The true delight is in the finding out rather than in the knowing. (Isaac Asimov)
Events academic year 2014/15
Freshers Fayre
13th Sept 11am-4pm
The legendary Freshers Fayre at the last Saturday of the even more legendary Freshers Week. I hope you all have enjoyed your week and have between all the meeting and socialising not forgotten, that Freshers Fayre one of the last opportunities to mix and mingle before the semester starts for real.
We will be present with our very own stall on this Saturday and hope that you will come by, grab some freebies, and see what else we can offer.
Teambuilding
24th Sept 2pm-3pm
Don't miss this chance to get to know all the other members of the society and to build your very own team. Socialise one more time, but this time do it with a purpose. Try to find members of other disciplines to get the perfect team for your project... and don't forget, that your proposals are due in 2 weeks time.
Why we are failing with cancer - Prof. Timothy Newman
13th Nov 5pm - 6pm
Bio: Tim Newman is Professor of Biophysics at the University of Dundee. Trained originally as a theoretical physicist, he has spent 15 years working on problems in the life sciences, most recently cancer research.
Abstract:
If ever an area of scientific endeavour needed new interdisciplinary perspectives, it is cancer research. Despite four decades of massive funding and fundamental breakthroughs in molecular biology, cancer treatment has not on the whole benefited from this effort, and mortality rates for many major types of carcinoma remain stubbornly high. We still have no effective understanding of, nor treatment for, metastatic disease, which is the main cause of death for cancer patients. In this talk I will give my own perspectives on how physical science and engineering can bring new ideas and perspectives to cancer, with emphases on both fundamental understanding and patient outcomes. I will be appealing for a new approach to cancer research in which multiple simultaneous and interconnected lines and modes of inquiry are utilised, rather than a primary reliance on reductionist molecular biology and genomic approaches.
Internship? - Michal Zielinski
20th Nov. 5.30pm - 6.30pm
Did you miss the deadline for Internship applications. Here is a talk that could help you.
This week's speaker is Michal Zielinski, a 4th year Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery Student with an exceeding amount of internship experience in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry. In this talk he will share his experience with you and give you helpful advice on
1) Why to do an internship?
2) Where to do an internship?
3) How to land an internship for next Summer.
This event is from students for students, hence there will be an extensive Q&A session. As with last week's speaker, we'll do our best to continue the talk in the liar after the official event ;)
Venue: Dalhousie 2G14 (Ground floor, go left at the entrance and follow the corridor to the end)
Time: Thursday, November 20th, 17.30 - 18.30
Introduction and EGM
29th January 6.15pm - 7.15pm
Venue: Dalhousie LT2 (Ground floor)
We would like to invite everybody to our first meeting of this semester. This meeting will include an introduction to everybody who is new, an update to everybody who knows us already, and some plans and future perspectives.
At the end we will hold an election to fill the currently vacant position of the Vice President. Furthermore, you can sign up for consideration as a department representative for all but Life Sciences, Physics, and CAHID.
Teambuilding and Brainstorming
4th February 2pm - 3pm
Venue: Dalhousie 2G12
We would like to invite you to our first team-building and brainstorming workshop of this semester. The aim of this workshop will mainly be to meet new people and to brainstorm ideas for potential projects. At the end of the workshop you are neither committed to a particular project, nor to a particular team.
This is a free event, so feel free to spread the word. Please let us know if you attend, though, so that we can plan accordingly. This week's workshop will be held by Manuel Blank.
Making your Research Ethical - How and Why?
5th Feburary 6.15pm - 7.15pm
Venue: Dalhousie LT 2 (Ground Floor)
DUYRA would like to invite you to the first talk of this semester (that is not held by ourselves) by Dr Peter Willatts, School of Psychology, and Vice-Chair of the University Research Ethics Committee. This is a free event and everybody is welcome to attend.
If you reply to one of the ‘In the Name of Science’ notices in the weekly University Hermes emails, can you be sure it will be safe to take part? The answer is yes, because all research carried out on humans in the University has been checked and approved by the University Research Ethics Committee. All such research worldwide must meet these ethical standards, and journals will refuse to publish research which fails to meet them. However, it was not always so, and before the introduction of ethics committees there were studies which did cause serious harm and injury. This talk will explain the principles which guide ethical research, and will show how you can ensure that your research is ethical.
As usual, we will invite Dr Willatts for a complimentary beverage and a casual chat after the talk.
Teambuilding and Brainstorming
11th Feb 2015 2pm - 3pm
Venue: Dalhousie 2F11
We would like to invite you to our second team-building and brainstorming workshop of this semester. The aim of this workshop will mainly be to meet new people and to brainstorm ideas for potential projects. This will be another opportunity to come up with ideas, or to look for fellow students you would like to have on your team.
This is a free event, so feel free to spread the word. Please let us know if you attend, though, so that we can plan accordingly. This week's workshop will be held by Simon Bajew.
How to write a research proposal? - Dr. Steven Land
12th Feb 6.15pm - 7.15pm
Venue: Dalhousie 2F14
This is rather an interactive workshop than a presentation. It is an opportunity to ask questions about research/grant proposals, and a chance to get feedback on proposals you have written already.
There is a piece of "homework" in form of a google poll attached to it, that asks you to rate different proposals (all written by students) according to different criteria:
Your answers will be anonymous, and will be used for feedback during the workshop.
Dr Land is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Biomedical Sciences at Dundee University and has researched developmental and clinical aspects of lung biology for over 20 years. He has attracted in excess of £2mln of research funds from organisations including The Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council and smaller charities such as Tenovus and our own local Anonymous Trust. Dr Land will share his experience of attracting science funding (the triumphs and the heart-aches!) and will be pleased to provide feedback during the session on the merits and pitfalls of your own scientific proposals.
(As usual we will attempt to invite Dr Land for a complementary beverage and a more casual chat afterwards)
Feedback and Q&A
18th February 2pm - 3.30pm
Venue: Dalhousie 2S16
This session is for everybody who has any unanswered questions about us in any way. For example if you want us to have a preliminary look at your proposals at this stage, do come along. Keep in mind that the deadline for proposals is Sunday of the very same week.
Of course, we like feedback as well, so feel free to come along to tell us what you think about what we have done so far and about what we could do in the future.
Optimising the Shape of a Pint Glass
19th February 6.15pm - 7.15pm
Venue: Dalhousie LT 2 (Ground Floor)
This the first time one of our research groups will present their project. Hopefully the topic will appeal to many. We promise that you will be surprised about how much educational value there is in a pint glass.
Daniel Carron and Henry Axt are both level 2 Physics students who pioneered undertaking a research project with DUYRA. In their talk they will not only introduce their research project, but will also talk about the application process through DUYRA.
Bubble dynamics remains to this day a hard subject, which in most cases requires numerical methods. Even so, this topic can lead to surprisingly creative applications. In this talk we shall introduce the specific problem we have decided to tackle and discuss the method we chose to solve this problem and potential further applications of its solution.
The disclaimer: Obviously the content of all the pints the group required for researching their optimal pint shapes was not funded by us.
DUYRA's First Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Symposium
31st March 8pm - 7.30pm
Venue: DUSA meeting room 1
We would like to invite you to the first Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Symposium of the Dundee University Young Researchers Association. This year there will be groups’ presentations from backgrounds the areas of Anatomy, Biology/Behaviour, and Physics. Each group will present their research projects in the form of a poster, and all attendees will be able to vote for the best project. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.