NexusonlineC o n n e c t i n g t h e U n i v e r s i t y c o m m u n i t yS E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2012

Olympic fever ran high throughout RGU this summer as the 2012 games brought to light the links between the University’s sporting endeavours and the Olympic spirit.

The University had numerous stakes in the London 2012 games, given its connections to student swim-star Hannah Miley, honorary graduate and gold-medalist Katherine Grainger, and the Cameroonian team which it hosted during their pre-games training camp (PGTC).

Sports and Exercise Science student and RGU: SPORT Scholar Hannah showed a marked improvement on her Beijing 2008 campaign, forging her way to the final in all three of her chosen events.

Her campaign kicked off in the first days of the 2012 games, placing fifth position in the 400 metre Individual Medley (IM) and finishing in seventh in the 200m IM.

The Garioch swimmer, who has trained at RGU: SPORT alongside her studies, also brought national acclaim when she helped her team make huge progress in the third round, pushing them up to ultimately claim fifth place in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay.

North-east Olympic rower, Katherine Grainger, who received an Honorary Doctor of Law from the University in 2010 also gave cause for celebration when she stormed to gold in the women’s Double Sculls final at Eton Dorney on Friday 3 August.

Helping build excitement in the run up to the summer event, staff and students were delighted to play host to the Cameroonian Olympic team for their PGTC which ran between 4 and 20 July.

RGU plays its part in London 2012

LiveWire project delivers measurable improvementsThe LiveWire project, a web development project which aimed to build on and improve RGU’s web presence, has come to an end after 18 months. The project was developed to enhance RGU’s online presence and evidence shows that this has been achieved.

The project was split into five strands which were; moving to a single web domain, optimising the website for natural search, improving RGU’s online presence, creating a publishing plan and looking forward as new technology develops.

In addition to a core project team, involving marketing, communications and student recruitment, ITS supported by providing search engine optimisation expertise in Aberdeen Business School. Over 100 staff across the University were identified as ‘web champions’ and received training on how to update content using FarCry, a content management system which has enabled delivery of an improved user experience.

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The managers and coaches of the African team expressed their extreme satisfaction with the training camp, remarking that the world-class facilities had helped put them in the best possible shape for their Olympic campaign.

Director of Sports at RGU: SPORT, Filippo Antoniazzi commented:

“It has been fantastic as a university and a region to have shared in and played a role in the summer games. We couldn’t be more proud of Hannah and Katherine’s achievements, and the Cameroonian PGTC provided an ideal opportunity to showcase our facilities and expertise on the global stage.”

Hannah Miley

Welcome Alumni to the September/October edition of Nexus online. Having worked within the University sector for nearly ten years now, it always makes me smile that when summer arrives and the students leave, so many people understandably think that we lock the gates and have a long holiday too. As you’ll see from this edition of Nexus, (unfortunately) this isn’t the case and we’ve all been very busy! I hope you’ll enjoy catching up on all the latest news and please, if you have a great story to feature in the Alumni section of the magazine, email us at alumni@rgu.ac.uk

Best wishes – Claire Shaw, Alumni Relations Manager

Daniel Turner ABSCommunications, Marketing & Media

Winner

Eric Ogilvie-Brown ABSAccounting & Finance/Law

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Konstantina Martzoukou ABSInformation Management

Winner

Lizann Francis ABS Management Winner

Charles Juwah DELTA DELTA Winner

Dave McKay FoDT Computing Winner

Eyad Elyan FoDT Computing Winner

Amy Wareing FoHSC Health Sciences Winner

Chris Yuill FoHSC Applied Social Studies Winner

Eoin Cowie FoHSCPharmacy & Life Sciences

Winner

Stephanie Morrison FoHSC Health Sciences Winner

Charlie Weir ABS Management Recognition

Paul Arnell ABS Law Recognition

Peter Reid ABSInformation Management

Recognition

Thorsten Lauterbach ABS Law Recognition

Andrew Brown FoDT Scott Sutherland Recognition

David Lonie FoDT Computing Recognition

Mamdud Hossain FoDT Engineering Recognition

Michael Dignan FoDT Scott Sutherland Recognition

Inga Heyman FoHSC Nursing & Midwifery Recognition

Neil Gibson FoHSC Applied Social Studies Recognition

Nursing lecturer reflects on careerMargaret Hutson retired at the end of August from the School of Nursing and Midwifery having worked across the past four decades predominantly within the fields of Adult Nursing practice and education.

