The magazine for alumni and friends of the University of Glasgow Issue 44 June 2008 Avenue Centenarian celebrations 08 Glasgow artist Hannah Frank in profile 01 How to contact Avenue Editorial Strategy Contents Committee: Executive Editor: News Susan Stewart 02 Recent activities and Production Editor: achievements Anna Ashton Cathy Bell, Alan Johnston, Cover feature: Alan Macfarlane, 08 Footprints of Al Aaraaf Emily Wallace Celebrating the life and work of Contact details are listed Hannah Frank, who is 100 this year below. All addresses are University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ. Mark Beaumont 10 Avenue meets the man who cycled Alumni news: the world Development & Alumni Office, 2 The Square Keeping it in the family tel: +44 (0)141 330 4951 Families of graduates that span email: [email protected] 12 Welcome generations Giving to Glasgow: Development & Alumni Office, Welcome to the latest edition of A stone’s throw from 2 The Square 14 success tel: +44 (0)141 330 4951 Avenue, our twice-yearly magazine for Katy McAulay investigates the email: [email protected] alumni and friends of the University. future of Cancer research and Changes of address treatment in the West of Scotland and obituaries: Development & Alumni Office, The University has worked hard in recent months to seek out new Alumni news 2 The Square international opportunities and develop new alliances, as well as 18 Clubs, reunions and tel: +44 (0)141 330 3210 maintaining our already strong links with the global community. April personal news email: [email protected] saw five of our Professors give lectures at Columbia University in New York – a rare opportunity for some of our high-profile academics to Letters to the Editor: Report to the showcase their research at an Ivy League institution. Our recently Corporate Communications, launched Commonwealth Scholarship programme will bring talented 22 General Council 3 The Square students from throughout the Commonwealth to Scotland, and will Minutes from the half- tel: +44 (0)141 330 4192 yearly meeting of the email: [email protected] provide an opportunity for these scholars to give something back to their home countries, equipped with a Glasgow degree. General Council, including © University of Glasgow the Principal’s report 2008. ISSN 0950-7167. We have added to our Scottish University of the Year accolade (Sunday Times) with a significant jump in two major newspaper league tables, Obituaries Produced by: placing us in the top 20 in both the Independent’s Good University Deaths of members of the Corporate Communications, Guide and the Guardian league table. 25 University of Glasgow. General Council Our ambitious plans for the establishment of the West of Scotland Cover image by Hannah Frank, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, in partnership with Cancer Research Exhibitions and events from GUM Vol 46 No 6, 16 UK and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, are outlined in our centre- What’s on at the Jan 1935: In death’s other 29 page feature, where research and treatment will come together to turn Hunterian Museum kingdom. science into cures. & Art Gallery Photography by the University Photographic Unit. Artist Hannah Frank’s fascinating life and work is explored on pages Additional photography 8–9 and we have an interview with record breaker Mark Beaumont on provided by Shutterstock, page 10. Many readers have been following Mark’s fantastic efforts to Half-yearly meeting of the Development & Alumni Office, become the fastest person to have cycled round the world, and he is to General Council Hunterian Museum & Art be congratulated on his achievement. Friday, 27 June at Edinburgh Zoo Gallery and Archive Services. Our alumni network is growing across the world and across the Alumni are invited to join the Chancellor and Origination by generations! This year saw the first ever event for alumni in Africa, held Principal at the General Council Half Yearly Digital Imaging. in Kampala in February. Another first was in Athens, where 300 alumni Meeting at Edinburgh Zoo. Printed by PCP Ltd on and prospective students joined us for a reception there. We look at This is the first time in the history of the University 50% recycled paper. families of graduates that span generations on pages 12–13 . There’s that the meeting of the General Council will take little doubt that our alumni are our best ambassadors as they can tell Views expressed are not place in a venue out with Glasgow! We hope that prospective students first-hand about what it is like to live and study necessarily those of the holding this event in Edinburgh the University will in Glasgow. We know we have a good story to tell and I hope we can University or the editors. All provide an opportunity for alumni who would not all play our part in spreading the good name and reputation of our rights reserved. Nothing may normally attend these events to take part in this University throughout the world. be reproduced without written important occasion. permission from the Editorial Strategy Committee. The Business Meeting be followed by dinner in the Mansion House. Tickets are priced at £40 per The University of Glasgow, person and include a wine reception, three course charity number SC004401 meal with wine, tea and coffee. Sir Muir Russell Principal and Vice-Chancellor Read the report of the last meeting on pages 22–3. 