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| Cambridge University Natural Sciences | |
|---|---|
| Name | Natural Sciences |
| University | University of Cambridge |
| Established | 1851 |
| Type | Tripos |
| Location | Cambridge, England |
Cambridge University Natural Sciences
The Natural Sciences Tripos is the principal framework for undergraduate study in a broad range of scientific subjects at the University of Cambridge. It provides flexible pathways across chemistry, physics, biological sciences and interdisciplinary fields, connecting departments such as Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Cambridge and institutes like the Gurdon Institute and Sanger Institute. Students engage with experimental work in laboratories tied to colleges including Trinity College, Cambridge, King's College, Cambridge, St John's College, Cambridge and research programmes associated with bodies such as the Royal Society, Wellcome Trust and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
The Tripos traces origins to reforms in the mid-19th century linked to figures like John Herschel, William Whewell and institutions such as Royal Society of London and Royal Institution. Early teaching revolved around resources at Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Botanical Garden, Cambridge and the nascent Cavendish Laboratory established under James Clerk Maxwell and later directed by Lord Rayleigh and Ernest Rutherford. Expansion in the 20th century connected Cambridge research with wartime efforts at Porton Down and postwar initiatives funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Commission on Scientific Instruction. The Tripos evolved alongside the rise of departments including the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge and the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge.
The Tripos structure is coordinated by the Faculty Boards within the School of the Physical Sciences and School of the Biological Sciences, with governance tied to collegiate supervision at colleges such as Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and Christ's College, Cambridge. Teaching is delivered by departments including the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Cambridge, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge and research centres like the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Reduction in Chemical Technology. Assessment follows the Tripos examination system historically associated with the Mathematical Tripos and overseen by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate and examiners who are fellows of the Senate of the University of Cambridge.
The Tripos offers major subject options spanning Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Sciences, Genetics, Plant Sciences, Zoology, Materials Science, Pharmacology and emerging fields tied to institutes such as the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research. Degree pathways permit combinations reflecting collaborations with centres like Addenbrooke's Hospital, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Sanger Institute and the Cambridge Judge Business School for translational training. Practical components are run in laboratories affiliated with Wolfson College, Cambridge and research-led teaching often intersects with initiatives funded by European Research Council, Gates Cambridge Scholarship and philanthropic trusts such as the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.
Research spans experimental and theoretical work in facilities such as the Cavendish Laboratory, Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge, Lord Rayleigh Laboratory and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Major collaborative projects connect to organisations like the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Diamond Light Source. Collections and museums supporting research include the Fitzwilliam Museum, Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Sedgwick Museum and the Cambridge University Herbarium. High-performance computing and instrumentation are maintained through partnerships with the Met Office and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Alumni and faculty linked to the Tripos have featured among leaders associated with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the Nobel Prize in Physics, including figures connected with the Cavendish Laboratory such as J. J. Thomson, Sir William Lawrence Bragg, Max Perutz and Francis Crick. Other distinguished names have ties to institutions like the Gurdon Institute, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Sanger Institute, including Sydney Brenner, Alan Hodgkin, Andrew Huxley, Dorothy Hodgkin and Fred Sanger. The Tripos network includes links to clinical and industrial leaders associated with Addenbrooke's Hospital, the Wellcome Trust and companies spun out via Cambridge Enterprise.
Undergraduates participate in college-based life at King's College, Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge, Robinson College, Cambridge and others, joining subject societies such as the Cambridge University Natural Sciences Society, departmental clubs tied to Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge and Cavendish Laboratory and recreational groups like the Cambridge University Boat Club and Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club. Careers support involves links to the Cambridge University Careers Service and graduate opportunities including Gates Cambridge Scholarship recipients and postgraduate programmes at institutions such as EMBL and the European Space Agency.
Departments collaborate with outreach organisations including the Royal Society, Royal Institution, British Science Association and initiatives like Cambridge Science Festival and public programmes at the Fitzwilliam Museum and Whipple Museum. Engagement extends to schools partnerships with bodies such as the Ogden Trust, the Wellcome Genome Campus outreach and media work with outlets like the BBC and scientific communication training supported by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society of Biology.