Staff and students attended a presentation and reception held for Margaret within the University’s Faculty of Health and Social Care on Tuesday 7 August. During the presentation, her contributions to the profession and to the generations of nurses and clinical colleagues she has worked with and mentored were recognised.

Reflecting on her career, Margaret said: “Inevitably over the last 38 years of my career there have been immense changes in the world of nursing, nurse education and health care provision – the only constant is that there is and will always be change. I have thoroughly enjoyed my career and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be involved in the world of nursing and nurse education.”

Click here for the full story

RGU announces honorary awardsThe University awarded three honorary degrees at its summer graduation ceremonies. Respected professionals from various disciplines were selected for their outstanding contributions to their field.

Malcolm Webb, Chief Executive of Oil & Gas UK, was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration (Hon DBA) for his work in the oil industry which spans across 30 years. A graduate of Liverpool University and a lawyer by profession, he has extensive senior management experience in both the upstream and downstream oil industry. Malcolm is also a great supporter of Aberdeen Business School delivering masterclasses to MBA students as well as supporting research projects.

Professor Dame Jill Macleod Clark, a distinguished nurse who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the nursing profession and healthcare related education and research, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science (Hon DSc). Jill became a Dame of the British Empire in 2000 in recognition of her ground-breaking work in nursing. She has published over 100 peer reviewed journal articles, several books and achieved millions of pounds in research funding throughout her career.

Ola Tait, professionally known as Ola Gorie, received an Honorary Doctor of Design (Hon DDes) for her services to the jewellery industry. As the very first graduate of Gray’s School of Art’s jewellery department in 1959, Ola went on to start her own jewellery business which gained appreciation across the country. Ola completed collections for Liberty’s of London’s 100th Anniversary, for the House of Commons and her commissions for one off pieces were accepted for the Queen Mother. The business is now run, on a smaller scale, by Ola’s daughter, textile designer Ingrid Tait, and operates out of the same premises the family business has occupied since 1969. In 1999 Ola was awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to the jewellery industry.

I Love My Lecturer AwardsThe University has announced the winners and recognition award winners of the I Love My Lecturer Awards. These are as follows:

Margaret Hutson with Head of School, Professor Brian Webster and Senior Lecturer, Alison McLennan’

Academic presents at European eventBryan McCann, lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at the School of Health Sciences has presented his research on an innovative youth engagement programme at a European conference held in Bruges, Belgium.

Bryan’s presentation, titled “The Impact of an Alternative Sport-Based Education Curriculum on Confidence and Motivation”, was presented at the 17th Annual European College of Sporting Science (ECSS) congress during the Sport Psychology 2 session.

He presented his qualitative study on the Alternative Academy programme, an innovative alternative education programme, which he developed in his role as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate between 2010 and 2012. The KTP was between Transition Extreme Sports Ltd and the School of Health Sciences.

The Alternative Academy is an innovative, 12-week full-time training programme for young people at risk of becoming disengaged from traditional forms of education. The programme is delivered by Transition Extreme, who use their dynamic adrenaline sports to reengage young people and assist them in achieving their potential to progress to a positive destination.

Bryan’s role rose out of a successful KTP bid made by Transition Extreme and RGU before the programme began. Bryan is developing new research projects to build on this study, and is about to embark on a part-time PhD studying the psychological mechanisms involved in sport-based youth work.

Twin city visit looks into care of war veterans The University played host to a delegation of senior physicians from Aberdeen’s twin city of Gomel who recently visited the city to share experiences of changing patterns in the care of war veterans.

The Belarusian party of four, from Gomel Veterans Hospital and Gomel Regional Council, undertook a tour of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow’s war veteran organisations from 26 June to 1 July.

The trip was coordinated by the Aberdeen Gomel Trust with the aim of comparing health practices in the care of war veterans in light of the needs of an aging population and the increasing emphasis on psychosocial consequences of warfare.

On Friday (29 June) the delegation visited the University’s Faculty of Health and Social Care where they met with senior members of staff from throughout the Faculty. Click here for the full story

Yash remembered at candlelit vigilStaff and students across the University have paid tribute to the memory of Dr Yash Kumarasamy who sadly and unexpectedly passed away at the end of July.

