Nexus October 2017

Designed by The Gatehouse Design and Print Agency

OCTOBER 2017

CONNECTING THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

RGU IN THE COMMUNITY Students’ ‘smart’ idea brings state-of-the-art benches to Aberdeen city centre read more P4

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS RGU graduate secures internship in Vietnam read more P11

INNOVATION IN LEARNING AND RESEARCH Researchers complete study into visitor movement and egress from historic sites read more P12

contents P5

P8

RGU in the community P4 Students 'smart’ idea brings state-of-the-art

benches to Aberdeen city centre

P5 RGU partners with Vietnamese scientists on approaches to climate change

P6

P6

RGU and Aberdeenshire low energy housing development opens in Fraserbugh RGU projects benefit from P7 philanthropic donations

professional focus Opinion: The importance of collaboration P8 Professor Gammie reappointed to global accountancy standards board P9 Talent Exchange honoured at Higher Education Awards P10 RGU graduate secures internship in Vietnam P11

innovation in learning and research

P12 Researchers complete study into visitor movement and egress from historic sites

P13 RGU e-learning practitioner wins award for ‘Best Research Paper' at UK conference

P13

P14 RGU hosts successful Non-Medical Prescribing

Conference 2017

P15 Volunteers sought for RGU lung

condition study

P15

P9

A WORD FROM THE PRINCIPAL One of the key themes running through public commentary on higher education over recent years has been the willingness or otherwise of universities to secure freedom of speech, and of thought, on campuses.

It is not a new issue as such. When I was a student there was, in my university, a lively campaign to deny rights of speaking to anyone labelled a fascist – which was fine, except that too often a 'fascist' was simply someone whose views were not congenial to the majority of students at the time.

More recently controversies have arisen around similar 'no platform' campaigns and the demand for 'safe spaces' in which contrary views are not welcome. In a number of universities, both in the USA and in the UK, prominent speakers and writers have been refused a platform because it was felt that their views might offend some of the audience.

In this setting the UK's Minister for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson MP (whose brief covers England only) has now declared that universities may be de-registered if they do not guarantee free speech, within normal legal limits, in order to ensure that campuses are places for legitimate debate and speech in which views are put forward and contested.

It is of course the duty of every university to protect people from bullying and victimisation, and certainly RGU must be alive to this, ensuring we are inclusive and that we respect diversity and human dignity. But it is also our duty to be a place where unpopular views can be expressed and debated in a respectful way.

In an annual survey of free speech in universities RGU always fares well. It is my hope that we will continue to be recognised as a home for intellectual integrity and freedom of expression.

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski

RGU IN THE COMMUNITY

Students 'smart’ idea brings state-of-the-art benches to Aberdeen city centre

Students from RGU and the University of Aberdeen have collaborated on a project which will install smart benches in the city centre.

The solar-powered ‘Soofa’ benches provide local residents with mobile and laptop charging points, as well as being able to monitor the environment.

The idea was the winning project as part of CityLab, a 10-week collaborative project which offers students the chance to develop their skills with the support of mentors from Aberdeen City Council.

The students’ idea for the benches revolved around the safety of young people late at night, if they become separated from friends and their phones are out of charge.

CityLab, which is led by the council’s transformation and innovation officer, Zoe Evans, was inspired by

a similar scheme in Vancouver and aims to create a path for students to gain live client experience in the working world while helping to create sustainable projects to develop a better city and community.

This year the project will focus around the city’s Vanguard initiative, which seeks to re-invent and reimagine the future economy of Northeast Scotland City and Shire.

Jon Pengelly, Head of Postgraduate Studies at Gray’s School of Art, coordinates the project for RGU. “The aim of CityLab is to transform and innovate Aberdeen by initiating and supporting student-led solutions for citywide change.

“The collaboration of students from all different subject areas, backgrounds and locations makes for a hugely interesting project and we look forward to seeing the latest cohort’s ideas.

“The project is indebted to the ongoing support from Aberdeen City Council and a wide range of stakeholders from across the city who are able to help mentor the students groups towards developing and delivering there innovative business ideas.”

Councillor Ross Grant added: “CityLab is about using the city as a classroom where young people can help make Aberdeen a better city.

“The programme allows the students to focus on city challenges and create tangible and innovative solutions through user-centred design principles and the expert knowledge of key stakeholders from public, private or third party organisations.

