Inspiring
Talent
This 1920s style hat was created by
Emily Varnom, Costume Design and
Construction student. It was inspired
by ‘The Dolly Sisters’, one of the most
famous Vaudeville acts of the 1920s.
Model: Hazel Catling
Make up: Andy Bain
Hair: Siobhan Randle
Principal’s Introduction
Over the last few months we have been fortunate to welcome many visitors to
our campus and witness new initiatives taking shape. It has been wonderful,
for example, to see QMU’s research work being used to create specialist
training events for people with specific health problems. Recently, we ran a
very successful intensive communication training day on campus for people
with aphasia, as well as a dementia training day for our own undergraduate
students. Both of these events developed as a result of our research. You
can read about our speech research work in aphasia on page 8 & 9 and our
Dementia Study Day with Alzheimer Scotland on page 12.
Our continued focus on supporting economic development in Scotland’s
food and drink sector has seen our food scientists extend their work in
functional foods. Our academics have been applying their research knowledge
to a fascinating project using marine algae. This knowledge exchange project
is helping Gusto, an Edinburgh based salad oil producer, develop a unique
product that delivers some of the important nutritional benefits associated
with oily fish, without the need to eat fish. You can find out more about this
innovative new product and how it could help improve Scotland’s poor diet on
page 18. Further examples, which demonstrate how our academic research
work is helping other food and drink companies develop, are highlighted in our
‘virtual hamper’ feature on page 16 & 17. I can also confirm that we are making
a significant investment in the development of more specialist facilities at the
University which will enhance our offering to the food and drink industry. We
therefore look forward to sharing more news of our food and drink projects in
future issues of the QMYOU.
Of course, we always enjoy hearing about what our
graduates are doing in the world. It was very pleasing
to learn that costume design graduate, Ruth George,
achieved very quick success after graduating when
she secured a job creating costumes for A-listers,
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, for their roles
in the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Gravity’. Our focus
on the creative talents of our Costume Design and
Construction students in this magazine continues with
six pages of stunning photos, which show a range
of theatrical masks created by first and second year
students.
If you are a QMU alumni, please share news of your
career development with our alumni team to help us
inspire other students with your successes. If you are
in business and feel that some academic and research
input may assist your company, then please don’t
hesitate to contact our Research and Knowledge
Exchange Unit. If you could contribute to the success
of the University or to the development of individual
students, then please do get in touch. We’d love to
hear from you.
Above all, stay connected.
Professor Petra Wend, PhD, FRSA
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
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QMYOU / Principal’s Introduction