A candlelit vigil was held at Aberdeen beach on Monday 23 July for the member of academic staff, who worked within the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences and Institute for Health and Welfare Research (IHWR). The legacy he leaves behind includes a strong fondness shared among his students, who only last year voted him as the winner of the I Love My Lecturer Award.

During his time at RGU, Yash led a number of Pharmacy programmes including the MSc Clinical Pharmacy and MSc Advanced Pharmacy Practice.

Professor Cherry Wainwright, Director of the IHWR, said:

“Life to Yash was about doing, being and becoming. He was always looking for the next challenge or project, and was motivated by the desire to do better.

“His tragic death is a tremendous loss to his family, the School and the Research Institute. We are taking this time to reflect on our own personal memories of Yash and remember him for the energy, kindness, enthusiasm and love for life that he always demonstrated. These qualities, which drew so many people to him, make him truly irreplaceable and a colleague and friend who will be sorely missed.”

A joint donation between the School and Research institute has been made to Yash’s preferred charity - the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA).

Yash Kumarasamy

Stephanie Morrison with the Belarus delegation

Steph, who graduated in July with a BA (Hons) in Three Dimensional Design, carried the flame through Forfar after being nominated by BP. Originally from Edinburgh, Steph chose Gray’s because she was passionate about art and design, in particular art therapy. She became involved in fundraising during her time at the University and was nominated because of her commitment to fundraising.

Workout at Work Day returnsWorkout @ Work Day (W@WD) was held for a second time on the Garthdee campus on 20 June.

The initiative, which is led by the School of Health Sciences in concert with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), saw staff take part in a variety of activities including swimming, climbing, rounders and yoga during their lunch hours. Participants also learned how to achieve a healthy and balanced diet, plus how to reduce stress levels by attending workshops designed by qualified physiotherapists and health scientists.

This is the second time the university has run a W@WD event, having originally organised a schedule of activities in September 2011. The initiative has been organised in response to the CSP’s ‘Move for Health’ campaign which advises that adults should exercise at moderate intensity for 30 minutes each day, five times a week.

W@WD events took place across the UK on the same week, each communicating the core message that physical activity can help prevent or manage over 20 medical conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, back pain, osteoarthritis and depression.

Click here for the full story

Greatest Athlete wins silver accreditationAn initiative run by RGU staff and volunteers to build student engagement in healthy competition in the run up to the London 2012 games was recognised with an award from the National Union of Students (NUS).

RGU’s Greatest Athlete - a six-month series of Olympic sporting challenges and festivals at RGU: SPORT – won silver accredited status in the NUS ‘Be a Champion’ scheme.

The scheme aimed to involve at least 20,000 students across UK universities and colleges in activities inspired by London 2012. The accreditations highlighted the impact that student unions have, and allowed the NUS to reward and recognise individual unions for their commitment towards London 2012.

Nicola Scott, who was President of Sport and Physical Activity throughout this period commented: “I feel over the moon that the hard work of our student volunteers put in over the six months of RGU’s Greatest Athlete has been recognised. The project was a great success in the run up to London 2012 and helped generate a lot of excitement on campus.”

LiveWire Project delivers measurable improvementsContinued from page 1

Vice Principal and Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Experience and External Relations, Shona Cormack, said: “Through the hard work and dedication of many from across the university, LiveWire has added 3562 new content pages, 2707 new images and 1764 new links to external websites. This has delivered a number of benefits including an improved ability to find our courses as a result of search optimisation activity and an improved user experience with 94% of survey respondents rating the look and feel of our website as better, or much better, than our competitors. 87% responded by saying that our navigation is better or much better and 88% rated our information quality as better or much better.”

The project team, in partnership with RGU:Union, also developed a social media campaign entitled The Right Click, which encourages active but responsible use of social media by staff and students. The campaign has proved a success attracting over 4000 views to the new ‘Social Media Guide’.

Although the LiveWire project has now come to an end, online development will continue overseen by an editorial board, chaired by Professor John Watson. Shona added: “An effective web presence is vital to RGU’s future success and thanks are due to all colleagues whose efforts are ensuring that www.rgu.ac.uk works hard for us as one of our marketing and communication channels.”

RGU’s Olympic Torch Bearers RGU was well represented during the Olympic torch relay this year. Student, Steph Dowling and staff member, Karl Kaufmann were chosen to carry the torch.

Ranked for many years in the top handful of South African fencers, Karl Kaufmann, of Gray’s School of Art, was chosen to carry the flame through Aboyne.

