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News archive: 2003 releases

19 December 2003

York and North Yorkshire hit by funding formula

15 December 2003

Professor Quentin Summerfield is to join York's 6* Psychology Department as part of the University's research expansion. His appointment is one of several specially created 40th Anniversary Chairs.

11 December 2003

First group of 40th Anniversary Professors is announced

11 December 2003

Community music project wins national award

9 December 2003

New technology infuriates some - and enchants others.

8 December 2003

Science City York has been singled out as a successful creator of business clusters by a Government report on how industry and universities work together.

28 November 2003

Greg Dyke, Director-General of the BBC, is to be the new Chancellor of the University of York. He will take over the position in August 2004 from Dame Janet Baker, who has been Chancellor since November 1991.

27 November 2003

A 15ft-high plant 'stem' made with bubble wrap and a flag dyed in natural colours extracted from plants will be on show at Badger Hill School on Friday (28 November) after pupils have spent two weeks working with University of York scientists.

26 November 2003

Six part-time students at the University of York will make a piece of local education history next month (Monday 1st December) when they receive their awards.

25 November 2003

HRH The Duke of York opened the new YCR Cancer Research Unit at the University of York today (Tuesday 25 November). Its research team, led by Norman Maitland, YCR Professor of Molecular Biology, coordinates a European-wide research program into prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men.

24 November 2003

Staff and students of the York Students in Schools project will receive their Queen's Golden Jubilee Award at a ceremony at the University of York on Friday.

19 November 2003

CBI Director-General Digby Jones pays a visit to the University of York on Thursday (20th November) to give the inaugural lecture in an influential series for students set to become the business leaders of the future.

12 November 2003

Christmas will see many new mobile phones, laptops, and personal organisers bought as gifts. They’re intriguing, stylish items to have about us, whether for work or leisure.

10 November 2003

Year 6 pupils across Yorkshire will have the chance to discover the fascinating secret lives of insects and germs. In the project, 'Hidden worlds - secret lives', scientists from CNAP at the University of York, will take microscopes into schools and show the children the detail and complexity of tiny organisms.

10 November 2003

As the Bank of England raises interest rates for the first time in almost four years, researchers at the University of York have found significant gaps in the safety nets for homeowners having trouble paying their mortgages.

5 November 2003

Bright new lights have been installed along Retreat Lane, which runs from the University of York campus into the centre of the city.

4 November 2003

NSPCC Community Appeals Manager Ken Ridley will scoot off with £1,130 for the charity on Friday – thanks to the University’s Commercial Services Section which organised a prize draw during Freshers Week.

3 November 2003

Slavery expert Professor Jim Walvin will be highlighting local and regional links to the slave trade when he speaks at a Higher York conference on race awareness tomorrow (Tuesday 4th November).

3 November 2003

Baroness Susan Greenfield, a leading science communicator and the first-ever woman director of the Royal Institution, is to speak at the University of York on Wednesday (November 5th).

29 October 2003

Researchers around the world will soon have access to data from one of the biggest archaeological projects ever undertaken in the UK, thanks to collaboration between archaeologists at the University of York and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project (CTRL). Their use of the worldwide web will enable researchers to study the findings online, and without charge, from anywhere in the world.

29 October 2003

A new £2 million Research Centre at the University of York will provide unprecedented information on how molecules change, helping scientists understand the structure and dynamics of liquids, proteins and even our DNA.

28 October 2003

The Home Secretary, the Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, will give this year's Heslington Lecture on Thursday 30 October. The lecture, which is open to the public and free of charge, is entitled ‘One nation, many faiths: creating unity with diversity in multi-faith Britain'.

28 October 2003

The University of York has received £28,000 from the AstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust to develop new ways to preserve children’s enjoyment of science as they move from primary to secondary schools.

16 October 2003

Science teachers are set to benefit from the Government’s new £9 million flagship National Centre for Science Learning, which will be based at the University of York.

16 October 2003

The Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU) at the University of York will celebrate a boost to student numbers at its annual Open Day on 23 October.

7 October 2003

On 9 October 1963, 230 people became the founding students of the University of York. On Friday 10 October 2003, 80 of them will return for a dinner to celebrate the University’s 40th anniversary.

6 October 2003

Director-General of the Prison Service gives inaugural talk

3 October 2003

Funding will aid leading work in health, nano-technology and neuroscience

25 September 2003

A new way of measuring electromagnetic emissions from trains

24 September 2003

The University of York announced today (24 September 2003) that it has agreed the principles of a new partnership with IP2IPO to establish a dedicated business (Amaethon Limited) that will commercialise intellectual property (IP) originating from CNAP.

16 September 2003

The Hull York Medical School building at York will be opened by Richard Smith, editor of the British Medical Journal, on Monday 22 September.

