the alumni magazine of the University of Dundee • 2005 issue snow patrol from Dundee to chart stardom... in this issue... Discounts on wine, magazines, Multi-million pound Hear Germaine Greer holidays and much more with refurbishment of speak at this year’s dundee-reunited.com, DUSA unveiled Graduates’ Council meeting your new online community 1 ALUMNI contents 04 news affinityCARD 07 features 07 The real world of forensic anthropology 08 Snow Patrol - from Dundee to rock stardom 11 Highland Stoneware’s Dundee roots 13 CEPMLP alumni around the world 15 Can renewable energy save the planet? Have you heard about the University of Dundee Credit Card? As our only official credit card, it has been 17 Our alumni in Hong Kong carefully designed to both support the University and 18 Dundee-Reunited.com: introducing your new online services provide great value with attractive rates and benefits. 21 New DUSA refurbishment unveiled With a fantastic 0% p.a. on balance transfers* for nine months from the date your account is opened and a typical rate of 15.9% APR (variable) on card purchases that you make. And that’s not all, the University of Dundee Credit Card is 22 update packed with great benefits… 22 Graduates’ Council · No annual fee 25 Where are they now? ‡ · Up to 59 days interest free on card purchases 30 Alumni groups and reunions · FREE 24 hour Customer Satisfaction Helpline 32 Births, deaths & marriages † · FREE fraud protection – even on the Internet 33 Supporting your University · The convenience of online account management 35 Alumni telephone campaign & donar names · Up to three additional cardholders at no extra cost · Use of over 630,000 cash machines in most countries throughout the world†† contacts It all adds up to a great deal for you! Director of External Relations Editor • Katherine Beattie Joan Concannon Press and Publications Apply for the University of Dundee Credit Card [email protected] [email protected] today by calling 0800 028 2440 Head of Alumni Relations Design • Tara Wainwright and quoting 31BOUBHV. Dianne Pemberton-Pigott Design Services ‡ As long as you pay your statement balance in full and on time every month. d.pembertonpigott@ [email protected] † As long as you tell us as soon as your card cannot be found or you notice any unusual transactions on your account. †† For up to date information or advice on using your credit card worldwide or to withdraw cash, please contact dundee.ac.uk our Customer Satisfaction Helpline 24 hours a day on Freephone 0800 062 062. Alumni Relations *We may charge a handling fee for each balance transfer of 2% of the amount transferred, and will charge a Cross Row handling fee for each cheque transaction of 2% of the transaction amount (minimum £2, maximum £35 per transfer or cheque). We will charge a 2% handling fee (minimum £2, no maximum) on cash transactions, and University of Dundee 2.75% commission on the amount of any foreign currency transactions. There is an annual fee of £0. The maximum amount of credit which may be provided under the agreement is £50,000. The minimum monthly DD1 4HN repayment is the lesser of 2.25% of the balance shown on the statement (min £5) OR the charges for Payment Protection Cover, plus interest charged on the statement, and fees, plus £5, OR the full balance shown on the Tel: +44 (0)1382 344822 statement if this is less than £5. The typical APR on card purchases is 15.9% APR (variable) and is calculated on [email protected] the basis of a credit limit of £1,500. You cannot transfer balances from another MBNA account. The University of Dundee Credit Card is issued by MBNA Europe Bank Limited, Registered Office: Stansfield House, Chester Business Park, Chester CH4 9QQ. Registered in England number 2783251. Credit is available, subject to status, Advertising enquiries should be directed to Katherine Beattie. only to UK residents aged 18 or over. We will monitor or record some phone calls. MBNA is authorised and regulated by If you no longer wish to receive Dundee Reunited please write to the Alumni the Financial Services Authority. MB-SP-C-01.05 Relations Office at the address above. 2 welcome! This has been an excellent year for your University. Last year in this column I was able to tell you that the University had just been named among the three best places to work in the world outside the USA in a poll of international scientists. This year the same poll, carried out by The Scientist magazine, ranked Dundee the best place to work in Europe. This news came shortly after the Sunday Times named the University of Dundee “Scottish University of the Year” in their popular University Guide. Meanwhile the warmth and affection which you, our alumni, hold for the University has been very clearly demonstrated in your spectacular response to the University’s first telephone fundraising appeal. When plans for this campaign were first mooted we had no idea what to expect. I have been, quite genuinely, bowled over by your generosity. On the strength of the first campaign, we are confident that the Annual Fund will meet its three year target of £400,000. