26 Nov 2014

Legendary film producer to give last of 2014 AHRI Lectures

Legendary independent film director and producer Don Boyd will give an insight into his career when he appears at the last in this year’s series of Arts & Humanities Research Institute Lectures at the University of Dundee. Famously dubbed the “Boyd Wonder” by the film critic, Alexander Walker, for his attempt to reinvigorate British cinema in the late-1970s, Don Boyd is responsible for producing some of British cinema’s most important independent films, including Alan Clarke’s Scum, Julien Temple’s The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle and Derek Jarman’s T...

25 Nov 2014

Research targets heart damage enzyme

The workings of an enzyme which is thought to play a role in damaging heart muscle during a heart attack have been revealed for the first time by researchers at the University of Dundee. The teams’ research into the enzyme DHHC5 raises the possibility that it might be a plausible drug target. The results of the research, which was supported by a grant from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), one of the world's most-cited and comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific journals. Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Direc...

21 Nov 2014

University to lead ash research project

The UKQAA (UK Quality Ash Association) and the University of Dundee have announced an extensive research programme into the recovery and use of stockpile fly ash is now underway. The UKQAA – the representative organisation for the producers and users of coal ash in the UK – has launched a new fly ash research project, in partnership with the Concrete Technology Unit (CTU) at the University of Dundee, to investigate whether stockpiled fly ash could be recovered and used as a pozzolana in concrete and cement. The research programme – the first of its kind in recent years – will be s...

21 Nov 2014

Shopping vouchers for breastfeeding set for wide-scale trial

A pioneering project aimed at boosting breastfeeding rates in areas where levels remain stubbornly low will be tested in a large-scale trial by researchers at the Universities of Sheffield, Dundee and Brunel.   The NOurishing Start for Health (NOSH) scheme offers women £120 of shopping vouchers if they breastfeed their baby for up to six weeks and a further £80 if they continue breastfeeding to six months.  Breastfeeding has a wide range of benefits for both mothers and babies and can help prevent illnesses in children 1 and also reduce the costs to the National Health Service ...

19 Nov 2014

Public invited to `Make:Shift:Do’

People in and around Dundee are being invited to `Make:Shift:Do’ as part of a nationwide mini-festival of craft and innovation. Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD), part of the University of Dundee, is linking with the Crafts Council and the V&A in London to offer a day of events on Friday November 21st  exploring how advances in materials, processes and technologies are driving innovation in craft practice. Dr Louise Valentine, Senior Lecturer in Design + Craft at DJCAD, said, “We are delighted to once again be working alongside Crafts Counc...