This is the final edition of QMUL Student of the semester, and we wanted to take this opportunity to wish you season's greetings and happy holidays. It's been a great start to the academic year, with plenty more in store for the next semester.

Check out the information on closures over the holidays. The Advice and Counselling Service has also provided information on support available to youover the Christmas period.

Professors Patricia Munroe, Mark Caulfield, Panos Deloukas and Jack Cuzick from the School of Medicine and Dentistry placed in the top one per cent in the world in this year's Highly Cited Researchers list, covering research fields including clinical pharmacology, molecular medicine, genomics, cardiovascular disease and cancer prevention.

Illia Chernohorenko, who graduated from Queen Mary in 2017 with a masters in Dispute Resolution as a Chevening Scholar, was appointed as Director General at the newly established Directorate for Judiciary, Courts and Related Legal Institutions at the Ministry of Justice in Ukraine at just 27 years of age.

Professors Stephan Henneberg and Nicholas O'Shaughnessy from the School of Business and Management have published a Chinese edition of their work Political Marketing: Theory and Concepts. This is the first time that a book on political marketing has been published in China.

Come along to have your say on what you think is important for us to consider in the development of our new University strategy at the drop-in sessions taking place this week:

• Thursday 6 December, noon-2pm, Blomeley Room 2, Students' Union Hub, Mile End campus

• Friday 7 December, noon-2pm, The Shield Café, Charterhouse Square campus

There's no need to register – just turn up and share your thoughts over pizza and refreshments. If you can't make either of the sessions, please send your ideas and comments to strategy@qmul.ac.uk or visit the stand outside the Students' Union Annual Student Meeting from 5.30pm today.

Beware of Home Office visa payment scam targeting international students
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has reported that scammers are targeting international students in an effort to steal money and personal details. The scammers are calling students, claiming to be from the Home Office and demanding money for non-existant visa fees and fines, sometimes in the way of gift cards or iTunes vouchers. Home Office or UKVI officials will never contact you to pay visa fees or fines over the phone, nor will they ask you to pay using gift cards, iTunes vouchers, cryptocurrency or money transfer services. Find out more.

#QMULWelcome photo competition winners announced
Congratulations to Simin Wei, Leila Azevedo and Maria Goncharova whose selfies were chosen as the winners of our Welcome Week photo competition in September. You can check out the winning entries on MyQMUL.

Financial assistance available to you
If you have exceptional or unforeseen costs or you are in financial hardship, you could be eligible to apply for the Financial Assistance Fund. All students are welcome to apply and final-year students will be considered a priority. If you want to participate in sports, societies or volunteering, but not sure if you can afford it, the Queen Mary Wellbeing Fund is new for 2018/19 and open to applications from first-year undergraduate students to contribute to these activties.

Fully assessed by Student Finance but haven't received a Queen Mary Bursary email?
This could be because these is no 'consent to share', so we cannot see a household income figure. You need to give your consent to your information being shared with us. If your sponsors/parents are submitting financial details about themselves as part of your application, they also need to give their consent. Find out how to do so on MyQMUL.

Money Matters
In this edition of Money Matters, the Advice and Counselling Service provides guidance on applying for extenuating circumstances and interrupting or leaving your programme, as well as advice on working over the holidays and how you can get support with your studies.

Get involved with the Future Global Leaders Forum
This is a new programme enabling students to work and learn together and build the skills, mindset and cultural agility needed in a future global leader. The focus is on taking leadership and driving positive change across our campuses and local community. There will be opportunities for funding student projects that enhance campus or academic life, to work on projects that empower local citizens and to collaborate on projects with Queen Mary staff. Applications will open by Monday 10 December, with the deadline being Friday 11 January. There will also be information sessions held on Monday 10 December and Wednesday 9 January. Find out more.

Chisenhale Gallery Young People's Programme
Would you like to develop your critical thinking, creativity and creative agency? Chisenhale Gallery, a contemporary art gallery near Victoria Park and Roman Road, is looking for 10 students aged 16–20 to take part in a 12-month programme that provides a space for critical discussion among young people and helps them develop their ideas into public projects. The programme will start in January 2019 and the deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 13 December. Find out more and apply.

24 Hours of Reality watch party
24 Hours of Reality is an event hosted once a year by The Climate Reality Project, Al Gore's non-profit organisation dedicated to catalysing action on climate change. The event features interviews and examples of action to fight global warming, with each hour hosted by a different country. Queen Mary and Climate Reality UK invite you to a watch party for the UK segment of the programme today, Tuesday 4 December, 6.30-8.30pm, with opportunities for you to have your questions answered by a Climate Reality Leader and learn about actions you can take in the UK.

Volunteer at the Hackney Christmas Dinner event for young care leavers
The Hackney Christmas Dinner is held on Christmas Day, Tuesday 25 December, for 50 care leavers aged 18–25. The organising team is looking for volunteers to help contribute to this meaningful event that has a big impact on young people's Christmas experience. There are plenty of ways you can help, including volunteering your time on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day, as well as donating gifts and referring young care leavers to the event.