Farewell Dinner, Farewell Cambridge

The class had their Final Exam on Friday morning.  That evening, we all met up at the smaller banquet room in the Great Hall at Old Court for our Farewell Dinner together.  Five of the students had already left Cambridge to visit the Harry Potter Park in London, leaving 26 of us for dinner:

Mark awaits the students

Erick, Matt, Calvin and TJ have arrived!

Melinda, TJ, Austen and David sit at the other table

Kimmie, Nicole, Erin, Kim, Camille and Mark smile for the camera

Nepheli, Vyoma, Nicole, Kat, Danica, Mala, Austen, David, Stephen smile also for the camera

Digging into dinner!

Mark and me

Erick and Matt compete with napkin origami

More napkin competition

Stephen, Michael, David, Austen, Cassandra, TJ, Melinda and Nicole

We take a photo of the 26 of us!

I say goodbye to the double-helix sculpture and

goodbye to another study abroad class.

Next stop London, then finally Davis on Tuesday!

Wednesday Luncheon and Field Trip to Sanger

Wednesday, Sept. 2nd, was a busy day for the class.  After the morning lecture, we met up at the Great Hall in Old Court for a delicious luncheon.

 

Soon after lunch, we took a bus to the Sanger Institute.  Sanger is a genome research institute that studies diseases that have an impact on health globally by investigating genomes.  They are the largest facility of this type in the world and have an abundance of resources and data that they share with research scientists all over the world.

After we arrive, we are greeted by Steve who tells us about the Sanger.

Following Steve, we listen to two lectures.  The first one discusses various experimental methods for controlling malaria:

The second lecture discussed the development of superbugs resisting antibiotics:

Afterwards, the students are taken on a tour of the facility and learn how the database is acquired and stored and about some of the experiments being conducted:

When we finally returned to Cambridge late that afternoon, it was a rare sunny moment which we captured as we walked on Queen's Road past King's College on our way back to Clare College:

Class Photo and Lecture

We start the day with another rainy morning. My camera date stamp is

off by12 hours.  It is actually Sept. 1st (Tues.).

The students are good sports about tossing aside their umbrellas

and posing for the class photo.

And making a few funny faces!

Earlier in the day, the students were given a lecture by Dr. Nick Robinson

from the Dept. of Biochemistry at Cambridge.  His subject related to the

mechanisms of DNA repair and replication fork restart by taking advantage

of the experimental tractability of model archaeal species from the genus Sulfolobus.

Thankfully, no one fell asleep during the lecture!

Cambridge!

Every year for Mark's study abroad program we spend two - three weeks in Cambridge.  This year, it will be two weeks.  I will be taking photos of the students, but for now, here are some of the sites at Clare College where we are staying.

Our dorms at Memorial Court

Our dorm door - we are in "Q"

Looking back at Memorial Court and the Porter's Office

Mark's class sign!

Mark on the Clare Bridge

View from Clare Bridge - see the flocks of ducks?

Other side view from Clare Bridge -

it's very early, so there are no punts in the water yet.

On our way from the dorms to Clare Bridge is Fellows Garden

We walk down the stone steps into this large English Garden

I'm glad that the sun is shining right now - we've had a lot of rain this year.

In the distance is the Cam River, which the Clare Bridge crosses.

One of the prettiest areas in the Fellows Garden is this water feature,

which has lilies and other water-growing and colorful plants

In this area and below, you'll see color-block groupings of yellow and red flowers.

This is the view from King's Parade after leaving Clare College

and walking through the Senate Passage Way.