Dónal McCann - King's College

On this day 113 years ago Alan Turing (KC 1931) was born. From the papers he published at Cambridge which are now recognised as the foundation of computer science, through his vital cryptanalysis work at Bletchley Park during the Second World War and cracking the German naval Enigma code, to his exploration of the idea of artificial intelligence, the importance of Turing and his impact on our world are hard to overestimate. As well as a pioneering thinker, brilliant mathematician and cryptographer, Alan Turing was also a gay man who was appallingly treated as a result of his sexuality. In 1954, at the age of 41, Turing took his own life after being prosecuted for homosexual acts, still considered criminal in the UK at the time. Sixty years later, in 2013, he was posthumously pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II. King’s is hugely proud of its association with Alan Turing. In January 2024 a new 3.7 meters tall sculpture by Sir Antony Gormley was installed at the heart of the College, between the Gibbs Building and Webb’s Court. Titled True, for Alan Turing, it was commissioned by King’s as a visible recognition of Turing’s life and achievements.

The King's Campaign has also added to the College’s teaching excellence and boosted its research capacity, with a range of academic posts funded since its start. 📚🥼🔬 Investing in Natural Sciences and Mathematics Fellowships, the Leigh Trapnell Fund – established in 1996 with a donation from the late Leigh Trapnell (KC 1927) and his wife Hazel – continues to help the College attract brilliant young academics so they can be nurtured and establish their career in research and teaching. In the academic year 2023–24, James Dolan (KC 2019) became the Trapnell Fellow and College Teaching Officer in Natural Sciences (Physical). James now supervises first year Physics, is Director of Studies to Part IA Natural Sciences (Physical) students, coordinates admissions for his subject, and is a Tutor as well as Financial Tutor. #KingsCampaign #AlumniSupport #PhilanthropyInAction #ThankYou

Three King’s alumni have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours! Dominic Richards (KC 1987) is recognised for his longstanding charitable work and leadership in heritage-led regeneration and sustainable urbanism, Michael Downes (KC 1987) for services to music and education, and Ruth Marshall (KC 1991) for services to evidence-based policy-making and innovation. 💜 Head to 🔗in bio to read more. #KingsAlumni #KingsBirthdayHonours #AlumniRecognition #CambridgeUniversity

Cannons at the ready, it's that time of year again! 💜🚣‍♂️💜 May Bumps kicks off today, with a total of five King's crews (three men's and two women's) competing across the week! Alumni and supporters can follow all the action on the CUCBC (Cambridge University Combined Boat Clubs) website or by listening live on @CamFM972. A reminder of the timings are below👇 M3 - Division 5 - 1.45pm W2 - Division 4 - 2.30pm M2 - Division 4 - 3.15pm W1 - Division 2 - 5.30pm M1 - Division 1 - 7.45pm @kingscollegeboatclub #KCBC #MayBumps #Rowing #CambridgeUniversity

Over half of what has been raised during the King's Campaign has gone directly to supporting students, to help in multiple ways, including bringing world-class scholars to Cambridge – and supporting them once they are here.📚 Georgia Katakou (KC 2021) studied an MPhil in Political Thought and Intellectual History at King’s, supported by a GS Gives studentship with match-funding from the Cambridge Trust. Since then she has gone on to complete further study at the European University Institute in Florence and holds an an offer to further her research in Friendship and Gender in the Greek Left of the 1970s-80s at Princeton University. Speaking in 2022 about the impact of financial support, Georgia said; "I would not be able to continue at a postgraduate level without support from King’s. For families like my own, with caring expenses and anxious about making ends meet, spaces like Cambridge feel completely inaccessible. And for those of us who are not from the UK, securing funding is even more daunting. Being here on a studentship means that this is the first time in my adult life that I don’t have to balance 20 hours of part-time work with a full-time degree, just to pay bills. I feel lucky to be a part of the King’s community and to be on the receiving end of so much warmth, respect, and care.” 💜 #KingsCampaign #AlumniSupport #PhilanthropyInAction #ThankYou

