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        <title>Alumni - Blog</title>
        <description>Blog posts from Alumni</description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/celebrating-adaku-ufere-on-international-womens-day-2026/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Celebrating Adaku Ufere on International Women's Day 2026]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Adaku Ufere has achieved more in her 40 years than most people would manage across several lifetimes. An award-winning lawyer and expert in energy and development, she has, in the true spirit of the International Women&rsquo;s Day theme of Give to Gain, tirelessly championed gender equality throughout her career.
Since graduating from Aberdeen with an LLM in Oil and Gas Law in 2012, Adaku has, among many other things, advised governments, multinationals and energy companies in more than 30 African countries, been named as one of the 40 under 40 leading lawyers in Nigeria and Attorney of the Year at&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/three-generations-one-university/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Three Generations, One University]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[In a week that sees the University of Aberdeen celebrate winter graduations, when many of our students are recognised for their postgraduate studies, we&rsquo;re sharing the story of three members of the same family who all undertook postgraduate degrees at Aberdeen over the course of 74 years.
For David Tucker&rsquo;s family, the University of Aberdeen represents more than just a place of study - it&rsquo;s a strong thread that connects three generations. When David came to Aberdeen in 2003 to undertake an MLitt in Strategic Studies, he was following in his father-in-law&rsquo;s footsteps. Neil MacLean qualified as a teacher in&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/end-of-era-at-general-council-business-committee/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[End of Era at General Council Business Committee]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Every graduate of the University automatically becomes a member of the General Council. It was set up in 1860 as a way for alumni to take part in the governance of the University. Nowadays, of course, its meetings are a lot more accessible than in 1860! Alumni can join the twice-yearly meetings either online or in person at King&rsquo;s College Conference Centre, Old Aberdeen.
Please save the date for the next General Council meeting on Saturday 6 December (11am to 1pm).&nbsp; Find out more by emailing gest@abdn.ac.uk or visiting&nbsp; the General Council website.
Dr Duncan Macniven, who has chaired the&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/breaking-boundaries-in-the-world-of-scottish-literature/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Breaking Boundaries in the World of Scottish Literature]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Since graduating from the University of Aberdeen in 1980 with an MA in English, Dr Jenny Brown has gone on to enjoy a hugely successful and distinguished career in the world of Scottish literature, breaking boundaries and receiving an honorary degree from the University and an OBE along the way.
Over many years, Jenny has worked tirelessly to promote literary life in Scotland. In 2002, she took her commitment to literature in a new direction and formed Jenny Brown Associates. The company quickly became the biggest literary agency in Scotland and saw her shortlisted in both 2014 and 2020 for&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/andrew-erskine-dawson-frsb-a-life-of-service-scholarship-and-agricultural-advancement/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Andrew Erskine Dawson, FRSB - A Life of Service, Scholarship, and Agricultural Advancement]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Class of 1952 BSc Agriculture graduate Andrew Erskine Dawson&rsquo;s life is a remarkable story of dedication, resilience, and the pursuit of knowledge in the field of agriculture. Born in Drumchapel, Dumbartonshire on 6 December 1928, Andrew was the youngest of five children, although only just, with identical twin Frederick Charles born one hour earlier. Frederick&rsquo;s untimely death at the age of just three from diphtheria left a lasting impression on Andrew, but surrounded by family love, his formative experiences laid the foundation for a life of devoted public service.&nbsp;
Andrew&rsquo;s father, Captain James Tweedie Dawson, fought in World War I,&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/david-takes-on-the-worlds-highest-marathon-to-celebrate-turning-50/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[David Takes on the World's Highest Marathon to Celebrate Turning 50]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[To celebrate turning 50, most people have a party, go on a nice holiday or go to the pub, but 1997 LLB (Hons)/2000 DipLP graduate, David Scott, decided to do all three while also taking on one of the world&rsquo;s most brutal running events &ndash; the Everest Marathon in Nepal.
Here David tells us more about his amazing adventure.
&ldquo;My love of the mountains was inspired by my time as a member of the Lairig club while at the University of Aberdeen and it has stayed with me ever since. I decided that this trip of a lifetime would perfectly&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/worldrenowned-surgeon-turns-100/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[World-Renowned Surgeon Turns 100]]></title>
            <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[On Sunday 16 February, University of Aberdeen 1947 medical graduate, Dr Andrew Bruce, celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends in Kingston, Ontario. Looking splendid in his kilt, the proud Aberdonian addressed his guests as they gathered to mark his milestone birthday and share memories.
Born in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Andrew was the only child of Barbara Watt, a primary school Headmistress, and family butcher James Bruce. When Andrew was young, the family moved to Aberdeen where he enjoyed a very happy childhood in Hamilton Place. At that time, his father owned a butcher&rsquo;s shop at 18 Rose Street.
Educated&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/celebrating-150-years-of-aberdeen-university-rugby-football-club/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Celebrating 150 Years of Aberdeen University Rugby Football Club]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[On Saturday 22 March, 350 current and former players of Aberdeen University Rugby Football Club (AURFC) gathered at The Marcliffe to celebrate the Club&rsquo;s 150th anniversary. Attendees spanned generations, from members of the 1960s team to the current student team, and marked the occasion with stories, laughter, and heartfelt reunions.