"The aim is that each winning project could be carried forward by the city council, or by an interested city partner. The standard has been excellent and we are delighted to see the winning projects being rolled out across the city.”

RGU IN THE COMMUNITY

RGU partners with Vietnamese scientists to understand different approaches to climate change

Data from an international study is set to capture the changing images of coastal regions undergoing the effects of climate change.

Academics from RGU's School of Applied Social Studies have been working in collaboration with the Institute of Human Geography in the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, on a project funded by a British Academy International Partnership and Mobility Grant.

The one-year research project aims to understand how climate change affects coastal communities by studying Scotland and Vietnam – two very different countries sharing the common problems of rising sea levels, increasing

extreme weather and environmental change due to a warming climate.

environmental policymakers are dealing with climate change.

RGU’s Dr Leslie Mabon, Dr Chris Yuill and Dr Natascha Mueller-Hirth spent a week in Vietnam earlier this year, where they interviewed citizens, fishers and environmental managers in the Xuan Thuy National Park whose lives are being affected in different ways by changes to the environments in which they live.

While in Scotland, they were taken by the RGU team to meet with Scottish Natural Heritage, Marine Scotland and Aberdeen City Council, to develop a comparable set of date to complement that which was collected in Vietnam.

Dr Nguyen Song Tung – one of Vietnam’s leading environmental scientists – returned the visit to Aberdeen last month with colleagues Dr Pham Thi Tram and Nguyen Thi Kim Dung from the Institute of Human Geography, to understand how Scottish

(L to R) Professor Stephen Vertigans (RGU), Dr Leslie Mabon (RGU), Dr Linda Smith (RGU) Dr Nguyen Song Tung, Beate Houette (RGU), Dr Natascha Mueller-Hirth (RGU), Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, Dr Chriss Yuill (RGU), Dr Pham Thi Tram

Dr Leslie Mabon, an established researcher who has worked with communities across the world, believes that more can be done in Scotland and fellow Western counties to address the results of environmental change.

He said: “What has struck me the most from this research has been witnessing everything that is being done in

Vietnam, as a country facing climate change now and having to respond to it with very limited resources.

“I feel we can learn a lot from their actions and put them into practice ourselves in Scotland. This includes prioritising the environmental protection of our coasts and understanding what climate change means at a very local level for people’s daily lives.”

A predominant finding of the research team has been that climate change can have profound effects on people’s sense of well-being that goes far beyond the immediate health or economic impacts on the wider

community.

Dr Chris Yuill, will present the team’s initial findings at the British Sociological Association Conference on Society, Environment and Human Health later this month.

He said: “There is a lot of work out there already which looks at the physical health aspects of climate change, such as how warming trends affect communicable disease, but our findings from Vietnam show that it is the wider – perhaps less tangible – effects that really hit people the hardest.”

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An innovative housing development in Fraserburgh which provides affordable, low energy homes has been officially opened.

The project, which was a collaboration between Aberdeenshire Council and the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, features 30 properties in a mixture of flats and houses, three of which have been designed for people with physical disabilities.

The development, ‘Heritage Way’, on the town’s Barrasgate Road, was supported by a successful bid for funding from the Scottish Government’s Greener Homes Innovation Scheme.

The innovation scheme was established to support the promotion of energy-efficient housing using modern innovative methods of offsite construction and low-carbon technologies, in line with the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Housing Strategy.

The low-carbon, low-energy flats and houses were designed by RGU’s awardwinning architect, Professor Gokay Deveci, and are based on the principles of his award-winning sustainable housing in Dunoon.

Energy use and consumption in six of the properties will be monitored by the university for 15 months, and it is expected the information, along with

the post occupancy evaluation, will help inform future housing programmes developed by the council.

Prof. Deveci, who was responsible for the creation of the first zero-energy home in Scotland, commented: “The main aim of this project was to incorporate a very high level of energy efficiency into these units, utilising prefabricated, panelised and superinsulated timber ‘I’ beam roof and walls, and to minimise the costs involved.

“The homes are all triple glazed, airtight and make use of heat recovery ventilators, all aimed at lowering the associated energy bills.