Karl has represented South Africa at World Championships and the All Africa Games, as well as fencing for North Section Scotland. He also gives up a lot of his free time to coach youngsters in fencing.

Both described the experience as one of the best days of their lives.

Photo credited to Tom Joy

RGU architecture graduate recognised An RGU graduate is the only Scottish scholar to be recognised in a UK wide shortlist of the six top architecture students for his design projects which focus on development in Aberdeen city and shire.

Calum Paterson, who graduated this year with a Masters in Architecture with Distinction, has been selected to Building Design Magazine’s Class of 2012.

Nominated by Professor Gokay Deveci, Calum’s Stage Five and Six studio projects which include designs for a hotel alongside Aberdeen’s Music Hall and a Cultural Fishing Centre in Peterhead, were put forward to the panel.

Calum will now be invited to compete along with the five other shortlisted graduates for a fully funded year-long scholarship to the IE School of Architecture and Design in Madrid.

Calum also took part in a Summer Studentship in 2011 with the University’s Institute for Innovation, Design and Sustainability Research (IDEAS) as the first student in a 5-year programme funded by CHAP Construction Ltd.

The winner of the scholarship to Madrid will be announced at the Building Design Architect of the Year Awards in London in December.

Academic and industry accolades for computing studentsThe School of Computing held its annual prize giving on Friday 29 June. In addition to the presentation of School prizes, local businesses sponsored and presented a range of awards including: The Marcliffe Hotel and Spa, Divex, Nexen Petroleum, Wipro UK, Aventa Systems, Amor Group, Codify, CSE Controls, XMA, Fugro Subsea Services, DEER/digital, Inoapps and the British Computer Society.

David Taylor, studying for a BSc (Hons) Computing for Internet and Multimedia, received the Year 3 Class Prize for Academic Excellence. A previous recipient of an industry prize, David has secured a part-time job during his studies with global energy firm ConocoPhillips, working in onsite IT infrastructure.

He comments: “I applied to the course at the School of Computing due to the University’s high record of graduate employment. I’m delighted to win another prize during my studies and am very much looking forward to applying the academic knowledge learned in class to the working environment.”

Fellow student Myles Currie was awarded the Year 4 Class Prize and graduated from the University in July after undertaking an honours project developing an interactive e-learning environment offering modern teaching methods for students.

Myles has now accepted a graduate position with international business and technology service company Logica as a Graduate IT Analyst.

Students from all four years of study were presented with a total of 33 awards at the ceremony by David Davidson, Associate Head of School, and various sponsoring company representatives.

Book honours Gray’s graduate A major new book has been published by the Piers Art Centre focussing on the art of a previous Gray’s School of Art student and lecturer, Sylvia Wishart. The book, ‘Sylvia Wishart – A Study’, is the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s work and contains over 100 full colour illustrations that range from her earliest drawings to her late, large-scale paintings.

Sylvia, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 72, was always an enthusiastic artist, however she decided to work in the local post office rather than pursue art as a career until she was persuaded to attend Gray’s as a mature student in the 1950’s. After several years of teaching in Aberdeenshire, Lewis and her home island of Orkney, Sylvia returned to Gray’s in 1969 as a lecturer in the fine arts department.

She was instrumental in the establishment of the Pier Arts Centre along with her friend Margaret Gardiner, the founder of the gallery. Her work was the subject of a retrospective exhibition there last year which attracted record audiences. A selection from the exhibition was subsequently shown at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh in January and February this year. The exhibition is now on tour to venues in the Highlands and will next be on show at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery from 4 August until 1 September.

The book, which was printed at the Orcadian, is now available from the Pier Arts Centre.

The work of Sylvia Wishart

Living and breathing RGUCommunication with Public Relations student, Holly McLennan, has more to associate with the University than just her degree. Whilst studying at the Aberdeen Business School she worked at RGU: Sport as a Sports Assistant; her mum, Alison McLennan, is a senior lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery; and her dad, Norman McLennan, is an ad-hoc lecturer from industry at The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment.

Holly, whose life for the past four years has been intertwined in many ways with the University, graduated from Aberdeen Business School with a BA (Hons) in Communication with Public Relations on Wednesday 11 July.

The enthusiastic student grasped many opportunities presented to her with highlights including the completion of a six week placement at one of Scotland’s leading Public Relation Consultancies, The BIG Partnership; organising a street party for the Royal Wedding in Union Square; and being filmed for an STV NHS advert.

