COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND VETERINARY MEDICINE
Postgraduate Offer-holders
On-campus Taught and Research Students’ eZine
In this issue Victoria de Leeuw Student, MSc by Research Integrative Neuroscience
“I find it nice cycling in Edinburgh, the city and surroundings are great.” Page 1
JULY 2015 Niall Anderson Programme Director, Master of Public Health
“Students can design an almost bespoke timetable that suits their interests and career aspirations.”
Fringe Festival Academic tips Don’t study in Scotland without doing everything on this list! (part 1)
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND VETERINARY MEDICINE
Welcome
In this issue
Many of those who come to live in Edinburgh discover that Edinburgh is a truly festival city. In this eZine, you will find an article about the Fringe Festival, the world’s largest art festival that takes place right in its heart every August. Go to page 10 to read more about it!
Welcome .......................................................................2
Victoria de Leeuw, our Masters by Research student, tells you about her favourite way of getting to the University – and it’s not the public transport!
News from around the University..................................4
Hello,
Niall Anderson, one of our Programme Directors, talks about the flexibility of the Master of Public Health programme, which has been designed to suit various career aspirations. Our student bloggers are featured under the Social section – read about Bella Maya’s experience with speed reading! You’ll receive one more eZine in August, so stay tuned!
See you soon, The Postgraduate Team
Latest research news.....................................................3
Student perspective Interview with Victoria de Leeuw, MSc by Research Integrative Neuroscience...............................................5 Don’t study in Scotland without doing everything on this list!......................................................................6 Academic matters Interview with Niall Anderson, Programme Director of Masters of Public Health................................................7 Helping your academic development...........................8
Photo
Social Discover the University community...............................9 Featured: Our Student Bloggers...................................9 Edinburgh City...............................................................10
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Latest Research News Cell therapy helping diabetes patients
Paracetamol risk to unborn boys
Blood stored as safe as fresh supplies
People with Type 1 diabetes are being helped by a transplant therapy that uses cells from the pancreas, a study shows. The technique aims to combat hypoglycaemia - a drop in blood sugar triggered in patients on insulin treatment, which can prove fatal.
Prolonged paracetamol use by pregnant women may reduce testosterone production in unborn baby boys, research has found. Researchers say their findings could help to explain reported links between paracetamol use in pregnancy and reproductive health problems in young boys.
Giving freshly donated blood to patients confers no major benefits compared with current practices of transfusing older blood, a study suggests. Blood given to patients that has been stored for around 21 days, which is the current standard, is as effective and safe as blood held for less than eight days before use, researchers say.
Read more
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News from Around the University Health Partnership
Art event highlights wonders of anatomy
Edinburgh strengthens China links
Photograph © Callum Bennetts, Maverick Photo Agency
The University has signed an agreement with the Hong Kong Government. The Memorandum of Understanding focuses on researchers from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute, and will encourage more exchange programmes and increased knowledge transfer with animal health professionals in Hong Kong.
Doctors and artists joined forces to host an evening of art and anatomy that will illustrate the wonders of the human body. Handson workshops gave people the chance to body paint the muscles, tendons and blood vessels of the neck on each other. Read more
The University developed relationships with existing academic partners and embarked on new ventures with some of China and East Asia’s leading institutions. The University’s ten-day tour of China and East Asia came to an end last week following a series of public lectures and academic events in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore. Read more
Read more Follow The University of Edinburgh
Although you have not arrived yet, you can be part of what’s going on at Edinburgh even now. Join here!
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Student Perspective Victoria de Leeuw, our MSc by Research student, talks about her highlights of her first year as a Master’s student. Victoria de Leeuw, MSc by Research Integrative Neuroscience
My name is Victoria and I’m 21 years old. After my undergrad in biomedical science/ neurobiology in Amsterdam (which is also where I come from). I came to Edinburgh for my Masters by Research in Integrative Neuroscience.
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“I find it nice cycling in Edinburgh; the city and surroundings are great and the cars and busses are very aware of cyclists.” How do you find the teaching staff at the University? The teaching staff are very helpful. We had a lecture series in the first semester and in general the teaching was of a high standard and was often interactive. Our course administrator was very knowledgeable and helpful, as well as our course director.
How do you find your fellow students at the University?
Do you work besides studying?
My fellow students come from various countries in and outside of Europe. We’re just 26, so that creates a nice atmosphere. Since everyone is in the Masters’ phase now, I don’t make too many real new friends, because everyone has their social life already. However, they are always up for a beer or a coffee and that’s how I like it.
I don’t work at the moment, although every now and then I do some translation work (English-Dutch). This is on a voluntary basis, but I get paid a bit for it. It’s a nice addition to my studies because I feel that I contribute to something concrete (which can be a less clear goal in the studies).
How do you normally get to University from home?
What was the highlight of your year?
I always cycle to home. I live approximately 10-15 min from the central area and 25 min from Little France, where some of my classes take place. If I don’t cycle, I walk, I don’t take public transport within the city. I find it nice cycling in Edinburgh; the city and surroundings are great and the cars and buses are very aware of cyclists. However, the infrastructure itself could be hugely improved.
The highlight of the year up till now is that I have managed to learn Matlab and do a computational neuroscience project (which is completely new to me) with a positive outcome. However, I can imagine that my highlight will be something else by the end of the year, because the largest milestones (e.g. dissertation) are yet to come.