“All the units meet the silver sustainability housing standard, with two at gold and another two at Passivhaus standards which is only awarded to buildings meeting rigorous energy efficiency criteria. It is all about creating good quality affordable housing for the future stock.”

Provost of Aberdeenshire Cllr Bill Howatson said: “Heritage Way is one of the most innovative housing developments led by the council, both visually and in terms of construction, and there is much we can learn from it.

“As we look towards the winter we hope the residents will benefit from the energy-efficiency measures that could help keep costs down.”

RGU projects benefit from philanthropic donations Projects ranging from researching the feasibility of producing electricity from solar chimneys to improving access to education are among the beneficiaries of this year’s Annual Fund Award announced by the RGU Foundation.

Since the launch of the Annual Fund in 2015, financial support has been given to 22 new and enterprising developments at RGU. The funds are raised from alumni, staff and friends of the university to create opportunities for current and future generations of staff and students.

RGU Alumnus and donor Kevin Davidson, Managing Director at Ducatas Partners, graduated with a BA (Hons) in 1994 and has given back to the university.

“Gaining a degree from RGU has allowed me to pursue a fulfilling career,” he said. “I am pleased to make a positive contribution to my alma mater by giving back and by doing so create opportunities for current and future generations of talented RGU students.”

Sarah Dingwall, RGU Foundation Development Manager, said: “We are extremely grateful to all those alumni and friends of RGU who through donating have made a commitment to the university and to it students. Their generous foresight has allowed us to support groundbreaking projects and excellent services across the university.”

This year the following projects have been awarded funding:

»» Access bursaries – to support talented students from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented at university. »» Student-led Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme – an opportunity open for all current RGU students to achieve an award for extra-curricular learning volunteering and skills development. »» RGU Nightline – a student-led non-judgmental anonymous listening service that allows students to speak through their problems »» Research Students Showcase – A first of its kind event run by the Research Students Association that will serve to highlight the varied research projects being carried out at RGU and inspire and encourage future research. »» Inter-professional Learning Award in Healthcare – a student award that promotes best practice collaborative learning in healthcare »» Hatch project – to support creative projects associated with the Hatch creative projects space set up by students from RGU’s Gray’s School of Art »» Resilience conference – to support a one day conference, organised in partnership with Reslife, to promote mental wellbeing and resilience, a life skill which supports student retention and progression, individual mental wellbeing and graduate employability. »» Research project – Support for a research project being carried out by a member of staff at Scott Sutherland School to analyse the potential and the efficiency of using solar chimneys in parts of Scotland to produce electricity.

RGU IN THE COMMUNITY

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

Opinion: The importance of collaboration Fionnuala Cousins, course leader of RGU’s Petroleum Data Management Graduate Certificate, talks about the importance of collaboration between industry and academia. .

I am happy to admit that during my career in both industry and academia, I have been in several meetings at which I didn’t understand anything.

Particularly when industry and academia are in the same room.

That’s OK, I don’t mind asking a stupid question if it gets me the information that I feel I need.

Often, it turns out to be information that other people need. People that ask questions are contributing to a shared understanding which is a pre-requisite for the achievement of a shared objective.

Collaboration is a key word in modern academia, and rightly so. Most academics spend most, if not all of their working life in the academy. We can’t always remember what it’s like to stand in corporate shoes, facing corporate priorities and pressures. Further,

however little we remember the corporate world, it’s probably even less familiar with ours.

An academic leaves a meeting thinking “what a thought-provoking conversation”. Their corporate partner leaves the same meeting thinking “they’ll get a draft to me

by Friday and I’ll get in before the budgets are finalised.” That draft isn’t coming.

Countless discussions come to nothing because it doesn’t occur to either side to ensure that their understanding is shared.

Universities are doing a lot to bring students into the workplace and practitioners into the classroom.

What we also need is more people crossing the divide in their own career paths, coming to understand how the cultures differ and thus, how to help them work together.

We need to create people who can be effective in both cultures.

As we progress as a service, information and knowledge economy, UK Plc needs productive engagement between the two cultures.

At RGU we’ve just finished a course development project which had an unprecedented level of industry engagement – a Graduate Certificate Petroleum Data Management, developed with funding and ongoing support from Common Data Access Ltd (CDA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Oil & Gas UK.

