Aberdeen Students Set For Taste Of Chinese Real Estate Market

Two University of Aberdeen business students will travel to the Far East this summer after being chosen to take part in a prestigious real estate programme.

Emma Byrne, a third year property student and Ian Austin, a second year, are set to spend several weeks getting to grips with the Chinese Real Estate market – the fastest growing in the world.

The Aberdeen pair have both been selected for the UK/China Exchange Programme run by major international real estate company CB Richard Ellis and the UK’s Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) – beating off competition from across the country. Only six students from the whole of UK will make the summer-long trip.

Emma has been assigned to CB Richard Ellis’s Beijing office and Ian to its Shanghai HQ. Each will spend six to twelve weeks in general practice work experience, after which they will submit a short research paper. Their flights, accommodation and living costs are all covered by the programme.

Ian (19), who has just completed the 2^nd year of a degree in Property and Finance, said he was “thrilled” to have been selected to go China.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m looking forward to the challenges and the doors that will be opened for me,” he said. “China’s real estate industry is developing at an incredible rate and the programme will allow me to gain priceless experience that will be invaluable when I graduate and look to secure a job in a big property firm like CB Richard Ellis.”

He added, “By having a successful career I hope to fund my main ambition - owning and piloting a light aircraft!”

Dr Deborah Roberts, Property Programme Director at the University of Aberdeen Business School, said both students were in for a “fantastic” experience.

“The Chinese Real Estate Market is the fastest growing in the world and Emma and Ian will be thrust into the thick of it over the summer,” she said. “It’s hugely exciting for them, and it’s also wonderful for the Business School to have two of our students winning places on the CB Richard Ellis/RICS programme.”

This is the first year that the scheme has operated. It is hoped it will run for five consecutive years giving eligible students the chance of general practice work experience in CB Richard Ellis offices within Greater China, with a view towards permanent recruitment of overseas educated graduates.

£100K science scholarship scheme for EU students

The University of Aberdeen has announced £100,000 worth of new scholarships for science students from the new EU Accession States.

One hundred bursaries worth £1000 each have been released for full time students - classed as home/EU for the purpose of tuition fees - beginning a BSc degree in September 2007. Students from recently acceded Eastern European countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Lithuania are all eligible.

“We are keen to attract the brightest students to Aberdeen,” said Jenny Fernandes, Head of the International Office at the University of Aberdeen. “And our experience shows students from Eastern Europe to be excellent students who work hard and make a very positive contribution to our student population. We’re delighted to now be able to offer these new undergraduate bursaries.”

The scholarship announcement comes ahead of a trip to Poland by University staff members, who will visit both Warsaw and Gdansk this week to meet with students and answer questions about studying in the Granite City.

The University has also confirmed a range of innovative scholarships for home/EU students considering a postgraduate degree in the College of Life Sciences and Medicine. The new bursary package includes £1000 towards fees for one year of full-time postgraduate study, one months rent and a two month bus pass. Courses where the bursary package applies include MSc Occupational Medicine, MSc Clinical Pharmacology, MSc Human Nutrition and Metabolism, and MSC Biomedical Physics.

In addition, the College of Physical Sciences continues to offer home/EU students the opportunity to take advantage of funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. This amounts to the equivalent of the postgraduate tuition fee for EU students. Courses where the CTA package applies are MSc Safety Engineering, Reliability and Risk Management, MSc E-Science Technology, MSc E-Commerce Technology, MSc E-Health Technology, MSc Energy Futures – Oil and Gas, and MSc Energy Futures – Renewables.

“The University has a student population of around 14,000 and a large international community of students drawn from 120 different countries,” added Mrs Fernandes. “By visiting Poland we hope to take another step towards enriching the diversity of our student body by building stronger ties with students from Eastern Europe.

“The University already has an excellent reputation for teaching quality and research, and we remain committed to freeing up significant funding to help students taking courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.”

For further details on sources of University funding for postgraduate study visit:

Arts and Social Science: www.abdn.ac.uk/cass/graduate

Life Sciences and Medicine: www.abdn.ac.uk/cism/graduateschool

Physical Science: www.cps.abdn.ac.uk/graduate-studies.php

University’s renewable energy expertise to be showcased

Experts from the University of Aberdeen and the Robert Gordon University will be highlighting their renewable energy expertise at this year’s annual renewable energy exhibition and conference, All-Energy, which begins tomorrow (Wednesday, May 23) at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

All-Energy 07 will be the focus of attention for the whole of the renewable energy industry and the two-day event is measuring up to its reputation of being bigger and better each year. Following the success of last year’s event, which attracted 2,850 attendees and 220 exhibiting companies, the 2007 show - the seventh in the annual series - will be the largest all-renewable energy exhibition ever held in the UK, with a stunning multi-stream conference for you to attend free of charge, an exciting Giant Networking Evening and much more.

