QMYOU Alumni Magazine Issue 78 | Page 2

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 2 QMYOU / Principal’s Introduction