Professor Gurvinder Virk’s intrepid robot, Reporter 484, was featured in the Yorkshire Evening Post and Yorkshire Post. In the Yorkshire Post, Professor Virk explained: “This machine is basically a scientific instrument for people to be able to study the volcano and predict an eruption. At Leeds we’re developing the navigation and remote control systems.”

Leeds’ University Challenge team sailed through the first round of the BBC quiz, hosted by honorary graduate Jeremy Paxman. James Webb, Jenny Ryan, Steve Kidd and Gareth Pettman beat a team from Liverpool John Moores and now face the University of Nottingham. The Yorkshire Evening Post celebrated their victory and 230 score. Team captain James Webb said: “It was a bit like walking out in the FA Cup Final. It was exhilarating.” Watch the Nottingham match on BBC2 in the new year.

National and local media followed the path of Leeds graduate Piers Sellers as he became the third Briton in space. The Guardian, Independent, Express, Mirror, Sun, Times and Daily Telegraph covered the launch of his 11-day mission on the shuttle Atlantis. His Yorkshire-based family were interviewed in the Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post and on BBC Look North. Geography lecturer Dr Jim Hogg, who remembers Dr Sellers’, talked to Radio Aire about the astronaut’s time at the University.

Professor of human geography Danny Dorling’s research into statistics appearing on the Labour party’s website was covered by national press including the Guardian, Sun and Daily Mail. See here for more details.

Head of the international centre David Baker joined Nile TV’s Good Morning Egypt programme to discuss his first impressions of the country during a trip to north Africa to discuss the setup of a British university in Cairo.

Another Leeds colleague to go global is Dr Richard Howells from the institute of communications studies. Interviewed on the BBC World Service about the arrival of reality television to Vietnam, the material was then translated into Vietnamese for broadcast.

Leeds Student was shortlisted for best publication in both the Independent’s national student journalism awards and the Guardian’s student media awards. Mark Powell was shortlisted for best art reporter in both competitions. Andrzes Lukowski was nominated for best critic in the Independent competition . The Guardian shortlists for best reporter and feature writer included Heather Browne and Dan Box, respectively.