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Danish Institute for Study Abroad visit:
9 October 2009
A group of 11 American Bachelor degree students, currently studying a semester long programme on Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen (www.dis.dk), visited the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine on Friday, 9 October 2009.
The students who are all enrolled in top American universities with educational backgrounds including biology, biotechnology, genetics and medicine were particularly interested in learning more about the scientific advancements at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine and how the IGMM translates basic findings into the clinical arena.
The group was welcomed by Professor Nick Hastie, Director of the MRC Human Genetics Unit. Scientists from the IGMM presented a series of lectures on the scientific advancements and collaborations from the IGMM including ‘From Gene Identification to Small Molecule Screen in a Genetic Mimic of Viral Infection (Dr Andrew Jackson); Novel Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (Dr Rob van t’Hof); In Vivo Imaging of Cancer (Dr Val Brunton) and Gene Therapy and Cystic Fibrosis (Dr Chris Boyd). The group also received a tour of the laboratories.
The visit to the Unit was part of a week long trip to London and Edinburgh to better understand the biomedical advancements in the UK.
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Class Prize for the MSc Life Sciences programme:
19 October 2009
Katy Astell, who has recently begun her PhD studies in the Human Genetics Unit (HGU) in Edinburgh, has been awarded the Class Prize for the MSc Life Sciences programme. Katy won the award as a student in the HGU’s Masters programme run in the unit.
The Life Sciences MSc by research includes nine separate Master programmes run throughout the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. The winner of the Class Prize, determined by the Life Sciences exam board, which consists of the heads of each programme and an external examiner, awards the top student for the year’s work among all these programmes and comes with a monetary award. Katy is studying in the laboratory of Dr Andrew Jackson who research genetic factors involved in abnormalities of the brain.