“Features the work of Molecular Life Sciences, plus the quiz and news from around the Campus”.
Highlights cryopreservation work in the Department and Freshers Week events.

0.00 Start
0.50 Jeff Ferguson talks to Department of Medical Life Sciences about Cryopreservation and the wider subject of Biotechnology. Dr David Button, Dr Graeme Wishart, and Kevin Gartland, all from the department, are interviewed about the subjects.
09.05 Dr David Button is interviewed about the qualifications needed for entry onto Biotechnology courses, and the job prospects for students successfully completing a diploma or degree.
11.40 Quiz – Chemistry and Biology students Chris Ruff, Paul Hartley, Michael Kilpatrick, and Jamie Balderson. Questions on their specialist subject and general knowledge.
17.05 News round-up with Brian Lindsay. Freshers Week events just finished – Blastaway Night, Blind Date Night (compered by comedian Ed Byrne), and River Detectives gig (which was recorded for use in their up-coming live album). Future events include the Rock Music Society disco, Dance Music Society disco, and “Party Night”. Sports activities: Football team has already started its participation in the Midland Amateur League (W3 L2 so far); the Amateur League is starting this week. Trials for the Rugby Team (which this season includes Scotland Internationalist Andy Nicoll) are taking place at Caird Park. Hockey Club inaugural party “Bunnies Night” followed by fun game at Austin Park have taken place and a more serious game will be happening next week at Maryfield Astroturf; Basketball is starting at the Lynch Centre; Women’s only gym, and a self defence class (led by Grant Clark) are starting at the Marketgait Building; Grant Clark is a black belt in karate and he also runs karate classes.
19.50 End

The videos were created using mobile phone technology and simple crafting techniques. They focus on small anecdotes told by the interview subjects that lend themselves to visual representation.

The videos and reference numbers are as follows:

AY25-MR-2-1 Craigie High School - William Moheiddeen
AY25-MR-2-2 Craigie High School - Nick Hamilton
AY25-MR-2-3 Craigie High School - Ahmar Ghafoor
AY25-MR-2-4 Dundee Young Carers - Louise Giblin
AY25-MR-2-5 Larisa Olaru-Peter - Jenny McNeill
AY25-MR-2-6 Hope Busák - Sumant Mathure

“Jeff Ferguson, Jimmy Black, and Brian Lindsay with their weekly magazine all about Dundee Institute of Technology”
Highlights an innovative undergraduate accountancy honours project about financing problems in the British film industry, news of attacks on students in Dundee, and the end of Freshers Week.
0.00 Start
0.45 Jimmy Black interviews Accountancy student Michael Christie, and his supervisor in the Department of Accountancy Robert Jelly, about his Honours Project about financing problems in the British film industry in the early 1990s. As part of this project he spoke to leading figures involved in financing the British film industry (investors, producers etc), inc. Chris Butterfield about their views on this topic.
7.45 Jimmy Black interviews Robert Jelly about the degree and diploma courses in Accountancy, Economics, Law, Travel and Tourism Development. He also speaks about job and salary prospects for Accountancy graduates.
10.56 Quiz: Mechanical Engineering students Reg Wilson, Philip Strachan, Jo Philips, Mike McFarlane. Questions on their specialist subject and general knowledge.
17.15 News Round-up with Brian Lindsay: Report of latest attack on a Dundee student in South Tay Street on Sunday. The student was robbed of cash and credit cards. Reminder to stay safe and stay in groups when out at night. Student Union Dance Music Night promoted, the annual church service the following Sunday evening, opportunity to donate blood, new James Thin bookshop opened in the DIT building until October 29th.
19.31 End

Richard Irvine speaks about his course and career at Dundee Institute of Technology. He spoke about his work as a research student and subsequent member of staff working on developing environmentally sustainable compost, and then acting as an intermediary between industry and the university when he worked for the Abertay Centre for the Environment. After the centre closed he was made redundant and he subsequently worked as a teacher / lecturer periodically for the University.
He speaks about his experience waiting on the Queen when she opened the new library building in 1998, which included speaking to her and helping her when the proceedings got a bit confused.
He talks about his feelings about the change of attitude amongst some staff concerning the change to university status.

