Partnership welcomes new intake

The Universities of St Andrews and Dundee welcomed their newest partnership students this week (Wednesday 27th October, 2003) at a special reception in their honour.

The new students have joined the joint Microelectronics and Photonics degree run between both universities, and both parties will celebrate the successful second year of recruiting. The latest cohort will join Euan McKay, a recruit from last year who is now entering his second year of the course.

The course is part of an ongoing partnership between the two universities, the Promoting Partnership Initiative (PPI) and has attracted substantial (£100,000) support from Scottish Enterprise. Much of the SE funding has gone towards £6,000 bursaries for selected new students.

Taught jointly by the Universities of St Andrews and Dundee, the course combines Dundee’s expertise in Microelectronics and St Andrews’ speciality in Photonics, including lasers and optoelectronics. The engineering degree was launched last year in recognition of current advances in telecommunication technologies and following widespread interest in both research areas from Scottish industry.

Microelectronics and Photonics are widely believed to be the key areas for progress in engineering over the next 50 years and the degree was developed to meet the needs of tomorrow’s engineering industry.

Dr Bruce Sinclair, degree co- ordinator at the University of St Andrews said: “These new degrees hold considerable promise as they address an industrial growth area in Scotland. We are delighted at the successful collaboration between the two Universities and Scottish Enterprise.”

In their first year the students on the joint degree course attend courses in Physics and Maths at St Andrews before transferring to Dundee to study microelectronics in their second year. This pattern is repeated with level three spent in St Andrews, and level four in Dundee. The optional fifth (MEng) year is spent with study at both sites. The course has been developed in consultation with companies working in the microelectronics and photonics area.

Attending today’s reception alongside the students were representatives from both Universities, the PPI and Scottish Enterprise.

Staff at both sites are happy to talk with potential students. At Dundee, please contact Prof Fitzgerald, [email protected], and at St Andrews Dr Bruce Sinclair, [email protected].

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS:

“Promoting Partnership: An Evolving Collaboration” is an ambitious venture fostering institutional change within higher education. The initiative aims to draw upon strengths and interests in both the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews to:

· expand both teaching and research in important emerging areas; · experiment with innovation; · build significant relationships with the private sector; · significantly contribute to the social and economic well- being of Scotland.

University Press Office contacts: Gayle Cook, Press Officer, University of St Andrews – 01334 467227, mobile 07900 050103, or email [email protected] Jenny Marra, Press Officer, University of Dundee – 01382 344910 or email [email protected]

Ref: Microelectronics and Photonics reception pr View the latest University news at: http://www.st- andrews.ac.uk/pressoffice