positive experience, and used their post to advertise the environmental and practical benefits of electric vehicles, noting lower emissions, quieter journeys, and “a tangible step towards more sustainable travel.” The post was made in collaboration with Cambridge Zero, a climate and sustainability initiative at the University. In their Instagram post, CUHWC thanks Cambridge Zero for their growing campaign for supporting low-carbon choices, and for “making it easier to turn good intentions into real action.” CUHWC stated that they are looking forward to exploring more ways to reduce their carbon footprint in their club activities.