0.00 Interview started
0.50 Use of Doctors terms previously, but titles are not used now.
2.15 Got to end of school – wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. Flowed into Dundee Institute of Technology. No specific reason to come here.
3.15 HND BioSciences course 1989 – Biotechnology started then. Got HND and got the Young Prize then went into 3rd year of the degree programme. Graduated 1993.
4.30 “Best time of my life” – really good group. All worked really well.
5.10 Studied at Nottingham Trent but didn’t work out. Came back. Friend researching here. Kevin Gartland was working on plant Biotech – stopping Dutch Elm disease. At same time working on waste products – Richard worked on sewage sludge. It can produce compost.
7.20 The University got European Regional Development Fund grant for sustainable environment research institute. It also got its labs refurbished for this. Richard was a Biowaste scientist. He acted as a conduit between the university and general public on environmental issues. It went on for 4 years. Kevin then went to Glasgow Caledonian University, and Richard was made redundant.
9.20 He’s been teaching on and off over the years.
10.20 He remembers great work with a company in Fife during the sustainable environment work – Andrew Cook in Methil / Glenrothes. He helped with composting. The work went on after the end of the project. He travelled round country into factories / yards / caravan sites in remote locations. Not really worrying about the funding, unusually.
13.10 Opening of the Library – 1998. The University was doing lots of fancy dinners for VIP visitors and hon grads and also graduation lunches. Not enough staff. Doris Kinnison? Asked research students if they wanted some extra money to help in these. Royal opening came – Research Student catering staff were first in line for being involved. We just turned up as normal – carparks were cleared. Every draincover was open, looking for explosives. "We winged it!" The Queen arrived, she came in the main door, up to the Principals office, small drinks reception, "we had to wheel along all the alcohol the uni could muster". The Queen was briefed on what would happen, then she went to the library, cut the ribbon, had a tour, she then went back across to the Kydd Building and she had the lunch in the old journal area of the old library which was turned into a reception and dining area. Richard served the Queen and Prince Philip with their Dubonnay and lemonade using the white gloves – the ladies were terrified of dropping it. Everyone filtered away apart from the Queen and Prince Philip. She asked Richard what to do next – he told her to go through the double door. Prince Philip was “playing with the sockets”. She was joking away. Dinner was from students of Dundee and Angus College? Then they lined up and the Queen walked past to leave.
24.20 He has his student and staff cards from his time at the university. Enamel badge for the nursing course that he rescued (does it have a number on it?!). He has a 1950 prospectus. He has a lot of books from when the library was moving. He has material on jute too.
27.40 He talks about the display of jute shuttles in the main building that has disappeared.
28.40 After university status, he feels nothing really changed in the buildings. He thinks there were changes in how the staff perceived the institution – wanted to be more university-like. He thinks there was more university stuff, but less of what it had been doing. DIT had a good record and image of what it was doing – it was just a name change, he feels it shouldn’t have made any difference. On Wednesday afternoons there were never any scheduled classes so you could do clubs, but that faded out in the 1990s.
32.30 He says he is a bit of a collector, hence why he has some good material saved from being thrown out.
35.50 He feels the HND in Biosciences was a really good course. Very positive way of getting into the degree. Strong vocational course. Well put together. Very talented individuals, lecturers, and technicians. They were not into research, but dedicated to teaching. Sometimes their talent was overlooked, and not always respected.

Alastair Scott speaks about his experience as a student at the Dundee Technical College, how classes used to be, about the courses he took and what Dundee and the campus used to look like. He spoke about his role in the family business and how the jute industry provided him with a lot of travelling opportunities (India, Pakistan, Thailand).
He talks about lecturers he remembers and the connections he still has with Abertay University and his role in the Dundee Heritage Trust. He then talked about all the different companies he worked for and other involvements he had (board member in America, part of a counsel).
Alastair speaks about his experience with synthetic fibres (e.g. polypropylene), and his involvement with the university for the creation of the jute museum at Verdant Works.

1:00 Jute technology course at the Dundee Technical College
3:00 Describes courses he took (textiles, management)
4:00 Practical and theoretical work, jute as an important part of education in Dundee
5:00 His role in the Dundee Heritage Trust (which owns a lot of the College's training machinery now)
6:00 College Lecturers that he remembers and people he stayed in contact with
8:00 Connections from now with Abertay (scholarship)
10:00 His time in the jute industry (travelling opportunities)
11:00 Use of jute replaced by plastics
12:00 His company producing artificial grass, and a story about how it led to him sharing a sports field with Whitney Houston
14:00 Other career opportunities it has provided to him (member of an American textiles board, member of a council)
15:00 Social life, social areas at the College
18:00 Differences in the Campus and university back then and now

