This is the final episode of Cambridge Quaranchats. This time, Simone Eringfeld is the one being interviewed! Guest host Eleanor Ryan asks Simone everything about Cambridge Quaranchats, how the podcast developed and what she has learnt along the way. Simone talks about her research on post-Covid futures of Higher Education, her use of podcasting as a research method and what the future will bring! Watch this space: a new podcast by Simone Eringfeld will soon be launched!  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quaranchats/message ..read more

PODCAST SPECIAL, Part 2 (of 2): Today, we continue the conversation we started last week, about the connection between the sciences and humanities. Ruby Coates and Simone Eizagirre are the hosts of the BlueSci Podcast for the Cambridge University Science Magazine, and have recently released a series of episodes on some of the science behind COVID-19. In this second joint episode, we talk about how collaboration can help us get out of the Ivory Tower. Examining our own biases and motivations in our research is crucial for making academia more equitable, as well as improving the quality and impa ..read more

PODCAST SPECIAL, Part 1 (of 2): Ruby Coates and Simone Eizagirre are the hosts of The BlueSci Podcast for the Cambridge University Science Magazine, and have recently released a series of episodes on some of the science behind COVID-19, interviewing scientists researching different aspects of the pandemic. In this collaborative podcast special, we bring some of the best fragments from both of our podcasts, connecting to the central theme: 'How can the sciences and humanities come together to address the societal issues caused by Covid-19?' We also talk about how collaboration and communic ..read more

Will McInerney is a Gates Scholar and PhD Candidate at the Cambridge Faculty of Education. His research focuses on gender equality, masculinity and men's violence against women. Will is also an award-winning and highly talented poet, who has been using poetry as a vehicle for transformation in violence-prevention programs working with young men. In this episode, he shares his insights from years of experience as a peace practitioner and as a researcher, as he looks for new ways to engage men in working towards gender equality. He also brought along some of his own spoken word poetry to perform ..read more

Professor Susan Robertson is the Head of Faculty of Education, at Cambridge University. She is currently leading the Faculty in its transition to online education as a consequence of Covid-19. She is also a Professor of Sociology of Education, and her work explores themes around global governance and political economies underpinning education systems around the world. In this interview, we discuss some of the challenges as well as opportunities that the Faculty has encountered during its shift to online teaching and learning, including connected issues like communicating clearly in times of un ..read more

Kevin Atkins is a college porter at Clare Hall, Cambridge University. He previously also worked as a porter for Trinity College. In this episode, Kevin talks about what it's like to be a porter during the pandemic, what his job contains and how his life and profession have changed since the start of lockdown. He speaks about his experiences both at Clare Hall and at Trinity, possibly the two most different colleges in Cambridge in terms of size, culture, infrastructure and therefore also the 'porter's experience'. In this interview, he shares rare insights into essential porter tasks like mana ..read more

We continue the conversation about institutional racism at Cambridge University, in the light of current protests around the world against racial violence and inequality. Collin Edouard is a Gates scholar who studies choral music & conducting at the Department of Music. Collin has multiple experiences of being attacked and treated differently, simply for being Black in an institution that privileges whiteness. One particularly violent incident involving a Cambridge college porter, earlier this year, inspired him to start the #SpeakOut movement. Collin emphasizes the importance of being voc ..read more

Nia-Cerise Conteh is a postgraduate student undertaking a Master's in Arts, Creativity and Education at the Faculty of Education. This episode  discusses the tragic recent losses of black lives in the US, as a consequence of racial violence and police brutality. Nia-Cerise talks about her experiences of being black within a predominantly white institution and relates her numerous encounters with institutional racism at Cambridge University. Police violence and racism do not just occur in the US, but persist around the world, including in the UK and within its academies. This episode addre ..read more

Tiara Ataii is the founder and director of SolidariTEE, the largest student-led charity in the UK. She is also a final year undergrad in 'Middle Eastern Studies' and a member of Robinson college. In 2019, Tiara was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Social Impact Award for her organisation. SolidariTEE raises awareness and funds for the refugee crisis by selling t-shirts on over 40 university campuses across the UK. When Tiara started the campaign in her first year at Cambridge, she sold 600 t-shirts on her own, off her bike. Three years later, the campaign has almost 500 volunteers involved and ra ..read more

Dr. Mark Carrigan is a digital sociologist in the Faculty of Education, at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on how digital platforms are reshaping our education systems. Mark is the author of the book 'Social Media for Academics' and advises both individuals and organisations on their use of social media to build their identity and network online. In this episode, we discuss the use of social media during the coronavirus pandemic, when we're all spending increasing amounts of time online and in front of screens. Mark explains why, after publishing his book on social media, he ..read more