Holly said: “I’m sad that my time at RGU has come to an end but I’m looking forward to starting my career and hope to secure a permanent position with a top international PR consultancy in the very near future.”

For the full story click here

RGU graduate recognised for Glasgow Commonwealth Games building designArchitectural Technology graduate, David Weir-McCall, has been recog-nised in a UK-wide design competition for his project exploring the legacy of buildings constructed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

David entered the ‘Designing for Adaptable Futures’ (DAF) competition during his final year of study receiving an honourable mention from the group’s international panel of judges.

The competition invited students from around the UK to illustrate how the life of a building unfolds through time and can accommodate change.

David’s project ‘Designing for Sport’ looks at the legacy of the buildings constructed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and proposes an energy-generating dome as a permanent public landmark that adapts to shifting climates and functions as a stadium, education centre or green space.

For the full story click here

Talented students graduating from Gray’s School of Art and the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture have each been awarded £500 purchase prizes by RGU Art and Heritage Collections. The prize pieces have been added to RGU’s extensive art collection which is open to viewing by the public.

This year’s purchase prizegiving saw eleven students each receive a £500 cheque in return for a piece of their work which they produced as part of the universities annual degree show. The selected pieces which included an installation, consisting of a sleeping bag with printed text, exploring the issue of people who go missing by Textile and Surface Design student Emma Kerr and ceramic columns decorated with printed and coloured wallpaper designs by Three Dimensional Design student Sammy Sinclair, will be added to the University’s growing collection of RGU students’ work.

The prizegiving was formally inaugurated in 2006 and since then RGU has built up a fascinating record of the creativity of graduates in all the design and fine art disciplines from textiles to architecture. Furniture, building designs, paintings, books and jewellery join packaging, prints and film

Holly McLennan with her parents Alison and Norman McLennan

The winning design

Art and Architecture pieces added to RGU collection

to showcase the talent emerging every year from the Grays and Scott Sutherland Schools.

Jane Kidd, Curator of the Art & Heritage Collections said: “I believe we are the only university which collects its own work in this systematic way, so a unique and fascinating record is being built up now for future generations”.

For the full story click here

Sammy Sinclair

Student event focuses on pathology careersOver 70 S5 and S6 pupils took part in a workshop series held at RGU which was designed to build their awareness of pathology - the study of disease - as part of a nationwide effort to boost numbers entering the specialty.

Organised collaboratively between the University and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the workshop programme was part of National Pathology Year which aims to increase understanding of pathology and its many associated careers.

Pupils from 12 schools across the north-east participated in one of three days held within RGU’s St Andrew Street building on 13, 18 and 19 June. During the interactive workshops exploring Immunology, Clinical Biochemistry, Microbiology and Histopathology, students got hands-on experience of various techniques including tissue staining, microscopy and blood sample analysis.

Dr Neil Emmison, programme leader for Biomedical Sciences at RGU said: “This workshop series was a fantastic opportunity for us to highlight the vast array of professions within the pathology industry. Given the very nature of the profession, biomedical scientists are often considered to play an invisible role in the treatment of patients. What we aimed to do is show where we fit into the patient experience.”

For the full story click here

KCA scholarship awarded to studentKCA Deutag, one of the world’s largest international drilling contractors, has just commenced its fifth year of employing third year placement students from RGU across a range of disciplines.

Louise Milner, HR Manager at KCA Deutag, acknowledges the benefit of the placement from both the company’s and student’s perspective, she said: “KCA Deutag embarked on the programme in order to attract high calibre candidates to fill a variety of roles within the company. The intention was to develop and retain placement students within the organisation. After five years of employing placement students from RGU, KCA Deutag boasts a strong working relationship with the university.”

KCA Deutag now employs seven full-time graduates from RGU who formerly spent their placement year with the company. A fresh group of 14 placement students have also recently commenced their placement with the energy contractor.

This year’s scholarship recipient was Kendal Lovie (20) from Aberdeen, a Management with Human Resources student from RGU’s Aberdeen Business School.

Placement Students Blair Johnston, Christopher Binnie, Kendal Lovie, Peter Morrison, Irina Benzie, Adam Parker and Frank McDonald.

