11 Apr 2018

Dolly scientist backs research drive to tackle Parkinson’s disease

Professor Sir Ian Wilmut – who led the team that created Dolly the sheep – has backed an initiative to tackle Parkinson’s disease, after being diagnosed with the condition. The eminent scientist announced his diagnosis today – World Parkinson’s Day – ahead of the launch of a major research programme that will see experts at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee join forces in the quest to better understand the disease. They will set up infrastructure to enable the first trials in Scotland in a generation for therapies that aim to slow down Parkinson’s disease p...

11 Apr 2018

University’s business breakfast to serve up fresh opportunities

Employers and employees alike are set to benefit from the University of Dundee’s graduate apprenticeship scheme. Graduate apprenticeships provide a new way of learning to degree-level for employees at any stage in their career, combining work-based learning with high-quality education. Students participating in the scheme could be professionals who have no formal education and are keen to progress, or non-technical employees moving into IT, software development or engineering. Local employers are being invited to learn more about the potential benefits of the initiative at a business breakfast hos...

9 Apr 2018

New challenges and the Old Bailey at Saturday Series

One of Britain’s leading legal experts will return to her home city as the latest guest speaker at the University of Dundee’s Saturday Series. A graduate in both English and Scots Law from Dundee, Judge Anuja Dhir QC is the first non-white circuit judge at the Old Bailey and will talk about her career at the top of the legal profession and the challenges she has faced in getting there. Having tried cases involving terrorism and murder, she will also provide a first-hand account of life at the heart of the judicial system, and the issues facing both it and wider society. She will deliver her ...

5 Apr 2018

DeeCon 2018 profits to help gaming charity

Student superheroes from the University of Dundee are swinging into action to aid the work of a national charity.   Organisers of DeeCon 2018 are to contribute a percentage of profits generated from this year’s event to SpecialEffect, which utilises pioneering technology to allow people with physical disabilities to play video games.   With thousands of fancy-dressed visitors expected to descend on campus for the event on April 7, organisers are hopeful of generating a bumper sum of cash for the charity.   Hosted by animation students from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and...

5 Apr 2018

Fresh Discovery findings could battle climate change

She is one of the world’s most famous ships and is synonymous with British scientific endeavour, and more than a century after her historic expedition to Antarctica, RRS Discovery is still revealing her secrets. An examination of biological samples returned to Britain by Captain Scott and his crew in 1904 has revealed potentially crucial information for future studies into climate change. Specimens of cyanobacteria – commonly known as blue-green algae – have been examined by a team of researchers working at London’s Natural History Museum, the University of Dundee, and the Brain C...