Graduate appointed Chair of Panel for groundbreaking genome project

A former Univeristy of Aberdeen student has taken up an important role in a groundbreaking medical research project underway in the UK that aims to sequence 100,000 human genomes in search of answers for thousands of people affected by rare diseases and cancer. Jillian Hastings, who graduated with an MA (Hons) in Geography in 1999, signed up to the 100,000 Genomes Project with her family, because her young son is severely disabled and none of his doctors were able to tell them why. She says “all the tests they could think of came back normal, but he clearly wasn’t. The Project has been able to look at him in more detail than ever before, and has found the single gene at the root of his problems. Now we know where to focus our efforts to find some treatment for him.”
 
Jillian was recently appointed Chair of the Panel that is tasked with keeping patient interests at the heart of the Project. She explains: “the Participant Panel is involved in a lot of the big decisions about who gets to access this vast research database, and what they do with it. This model of patient involvement is unusual but very important; the UK Government aims to bring genomics into routine care in the NHS by the end of this year, and if it’s going to be a success, patients and the public have to trust that their data is being held securely and used wisely. We help to make that happen.”

The Project’s connection to Aberdeen runs deep. The University is very active in the Scottish Genomes partnership, working in collaboration with Genomics England and the NHS to bring genomic medicine to the wider population. There are also two Aberdeen academics participating in the project; Dr Stephan Torre and Dr Jessica Butler signed up to have their genomes sequenced after their infant son Paul died of an unknown metabolic disorder. They are hopeful that this project will bring answers for them, as well as helping other families in the future.

Music graduate reaches final of BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition

University of Aberdeen graduate Amy Papiransky was one of five musicians who recently made it through to the final of the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition. Amy graduated from the University in 2015 with a bachelors in Music Education and says that the support and training she received at the University of Aberdeen has played its role in her ongoing success: “I absolutely loved studying at Aberdeen. I met friends for life - both fellow students and tutors. I was so lucky to receive an extremely high standard of tuition in classical voice and piano at the University and I thank Blair Cargill and Gillian Jack so much for this.”

The final was broadcast live on Sunday 28 January in front of a large audience at the Celtic Connections festival at Glasgow’s City Halls, and while Amy didn't win, the judges praised the "consistently high standard" set by each of the "magnificent" finalists. Amy said: "the competition experience has been amazing. I have met new friends in my fellow competitors and gained more knowledge on useful organisations such as PRS. I have also made many more contacts that will hopefully help me to get my name out there in the folk scene.”

Alumni carol concerts wow the crowds

Christmas is fast disappearing into the rearview mirror but judging by the response we received to our latest alumni Celebration of Carols event, it will live long in the memory for many attendees. 'The Three Ships', written by Sir Tony Robinson and Professor Paul Mealor, debuted at St Machar's Cathedral in Aberdeen in a sold-out performance exclusively for Univeristy of Aberdeen alumni prior to a follow-up show on 21 December in St Marylebone Parish Church in London. Featuring Game of Thrones actor and former University of Aberdeen student Iain Glen with a show-stealing turn as King Herod, renowned Scottish singer and broadcaster Fiona Kennedy OBE and Sir Tony himself, alongside the Univeristy's fantastic Chamber Choir, it was a unique event which highlighted the parallells between the nativity story and the global political and social situation across the world today. It also helped to raise valuable funds for both dementia and cancer research.

Many of our graduates got in touch following both performances to tell us how much they had enjoyed the piece. We'd like to thank everyone who attended for their overwhelmingly positive feedback; we hope that we're able to continue bringing you events of a similarly high calibre and that those of you who missed out on tickets this time around will be able to join us for future performances! Pictures from both events can be found on the alumni Facebook page.

University Pro-Chancellor honoured with Knighthood

University of Aberdeen Pro-Chancellor, the Very Reverend Professor Iain Torrance, has been honoured with a Knighthood in the New Year's Honours list. Aberdeen-born Professor Torrance was given the honour for services to Higher Education and Theology.

A former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Professor Torrance is an internationally renowned theologian. Much of his long and distinguished career has been spent at the University of Aberdeen, where in 1993 he was appointed Lecturer in Divinity. In 2001 he was made Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Divinity, a post he held until 2004, when he was made President of Princeton Theological Seminary - one of the greatest theological institutions in the world.

Commenting on his Knighthood, Professor Torrance said: “I was astonished by this award but also deeply grateful that causes I have long struggled for - the dissemination of knowledge, electronic access, the dignity of gay people and the inclusion of other faiths - has been recognised.”