Fionnuala Cousins, Petroleum Data Management Course Leader

The course was specifically designed for the global energy sector. Were it not for a small number of people with the experience necessary to bridge the cultural divide, this project would have been much less successful.

The course would have been a year late. The industry wouldn’t have fully endorsed it and the students wouldn’t have enrolled on it in the numbers we’ve had. It’s also very possible that the partnership would have soured; not through a lack of willingness but through misunderstandings, assumptions, misinterpretations.

As is, our stakeholders are happy, our first graduates are happy (to have finished!) and the university is asking for more of the same, please.

Academics, industry leaders and the Oil and Gas Authority come together to celebrate the first graduates in Petroleum DataManagement, a new course developed at RGU in partnership with CDA Ltd.

An international professional appointment such as this is aligned with our commitment at Aberdeen Business School to work closely with professional bodies

Professor Gammie reappointed to global accountancy standards board

Professor Elizabeth Gammie, Head of Aberdeen Business School, has been reappointed to the prestigious International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB).

The Board sets accounting education standards for all the professional accounting bodies around the world and its 18 board members come from across the globe.

Through its activities the IAESB enhances education by developing and implementing International Education Standards which increase the competency of the global accountancy profession.

Professor Gammie, who was first appointed in 2015, will now serve a second three-year term. During her first term of office she led a task force to provide support materials to the global membership for the implementation of International Education Standard 1: Entry Requirements to Professional Accounting Education Programmes which was published in 2016. She is currently contributing to a task force which is examining professional scepticism.

Chris Austin, Chair of the IAESB, said that Professor Gammie had already made excellent contributions to the Board, in particular the white paper which she crafted following the work carried out by the task force.

“The finished paper was the first of its kind for the Board – a peer-reviewed academic standard paper written in plain English. This will help broaden the

Professor Elizabeth Gammie, Head of Aberdeen Business School

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

pathways into professional accounting education and thereby enhance the quality of the profession as a whole.

“Elizabeth has contributed substantially in the Board’s deliberations about how to ensure professional accountants acquire, enhance and demonstrate professional scepticism throughout their careers.

“We have much to do on this topic and the Board’s wider work programme. I am confident Elizabeth will continue to play an active part and I am delighted she has been reappointed for a second three-year term.”

The Board meets three times a year, primarily at the International Federation of Accountants HQ in New York, but also elsewhere around the world.

Professor Gammie currently holds a wide range positions in a variety of professional bodies and institutions.

“I am delighted to be reappointed to the Board for a second term of office,” said Professor Gammie. “An international professional appointment such as this is aligned with our commitment at Aberdeen Business School to work closely with professional bodies to ensure that all our courses reflect current professional thinking.

“On a personal level it is hugely gratifying to contribute to the enhancement of the accounting provision through the setting of education standards and supporting less developed nations in their quest to meet these standards.”

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

Talent Exchange honoured at Higher Education Awards Talent Exchange, an RGU project to widen and extend the pool of work related experience opportunities available to students, has been successful at The Herald Higher Education Awards.

The project was named as the winner for Outstanding Employer Engagement in Universities.

During the life of the project, this process generated an additional 808 work related experience opportunities for students across the university and the overall feedback from students has been that they have enhanced their skills and boosted career prospects.

Academics were similarly positive, valuing the contributions made towards their course aims.

Since its inception, Talent Exchange has worked to engage efficiently with small and medium size enterprises to provide access to new talent to address their needs and at the same time enhance the employability of RGU’s students.

Feedback from businesses, 83% of which were new to working with the university, was equally positive, with many citing the benefits of working with fresh talent to achieve their business objective and to grow.

The project was made possible thanks to funding from SFC and a partnership with three industry bodies: Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC), the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).

Yvonne Cook, Talent Exchange Project Manager, said: “Enhancing student and graduate employability is a key objective for the university and it is very pleasing to see that the project’s impact has now been recognised with this success at the Higher Education Awards.

The project also benefitted from support internally and working closely with the placement offices, academics from schools, alumni relations and the communications team to increase engagement with enterprises and convert opportunities into work related experiences.

“The Talent Exchange project has now been completed and engagement with SMEs to secure work related experience opportunities is continuing to be delivered by the recently formed Employability and Professional Enrichment Department.”

Dr Janet Brown (Chief Executive, SQA), RGU’s Yvonne Cook and James Dunphy and Jennifer Reoch (STV).