A bird’s eye view of the wonderful wildlife spotted at King’s recently, including cygnet triplets and bee orchids! 🦢🌷🐝 #Wildlife #WildlifeAtKings #CambridgeWildlife

We had lots of fun today at the 2025 Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme Entrepreneurship Prize Competition, where six shortlisted entrants pitched their brilliant ideas at the King’s E-Lab to a panel of five Judges: Maria-Yassin Jah, Dr Precious Lunga, Uche Ogechukwu, Bhaskar Vira, and yours truly! Thank you Sara Serradas O’Holleran, Tabitha Wanja Mwangi and Sophie Harbour for organising and hosting. At the King’s E-Lab we are proud to partner with the @mastercardfoundation Scholars Programme at @cambridgeuniversity to deliver training to the scholars and create a community of entrepreneurial minds. At the core of our philosophy lies a commitment to #sustainability and# #ethics. We prioritise projects that generate positive social and environmental impact. If you’re interested in these areas or are developing something aligned with our values, we encourage you to get in touch: www.kingselab.org @kings.college | @thekingselab | @cambridgejudge

📢Calling all @kingscollegeboatclub members past and present! A reminder that you are cordially invited to join KCBC for their annual May Bumps celebration and KCBC Mays Dinner on Saturday 21 June. Join us during the day at the KCBC marquee to cheer on the current crews on the last day of the races. This will be followed by the annual Mays Dinner in Hall - an excellent opportunity for alumni to share memories with the current KCBC members and hopefully celebrate a great day's racing. The booking deadline has been extended until tomorrow so act quickly! Head to 👉external link In the meantime we hope you enjoy some images of KCBC crews from times gone by - including some Bumps results from 1869!

As we celebrate reaching our £100m King's Campaign target, we're taking a look back at some of the projects which were made possible by your generosity.💜 Michaelmas Term 2023 saw the completion of the much-needed conservation work to the Chapel roof. The entire lead covering was removed, recast and replaced, all while maintaining access to the building for visitors, daily services and concerts. A team of experts from across the UK, skilled in the use of reclaimed materials, worked on the project for over a year. Next, 219 REC Alpha 420 Pure-R photovoltaic panels were fixed to each of the north and south slopes of the Chapel roof, which now supplies electricity to the Chapel and Gibbs Building via the College’s internal electricity network. 👉To learn more about the Chapel roof restoration project and discover what King’s is doing to become more sustainable, head to the 🔗 in our bio. 📷:Nick Saffell

📢Our schedule for the upcoming @cambridgeuniversity Open Days is now live! 📆Join us on 10 and 11 July ⏰From 9.30am to 4.30pm to meet our friendly Admissions Team and student helpers. Check out our subject information stands 📚, drop in desk with our Admissions Team and guided tours by current students 🏡. Join our Q&A with current King's students 💬 and interview Workshop with our Admissions Tutor, Dr Zoe Adams. We can't wait to welcome you to King's! #CambridgeOpenDay #JulyOpenDay #KingsCollege #ProspectiveStudents #HigherEducation #MeetTheTeam #StudyAtKings #ApplyingToCambridge

Celebrating John Maynard Keynes (1883 – 1946) on what would have been his 142nd birthday! 🎂 Keynes was one of the most important economists of the twentieth century. The Keynesian School of economics shaped macroeconomic theory and practice, and influenced governmental policy for many decades. His life was intimately connected to King’s College. He came as an undergraduate in 1902 and was a Fellow from 1909 until his death. The Keynes Building, which bears his name, was built thanks to the generous donation he left to the College in his will. 📷 courtesy of King's College Archives

Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈 To celebrate our librarians have put together another fantastic display of titles, including recently acquired books from Audre Lorde, Darryl Bullock and Lucy Cooke. Happy reading! 🌈📚 #PrideMonth