Students rise to business challenge

A group of RGU accounting students proved to be a cut above by winning a task to create a business plan for a sandwich shop. Acumen Accountants and Advisors, based in Bon Accord House on Riverside Drive, entered into a partnership with the Business School to set the students an innovative virtual task. First year students Andrew Higgins, Karla Harris, Paul Watt, Rebecca Scott and Ciaran Wilkinson came out on top to win a cash prize of £100 each. Professor Elizabeth Gammie, Head of Department Accounting and Finance, paid tribute to Acumen for backing the project: “We are delighted that Acumen decided to support our first year students on our Accounting and Finance degree through the award of a very generous prize for the best team project. “Accounting is not all about numbers and we endeavour at RGU to develop the non-technical skills which differentiate between the number crunchers and those who will become the leaders of tomorrow.” Acumen Accountants and Advisors managing director Steven McKenzie, who addressed the students with an industry presentation, is delighted to be able to test the next generation of professionals. He said: “This project has added another dimension to the students’ academic learning programme. “It also provided us with a great opportunity to interact with them whilst allowing them to test their practical skills in terms of pitching future plans in a business environment.”

The winning design

Andrew Higgins, Karla Harris, Rebecca Scott, Paul Watt, and Ciaran Wilkinson with Acumen Managing Director Steven McKenzie.

RGU management article placed in top five

A study on ‘Delivering practice based stories of small and medium enterprise’, authored by Dr Robert Smith and Dr Charles Juwah from RGU, was chosen as one of the top five management articles in the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Management Articles of the Year competition, which aims to bridge the gap between academic management research and practising managers working in UK organisations.

CMI issued a challenge to the academic community, inviting academics to submit research for professional managers to review. The article, which explores how traditionally delivering academic input to small and medium enterprises can be problematic because the material is often considered too theoretical, was shortlisted by the CMI Academic Advisory Council made up of leading academics drawn from across the United Kingdom.

Dr Robert Smith, Reader in Entrepreneurship at Aberdeen Business School said: “My colleague Charles Juwah and I are both extremely delighted to be chosen as one of the CMI top 5 Management Articles of 2011. The CMI Management Articles series is a wonderful bridge between the theoretical and the practical and I would encourage other scholars to participate”.

Click here for the full story

Bright Horizons, provider of RGU’s Treehouse Nursery has received two prestigious awards in recognition of being a great place to work. The childcare provider was awarded both the Leadership Excellence Award and the Diversity Excellence Award by the Great Place to Work Scotland’s Best Workplaces Awards 2012.

Selected ahead of five finalists, Bright Horizons were chosen for their commitment to improving diversity and inclusion work and for their outstanding, caring and creative management and leadership. The organisation is now the only childcare provider to have been listed as one of the country’s top 50 “Great Places to Work” for six years running.

Founded to provide an innovative solution to the lack of affordable, high quality childcare for working families, Bright Horizons has grown to produce fantastic results with their network of nurseries consistently receiving higher than national average judgements at inspections. Based at the Garthdee Campus, the custom built nursery provides high quality childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years from both the University and the wider community.

As a winning organisation, Bright Horizons will be showcased in a special supplement published by The Herald Scotland.

RGU nursery receives best workplace award

Strictly Come DiningA new initiative developed by academics from across three RGU facilities has been hailed a success. Strictly Come Dining- the brainchild of several lecturers from Health and Social Care, Design and Technology and Aberdeen Business School- was an interactive event for students to encourage interdisciplinarity.

Capturing elements of its namesake television shows, students from communication with public relations, hospitality management and graphic design were split into mixed teams and given a real-life scenario to pitch to a panel of experts with the aim of winning a catering contract. The winning team was then selected by the panel which included a nutritionist, a design consultant, an NHS catering manager and an army major.

The initiative enabled students to recognise different professions’ expertise; enhance their team collaboration; develop presentation skills including creating a promotional film clip and

The Winning Team: L-R Kirsty Sinclair Paula Dunn Dominika Probola Victoria Lowrie Mairead Rowan).

recognise the impact of another professions’ role on their own. Achieving outcomes such as these promotes their employability and the development of graduate attributes in interdisciplinary working.

Led by Dr. Sundari Joseph, Lecturer in Interprofessional Education, the initiative allowed three student groups to benefit from an enhanced interdisciplinary curriculum for the first time. The project received QAA Enhancement Theme funding and is part of the Faculty of Health and Social Care’s project for the developing and supporting curriculum theme ‘Interdisciplinarity’. Building on its

success lecturers are planning on embedding the project into the curricula of these courses.

