Following nominations, it will soon be time to vote for your new DUSA Exec.

Between Wednesday 9 and Friday 11 March you can have your say by voting via MyDundee.

Still unsure of who to vote for? Head to the Hustings on Friday 4 March in Air Bar, DUSA | The Union from 6pm to find out what the candidates plan to do for you.

Are you friendly and approachable? Would you like to help new students to settle into university life? Peer Connections is the University's welcoming, buddying and mentoring scheme run by Student Services. The team is currently recruiting undergraduate and postgraduate students to volunteer as buddies/mentors for the next academic year 2016-17, starting in September 2016.

As a buddy/mentor, you can help to welcome new students by participating in social events running the Conversation Café for international students. By sharing your knowledge of university life, you can offer support and guidance to new students at Dundee, and access free training, all while gaining valuable skills and experience for your CV and personal development.
This is a flexible commitment suited around student life.

Email peerconnections@dundee.ac.uk to apply or for further information.

Read all of the University news on the website www.dundee.ac.uk/news

TV presenter - and former Rector – Lorraine Kelly has become the 100,000th volunteer to join The Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE), led by Professor Colin Palmer (School of Medicine). 

By making it easier for people to get involved (it takes around one minute to sign up to the register), SHARE helps researchers to find suitable volunteers from Scotland to carry out ground-breaking medical research, and also use blood left over from routine testing to help improve treatments for diseases such as Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Asthma.

Volunteers have been signing up to SHARE as a result of invitations through hospital appointments and doctor’s surgeries, and via social media. Sign up at www.registerforshare.org.

Read the full story. 

Daniel Herron, the first joint PhD student between the University of Dundee and University of Technology Sydney, is investigating how digital possessions are dealt with by people after they experience a break up, separation or divorce. 

During their relationship, a couple is likely to create, accumulate and share many digital possessions such as videos, photos, chat histories, and shared accounts like Netflix. These digital possessions can cue precious memories, but if the relationship ends these possessions don't just disappear, they need to be dealt with in some way. Daniel has been researching the matter under the supervision of Dr Wendy Moncur (School of Art & Design) - read the full story on the UTS website.

Animation students (School of Art & Design) have brought to life some of the UK's strangest excuses for not having a TV Licence, turning the reasons given to TV licensing staff into animations as part of a national competition.

Excuses ranged from claiming the television was a microwave to a man who said he was King of Scotland. Read the full story.

These are just a few of the events across campus - keep up to date with all of them on the website www.dundee.ac.uk/events and stay tuned to the weekly What's On email.

It’s Fairtrade Fortnight – and amongst the activities and offers available on campus, the Top of the Tower Cafe (Campus Catering) is offering:

• Fairtrade breakfasts for £3 – choose from muesli, tea or coffee, apple or orange juice and toast with butter and jam (until Friday 11 March).
• Half price Fairtrade goods at the Top of the Tower (until Friday 11 March).
• Free Fairtrade lunch (chickpea curry and rice, with rice pudding for dessert) in the Tower Foyer on Wednesday 9 March from 12-2pm (or until it’s all gone).

Enjoy!

VisConn, a social enterprise set up by four current University students aiming to promote student artists' work, is bringing the latest artwork of their student artists to campus. The artwork will be displayed in the Dalhousie Foyer for the first two weeks of March. More information.

Thursday 3 March is Mental Health Day and DUSA | The Union is getting involved - break out of your routine by stopping by The Union and Campus Green, where there will be events and freebies aimed at helping you unwind! 

Don't forget that the Health Service, Student Funding, Counselling Service, Disability Services and Occupational Health now make up The Support Hub - they can be found in their new location, the Old Technical Institute (OTI), located behind the Tower Building.

Look out for DUSA's 'welfare map' which will be launched on campus on Mental Health Day.

This free course is for any student with a long term condition (such as fibromyalgia, ME, epilepsy, MS, arthritis, IBS, etc) to help manage the condition, take charge, and improve wellbeing.

The course will include practical tips, peer support and lots of fun! Places are limited, so book before Friday 4 March by emailing Dr Gaye Manwaring at g.manwaring@dundee.ac.uk.

The course takes place on Wednesdays, from 2.15 to 3.15pm and runs for four weeks (9-30 March). The venue is Room 1G10, Dalhousie Building. 

UoD IT's anonymous survey is closing soon - if you want to help improve IT services at the University, take part and have your say! You'll also be in with a chance to win one of five £20 Amazon vouchers. Complete the survey.

Angel Ruiz Granada (School of Science & Engineering) is working on a project which requires product market research. Please help by taking part in the project survey before Thursday 10 March. Complete the survey.

Xenia Baeder (Psychology student) is running a research study on facilitators and barriers to accessing mental health services at the University as part of her dissertation, but also in a bid to contribute to the community. Voice your thoughts on what works, what doesn't, and what you think would help to improve your wellbeing as a student. Complete the survey.

(Don't forget The Support Hub is located in the Old Technical Institute, behind the Tower Building.)

The Clinical Skills Centre (School of Medicine, Ninewells Campus) is recruiting women between the ages of 20 and 65 to support teaching sessions for senior undergraduate medical students. As a Clinical Teaching Associate, volunteers will be required to take part in gynaecological examinations and will be trained in providing guidance and feedback to students. If you would like to help please email patientbank@dundee.ac.uk.

Uchechi Origa, a Masters student in Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Technology (School of Medicine, Ninewells campus), is recruiting participants for research work, which aims to provide data that can help to discover if there is any form of complication while using hands-free crutches instead of walking crutches. 

If you are over 18, healthy with no walking difficulties, weigh 125kg or less, are between 147 and 198cm in height and would like to help, please email u.origa@dundee.ac.uk or phone 01382 383520.

Volunteers will be asked to attend a 90 minute session at the Institute of Motion Analysis & Research (IMAR) located at the TORT Centre at Ninewells Hospital.