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

RGU graduate

secures internship in Vietnam

A recent graduate in Architectural Technology from the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment is putting his skills to use on a six-month internship in Vietnam.

Tom Dryburgh, who is originally from Inverness, graduated from RGU in July 2017 and is now using what he has learned during his time at university to develop his skills with BSBG, a Dubai-headquartered Architecture firm which recently opened an office in Ho Chi Minh City.

Tom, who had planned to go travelling in Asia after graduation, was alerted to the opportunity by his course leader and felt it would be a great chance to continue with his plans while gaining invaluable work experience.

He began the internship at the start of September in BSBG’s Dubai office, before heading over to Vietnam to commence his working role where he is embracing the culture and settling in with his new colleagues.

“My plan after university was to do some travelling in Asia, more specifically, in Vietnam,” he said.

“So, when the advertisement for an intern architectural technologist in Ho Chi Minh City came up, I saw it as the perfect opportunity - a chance to travel and get some experience working abroad.

“My mum is from Vietnam so I was pretty familiar with the country after visiting it many times when I was younger, yet it's still a massive culture shock to me. It's a long way from the Highlands. I knew it would take some time to adapt to living here but I also knew it would be great fun.”

Tom is three weeks into his internship and is enjoying the variety of work and being given the chance to broaden his experience, working on major international projects.

“The work has been great so far. I've been doing some interior designing for an office in Ho Chi Minh City where I've learned a lot about modern office cultures. Later I will be working on a new super mall in Dubai, so there is a wide variety of projects to get involved in and gain some experience in, not just projects in Vietnam.

RGU graduate Tom Dryburgh

“I'm also very excited to get involved in the company’s' own plans for the future, we are looking to collaborate with my profession's institution, the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, and a Danish international university, University College of Northern Denmark, to help promote Architectural Technology in Vietnam.”

Researchers complete study into visitor movement and egress from historic sites Researchers from RGU have been examining visitor movement in historic buildings, in particular the effect of person order and mobility on egress times.

Frequently designed for defence and not visitation, historic buildings constitute some of the world’s foremost tourist attractions, and are witnessing unprecedented visitor numbers. This makes access and egress management important when considering both the visitor experience and evacuation requirements in an emergency.

The research study, funded by Historic Environment Scotland (HES), saw a number of RGU academics undertake different approaches to understanding visitor movement at historic sites.

Dr Arthur Stewart, Dr Eyad Elyan, Dr John Isaacs and alumna Leah McEwan, together with HES’s Dr Lyn Wilson, spent two days studying groups of tourists and interviewing staff at Orkney’s Maeshowe chambered cairn, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dr Arthur Stewart

Using their data and a 3D scan of the site (provided by HES), the team used specialist software to model the environment and map movement of digital characters scaled to the size and

shape of the Scottish population.

Due to the limited passing potential inside the Maeshowe access tunnel, the size and speed of an individual at the front of the line pivotally influences the egress of those behind. This criticality of person-order was replicated in the virtual model to generate accurate data, which can be scaled to larger and more complex buildings.

Elsewhere in the project, RGU’s Professor Richard Laing and Dr Marianthi Leon undertook study of the 3D digital visualisation of built heritage and its potential to inform building management practice.

This included the preparation of video materials and completion of a focus group with HES staff. The work connected with other research undertaken by the group, which has utilised digital scanning to explore public and user engagement with built heritage conservation.

Dr Arthur Stewart, who has recently been recognised as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, said: “Many of our historic buildings have narrow corridors with a single way in or out and limited passing opportunities.

INNOVATION IN LEARNING AND RESEARCH

“This results in bottlenecks and queuing under normal circumstances, but creates more problems when an evacuation becomes necessary and passing becomes impossible.

“While strategic vulnerabilities have been brought into sharp focus by recent terrorist attacks, balancing the needs of accessibility and security is not straightforward for historic buildings.”

Dr Stewart believes that the data from this partnership can be used to find vital future solutions for planning and modelling for public visitation in a new era of heightened security.

He added: “This interdisciplinary project, which spans ergonomics, computing, tourism and the built environment, is a first step which will spawn future research and deliver tangible benefits to public safety not only around tourism but many walks of life.”