15 September 2003

The first students of the Hull York Medical School (HYMS) begin their studies on Monday 15 September.

13 September 2003

The Sunday Times has named York 'University of the Year' in its Good Universities Guide.

9 September 2003

David Blunkett, Professor Richard Dawkins, Baroness Susan Greenfield and Andrew Davies, are just some of the eminent people who will be giving public lectures at the University of York this term.

8 September 2003

The University of York has won a major bid to provide one of the Government's nine regional health centres - known as Public Health Observatories - which are designed to help improve the health of the population, particularly those who are worst off.

27 August 2003

Learning new words can slow you down. This is the finding of research carried out by Dr Gareth Gaskell from the University of York's Department of Psychology.

31 July 2003

Locally produced food and people missing out on benefits inspire York entrepreneurs

28 July 2003

While debate rages every time new crime figures are issued, a University of York researcher has created the ‘York Index of Public Safety’, which can tell people how safe they are according to where they live.

21 July 2003

A simple, quick and accurate hand-held kit which can be taken out into the field to test for toxic chemicals is being exploited by a spin-out company from the University of York.

16 July 2003

The University of York's £25 million Bioscience Building is to be officially unveiled later this week (Friday 18th July) by Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science and Innovation.

4 July 2003

Three local people will graduate with first-class honours degrees in History from the University of York next week. Nick Williamson from Melbourne, Adam Morton from Huntington and Claire Duxbury from Acomb who attended Lowfield School and York College will be awarded their degrees on Thursday.

2 July 2003

A group of people with distinguished careers ranging from film-making to molecular biology, together with the Governor-General of Belize, will be awarded honorary degrees by the University of York in three days of ceremonies next week.

24 June 2003

The University of York is to create 10 new professorships to mark its 40th anniversary. During the first 40 years of its life, the University has become recognised for excellence in both research and teaching. Now, to sustain this excellence, it is about to embark on a major programme of expansion which will involve the significant growth in academic departments.

20 June 2003

Most people are indifferent or undecided about Europe rather than pro or anti. Men are more pro-Europe than women. And the media appears to heavily influence people's attitudes towards Europe.

17 June 2003

The University of York will be adding a dash of fun to the York Learning Festival this week (Thursday 19 June) when chemistry experts show how to make a nice loud 'pop' using simple chemicals and equipment found at home - and you can make another type of noise by jumping up and down on a giant keyboard.

16 June 2003

Professor Dianna Bowles, Weston Chair of Biochemistry and Director of CNAP, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. The award has been made in recognition of Dianna's services to plant sciences.

16 June 2003

The British attitude to Europe will be revealed on 20 June when the research of 59 Politics students at the University of York is published.

12 June 2003

Nearly 200 University of York students received certificates from Frank Dobson MP on 11 June in recognition of their work in York schools.

4 June 2003

The old phrase 'wired for sound' takes on a new meaning at the University of York as academics begin to investigate whether computers can help make singing lessons more effective.

3 June 2003

Sally Neocosmos is to be the University of York's next Registrar. She will take up her appointment in October 2003, following the retirement of the current Registrar David Foster.

3 June 2003

Fishy noises could be the answer for improved reef fisheries management according to an international team of researchers.

3 June 2003

York Students In Schools (YSIS), a programme enabling student volunteers to help in local schools, has won a Queen's Golden Jubilee Award in recognition of the scheme's outstanding service in the community.

2 June 2003

A striking new prospectus and the appointment of another group of internationally-respected staff have been announced by the new Hull York Medical School as it gets ready to open its doors for the first time.

25 May 2003

The University of York is ranked ninth of 100 universities in The Guardian's league table published today (25 May).

23 May 2003

The world-famous Enigma encryption machine used by Nazi Germany, the magic of language, literature from around the globe, and the work of some of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known will all come to life in summer schools for bright children offered by the University of York.

21 May 2003

Midday supervisor Sandra Wadley is top of the class as far as the children at Hob Moor Community Primary are concerned.

19 May 2003

Professor Eleanor Dodson of York's Chemistry Department, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the premier honour for scientists of Britain and the Commonwealth. She is the first woman from the University of York to receive such an honour.

18 May 2003

The distinctive surnames of Yorkshire, such as Barraclough and Ackroyd, will be traced back to their origins in the Middle Ages, and the reputation of Lord Londonderry, as a ‘fellow traveller' of the Nazis and leading proponent of Nazi Germany, will be explained in a Public Lectures series celebrating 50 years of the Borthwick Institute. Both of the lectures draw upon the extensive holdings of the Borthwick Institute.

7 May 2003

The Times ranks York 7th out of 100 universities in this year's Times 'Good University Guide'.

3 May 2003

The University of York is named the UK's top teaching university in the new Financial Times universities league table.