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CareerConnect – keep up-to-date with the latest graduate jobs and get advice on career options

Did you know that as a graduate of the University of Aberdeen you can continue to use the Careers Service for as long as you need to? Graduates are welcome to register with our online CareerConnect system. This will allow you access to the latest graduate jobs and receive email alerts of new opportunities. You can also make appointments with Careers Advisers and submit virtual queries.

Register for CareerConnect here. If you have any questions please email careers@abdn.ac.uk.

GradConnection - International jobs for University of Aberdeen graduates

The Careers Service is delighted to offer you a new free resource for finding international job opportunities. GradConnection has details of current vacancies in a range of countries and with a particular focus on South East Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. You can create a profile on the system that will enable you to receive regular email updates of new opportunities. There are currently over 600 graduate jobs and internships advertised on GradConnection.

To register to use GradConnection visit http://abdn.campusgc.com.

Beijing Chapter sponsors WRSA UK 2018 New Year Party

The University of Aberdeen's Beijing Alumni Chapter co-sponsored the Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA) UK 2018 New Year Party, which was held on Saturday 3 February 2018 at the Great Hall of the People.

Led by David Xu, several members of the chapter attended and helped to make a significant contribution to the success of the high-profile annual New Year Party. The party opened with speeches by Mr Tieniu Tan, Vice-Chairman of WRSA, Chairman of the WRSA-UK and Vice-Director of the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples’ Government in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who is a Cambridge alumna. Mrs. Carma Elloit, Director China, British Council, and Minister, Culture and Education, British Embassy Beijing also attended the party and gave a speech.

Upcoming reunions

Several class reunions are in the works for 2018, including the Medical Class of 1978, Agriculture BSc alumni who began their degrees in 1967, Medical Class of 1973 and Geography Class of 1978. If you were a member of any of these classes and would like to attend or you are arranging a reunion of your own, please let us know!

If you would like some assistance organising your reunion, have a look at our online reunion handbook for some helpful tips on how to go about it and information on how we can help you.

Medical Physics - 50th anniversary event

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Medical Physics programme at the University of Aberdeen, the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition is organising a celebratory reunion event for all Medical Physics alumni on Friday 2 November 2018. Further details and invitations will be sent out in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, mark the date in your diary!

University alumna enables restoration of The Black Paintings

Thanks to the support of alumna and friend of the University, Ms Anne Harper, we have been able to embark on the restoration and improved display of the University’s King’s Paintings, commonly known as The Black Paintings. Painted for King Charles II and dating from the Reformation, these paintings are relatively unknown throughout the University community. However, a generous donation from Ms Harper is enabling the full restoration and reframing of these significant artworks. Further updates about the restoration will follow in future editions of Voic:E.

Local firm establishes scholarship for new specialist MSc Programme

With a growing skills demand from the oil and gas sector for professional petroleum data managers possessing expertise seen as critical to maximising economic recovery, local firm Common Data Access Ltd (CDA) has established two CDA MSc Petroleum Data Management Scholarships. The not-for-profit subsidiary of Oil & Gas UK, which provides data management services to the UK oil and gas industry, is supporting two scholarships each valued at £5,000 for the duration of the MSc Petroleum Data Management degree and will contribute towards the programme tuition fees.

Find out more about the importance of scholarships to our students here.

Friends of ANCHOR pledge £1 million for research

To celebrate its 20th year, Friends of ANCHOR has pledged £1 million towards the University’s ambition to establish a world-class Cancer Research Programme in Aberdeen. The recruitment of more leading experts in this field will accelerate vital research to improve how cancer is diagnosed and treated and, critically, how it can be prevented. This support will greatly benefit cancer patients and ultimately save lives.

Read more about our Cancer Research Programme here.

Around the World in Many Faiths

6 March 2018, 12:00 - 2:00, Linklater Rooms, Elphinstone Hall

Alumni are invited to join this Multi-Faith Chaplaincy event. Come and explore the world’s religions with free food, meet new friends and gain an insight into new cultures! Delicious vegetarian curry will be provided for lunch.

For more information email chaplaincy@abdn.ac.uk or phone 01224 272137.

International Women's Day Conference

8 March 2018, 08:45 - 13:15, King's College Conference Centre

The University of Aberdeen will host an International Women's Day Conference on Thursday 8 March 2018 with the theme “Press for Progress”. 

International Women's Day has been celebrated across the world since the early 1900s. Originally, its aim was to provide a forum for women to campaign for equality and women’s rights. Over time, it has evolved and now in March each year, thousands of events are held throughout the world to recognise the progress that has been made, and to inspire us to celebrate their achievements.

This year we are delighted to host speakers Her Excellency Dr Sheikha Aisha Al-Thani, Eve Pollard OBE, Ann Moulds and Dr Isobel Cameron.

Booking is essential. You can view the full programme here and book tickets here.

