Fred MacAulay was elected and installed as Rector during spring 2001. His term of office will run for three years. Another appointment was the new University Secretary David Duncan who took up his post in June 2001.

Spring brought an increase in SHEFC grants for the University of Dundee. Resources for teaching and learning increased by 6.2 per cent, above the average 5.3 per cent increase, providing an additional £2.9 million, of which £2.1 million was allocated for teaching. The announcement comes just weeks after the University of Dundee's strong performance in science and commercialisation was recognised with an allocation of an extra £8 million from a £75 million Scottish Executive funding package to strengthen the international competitiveness of the science research base in Scotland over the next three years.

Professors Alan F Fairlamb and Jeffrey Williams, two top scientists who both head research divisions within the Wellcome Trust Biocentre in the School of Life Sciences were elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland's National Academy.

Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Wendy Alexander, opened the University's new Centre for Enterprise Management saying that 21st Century prosperity would be built on "bytes, bio-science and business enterprise". The Centre is Dundee's contribution to the Scottish Institute for Enterprise, a partnership with industry and the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot Watt and Strathclyde. The Institute will promote entrepreneurship, the commercialisation of University activities and foster better working between business and colleges.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery launched new nursing and midwifery degrees signalling equal status for the study of nursing and midwifery within Universities. Dr John S Drummond: "When nursing and midwifery moved into higher education the highest qualification at pre registration was a diploma. Although the diploma level qualification will still be available for nursing and midwifery, this new degree is a major step forward for the two professions. It puts our students on an equal footing with other students in the University. They can now pursue post graduate and research work, raising the standards of nursing and midwifery professionals and the knowledge base of the profession.

Dr Dafydd Evans, of the children's section at the Dental School tried a novel method of tackling tooth decay in children by cementing metal crowns over affected baby teeth until they fall out. "It seemed to go against mainstream thinking simply to cover a decaying tooth with a metal crown. The usual "drill and fill" techniques are not popular with young children, and general dental practitioners are often afraid of upsetting children by trying to fill their decayed baby teeth, so by far the majority of cavities in 5-year olds' teeth go untreated.

Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri received a highly prestigious American award for his lifetime achievements in the field of endoscopic or "keyhole" surgery. Sir Alfred, head of the University's department of Surgery and Molecular Oncology, was selected from a world field of surgeons to receive the first ever George Berci Award - the highest honour possible - from the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons.

Mining law experts joined specialists from around the globe in a video link for the first meeting of an international commission to mould future mining law in South Africa.The move followed a report commissioned by the South African government from the University's Centre for Energy Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) to review the country's mining laws which were introduced a decade ago under the apartheid regime.

Helen Bamber OBE delivered the annual Discovery lecture "Discovering what you do not want to find" to the annual meeting of the Graduates' Council. Helen is founder of the Medical Foundation for the care of victims of torture which, since it was established in 1985, has treated some 20,000 victims from over 90 countries. The University of Dundee conferred her with an honorary degree in 2000.

Scientists at the University of Dundee are developing a test that can for the first time diagnose Alzheimer's disease in living patients. Led by Dr Kieran Breen of the department of pharmacology, the team is using a marker protein to gauge how healthy the brain cells are in sufferers of the disease. The non-invasive test is simple to administer and does not require taking blood or cerebrospinal fluid - a considerable advantage to patients and clinicians.

Three gene researchers at the Wellcome Trust Biocentre were named among Europe's best. Dr Anne Donaldson, Dr Tom Owen-Hughes and Dr Tomoyuki Tanaka, were selected by the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) in the first year of a scheme to identify and support the best young biomedical and life scientists in Europe.

The department of anatomy and physiology was named best in the UK for the teaching of the subjects based on official Higher Education Statistics Agency figures.

The University welcomed news of a successful bid worth over £2 million to help to create a state of the art medical research resource centre to assist biomedical scientists in their quest against diseases such as cancer, inflammation and Alzheimer's. The award comes from the Science Research Investment Fund set up by the Government and the Wellcome Trust Professor Sir David Lane said: "This facility will be of enormous benefit in developing treatments and cures for diseases such as cancer, inflammation and Alzheimer's which cause such suffering."

Northern College, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Dundee welcomed the Scottish Executive's approval of plans for the merger of the College's Dundee campus with the University of Dundee and its Aberdeen campus with the University of Aberdeen.

Professor Cheryll Tickle, a principal investigator in the Wellcome Trust Biocentre was appointed to the Foulerton Research Professorship of the Royal Society of London, the UK's National Academy of Sciences. Professor Tickle is one of only 17 Royal Society research professors in the UK and one of only two women to hold this award.

The University of Dundee was given a special award in the LaunchIT 2001 competition recognising innovation and entrepreneurship. Vice Chancellor and Principal Sir Alan Langlands said: "The University of Dundee's record for turning ideas and knowledge into products and services is clearly making an impact on the national and the international scene."

Summer Recess