Marine Biology at Aberdeen

New link found between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease

Drugs used to treat diabetes could also be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and vice versa, according to new research from the University of Aberdeen.

This is also the first study of its kind to show that Alzheimer’s disease can lead to diabetes, as opposed to diabetes occurring first as was previously thought.

The study reports that Alzheimer’s Disease and type 2 diabetes are so closely related that drugs currently used to control glucose levels in diabetes may also alleviate the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

The research was led by Professor Bettina Platt who formed a unique collaboration between her Alzheimer’s research team and the diabetes research team led by Professor Mirela Delibegovic.  The teams were keen to investigate why the two diseases are so commonly found together in elderly patients.

Read more here.

University showcases energy expertise to Mexican delegation

The University of Aberdeen showcased its expertise in energy teaching and research to a delegation of key figures from Mexico’s energy education sector who visited the city recently.

Representatives from several Mexican higher education institutions specialising in energy-related subjects visited the University as part of a UK-wide tour organised by the UK Higher Education International Unit.

The visit was led by the Secretariat of Energy of Mexico (SENER) with the participation of other Mexican governmental organisations including the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), Secretariat of Public Education (SEP), and key education and research centres such as the Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP).

The delegation participated in a morning session that consisted of a presentation on the University’s energy teaching and research expertise led by renowned energy economist Professor Alex Kemp and Dr David Vega-Maza, Head of the University’s multi-disciplinary Carbon Capture and Storage Research Group.

 

 

An Audience with Charles Dickens – Writer, Performer, Celebrity

From March 2016, the Gallery in the Sir Duncan Rice Library is presenting a real first for the University of Aberdeen – 15 firsts in fact! The Special Collections Centre has a unique collection of all 15 first editions of the novels of Charles Dickens – many of them collected at the time of publication. ‘An Audience with Charles Dickens’ marks the first time that all 15 books have been displayed together.

The University’s Special Collections Centre has one of the most distinguished collections of books by and about Dickens anywhere in the world. The exhibition celebrates this and provides a glimpse into the life and times of one of the world’s most renowned authors and personalities.

Inspired by his two visits to Aberdeen, it explores the theme of Dickens not only as a writer but also as a performer of his own work. In 1858 and 1866 Dickens travelled to Aberdeen, performing dramatic extracts from Dombey and Son, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers to delighted crowds at the Music Hall. In addition to the first editions, the exhibition includes reproductions of playbills from the period and audio extracts of the four readings to evoke the appearance and atmosphere of the theatre stages that became Charles Dickens’s favourite platform for the delivery of his stories.

The exhibition is accompanied by an engaging programme of public talks and events. Details of these will be posted on the Special Collections Centre Events page.

University of Aberdeen announces £1.5m of PhD scholarship opportunities

A new round of scholarships worth up to £1.5 million has been launched by the University of Aberdeen.

The 2016/17 Elphinstone Scholarships will meet the tuition costs of the highest achieving PhD applicants drawn from the UK and around the world.

The scholarship scheme began two years ago, in recognition of the 500^th anniversary of the death of Bishop Elphinstone, and since then it has supported 139 students from all corners of the globe.

In addition to the Elphinstone awards, 25 Partnership Scholarships will also be created supported jointly by the University and industry partners.

A previous recipient of an Elphinstone scholarship is Claire Hein Blanton, from Houston, Texas, who is working towards a PhD in Divinity.

She said:“I came to the University of Aberdeen because the theology program is one of the strongest in the world.  The department has a reputation of taking the discipline seriously and pressing its students to ask what the importance of their study is in the outside world, which is an important distinction.  I didn’t want to go to a program that would be academically rigorous but not care about public engagement – the divinity department manages to do both.

Further details of the Elphinstone Scholarships and how to apply can be found at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-study/elphinstone-phd-scholarships-266.php