• the use of jute
  20:00 Archway story
  21:00
  23:00 Producing polypropylene + how it took companies a while to get used to it, with
  24:00 The Tech's involvement in research was limited - jute companies were secretive about their processes and in competition with each other
  27:00 College machinery for the jute production and his involvement in setting up the Verdant Works jute museum
  29:00 The Jute industry’s legacy

Highlight on government plans to change the funding structure and conditions of student associations, work of electrical engineering department on speech verification in credit card machines and energy efficiency planning, plus news of expanding student leasing scheme for local authority flats.
0.00 Start
0.55 Brian Lindsay interviews Student President Rachel Thomas about Government plans to change the way that Student Associations are funded in order to ensure money is not misspent on inappropriate party political style campaigning. Activities were to be split into two areas - “core” (funded) and “non-core” (not funded). Core was defined as catering, welfare, internal representation, sports. Argument was that DIT societies were built around educational activities that are good for students to engage in (e.g. science society, quantity surveying societies) and that need funded (e.g. to bring in external speakers). In addition, the proposal to bar students from engaging in political activity. Students associations were impartial in regard to party politics, but there were other political issues that affected students and that they spoke out on (e.g. the student campaign for university status for DIT). The proposed changes would have prevented students from speaking out on these wider issues that affected them and that they had a right involve themselves in. She comments on the importance of the Students Association, run by students for students, that they take responsibility for and that contributes to their rounded education.
3.55 Jeff Ferguson interviews Andy Sepaluk from the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department about speech verification in credit card machines in order to prevent cash / credit card fraud.
6.35 Jeff Ferguson interviews Dr Suhale Ozveron from the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department about his project to improve electrical power system planning to make the power generation process more efficient, and make it more environmentally friendly.
9.10 Jeff Ferguson interviews Dr Peter Martin in the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department about the career and further education opportunities for graduates from its courses.
12.45 Quiz: Honours students from the Department of Accountancy Mabel Cheung, Julie Hughes, John Potts, John Keogh. Questions on their specialist subject and general knowledge.
17.35 Brian Lindsay’s News Round-up. Announcement on the scrapping of Saturday night opening of the Marketgait Students Union due to poor take-up of the Saturday disco. Announcement of the Students Association Hardship Fund, administered by Student Services, providing emergency loans to students. Expansion of Scheme to lease local authority flats to students – before the expansion there were 9 flats on Kingsway East and Butterburn Court available to students, and it was hoped to lease more if there was sufficient demand. DIT Football Team was near the bottom of the Midland League Division 2 after being defeated 3-0 by Arbroath High School and they only had 3 points from their first 4 games, caused by injury problems and difficulties raising a team at the beginning of term that led to a game having to be conceded due to insufficient numbers.
19.41 End

Highlight on Department of Business Studies, inc Behavioural Studies research on polling and marketing techniques in pain measurement, Business School course in retail management, and research on “cut price shopping”. Also news of student “Reclaim the Night” march and vigil for the Women’s Safety campaign for Zero Tolerance for violence against women.
0.00 Start
0.45 Jimmy Black interviews Behavioural Psychologist Mike Swanston in the Dept of Business Studies about pain, and the use of animated pictures in multiple choice questionnaires to help measure pain. Also being developed for opinion polls and marketing.
06.25 Jimmy Black interviews John Fearney at the Dundee Business School in Dudhope Castle about the new course being developed in Retail Studies, and research on trends in “cut-price shopping”.
09.45 Jimmy Black speaks to Stewart Howe about courses and career opportunities for graduates from the Department of Business Studies.
11.50 Quiz: Dept of Mathematics and Computer Sciences – Gary Reynolds, Neil McEwan, Roy Middleton, Alan Clark. Questions on their specialist subject and general knowledge.
17.10 Brian Lindsay – News Roundup, intimation of “Reclaim the Night” march and vigil for Women’s Safety Campaign tying in with the new Zero Tolerance poster campaign raising awareness of women’s safety and men’s awareness of women’s fears. Upcoming inaugural meeting of the Anti-Racism society with a cheese and wine night at the Marketgait building. Notes the society is meeting against a backdrop of increased racial intolerance and British National Party activity across the country. Upcoming Halloween party in the Marketgait with associated party games. Mixed Hockey Team and Rugby Team are in training preparing for their first games in the Inter University League (to which the Hockey Team has just been admitted). DIT Football Team won their last match 3-1 against Birkhead on Saturday. Scorers were Terry Thomas, Willy Patrick, and Scott Symon. They now have 5 points from 5 games.
19.37 End

Nick Hamilton talks about the academic and management roles he carried out as a member of staff at Abertay University. He also speaks about the travelling he did around the world as a member of the university, and his memories of teaching, and of the time when the institution became a university in 1994.