EVENTS DIARY 2012For further information on all events, visit: www.rgu.ac.uk/news/eventsdiary

NOVEMBER

3&4 “Hypnosis in Childbirth” Workshops

22 Professorial Lecture, Richard Laing

DECEMBER

6&7 Winter Graduations, Music Hall

17 University Carol Service

Update your detailsIt is important that we have an up-to-date record of your personal details so we can send you our magazine, event invitations, exclusive alumni privilege offers, updates from your former classmates and much more. To update your details, simply click on the button.

To update your details, please visit www.rgu.ac.uk/updatedetails

RGU: Alumni Privilege Card

Do you have your RGU: Alumni Privilege Card yet? As an RGU graduate you are entitled to join our exclusive alumni privilege scheme, which offers an exciting package of discounts and benefits. To receive your card, please email alumni@rgu.ac.uk, stating ‘privilege scheme’ with you name, address and date of birth. For more information on all the benefits on offer, please visit www.rgu.ac.uk/alumni/foryou.

Careers AdviceWhether you have found a graduate job, are considering some time out or are busy job-hunting, the Careers Centre can help you after graduation.

As an RGU Graduate you can:

• Discuss your career options with a Careers Consultant • Access MY CAREER to Search for Vacancies, Book

Appointments, Sign Up for Careers Events • Explore your Career and Employability Module : Preparing to

Succeed • Visit the Careers Centre, Browse the Career Information &

pick up your Careers Handbook • Follow the Careers Centre on Twitter / Facebook

For further information, please visit www.rgu.ac.uk/careers

ALUMNI NEWS Postgraduate Online Learning Study OpportunitiesHave you thought of online learning, but never taken the idea further?

In a recent independent survey, 83% of our Distance Learning students believed studying at RGU has been a worthwhile investment of time and 90% of our postgraduate students would encourage others to apply to us*.

In such a competitive job market, it is now essential to keep developing your knowledge and expertise within your specific field if you are going to increase your employability prospects. Remember that as an Alumnus you are also eligible to a 10% loyalty course discount too.

Whether you have recently graduated, are looking for a career change or want to further your career through CPD, you should come along to our online and postgraduate Open Day on Saturday November 17 from 10am – 1pm. You’ll get the chance to have an informal chat with our course leaders and get lots of useful advice on admissions and finance. For a full list of our courses starting January, click here. You can register online at www.rgu.ac.uk/openday If you can’t make it, but want more information on our courses, just email myfuture@rgu.ac.uk

‘Florence Nightingale’ scholarship brings a wealth of opportunities for RGU alumnusRGU alumnus and Associate Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Ruth Taylor, was awarded a Florence Nightingale Foundation/Burdett Trust Leadership Scholarship in 2011. Here Ruth tells how the scholarship has brought about so many tremendous opportunities over the last 15 months:

“Recipients of the scholarship are awarded significant funding to undertake a bespoke programme geared to their individual needs based on an in-depth performance assessment. The scholarship allowed me to pursue personal, organisational and national objectives relating to my role and to service delivery in a Higher Education Institution context, and at a national level for policy development.

“The opportunities that were afforded to me within the scholarship included formal learning through the Athena Executive Women’s Leadership course at the Kings Fund, the Westminster Experience and a Creative Leadership Retreat with four other scholars in Seattle. Shadowing experiences with leaders from across health, education and the police allowed me to uncover learning about key leadership attributes and approaches whilst expanding my networks. Study tours to Seattle and Sydney facilitated international conversations that are still ongoing and will result in the development of theoretical and applied scholarship relating to partnership working across academic and practice contexts.

“The scholarship was an amazing opportunity to work with experts to improve my leadership for my role within the University and more widely. In particular, the networks that have grown from the scholarship have allowed me to learn about different contexts for both health care and higher education. The Florence Nightingale Foundation offers other scholarship opportunities (such as research and travel) providing tremendous opportunities for nurses at different stages of their careers – http://www.florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk/.

“I have written about some of my experiences on my blog (http://nurseeducationrt.blogspot.co.uk/) and would be delighted to engage in discussion with fellow professionals on relevant topics relating to the enhancement of education and practice.”

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni supported event nominated for ‘Outstanding Support for Students’ awardAn exciting new event involving alumni employed within the recruitment industry has been shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Support for Students’.