Universities Boat Race

17 March 2018, 13:30, River Dee

The Aberdeen Boat Race returns for its 23rd year on Saturday 17 March at 1.30pm thanks to the continued support of Aberdeen Standard Investments. In 2017’s nail-biting race, the University of Aberdeen clinched victory over the 3.5km course, winning by four lengths and ending Robert Gordon University’s five-year winning streak. This year’s President, Henry Pettinger-Harte says “Breaking RGU’s winning streak was a huge achievement for the 2017 crew, and we’re determined not to hand the trophy back in 2018.”

For more information, click here.

Tom Weber - Aye Write! Festival

18 March 2018, 15:00 - 16:00, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

Come and hear Professor Tom Weber, Chair in History and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen and author of ‘Becoming Hitler: The Making of a Nazi’, and Julia Boyd, author of ‘Travellers in the Third Reich', discuss the rise of Fascism and the making of Hitler. Their tales give a fresh insight into the paradoxes of the Third Reich and its ultimate destruction.

Tickets for the talk are priced at £9.00pp and can be booked directly through the festival website.

Afterwards, there will be a complimentary drinks reception for University of Aberdeen alumni from 16.00-18.00 in the Lomond Foyer at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Please email alumni@abdn.ac.uk to book your place at the reception.

Jazz Afternoon Tea

28 March 2018, 14:00 - 16:00, Elphinstone Hall

Following last year's success, we are delighted to host our second Jazz Afternoon Tea in conjunction with the Alumnus Association. Guests will be invited to enjoy a delicious afternoon tea to the backdrop of jazz provided by current students. All funds raised at the event will go towards supporting the Alumnus Association Scholarship, which is awarded to students from North East Scotland on the basis of academic merit and financial needs each year.

Tickets are priced at £20 and include afternoon tea and musical entertainment; they are available individually or for tables of up to 10-12 people. There will also be a raffle during the event.

For further information and to book, click here.

20th Annual New York Tartan Day Parade

7 April, 14:00 (Time TBC), 6th Avenue, New York

This is the fourth year that Aberdeen alumni from all along the east coast of the United States will participate in the Tartan Day parade! As always, there is no charge to march or to attend. For those who haven’t marched before, the parade usually starts at 2:00pm at West 45th Street and marches up 6th Avenue to 55th Street. Alumni and their friends and family (and dogs!) are warmly invited to march behind the University of Aberdeen banner. Further details will be sent out in due course but to register your interest, please email Katrina Allan: katrina.allan@abdn.ac.uk

Berlin bunker tour and exhibition 

21 April 2018, 13:00, Berlin Story Museum

We are pleased to invite our alumni in Germany to the Berlin Story Museum for a tour of the bunker and exhibition and to hear Professor Tom Weber, Chair in History and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen, talk about his new book, ‘Becoming Hitler: The Making of a Nazi’.

This exclusive event will be held on 21 April at 1.00pm. Formal invites to our alumni in Germany will follow with more information. In the meantime, please save the date in your diary.

Dr Joan MacCormack Lecture Series - 'Ireland, India and Empire'

26 May 2018, 16:00, King's College Conference Centre

Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin, and former Head of School of History & History of Art at the University of Aberdeen, will deliver the third lecture in the Dr Joan MacCormack Lecture Series. The lecture series was established in 2014 in memory of a former colleague and leading light in cultural history, Dr Joan MacCormack.

In June 2017 Leo Varadker, the son of an Indian born doctor - Ashok Varadker - from Mumbai, became the Prime Minister (or ‘Taoiseach’) of Ireland. This was an important moment for Ireland but also for India. Thanks to the fact that Ireland was England’s oldest colony and India was its largest, our histories have been connected for nearly 350 years. Bombay’s founding father, Gerald Aungier, takes Irish interaction with India back into the late seventeenth century when Ireland served as a colonial prototype for the early colonization of India. From this moment the Irish were both servants of the British Empire in India and subversives within it, something that this lecture, ‘Ireland, India and Empire’ will explore.  

The lecture is scheduled to run as part of the sixth annual May Festival which brings thousands of visitors to Old Aberdeen to enjoy a host of events. A drinks reception will be held after the lecture.

Places can be reserved from 18 April via the Aberdeen Performing Arts box office. Please contact Laura McQueen at l.mcqueen@abdn.ac.uk with any enquiries.

Aberdeen Connect

Aberdeen Connect is an umbrella for alumni activity in Aberdeen. We will have a number of exciting events coming up in the next few months, including the Statutory Meeting of the General Council, a business breakfast and an event in Cruickshank Gardens. The final spring/summer programme of events is currently being finalised and full details will be announced shortly. If you don't currently receive Aberdeen Connect emails please get in touch and we will add you to the mailing list!