00.30 Sophie and Abbie as about when he started working at the university (1988)
00.46 Mr Hamilton talks about the jobs that he did while he worked at Abertay University – lecturing in civil engineering and construction. Director of Academic Programmes in Science and Engineering; University Project Manager
01.44 he talks about some of the different projects that he carried out while he worked at Abertay. He also talks about the different jobs that he did he worked as a lecturer and academic leader and a project manager. He talks about how his favourite job was being a project manager.
02.40 Favourite memory - in 2001 he was awarded a one year fellowship which allowed him to take a year out of study
03.00 some background noise
03.10 Some of the places that he visited for the Fellowship - Australia and New Zealand and America – looking at innovation.
03.50 he spoke about reports that he did as part of his fellowship he also said a lot about the travelling that he did. One of the favourite places that he visited was the United States the way he travelled to many different states
04.35 the young ambassadors asked did you like your job at Abertay? Mr Hamilton said that he enjoyed working for Abertay as he worked in many different areas
05.20 The ambassadors ask about Dundee Institute of Technology turning into a University, and changes that took place.
Mr Hamilton talks about some of the courses that the Dundee Institute of Technology had to draw as they wanted to focus on degrees, many of these subjects were then carried out by Dundee college and Angus college.
06.05 Mr Hamilton talks about the things that he enjoyed when the University gained its status. He preferred being a University lecturer rather than a college lecturer as he found it more interesting
06.30 He says that a lot of the staff of the Dundee Institute of Technology like the idea open college becoming a University. He says that the staff enjoyed seeing that they worked at a University.
07.25 Mr Hamilton was not brought up in Scotland he was brought up in London, he went straight into working after he left school. keyboard track instruction company as an engineer, and then later moved to Inverness college to teach civil engineering and then moved to the Dundee Institute of Technology
09.00 Young ambassadors ask if Mr Hamilton has any stories that he remembers
09.05 Mr Hamilton talks about a garden party that was held in Camperdown park, there was a big marquee and people would take their families to the party. Mr Hamilton has three sons which attended the party, Mr Hamilton says that during the Principal’s speech that was sound system failed and nobody could figure out why this had happened, Mr Hamilton continued to say that he eventually found out that it was his 10 year old son. By this point everyone had left the marquee and was outside
11.25 No one has ever found out that it was Mr Hamilton son who had pulled the cable out
12.00 He was seconded to work for a University in Finland, it took him a very long time to adjust to the cool temperatures. Mr Hamilton then tells a story about a time that he was on a train and when the train pulled into the platform and he stepped outside that it was so cold that he almost passed out, he then goes on to say that it was minus 30 degrees.
13.20 the young ambassadors ask if he had ever seen the Northern Lights while he was in Finland
13.40 Mr Hamilton said that he had never seen them even though he was there for a full month, but said it was too cold for him to stay outside
14.20 Mr Hamilton then tells the young ambassadors about in the Dundee Institute of Technology if you wanted to print something you had to go to the other end of the building as no one had personal printers. one time he was given the task of creating an exam paper, which heating printed because he needed a hard copy, later that day he had to go and see the head and when he arrived the head of the printing office was there too. this confused Mr Hamilton, it turned out that there was more than one copy of the exam paper printed and it had been left out in the open meaning that anyone could have seen it. the head Lane told Mr Hamilton that it had been compromised and that he would have to make a new exam paper.

“Features an interview with Dr Karen Sullivan about her research into DNA molecules”
Highlight on Department of Molecular Life Sciences research on DNA fingerprinting and possible application in forensic police work and detecting wildlife crime, Student Association work towards NUS “Student Fest” campaign against government changes to student associations, and Graduation Day.

