Tag: jasmine

Double graduation celebration for father and daughter

Adrian and Jasmine show that academic success runs in the family

AN award-winning Edinburgh Napier researcher and his daughter have completed a graduation family double.

Adrian Smales, 52, who first attended the university in 1992, returned here to do a PhD in Healthcare Informatics.

And his second time around graduation this week has coincided with 22-year-old daughter Jasmine being awarded a first class BMus (Hons) music degree.

Adrian, from Lasswade, said: “Jasmine is very independent and didn’t need much guidance from me during her course, but we did meet up for the occasional coffee at the Merchiston campus which was always nice.

“Now we hope to celebrate our double graduation with a barbeque with family and friends.”

Adrian originally graduated from the University with a B Eng (Hons) in electronic and computer engineering in 1998.

He returned to Edinburgh Napier to research a PhD thesis titled ‘Test-bed and evaluation of a home-based adverse event prediction infrastructure‘.  He has won a string of awards for his work, which in simple terms prevents falls in the home by predicting the increasing risk of significant inactivity, and has led to the development of wearable technology in collaboration with commercial partners.

Jasmine, though like her father a well-known face at Merchiston, has gone down a different academic route.

She said: “I was drawn to the music course at Edinburgh Napier because of its versatility and wide range of module choices. In the past academic year I have written an inclusive music guide for children, and for my final project I have written and created a demo EP that explores mental health.”

February houseplant of the month: winter bloomers

Winter bloomers offer scent and colour 
Winter bloomers are ideal plants for bringing the spring indoors when everything outside is still grim and bare. Colourful primula (Primula obconia), cheerful ragwort (Senecio) and white jasmine(Jasminium) provide scent and colour in the home in many shapes and sizes. They’re easy to look after, and have been specially grown to be able to go outdoors as well when the temperature rises above 10°C.
Origin 
Wild primulas often occur in the mountains on the northern hemisphere. There are some 15 varieties in the European Alps. Ragwort has travelled across from Australia and New Zealand, and occurs widely on the Canary Islands. Jasmine is a (sub-)tropical climber from the temperate regions of Asia which can also do well indoors if it’s given enough moisture and warmth.
What to look for when buying Winter bloomers 
  • All winter bloomers are keen drinkers, so check the soil is sufficiently damp when buying. Drooping leaves are a sign that the plant has been kept too dry.
  • Check the number of buds and the ripeness of the buds on all winter bloomers. Ideally they should already be showing some colour.
  • Primula and ragwort should have attractive, smooth leaves, whilst jasmine should have dense tendrils with lots of buds.
  • Look out for leaf-miner flies and aphids, and in the case of primula and ragwort also check for Botrytis, a fungus which can affect foliage and flowers when they’re too damp.
Range 
Primula offers cheerful flowers in pink, white, purple, lilac and blue which brighten your home when it’s still bleak outside. There are increasing numbers of bicoloured varieties.
Ragwort has green leaves which are a downy grey on the underside. The combination of green with ash grey sets off the fabulous flowers in white, blue, lilac, purple, pink, red and bicoloured beautifully.
Jasmine is a bush with dark green leaves and radiant star-shaped white flowers with a lovely fragrance. The long tendrils like to wrap, climb and meander.
Care tips for consumers 
  • Winter bloomers like a light and cool spot; avoid direct sunlight.
  • The soil should be slightly damp – avoid overwatering if possible.
  • Plant food once a fortnight helps winter bloomers to maintain enough strength for growing and flowering.
  • Wilted flowers can simply be picked off.