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all and to personally assure you that your pledges will be used to provide for our students, now and in the future the best possible environment in which to develop their potential. As part of that plan the campus is currently Nico Bohmert of the German alumni group visiting undergoing a major redevelopment, with cutting edge facilities Dianne Pemberton-Pigott at the University’s Alumni Relations office. for learning, student living and research, putting us in a leading position to compete internationally for the best students and This has been a year of firsts for the University’s Alumni Relations. the highest calibre staff. I hope you will make 2005 a year in We held our first telephone campaign last autumn and at the which you return to see how things are moving on. same time launched the new Annual Fund to which many of you generously donated. See page 33 for the full story. The Discovery Lecture, this year to be delivered by Germaine Greer over the new graduation period on 25 June, gives an ideal As we go to press, your brand new online services are being opportunity to revisit, reconnect with old friends and explore prepared for you. Imagine a directory where you can search for what the university has to offer your career and life development. lost friends; a facility to offer your expertise to your old faculty, and the opportunity to network with other alumni working in Finally I would like to welcome the recently formed Dundee your industry... now you won’t lose touch with old friends thanks University Local Alumni club, along with the new clubs that to an ‘email for life’ facility. Sound great? It is, and it’s FREE! have been started up all over the world in the last year. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our alumni there are now clubs in Here’s the hitch. It’s up to you to opt in. Try it! Australia, Cyprus, Greece, Hong Kong, South Korea, Nigeria, If you have a problem, contact us and we’ll help you sort it out. Chicago and across Scotland. Find out more on pages 16 and 17. As the University of Dundee approaches its 40th anniversary I’m sure you will all agree that the enormity of the Asian Tsunami celebrations in 2007 we recognise more than ever the will be with us for a long time. Here at the University we importance of the people involved along the way and look were worried about those of you who were in the region over forward to continuing close contact with the ever-growing Christmas. To date we have no confirmation of loss but close family of alumni. encounters in some cases. Go well Stay in touch, and come back to see us when you can. Alan Langlands Dianne Principal and Vice Chancellor Dianne Pemberton-Pigott Head of Alumni Relations 3 news UNIVERSITY OF THE YEAR 2004 The Sunday Times University Guide named the University of Dundee ‘Scottish University of the Year 2004’. Dundee was short-listed with University College London, Durham, Kingston and Manchester for the title of ‘UK University of the Year’, only the second time that a Scottish university has been short-listed for this title. The results also revealed that Dundee alumni have the highest starting salaries of any graduates in Scotland and north of Oxford. Dundee was commended for, amongst other rankings, achieving the top rating in Scotland for teaching excellence, new campus developments and its highly successful access programme. DUNDEE TO LEAD GENETIC HEALTH PROJECT INSTALLATION OF DUNDEE’S The University is to play a key role in a new, ground-breaking FIRST FEMALE RECTOR genetic health project. Bringing together Scotland’s five Medical The University was saddened by the death of revered inaugural Schools, the project will assess genetic predisposition to heart Rector, Sir Peter Ustinov, in March 2004. disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis and mental health, and has been awarded £4.4 million by the Scottish Executive. However, 2004 was a memorable year in the history of Dundee Rectors for another more celebratory reason, when The Genetic Health Initiative (GHI) will focus on individuals and Lorraine Kelly, the first ever female Rector, was installed in April. their close relatives in order to assess the genetic predisposition to these common diseases which affect thousands of people An experienced and award-winning journalist and broadcaster, in Scotland.