0.00 Start
0.45 Jimmy Black interviews Dr Karen Sullivan in the Department of Molecular Life Sciences about research on DNA fingerprinting. Discussion on forensic police uses of DNA finger printing for suspect elimination, and her current work using DNA finger-printing to research the effect of environmental stress on the DNA in cells. For the first time finger-printing allows entire strands of DNA to be scanned in order to locate areas undergoing change in response to stress. This can be applied to various different areas, such as crop research (e.g. to help increase resistance to disease or dry environment and pests) to help identify unstable DNA regions to try and understand them in an effort to help fix them. The technique could even be used to combat poaching – analysing the meat of elephant carcasses to see if they were sourced from regions where it was illegal to cull them or not.
9.30 Quiz: Electronic and Electrical Engineering students Ahmar Ghaffoor, Doug Watson, Donald Laing, Jason Moonie. Questions on their specialist subject and general knowledge.
15.20 Brian Lindsay’s News Round-up. He speaks to NUS Scotland Vice President Douglas Traynor about the NUS campaign against changes in student’s unions, “Student Fest” – a day of events and entertainments advertising what’s student life has to offer from the student associations points of view. An anti racism campaign is being launched across the country too. The events and activities of “Student Fest” are all things that the proposed government changes would prevent, such as debates, charities, anti-racism work, clubs and societies, social events etc even the opportunity for the national student voice to be heard, since the changes would only fund welfare, catering, internal representation and sports.
17.27 Highlight on Graduation Day, with degrees being conferred by Principal Bernard King, including three Hon Fellowships to DIT Alumnis - George Simpson, Chief Executive of Rover Cars and Vice Chair of British Aerospace; Alastair McCallum, Chief Executive at Don and Low Holdings; Roderick Rennit, Director of Water Services for Tayside.
18.05 DIT Football Team doing better in the League. 3rd equal in the league after another victory against Birkhead (1-0, with Terry Thomas scoring a penalty against them). Next week they play Fintry Thistle. Hockey Team had their first game of the season, winning 2-1 against Napier in the Inter-University League (scorers – Paul Lyall and Robin Campbell).
19.09 End

Alexander (Sandy) Robertson shared his memories of studying Mechanical and Production Engineering at Dundee Technical College, including his accommodation in "digs", and using early computers. He shares anecdotes about lectures and various lecturers during his time there.

0.00 Interview started
0.20 Studied Mechanical and Production Engineering – father owned a garage in Nairn
1.10 Showed us his certificate
1.25 Donald Macgregor, his friend from Nairn, did civil engineering
1.50 Things going on at the time - Vietnam War. NCR (National Cash Registers) laying off staff in Dundee
2.30 Talked about new technology that he used – showed a slide rule that he used as a calculator.
3.40 “Everything was new technology to me”
4.20 Funny memories – filling out form for new course, someone wrote “occupation - Poet Laureate”, so he was challenged to recite a poem to everyone else.
5.30 There were hundreds of engineers but they all had to do a common course in Chemistry. Chemists don’t normally do complicated formulae (unlike physicists and engineers), but one day when Dr Hargreaves did, the engineering students all cheered. Dr Hargreaves turned around and said “Don’t cheer! Just throw cigarettes!”
6.40 Tutorials – one student trying to impress his tutor, trying fancy equations to solve a problem – nothing worked. An old tutor in “Plus fours” (trousers tucking into socks) suggested using Ohms Law – “you’ve tried everything else, even though it won’t work you might as well try it.”
8.00 Meeting a support tutor, who asks the students how they’re doing. One student had no problems, but the support Tutor kept asking, “Are you sure?”. Eventually, in desperation – “Maybe you could listen to some of my problems.”.
8.50 1966 college computer. I remember a lab on programming the digital computer. Paper tape of an inch wide, punched with a programme. Basic stuff. Another computer we used more and earlier – an analogue computer. More of a continuous computer, plugging in wires to create circuits (like an old telephone exchange).
11.20 At Aston in Birmingham, he used a computer with punch cards. In early days in Dundee, the computer was huge – filled a whole room.
12.20 AR asked Stuart and Aaron if they used computers much. They used computers a lot – for technology, and English for example.
13.30 Societies – “I had friends that played rugby. I don’t remember being in any societies. We had parties, get togethers, played golf. Societies were not something we had in the 60s.”
14.40 Accommodation – we had to find our own accommodation. Stayed in a Church of Scotland Hostel on Hilltown. Had a cubicle. Amongst other people – bakers, plumbers etc. The baker made the porridge early in the morning – hard once they got to it. Then he stayed in an apartment (flat) with his friend Donald MacGregor, then he was in digs (shared rented accommodation) with a schoolteacher at Kirktown Secondary School, Miss Wallace – Kirktown won Top of the Form in 1967 – she coached that team. Knowledgeable person that helped him get through his final year at the College
17.20 Not been back in Dundee since 1970. He thinks the accommodation has changed. Courses have changed. Very different now.