Welcome to the October e-bulletin, which brings you the latest news about alumni events and activities, and updates from across the University.

Cambridge Alumni Monthly Drinks, Cambridge
Tuesday 10 November, 19:00 - 21:00
Come and meet other local alumni at the November alumni drinks, back this month at our usual venue of B-Bar in Market Passage. There's no need to book so just turn up on the night and please feel free to invite other alumni you know to come along.

Tunnelling into the Future
Thursday 29 October
How can tunnels be built in ground sometimes as soft as toothpaste? How can you prevent subsidence? All these questions and more will be answered by Professor Robert Mair, Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cambridge and world-leading expert in tunnelling. The lecture which takes place at the Institution of Civil Engineers, will be accessible to a general audience and you are warmly invited to attend.

Tickets cost £20 each and the evening begins with a wine reception. Email the Alumni Relations Office for a reply form.

From surviving to thriving in your career
Saturday 23 January 2010, 10.00 - 17.00
In the current economic crisis, our first alumni event in Scotland will help to provide you with some sage advice about how to weather these times of change and unpredictability.

Join us at Edinburgh's iconic landmark, The Hub, for an informal yet informative session focusing on careers, with Gordon Chesterman, Director and Head of Careers Services, Polly Courtney (author and ex-investment banker) and other guests. Register your interest for this event by emailing us.

Opera on the shores of Lake Constance
Saturday 31 July 2010
Famous for astonishing productions on the world's largest floating stage, the Bregenz Festival on the Austrian shore of Lake Constance is a unique meeting of spectacle and culture. This year, Festival Director David Pountney (St John's 1966) is inviting alumni to experience Bregenz with tickets for two operas - and an exclusive backstage tour.

For more information please see the website.

'Eight in the Octagon'
18 October - 6 November 2009
Clare College is to play host to 'Eight in the Octagon', a three-week exhibition of still-life paintings by artist Julie Daniels to celebrate the University's 800th anniversary. The eight paintings (one for each hundred years of the University's history) are to be auctioned for the benefit of colleges and University institutions and departments.

For more information please see the website.

Festival of Ideas
21 October - 1 November 2009
The second Cambridge Festival of Ideas is fast approaching and has a fantastic programme to interest the whole family. Events include Radio 4's Any Questions broadcasting from West Road Concert Hall on 30 October and for teenagers, a crime-writing workshop with Michelle Spring and an introduction to the law of murder with Graham Virgo on 24 October.

For information and tickets, visit the website or call 01223 766766.

Careers - calling all Graduates of 2009
Have you graduated this year and been unable to make any firm arrangements for your future career, found your earlier plans are unravelling or looking for a change? The Careers Service are willing and waiting to help you with practical help, advice and information. In addition to everything on offer from Stuart House in Cambridge and on their website, they are also offering confidential careers interviews in London.

Register now to access this free and independent service and to book a London appointment.

Department of Pathology
As part of National Pathology Week the Department of Pathology are presenting The Deadliest Disease, a documentary film about sleeping sickness in the DR Congo, introduced by Professor Mark Field. The film showing takes place at 6.30 - 8pm Tuesday 3 November at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. For further details please email or visit the website.

Silicon Valley Comes to Cambridge Summit
19 - 21 November 2009
The Summit is an excellent opportunity for recent graduates to find out more about setting up or joining a start-up (company). Powered by NESTA and organised by CFeL, CUE, CUTEC and MBA Ventures, this promises to be an extraordinary gathering of leading minds from around the world. Registration for this event is free and opens soon; so make sure you put the dates in your diary now and keep checking the website for updates.

Order your exclusive 800th anniversary Onoto Fountain Pen in time for Christmas
The exclusive Onoto Magna pen, developed to celebrate the University's 800th anniversary, is the perfect present for a fellow alumnus/alumna this Christmas. Each pen carries the University crest on the cap and with the option of having an individual's College crest embedded in colour on the barrel end, this really is a unique gift.

Order online before 10 December.

Alumni Groups around the world regularly hold a wide range of events such as dinners, talks and tours. Find out about recent events on our website.

New Groups

The Cambridge University Canary Islands Alumni Group
Anyone interested in joining should contact Dr Conde in the first instance.

The Cambridge University LBGT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Alumni Association
The LGBT Alumni Association has recently been set up. Please email the confidential mailing list if you would like to be added.

Cambridge Societies' Tours Cambridge Societies' Tours, originally set up by and for members of the Cambridge Society but now open to all alumni, run one or two trips a year which offer affordable holiday tours, usually within Europe. Places are now available on the 2010 tour of Sardinia and Corsica (22 May - 3 June); for more details contact Jill Hockey or Brian Jackson.