1 May 2003

Five bright and enthusiastic international students at the University of York were short-listed, and highly-commended, in the first-ever International Student Awards contest run by the British Council.

30 April 2003

Leading Russian education reformers are at the University of York this week to consult on a pilot programme which aims to bring technology training to life for Russian teachers.

29 April 2003

Volunteers who enjoy chatting on the phone are wanted for a project at the University of York.

14 April 2003

A new research unit, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is being launched at the University of York this week (Thursday April 17th) to help improve the quality of rehabilitation treatment for cardiac patients.

9 April 2003

The reconstruction of Iraq must focus on the expertise and enthusiasm of Iraqi people rather than assuming a top-down authoritarian approach, according to post-war reconstruction experts at the University of York.

24 March 2003

British Barn Owl population falls by 70% in 100 years

19 March 2003

The dramatic rise in the numbers of vulnerable child immigrants coming to the UK on their own, with the corresponding demands this makes on local authority social services, has prompted new research at the University of York.

17 March 2003

A major new US/UK research collaboration focusing on identifying new health products from plants has been launched. The CNAP research group at the University of York is to work with the Oklahoma-based Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

12 March 2003

Organisations set to benefit from new service

11 March 2003

Boredom, isolation and friendlessness are all factors that may prevent formerly homeless people from settling in new homes and communities. Tenancies may break down and the homeless may return to living on the streets.

5 March 2003

A new report published today in partnership with the National Missing Persons Helpline charity presents the findings of the most extensive study of missing persons ever undertaken in the UK. It found that going missing was highly risky for young people. Almost a third stayed with a stranger and 2 out of 5 slept rough. 1 in 8 was physically hurt and 1 in 9 sexually assaulted while they were away.

5 March 2003

Bed bugs, spider’s legs and influenza molecules are bringing science to life for schoolchildren thanks to CNAP at the University of York. Professor Dianna Bowles, CNAP Director and Weston Chair of Biochemistry, was awarded £8000 by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for Hidden Worlds – Secret Lives, a science communication project to give children more understanding of the natural world. Yorkshire Arts contributed a further £2500 to enable the exploration and understanding of science through art. The project is also supported by Garfield Weston Foundation core funding to CNAP.

4 March 2003

Start-up biotech companies gain natural home

3 March 2003

Bedbugs, giant spiders legs, and influenza molecules are bringing art and science to life for schoolchildren thanks to the University of York.

27 February 2003

Plans for a large extension to the University of York's main campus at Heslington have been released today. The Masterplan for the site, known as Heslington East, shows a green, landscaped site edged with woodland and a large lake, and served by environmentally friendly transport systems.

24 February 2003

Not all student jobs involve working behind a pub bar or selling burgers. Undergraduates at the University of York have been offered work through the campus UniJobs service as film extras, ghostly tour guides, or even wearing just their underwear for an energy-saving campaign.

12 February 2003

Angus Gillespie, author of the best-selling book "Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center" will give a lecture on the life and death of the Twin Towers at the University. The lecture will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 18 February in room P/L001, Physics.

6 February 2003

Tom Gutteridge, one of Britain's most successful independent television producers and a graduate of the University of York, will be speaking about the effect of multi-channel television on the programmes produced.

5 February 2003

T S Eliot, widely considered the greatest poet of the twentieth-century to write in English, was dogged throughout his later years by the charge that he was anti-Semitic. Now in a ground-breaking essay which is published in the January 2003 issue of "Modernism/Modernity", Professor Ronald Schuchard of Emory University categorically refutes the charge of Eliot's anti-Semitism, backing his claims with startling new information about Eliot's life. The essay is arousing international controversy.

5 February 2003

HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is to open the £7 million flagship Biocentre at York Science Park, next to the campus of the University of York, on Friday 21 February. He will then go on to visit the Biology Department's new research laboratories.

3 February 2003

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the Government's Chief Medical Officer will address staff from a wide range of public and private sector organisations at the Seventh York Health Symposium at York Racecourse on Thursday 27 March. The title of his talk is : 'Workforce Health - The Wider Context'.

27 January 2003

A specially-commissioned computer and trumpet fanfare will ring out in celebration as the first turf is cut for the new Music Research Centre at the University of York on 30 January.

21 January 2003

York historian highlights demise of Cossack 'nation'

16 January 2003

Find thought to be eight million years old

9 January 2003

The Nobel prize winner and leading researcher in atomic physics, Dr William Phillips who works at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the USA, is to give a public lecture at the University of York later this month (Wednesday 22 January) on atom optics.

3 January 2003

Why does time sometimes seem to fly? Why do we measure time? How does time help us navigate the world? Has time always been the same? Is time the same everywhere? These will be some of the questions discussed by a new series of public lectures on Time.