The Postgraduate Employability Symposium (PES) was a direct response by the University to a proposition from the Student Association to enhance the connection between employers, postgraduate students and their own employability. RGU was delighted to support the event as our commitment to enhancing graduate employability is of paramount importance. The event, held in May, was jointly led by the Careers Centre and the Students Association and delivered in partnership with students, academics and alumni.

PES was centred speed networking; placing students at the heart of a forum activity supported by successful alumni operating in senior recruitment positions.

Commenting on the impact of the event, one of our employer partners, Subsea 7, said:

“I think it has reinforced our belief that RGU equips suitably skilled qualified Postgraduate students for the “real” world of work.”

Professor Deveci receives host of design accolades for Aberdeenshire model homeMany of you may remember reading the ‘sustainable style’ feature in last years’ alumni magazine, CONNECT. The article focused on architecture alum, Professor Gokay Deveci, and his passion to create affordable, energy efficient and beautifully designed buildings. The Model-D project he was working on at the time has been successfully completed and receiving well-deserved recognition.

Model-D Show House at Pitmachie, near Insch, built in partnership with local firm Sylvan Stuart Ltd, was officially opened by First Minister Alex Salmond in November 2011. Constructed almost entirely from Scottish timber, the house was created from a concept aimed at exploring affordable, low-carbon homes which could be easily constructed in rural communities.

The first of the Model-D’s quadruple plaudits was awarded in July, when it was announced as one of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland’s (RIAS) inaugural award winners, representing the very best of current Scottish architecture.

The Model-D was also the only recipient of a newly established RIAS award, sponsored by Wood for Good and the Forestry Commission Scotland, which seeks to stimulate greater appreciation of home-grown Scottish timber. The award was bestowed on the Model-D house as it best demonstrated the use of timber in construction out of all the shortlisted entries.

The industry acclaim did not stop there however, as earlier last month the Model-D was announced as a recipient of the prestigious Saltire Society’s 75th annual Housing Design Awards.

Recognised in the ‘Private Dwelling – New Build’ category, Professor Deveci, no stranger to Saltire accolades having received awards in 2004, 2005 and 2011, was presented with his award at a ceremony in Edinburgh by Scottish Minister for Housing and Transport, Keith Brown MSP.

This year saw an unprecedented number of submissions for the Awards, with over 70 entries from virtually every geographical region and built environment in Scotland, with the final winners highlighting the most dynamic and challenging housing projects completed in the last year.

Alumni Sharing Experiences to Enhance Graduate Employability

Professor Deveci, an established member of the University’s Institute for Innovation, Design & Sustainability Research (IDEAS), comments:

“I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve been honoured on a local and national scale for our KTP project which offers a model for affordable housing stock in the countryside. The alternative contemporary design of the Model-D house draws upon the architectural language of traditional agricultural buildings and incorporates energy efficient features.

“The design utilises its setting and natural daylight to radically reduce energy costs. Large windows in the south façade take advantage of solar gain and maximise views, and an external rain screen provides shading and privacy.”

The Model-D, which was also nominated for a Scottish Design Award in the Affordable Housing Category, obtained its most recent recognition on 7 September when it came ‘Highly Commended’ in the Sustainability Category of the Aberdeenshire Design Awards.

The Awards, conferred by Aberdeenshire Council, aim to encourage and improve environmental design and architecture in the region. The Model-D House was recognised for its ‘splendid use of native timber to produce a dwelling house with a low carbon footprint designed to minimise maintenance requirements and meet passive house standards’.

Finally, the Model-D has also been put forward in the shortlist for the RIAS Andrew Doolan 25k Best Building in Scotland Award, sponsored by the Scottish government, with the winner set to be announced in November at the Scottish Parliament.

An MSc Purchasing and Supply Chain student added:

“Overall, it was a great event. I learnt a great deal and would definitely use the information I gained to build on my career and future going forward.”

The Times Higher Education Awards Dinner takes place on 29th November in London.

Thank you to all of our alums who helped to make this event such a great success!

Alumni help prepare law students for interview success

A group of law alumni volunteers will share their experiences and expertise with our 3rd year law students at an event being held in November. Now in its third year of running, the event provides students with the opportunity to network with law professionals and be inspired by the path their career has taken them.

With the competition for graduate opportunities within the legal profession being higher than ever, it is vital that the CV stands out, the interview impresses and there is a willingness to think outside the box to achieve career goals.

Through a series of rotational workshops, students will seek the advice of alumni about various aspects of employability and deliver presentations to their peers.