The Club was founded in 1870 but the planned 150-year celebrations in 2020 had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. But five years on, the long-awaited occasion provided the opportunity to celebrate the Club&rsquo;s illustrious history.
Among the distinguished guests was Mal Reid, former coach and PE staff member,&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/how-a-passion-for-athletics-took-quita-to-the-olympics/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[How a Passion for Athletics Took Quita to the Olympics]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[When Quita Shivas was at school she won every sports race, so it was no surprise when she enrolled at the University in 1946 that she continued her passion for athletics and won every event she entered. She went on to become one of the UK&rsquo;s most accomplished runners and the country&rsquo;s first woman doctor to run in the Olympics.
Born in Aberdeen in April 1925, Isobel was nicknamed Quita at a young age. She attended Aberdeen High School for Girls and, as a teenager during World War II, regularly went firewatching during the lethal bombings that Aberdeen endured.
After&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/remembering-eddie-stevenson-mbe/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Remembering Eddie Stevenson MBE]]></title>
            <pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[We were saddened to learn of the recent passing of former member of staff and honorary graduate Eddie Stevenson who was honoured by HRH Queen Elizabeth II with an MBE.
Eddie worked in the biomedical physics department at the University for over 44 year and, as a chief technician, was a member of Professor John Mallard's pioneering team which created the world's first full-body MRI imaging scanner.
He was also well known for delighting Aberdonians, many of whom made an annual trip down Ashgrove Road West, every Christmas for almost 40 years with his garden displays of Disney and fairytale&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/inspiration-behind-university-and-porters-new-gin-collaboration/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Inspiration behind University and Porter's new gin collaboration]]></title>
            <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Inspiration and Botanicals:
What inspired the creation of the 57˚North gin? Were there specific flavours you aimed to capture?
The 57 &deg; North Gin project is a collaboration between our team at Porter&rsquo;s Gin and the Cruickshank Botanic Garden. The creation of the recipe required us to work closely with Mark Paterson, Head Curator at the Garden to identify botanicals that we could use to extract unique flavour profiles with the aim of distilling a part of the University&rsquo;s botanic garden into a bottle.
What botanicals were chosen for this gin, and how do they contribute to its flavour?
The&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/steve-aitken-excellence-awards-2024-alum-of-the-year/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Steve Aitken Excellence Awards 2024 Alum of the Year]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Steve Aitken grew up in Aberdeen and studied at the University, graduating BSc Hons Computing Science in 2001. After spending time working in Canada, he returned to the UK and set up his own business, Intelligent Plant, which specialises in the performance monitoring of equipment and processes through analysis and visualisation of real-time data, and the management of alarm data.
In 2014, a philanthropic gift from Intelligent Plant enabled the creation of the Inform Prize. The Prize develops the teamwork and presentation skills of 3rd year Computing Science students and culminates in participating teams developing and presenting software solutions to&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/two-racoons-joint-winners-of-excellence-awards-young-alum-of-the-year/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Two Racoons Joint Winners of Excellence Awards Young Alum of the Year]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[When Elliott Martens and Lasse Rasmussen were still students at the University of Aberdeen, they hit on the idea of making wine from fruit after being concerned by the amount of soft fruit waste created by local businesses.
Soon after, they co-founded Two Racoons with the intention of making good wine while helping to reduce food waste. With Elliot graduating in 2020 with a BSc in Plant &amp; Soil Sciences and Lasse graduating in 2022 with a BSc in Microbiology, their combined expertise and passion for sustainability set them up perfectly to create and grow their business.
Using surplus fruit&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/rhod-sharp-recognised-as-alumni-volunteer-of-the-year/</link>
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            <title><![CDATA[Rhod Sharp Recognised as Alumni Volunteer of the Year]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Rhod Sharp was born and educated in Perth, Scotland before moving to Aberdeen to study English at the University. He graduated in 1975 with an MA (Hons) English and was then selected as scholar of the St Andrews Society of New York, studying at Princeton University and obtaining a Masters which combined literature, theatre and politics.
Rhod had already been accepted onto the BBC trainee scheme and when he returned to the UK in 1976 began an enviable broadcasting career in the UK and the US. Major success followed, culminating in a 26-year period as presenter of Up All Night&#8230;]]></description>
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            <link>https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/professor-anne-kiltie-receives-principals-excellence-award-for-philanthropy-alumni-engagement/</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/blog/professor-anne-kiltie-receives-principals-excellence-award-for-philanthropy-alumni-engagement/</guid>
            <title><![CDATA[Professor Anne Kiltie Receives Principal's Excellence Award for Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement]]></title>
            <pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[When Professor Anne Kiltie came to the University of Aberdeen from Oxford in June 2021 to take up the position of Friends of ANCHOR Clinical Chair in Oncology, she was made to feel very welcome by students and staff and was inspired by their passion and warmth.
On Christmas Day 2022 Anne&rsquo;s brother, who had an Asperger&rsquo;s diagnosis, died suddenly of heart disease. Her brother&rsquo;s death prompted her to update her will and she decided to include a gift to the University. Knowing that there will be a prevalence of students and the wider community on the autism spectrum, Anne&#8230;]]></description>
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