The findings from the Maeshowe aspect of the study have recently been published in the journal ‘Human Factors’. Read his paper here.

INNOVATION IN LEARNING AND RESEARCH

RGU e-learning practitioner wins award for ‘Best Research Paper' at UK conference RGU’s e-learning practitioner won the prestigious ‘Best Research’ award at a global conference for her innovative work in distance learning.

Lesley Robertson, who works as Distance Learning Coordinator and Content Designer within the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, presented her research at the Innovation in Built Environment Education (IBEE) annual conference in Birmingham in September.

Her research focuses on a novel approach to empowering postgraduate students to assess the work of their peers, moving away from the traditional process of lecturer marking.

An increasing number of postgraduate students, in combination with the growing demand and use of online learning environments and tightening constraints, has resulted in a need to identify innovative approaches to assessment.

Lesley’s pilot study, which worked with 194 students split into 41 groups distributed across the globe, resulted in close correlation of marks given by students to those given by the academics. The summative peer-assessment model will now be implemented within selected online postgraduate courses in this academic year.

Lesley Robertson, Distance Learning Coordinator and Content Designer

Lesley commented: “With the increasing uptake in online distance learning courses and the tightening of constraints seen across the Higher Education sector, we felt it necessary to look at ways to deliver an alternative to academic marking which maintained validity, whilst engaging students deeper in their own learning.

“Although generally there has been certain reluctance by the academic community to adopt a method of summative peer-assessment, our research has shown that the results can in fact be reliable and for separate groups of students assessing the other groups of peers we found the results were very significant.

“Obviously there will still need to be processes in place to address any major differences when the students are assessing, but with the right support, a thorough assessment rubric and academic moderation we feel this method of assessment is one which can be mutually beneficial for both the students and the academics.

“The grouped peer assessment approach offered the advantage of student collaborative judgement decision-making with the potential to strengthen reliability by levelling any individual bias.”

Lesley’s research paper has attracted interest from other universities in the UK, which are looking for creative solutions to an ever-increasing issue in the e-learning sector.

INNOVATION IN LEARNING AND RESEARCH

RGU hosts successful Non-Medical Prescribing Conference 2017 ‘Human Factors and Evidence in prescribing’ was the key theme at a recent conference for healthcare professionals in the north-east who have prescribing responsibilities.

More than 90 nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals attended the Non-Medical Prescribing Conference at RGU last month.

Funded by NHS Grampian and facilitated in collaboration with RGU, the conference offered learning and networking opportunities for nonmedical prescribers within Grampian.

The conference was opened by Caroline Hiscox, Deputy Director of Nursing at NHS Grampian, before delegates attended a series of presentations and workshops delivered by experts from academic and clinical backgrounds.

Linda Harper, Associate Nurse Director at NHS Grampian, worked with the conference committee to organise an event which meets the needs of the healthcare community.

She said: “We were delighted to attract such a large number of delegates to the conference this year. It has developed and grown over the last several years, with the partnership between NHS Grampian and RGU allowing both organisations to take a leading role in innovating healthcare to the benefit of the north-east.

While Manoj Kumar, Consultant Surgeon and honorary senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, focussed on the human factors that delegates should focus on in their roles.

“The conference offers a good opportunity for non-medical prescribers to share experiences and best practice with each other and our keynote speakers did a great job with their presentations, sparking a lot of discussion throughout the day.”

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Ophthalmology: The Red Eye

•

Prescribing in Diabetes

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Prescribing guidance of inhaled therapies in asthma and COPD

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Prescribing in chronic liver disease

Dr Catherine Paterson, lecturer in RGU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, delivered the first address: ‘Non-medical prescribing embedded in evidence-based practice: an overview’.

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Sexual health

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Prescribing in older adult mental health psychiatry

Dr Trudi McIntosh, lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at RGU’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, discussed her PhD research findings on nonmedical prescribing.

Following the presentations, delegates attended two workshops selected from a choice six on offer:

Non-Medical prescribing in the UK is now well-established, with evidence of improvements in access, patient safety and patient-centred care continuing to strengthen the foundations underpinning the success of this practice.

Dr Trudy McIntosh from the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences

INNOVATION IN LEARNING AND RESEARCH

We at RGU, along with our partners, are passionate about developing innovative healthcare solutions

Volunteers sought for RGU lung condition study

An RGU academic is reaching out to people who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to take part in a new research study.