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Don’t study in Scotland without doing everything on this list! (Part 1)
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Peer down at your bedroom window from Arthurs Seat
Relax in a traditional scottish pub
Never climbed a 350metre high extinct volcano whilst looking down on a 900 year old castle in a city centre before? Here’s your chance!
You will never run out of beautiful pubs to discover so please don’t only hang out in the student union, there are so many great places to enjoy!
There’s no better time to try Scotland’s National dish than at an annual Burns supper every January 25th, the celebration of Scotland’s National Poet ‘Rabbie’ Burns. Fear not though Veggies, Vegetarian Haggis is also very popular!
Have a Festival Fling
Learn a new skill
Enjoy a cracking ceilidh
East Lothian beaches
The Edinburgh Fringe is quite simply the world’s largest arts festival and brings with it an unparalleled range of entertainers from all around the world who transform and delight the city every summer. The International Festival has opera, classical concerts and the famous military tattoo where marching bands entertain thousands each night on the Castle Esplanade.
There are countless student societies ranging from pony trekking to photography so this is a great opportunity to not only learn a new skill but also to make new friends!
Everyone should try dancing at a Ceilidh at least once and the Gillie Dhu is just one of the many atmospheric venues where the fiddle and accordion lead the crowd in a ‘merry jig’!
Gullane and Yellowcraigs sands are just two of the beautiful beaches within an hour of Edinburgh city centre and the capital even has its own sandy seaside resort at Portobello!
Wander in the wilderness The Scottish Highlands are one of Europe’s last true wildernesses and witnessing the misty glens and mountain peaks first hand is an unforgettable experience.
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‘Hog’ a Haggis
Academic Matters
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Niall Anderson, Programme Director of Master of Public Health, tells us about the programme’s unique flexibility that allows for designing a timetable that suits every students’ interest and career aspirations. Niall Anderson, Programme Director, Master of Public Health. Tell me a little about yourself. My name is Niall Anderson. I’m based in the Centre for Population Health Sciences, part of the Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences & Informatics here at the University of Edinburgh. I’m a senior lecturer in Medical Statistics, and have worked here since 2003. I am Programme Director for our on campus 1 year MPH programme, and also co-director of our about to be launched online distance learning MPH – that starts in September 2015 for the first time. What is your average day like? Most days I divide my time across a number of different areas. I will generally have some administrative tasks for the MPH to clear up, I may possibly be teaching a class, often some preparatory work for our new online programme, and then I will probably also try to spend some time on research problem – I work on a number of different research projects or clinical trials, so generally one of those at least will need some attention. Quite a lot of time is spent dealing with things by email…
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What is unique about the programme? The MPH is a very flexible programme, in that it has a small set of compulsory courses, but with many more optional ones, so that students can design an almost bespoke timetable that suits their interests and career aspirations. They can also consider taking Masters’ courses from some of the other groups across the University who have interests in public health or related areas, so there is a lot of scope for picking exactly the right suite of courses for each person.
“Probably 70-75% [of our students] end up in the sort of role they are looking for, and many former students are now leading very successful careers in the wider world and making an impact on real world public health problems.”
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Academic Matters (continued)
Helping your Academic Development
What do you hope your students will get out of the programme to help them in their future career path?
Prepare for your arrival with this checklist
A solid foundation in the key areas of public health theory, an appreciation of the central role research plays in understanding public health problems and an ability to both appraise other people’s research and successfully design and execute one’s own research.
The New Students website has recently added this checklist so that you won’t forget about anything that you need to prepare for your arrival and studies starting. Download the checklist at this link.
What kinds of careers are open to students of your programme? How many of them end up employed in their desired area of expertise?
iad4masters blog The Institute for Academic Development runs a blog for all Masters’ students at the University of Edinburgh where it informs of relevant workshops and information sessions for postgraduates. Follow the blog here to get informed about dissertation workshops, academic writing workshops and to gain access to many other helpful resources for your studies.
Many of our students go on to work in health services, government departments concerned with health policy, NGOs that provide services or promote health behaviour and change or academic roles, in either health research or further study (for example, beginning a PhD). Probably 70-75% end up in the sort of role they are looking for, and many former students are now leading very successful careers in the wider world and making an impact on real world public health problems.
Join Societies There are about 240 student societies at Edinburgh. In the Societies section of the EUSA website, you can search all the societies to find the people who share your interests. There’s also advice on starting your own society. Page 8
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Discover the University community through films, blogs and social media. Click on the icons below: A community where we encourage offer-holders speak to each other online. Click here if you are on a taught programme and here if you are on a research programme! Keep up to date with the latest news from the Postgraduate Office. We have our own channel and are adding student experience films all the time. Take a sneak peak at postgraduate life through our students. View our e-zines featuring interviews and key information for applicants.
Edinburgh city The Fringe Festival The world’s largest arts festival transforms Scotland’s capital every August. Thousands of performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city to present incredible shows that take your breath away. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Edinburgh in the month of August. The Fringe Festival is totally open-access and is a showcase for the performing arts, with show categories including Cabaret, Children’s
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shows, Comedy, Dance, Physical Theatre & Circus, Events, Exhibitions, Music, Musicals and Opera, Spoken Word and Theatre. This is the largest street fair of its kind in the world, and in 2014 saw 933 groups participate. With many events happening on campus, The University of Edinburgh also participates in the Fringe Festival. Have a look at the photos below from previous years!