02 News News 03 Award for Glasgow moves up in Collaboration with Columbia Scottish football’s top university league tables Ivy League lectures for Glasgow professors doctor The University has been ranked in the top 20 UK universities in the Independent During the month of April, Glasgow’s strength The lectures took place as part of a flagship newspaper’s Good University Guide, climbing 14 places to 16th position. in biomedical research was highlighted in collaboration between Columbia University, a month-long lecture series at Columbia founded in 1754, and the University of Thanks to higher levels of student satisfaction and more investment in student and staff Doctor to Scotland’s University’s Medical School in the heart of Glasgow. Columbia is the oldest institution of facilities, Glasgow is now one of only two Scottish universities to appear in the top 20. national football Manhattan. higher learning in the state of New York. team, Professor In addition, we have climbed 12 places to 20th position in the Guardian league table. Stewart Hillis has Five of our leading scientists, Professors Anna The collaboration also involves our two been acknowledged Welcoming the news, Principal Sir Muir Russell said: ‘The quality of our teaching and Dominiczak, Godfrey Smith, Ian Ford, Carol business schools. Both have a long heritage for his services to research, allied to our provision of one of the best student experiences in the UK, Tannahill and Andrew Briggs, presented their and share many similarities. Both schools sport and medicine. makes us an attractive destination for students from across the UK and the world. work, on the public health issues especially are accredited by AACSB, the Association to Professor Hillis prevalent in Glasgow. Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an has been Medical ‘Over the past several years, the University of Glasgow has gone through industry stamp of approval for high-quality Advisor to the a period of substantial change which has allowed us to compete The poor health of the citizens of Glasgow educational experiences. Scottish Football nationally and internationally with the best universities in the and the west of Scotland over the past century Association for world. has allowed researchers to build up unrivalled Since its formation in 1916, Columbia’s more than 25 years, experience in dealing with cardiovascular Business School has forged a reputation ‘We will continue to invest in our areas of world- working at more than 220 matches, thought health. Medical breakthroughs developed in as one of the world’s leading centres of class excellence and we will build on our to be more than any other doctor in world Glasgow have been achieved through the excellence in finance. Glasgow recently contribution to the economic, social and football history. He is also Vice-Chairman of close relationship between researchers and celebrated the 30th anniversary of its MBA cultural wealth of Scotland.’ UEFA’s Medical Committee, through which the public and through the volume of people programme and is one of only 10% of in the region suffering from cardiovascular business schools worldwide to hold both he has worked to develop the doping control ‘It is extremely rare for five high-profile programmes in football in Scotland and complications. AACSB and AMBA (Association of MBAs) professors from the one institution to be accreditation. throughout Europe. University of Glasgow Principal Sir Muir invited to speak at an Ivy League university. We are both pleased and proud to have been Professor Hillis, of the University’s Department Russell said: ‘The University is building The collaboration aims to bring business invited and our five ambassadors will give of Cardiovascular & Exercise Medicine, was strong links with Columbia and lectures such education of the highest international New Yorkers an insight into the work being awarded the Sir Robert Atkins Prize by the as these are a first-class way to forge new standards to Scotland. conducted at the University of Glasgow.’ Institute of Sport & Exercise Medicine. connections. The face of new technology National security and crime prevention could be revolutionised by new developments in face recognition technology. Systems designed to identify criminals and suspects from photographs are often unreliable due to image variability such as lighting and pose. However, new findings by Glasgow researchers, reported in the journal Science in January, show that by combining a number of photographs Music professor wins into an average image of the person, the face recognition results are twice as accurate.