Pamela Kirkpatrick, a senior lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, is recruiting volunteers aged 65 or under for the study, which will consist of a short interview and discussion about their experiences with the disease while in employment.

COPD describes a group of lung conditions that make it difficult to empty air out of the lungs, because the airways have been narrowed. Two such lung conditions are persistent bronchitis and emphysema, which can also occur together.

The research team also includes Professor Graham Devereux from the University of Aberdeen, RGU’s Emeritus Professor Valerie Maehle, Dr Kay Cooper and Dr Sheelagh Martindale, along with colleagues from NHS Grampian.

Pamela Kirkpatrick said: “We know from the lack of research that there is a poor understanding of the impact work has on COPD and vice versa. What previous research has highlighted is that 40% of people with COPD have given

Pamela Kirkpatrick

up paid employment sooner than those with most other chronic conditions and many lose out financially, becoming more socially isolated as a result.

“Existing support structures from employers, support groups, healthcare professionals, families and friends are fragmented, with inconsistencies meaning sufferers often have to navigate their troubles alone.

“We at RGU, along with our partners, are passionate about developing innovative healthcare solutions and the outcomes from this study will help recommend improvements for the longer-term employment of people of working age with COPD.” To be eligible for the study, participants must be 65 years old or younger, have COPD as their main presenting condition and be fluent in spoken English. The confidential interviews are expected to last under one hour.

The recruitment process is now underway and will run until December 2017.

If you, or someone you know has COPD and are interested in finding out more, please contact Pamela Kirkpatrick by email – p.kirkpatrick@rgu.ac.uk – or call 01224 263 276.

a look at rgu events 26 OCT

V isit to Pakistan Islamabad, Faisalabad, L ahore Emily Rafferty, International Officer, w ill be visiting Pakistan to meet w ith students interested in learning more about studying at RGU.

29 OCT

V isit to Oman Muscat Professor Donald Cairns, Head of the School of Pharmacy and L ife Sciences, w ill be visiting Oman to meet w ith prospective students at the EduTrac Exhibition.

1 NOV

Resilience Day Sir Ian Wood Building RGU is launching a Resilience Day to support mental w ellbeing. There w ill be a number of interactive sessions on student survival or mindfulness, as w ell as a cooking competition, yoga and badminton sessions – plus much more

2 NOV

Postgraduate Open Evening Sir Ian Wood Building and Aberdeen Business School RGU w ill hold a Postgraduate Open Evening for prospective students to find out more about the university’s w ide portfolio of taught programmes.

4 NOV

V isit to UAE Dubai and Abu Dhabi Daya Evans, Head of Student Recruitment, w ill be visiting the United Arab Emirates to showcase RGU to prospective students interested in learning more about studying at the university.

9 NOV

V isit to Mexico P uebla, Guadalajara, Merida Suzanne Sim, International Officer w ill be visiting Mexico on a recruitment trip to meet w ith prospective students interested studying at RGU.

12 NOV

V isit to Saudi Arabia Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam Craig Evans, Regional Manager w ill be visiting Saudi Arabia to talk to prospective students about opportunities to study at RGU.

13 NOV

Russian Choir of St Petersburg Sir Ian Wood Building The renowned St Petersburg Choir "VOSKRESENIJE" w ill play at RGU as part of their UK and European tour.

13 NOV

RGU LGBT+ Staff Netw ork Rainbow F ilm Night - Transamerica Sir Ian Wood Building RGU w ill host a screening of ‘Transamerica’ as part of the monthly RGU LGBT+ Staff Netw ork Rainbow F ilm Nights.

27 NOV

One RGU Many Nations Sir Ian Wood Building RGU w ill host a celebration of its international diversity and cultures in an event for staff and students which w ill include performances and food tasting.

29 NOV

V isit Afternoon Garthdee Campus Prospective students w ill be given the opportunity to go on a campus tour, talk to course lecturers, explore support services and ask current students about what they can expect from life as at RGU.

29 NOV

Professorial lecture: ‘Accounting: Politics, Practice and Emancipatory Potential’ Sir Ian Wood Building Professor Louise Crawford w ill deliver a lecture which w ill explore how politics and pow er influence accounting practice, in the context of globalisation.