The University of Aberdeen is joining The Robert Gordon University on the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) pavilion at this year's All-Energy event. The stand will display information on current energy research activities such as the new Energy Futures Research Centre, which is an international centre of excellence in renewable energy and a joint initiative between the University of Aberdeen, The Robert Gordon University and Aberdeen City Council. We will also highlight ways in which industry and academia can work together to develop energy research and display details of our Energy related teaching programmes.

The Universities will be highlighting their significant research capabilities in renewable energy as well as in the oil and gas sector, much of which is directed at renewables. The institution welcomed the news that Aberdeen is in the running to host the hub of the £1 billion energy centre to the Granite City. Last week (May 14), bids from five outstanding university organisations were short-listed to house the UK’s new Energy Technologies Institute (ETI). The announcement by Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling, confirmed that a consortium, which includes the University of Aberdeen, is on a shortlist of five to host the hub of the UK’s proposed Energy Technologies Institute (ETI). This is an important time and signals the distinctive energy strengths Aberdeen city has and our enthusiasm we share within the consortium for hosting one of the most important energy initiatives in decades – one that will help us to underpin Aberdeen’s future as a City of energy

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Aberdeen conducts research relevant to the energy industries and current energy research is dominated by the needs of the oil industry. At least 100 staff from 15 Departments are involved in energy-related research. There is a close interaction with the international oil and gas industry, including sponsored research and studentships, consultancy, and student sponsorship, much of which is facilitated through the University’s Institute for Energy Technologies.

The Robert Gordon University has an international reputation in marine renewables and its research team is now collaborating with local authorities, developing sustainable solutions to fuel poverty, and with Chap Homes Ltd for new eco-housing developments that will supply most of their energy from local sources, reduce their water consumption and minimise their environmental impact, both long and short term.

Delegates to All Energy 07 will hear about the latest developments in the renewable energy industry and will have the opportunity to attend keynote presentations by leading lights in the renewables field. The exhibition and conference will again provide a topical update on all renewables – wind (onshore and offshore); hydro, wave, tidal, biofuels, solar and hydrogen/fuel cells – as well as such essential subjects as grid and transmission issues and funding.

The University’s Institute of Energy technologies will be showcasing the institution’s wide range of expertise in energy related R&D, consultancy services, CPD events for the energy industries and our portfolio of taught masters programmes targeted at meeting the needs of the energy industries.

Professor Paul Mitchell, Director of Energy Technologies welcomes the return of this year’s All-Energy Conference and Exhibition and said: “The All-Energy conference and exhibition is growing in its size and reputation year on year and is an excellent opportunity for the University to let the renewable energy industry know about the strength and breadth of our R&D capability and how our research findings feed into our consultancy, CPD and post graduate teaching activities.

“The University has a huge level of expertise in the area of renewable energy both from within the institution and across the region and we are committed in our support of the renewable energy business.

“Participating in major events such as All-Energy is very important to us in providing an opportunity for our academics to meet companies and key players and exchange ideas in this rapidly changing industry.”

The College of Physical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen has a number of taught Masters programmes in Future Energy Technologies significantly expanding its existing portfolio. The MSc programmes connect students with experts in the technical, social and management issues that determine the provision of society’s future energy needs.

The College has a clear vision to provide academically challenging programmes of study for undergraduate and postgraduate students and to lead the field in cutting edge research activities. The innovative postgraduate programmes will provide key skills for graduates entering an area of vital importance to the future of the UK and global economy.

The future of our energy supplies has become an increasingly high-profile topic in recent years and we are at a time of unprecedented interest in this area. These are truly challenging times, and one of the reasons why the University has decided to introduce new programmes that will give graduates wishing to contribute to the future of the energy sector an excellent head start.

