Digest
Seminar
Dr Patricia Wouters, director of the International Water Law Research Institute in the department of law is to deliver one of a series of Scottish Executive seminars for policy makers. Dr Wouters, will deliver a seminar on risk management and the environment, jointly with Joyce Tait, director of Scottish Universities Policy Research and Advice Network on 28 November. The seminar will focus on how new policy approaches are being applied using case studies to illustrate.Reading
A new reading group focussing on women's roles in the early modern period will be meeting on alternate Tuesdays between 1 and 2pm - 27/11, 11/12 in room B3, 162 Nethergate. The group hopes to use the collaborative and interdisciplinary sessions to develop teaching modules. If you would like to join the reading group contact Marion Wynne Davies m.wynnedavies@dundee.ac.ukCities
Nick Fyfe and Allan Findlay of the geography department and Greg Lloyd and Prof Peter Roberts from the school of town and regional planning have been appointed to the Scottish Executive's academic panel to review Scottish cities. The members will develop an understanding of the state of our cities, look at prospects for change and formulate an agenda for the next parliament and beyond.Fellow
Geoff Ward has become a founding fellow of the Institute of Contemporary Scotland FFCS.Challenge
Rector Fred MacAulay completed his languages challenge to speak Mandarin and Gaelic for the first time in China while walking the Great Wall and on air on Radio Scotland when he told a joke and discussed the merits of thongs in Gaelic during his radio show.Prizes
Congratulations to the four winners of the languages in lifelong learning competition. Weronika Krajewska attended the Polish upper intermediate class and won first prize for her poem Latanie. Alisdair Gourlay, a student in the German upper intermediate class won second prize for a poem and Catherine Meyer shared the third prize for her piece in Japanese with Eric Fogg for an essay on the French Resistance. They all received book tokens as prizes.Qualified
Eight new adult and higher education language teachers received their postgraduate certificate in teaching modern languages to adults. Vice-Principal David Swinfen awarded the certificates to the postgraduate students at the centre for applied language studies. They are now eligible for membership of the Institute of Learning and Teaching. The successful candidates were Barbara Brett, Sebastiana Bruno O'Brien, Joyce Hinrichs, Liang Qingzhong, Juan Carlos Olmos Alcoy, Rose Othuon. Owen Reilly and Nara de Vasconcello Wigderowitz.Lucky
One of this year's Nobel Prize winners Paul Nurse is to lecture at the University early next year. Paul Nurse and his fellow Nobel winner Tim Hunt are regular visitors to Dundee and their work has been fundamental to much of the research carried out at the Wellcome Trust Biocentre. In what Sir Philip Cohen describes as "lucky prescience", Paul Nurse will deliver the Peter Garland lecture on May 31 next year.Training
Irene Donaldson, head of the student advisory service, and Shahida Shah, international student support worker recently completed an intensive course on health issues in the community. The training, for local community based workers from the statutory and voluntary sectors involved in promoting young people's health, allowed participants to examine how prejudice, discrimination and feelings of powerlessness affect young people's health and prevent them from getting the information they need for a healthy life.CD
The department of law struck a first for the University this year by providing all undergraduate course material on a CD. Over 600 CDs were burned over the summer and issued to students by their adviser of studies. It is hoped that postgraduate course material will also be available on CD next year and that the law department will secure the financial backing of a major law firm to support this venture.UN
Marion McMurdo, head of the department of ageing and health has accepted an invitation to act as external tutor at the United Nations international short training course on health and ageing in Malta next month. The course attracts participants from a range of professional backgrounds from developing countries and will be hosted by the International Institute on Ageing in Valletta. Professor McMurdo said: "It is a great honour to be invited back to teach on this course. The challenge is to provide information which will be relevant and useful to health professionals whose facilities and services may be very limited in comparison to the UK."Monitors
The Tower Foyer is now home to two LCD flat screen display monitors situated above the reception desk. The monitors will be updated on a daily basis publicising what's on around the University. If you have any events or information you would like to appear on the monitors contact the press office press@dundee.ac.uk.Reception
Professor Sheila Hunt, head of the school of nursing and midwifery and Alan Davidson, director of quality, attended a reception at 10 Downing Street at the invitation of The Prime Minister and Mrs Blair to celebrate excellence in higher education. Sheila and Alan were two of one hundred guests from education institutions throughout the UK.Memorial
In recognition of the late Andy McKinlay's talent as a photographer and pleasant demeanour, the University is establishing an annual award in his memory. The award will be presented to a student or staff member who most closely demonstrates these qualities and his professionalism. A fund has been opened in the finance office. Donations can be made by cheque or by direct transfer and should be made payable to the Andy McKinlay Annual Memorial Award. Specific criteria for the award will be made available on the web.Robert Phillips, a second year studying French with law took a prize in a competition organised by the Association of University Language Centres in the UK and Ireland as part of the European Year of Languages. His 2000-word French essay on whether immigration laws are racist or not won him a French Oxford-Hachette dictionary on CD Rom and a certificate which were presented to him by Dr Arthur McNeill, director of the centre for applied languages.
Carlo Guide, a third year BSc architecture student won the first prize in category one from the Association of Scottish Schools of Architecture for his innovative and sustainable design for a health living centre in Edinburgh on the banks of the Water of Leith. Philip Wilson, a fifth year B Arch student won the first and only prize in category two for his extensively researched design for a new campus sports centre. The judges, Richard Pollock of Burnett Pollock Architects and Colin Gordon of Hackland and Dore Ltd were also sufficiently impressed with the work of Fiona Mullan, fourth year, to award her a special mention for her design of a complex European cultural centre situated beside the new Scottish parliament.
Merger
Some 120 Northern College staff join key university personnel at a social reception in the Ustinov Room on 21 November to celebrate the conclusion of the prolonged merger negotiations. The merger officially takes place on 1 December.
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