From Monday 22 February - Friday 4 March the car park to the south of BSI will be closed. This is due to tree felling and construction works.

Estates & Buildings apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Careers Service has transferred all volunteering opportunities to JobShop, the online portal that advertises paid work (part-time and graduate), internships and volunteering opportunities so that they're all in one handy location.

The current Volunteering Portal closes on Monday 29 February. If you need any assistance email JobShop@dundee.ac.uk.

Don't forget to check out the scholarships on offer at the Careers Service. For further information email c.a.mackay@dundee.ac.uk. 

For the academic year 2016-17 the Society will offer scholarships to the total value of $60,000 to enable Scottish graduates to study for a year in the United States. Up to two scholarships will be offered of not less than $30,000 each.

Preference will be given to candidates who have no previous experience of the United States and for whom a period of study there can be expected to be a life-changing experience. Selection will be on the basis of an all-round assessment, including personality and academic achievement.

For further information email c.a.mackay@dundee.ac.uk

Closing date Monday 29 February.

The Health Service, Student Funding, Counselling Service, Disability Services and Occupational Health now make up the Support Hub, offering support to staff and students. Find them within the Old Technical Institute (OTI) Building, behind the Tower Building. 

Nominations opened last week for various vacancies across your student exec team - have you applied yet?

By nominating yourself for a DUSA Executive position you will learn to lead, innovate and motivate whilst being paid (Sabbatical only). Apply at www.dusa.co.uk/elections.

Run for a Non-Sabbatical (unpaid) position, Media Manager or as a Student Representative to gain invaluable leadership skills, alongside your studies. Apply at www.dusa.co.uk/vote.

The Student Sports' Union at the University has had some great success last week, with the Dundee Ladies Hockey 1st XI and Dundee Men’s Hockey 1st XV both winning their respective BUCS Scottish 1st divisions!

The Ladies will travel down to play Sheffield University in the BUCS trophy on Wednesday.

Keep up to date with the scores.

Students at the University are being encouraged to embrace neighbourliness as part of a new campaign ‘Be A Good Neighbour’.

The campaign launched at DUSA | The Union last Thursday with representatives from charities, Dundee City Council and University departments came together to promote the value of being a good neighbour to students in accommodation across the city.

Read the full story.

Earlier this month, the University welcomed a high-level delegation keen to hear about its sector-leading work in widening access to higher education.

The Commission on Widening Access (CoWA) is a group set up by the Scottish Government to help realise its ambition that children from the most deprived communities should have the same chance of going to university as those born in the least deprived.

Staff and students met with Commissioners and delivered presentations outlining the University’s innovative and pioneering approach to widening access that promotes the value of holistic, contextual selection and supports in-house preparation for study opportunities. 

Read the full story.

Calling all budding comedians! Are you interested in having a go at stand-up? Revealing Research offers training courses to all research staff and students as a new way of engaging your research with the public. To secure your free place email Revealing Research.

The Deputy President and Vice President for Communications & Campaigns will host a focus group open to Postgraduate students.

The main objective of the focus group is to find out exactly what PG students want in terms of space, and how best that space would suit their needs.

The focus group will take place on Thursday 25 February from 12-2pm in the DUSA Meeting Rooms. There will be a free lunch provided for all participants.

What would you do if you only had 48 hours to change the world?

That’s a question designers from Dundee will be grappling with when they get together with people from all walks of life to try and solve serious issues affecting the world at this year’s Global Service Jam.

The Dundee Jam, led by staff and students at the School of Art and Design and the School of Medicine, takes place at the Vision Building, Greenmarket, from 5pm on Friday 26 February.

Via live video links and social media, the Dundee participants will connect with Jammers from Cairo to California, Amsterdam to Athens, Stockholm to Shanghai and spend two days working together to address serious global issues in an inventive, engaging, and fun environment.

The Global Service Jam movement began in 2011 and has grown ever since, with over 120 locations and nearly 3,000 people taking part around the world in 2015. Dundee participated for the first time three years ago and has hosted the ninth largest jam in the world, with more attendees than either Los Angeles or New York. It was the biggest jam in Scotland, second to London in the UK.

Find out more.

Visit the website.

Book tickets.

Saleh Alkalbani is a Postgraduate Research medical student whose group is looking for two types of volunteers; healthy volunteers without low back pain and volunteers with muscular low back pain.

Participants should not have any previous back surgery, low back pain with neurological symptoms, severe trauma to back or lower limbs.

As a participant in this study, you will be asked to attend the Institute of Motion Analysis & Research (IMAR) which is located at the TORT Centre, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, Dundee, to attend one session lasting approximately 1.5 hours where a comprehensive assessment of your gait, foot pressure and lower body muscle activity will be done.

All information collected will be treated with the strictest of confidence.

If would like to volunteer or want more information please email Saleh at s.r.k.alkalbani@dundee.ac.uk.

IMAR’s main GOAL (Gait & Objective Assessment of Locomotion) is to promote excellence in teaching and research and to provide a comprehensive clinical service in the field of foot pressure analysis, gait analysis and motion analysis.

Elizabeth Dunn is a 4th year Business Management student currently writing her dissertation on dyslexia in the workplace. She would like to organise a focus group of dyslexic students to help her understand the preconceptions that those with dyslexia have, with a view to present a clear picture of what they can expect in entering the workplace.

If you are interested in helping Elizabeth, or know anyone that would be able to, please email her at e.y.dunn@dundee.ac.uk.

A 4th year Marketing Research student group is researching the social life of students and how DUSA may adapt to any potential changes as a part of their coursework.

Please help by filling in a short questionnaire about the millennial student - it should take only 15 minutes and you could win one of two £50 Amazon vouchers.

The results will also help DUSA to adapt to the changes in socialisation patterns that today’s students exhibit. All responses are confidential, and will be used for research purposes only.

The provision of your e-mail addresses will allow you to participate in the prize draw. The winners will be chosen through a random draw at the end of this study of and will be contacted through the e-mail provided.

Thank you for your participation, and good luck! 

Complete the survey.

Hilary James, a 4th year medical student, is conducting a study of students’ gaming preferences and the prevalence of Internet Gaming Disorder.

SIf you are able to help, please complete a short (less than 10 minutes) survey regarding your own experience with gaming and your preferences. There is no requirement for participants to consider themselves “gamers”, or even play games regularly.

Be assured that completed surveys will be held in strict confidence by the study group. There is a full information sheet and consent form at the beginning of the survey with further information. 

Complete the survey. 

If you would like further information, or if you have any questions, please email Hilary at h.e.z.james@dundee.ac.uk. Deadline Friday 18 March.

Ross Pollard is a Dundee student and Intern at United Nations House Scotland who is working to raise awareness of the work done by the UN and UNICEF.

Ross is looking to set up a UNICEF Society at the University (he is looking at all the universities in Scotland that do not currently have a UNICEF affiliation). If you are interested in being part of a UNICEF society please email Ross at ross.mp@outlook.com for more information.