Oxford University Professor of Politics Gives Lecture at University of Aberdeen

The man who helped persuade Margaret Thatcher that Mikhail Gorbachev was a man Britain 'could do business with' will give a keynote lecture in the Granite City later this week. Professor Archie Brown, Emeritus Professor of Politics at University of Oxford, will give the City of Aberdeen Gorbachev lecture on Wednesday, May 9 as part of a three-day Cold War conference being held at the University of Aberdeen. Gorbachev was awarded the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen in December 1993, and it is hoped the lecture, entitled 'Perestroika and the End of the Cold War', will help reaffirm the link between the City and one of the major figures of the late 20th century. A former academic adviser to Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, Professor Brown was probably the first to mark Gorbachev out as someone different. It was he – at an important Chequers seminar in 1983 - who drew the then Prime Minister's attention to the likely emergence of a reformist Soviet leader, prompting the Iron Lady to famously comment that Gorbachev was "a man she could do business with." Professor Paul Dukes, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen was responsible for organising the conference and lecture, the latter of which received funding from the Aberdeen City Council Common Good fund. He said, "Archie Brown continues to make a huge contribution towards understanding the seismic event that was the end of the Cold War and post-Soviet Russia. His scholarship on the subject is without question and he remains a frequent traveller to both Russia and the United States. We are delighted he has agreed to give the City of Aberdeen Gorbachev lecture." In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of June 2005 Professor Brown was awarded the CMG 'For Services to UK-Russian relations and to the study of political science and international affairs'. And last year he attended Mikhail Gorbachev's 75th birthday celebrations in Moscow on March 2. His book, The Gorbachev Factor has won several awards, while his most recent book, Seven Years that Changed the World: Perestroika in perspective, was published in April 2007. His public lecture, entitled 'Perestroika and the End of the Cold War', will take place at 5.15pm in the Regent Lecture Theatre, King's College Campus, on Wednesday, May 9 Related Links University of Aberdeen News Student News University News

FW: Muslim Community Pitches in for Matthew Hay Project

The local Muslim community is giving its support to an appeal to help make the new medical education and training centre being developed at Foresterhill the finest of its kind in the UK. A donation of £6,000 is being made to the Matthew Hay Project to equip the changing area for the team of 'pretend patients', who are a vital part of the training of the next generation of doctors and other health professionals. Simulated patients are volunteers from the community who role-play a variety of symptoms and conditions, as an important part of presenting the learner with a range of scenarios that they could encounter on a daily basis. Video is used to record the mock consultation for discussion and learning, and as part of professional exams. Trainers are looking not only for excellent practical and communication skills on the part of the health worker, but also that the patient understands the diagnosis and options for treatment, and is being involved as a partner in his or her own care. The current facilities in the Westburn Centre are far from ideal, and the donation will help create a comfortable, private changing area for entering 'patient mode', adjacent to a purpose-designed simulated ward. The new £16.5m building will provide state-of-the-art education and training for medical students, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and a range of clinical staff, learning and practicing together as one team. The quality of the facility, its technology and teaching - plus the close proximity to real clinical areas - is expected to make this development the finest of its kind in the UK. Dr Abdul Sheikh, Consultant Anaesthetist with NHS Grampian, said: "Aberdeen has a substantial Muslim community, many of whom work in oil and health services. Islam encourages all Muslims to be charitable and help those in need, and there is a strong tradition of charitable giving by the Muslim community in Aberdeen. However this is the first local fundraising we have undertaken, and we hope that a proportion of all our activities will in future be for the benefit of the local community. "A second generation of Muslims born and raised in Aberdeen have been educated at the University of Aberdeen, and both the University and NHS Grampian are very supportive in providing facilities for us to practise our religion. We hope that this relationship will continue to grow and by helping with fundraising for this unique project not only Muslim but all students will benefit from the excellent teaching facilities this project will provide. We as Muslims are proud to help with this undertaking." Dr Rona Patey, Director of the Clinical Skills Centre at Foresterhill and Consultant Anaesthetist with NHS Grampian, said: "We are delighted to receive this support from our Muslim friends and colleagues, for what is a very important feature of this project. Our wonderful team of simulated patients add tremendous value to the learning experience, especially in practising communications skills which are a vital part of healthcare in our increasingly diverse community. We are always keen to hear from people who would be interested in joining this friendly group, which we hope will come to reflect the wonderful cultural mix of our North-east community." Anyone interested in finding out more about being a simulated patient should contact Dr Fiona Stewart on 01224 551166, email f.stewart@abdn.ac.uk or write to Dr Fiona Stewart, Clinical Skills Centre, Westburn Centre, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB23 2XG Related Links University of Aberdeen Student News University News College News