News Archive: February 2015

Royal visit for University Research Station

HRH The Princess Royal visited Bangor University’s Henfaes Research station, Abergwyngregyn today (Friday 27 th , 2015). Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, who was accompanied by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for Gwynedd, Mr Edmund Seymour Bailey, received a showcase visit to the University’s Research station to see some of the ground-breaking research carried out at the research facility.

Publication date: 26 February 2015

Waste-biogas is at least ten times more effective than crop-biogas at reducing greenhouse gas emissions

In a paper just released in the leading bioenergy journal Global Change Biology Bioenergy, researchers from Bangor University and the Thünen Institute in Germany conclude that crop-biogas and liquid biofuels are at best inefficient options for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, per hectare of land used and per £ public subsidy required. At worst these options could actually lead to higher global GHG emissions owing to indirect land use change caused by displacement of food production. In comparison, waste-biogas and Miscanthus (woody grass) heating pellets achieve at least ten times more GHG mitigation per tonne of dry matter biomass and per hectare of land used, respectively, leading to cost-effective GHG mitigation.

Publication date: 26 February 2015

Climate Week: Free bus travel offer for staff and students

Arriva Buses Wales has teamed up once again with Bangor University to offer FREE travel for students and staff commuting to and from the university during Climate Week.

Publication date: 25 February 2015

The United Nations in international peacekeeping – a spent force?

Bangor University is hosting a public lecture at 18.00 on Wednesday 25 February at the University’s Eric Sunderland Lecture Theatre (Main Arts Building). The lecture, “The United Nations in a Changing World: Transformation and Reform in the 21st Century”, is presented in conjunction with the Menai Branch of the United Nations Association, and all are welcome to attend this free event.

Publication date: 25 February 2015

Will You Pop in to the ‘Pop-up’?

A breath of new life is coming to an empty store in the Deiniol Shopping Centre. Shoppers in Bangor will be able to enjoy the wonderful handcrafted gifts produced by the young people of Bangor.

Publication date: 24 February 2015

Bangor University celebrates Earth Hour

Bangor University is helping to build a brighter future by supporting WWF’s Earth Hour, a spectacular and symbolic lights out event that focuses the world’s attention on our planet, and the need to protect it.

Publication date: 24 February 2015

University supports Fairtrade Fortnight 2015

Bangor University are inviting staff, students and the local community to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 and choose products that change lives. This year the University and the Bangor Community Fairtrade Group have joined forces to put a series of events on during the fortnight to remind everyone of the dramatic difference Fairtrade makes around the world and the positive impact it has.

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Introducing the new Head of School

Professor Enlli Môn Thomas has been announced as the new Head of Bangor University’s School of Education.

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Improving cancer care through primary care

We are both hugely fortunate to work as both general practitioners in North Wales and as researchers within the North Wales Centre for Primary Care Research, Bangor University , where we lead research projects to improve cancer care in North Wales. We work closely with doctors and nurses within the general practices and hospitals within Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board on the programme of work called ‘Diagnose Quickly Follow Up Safely’. Our work is constantly inspired by our contact with patients the general practices where we work. All of our work is focused on influencing clinical practice or cancer policy.

Publication date: 23 February 2015

Bangor University Students support Anglesey Sixth Formers

Bangor University students have been taking part in Pontio’s learning and mentoring programme PROFI over the last few months culminating in a Dragon’s Den style event at Neuadd Reichel on Tuesday 10 th February.

Publication date: 20 February 2015

Meet us in Canada!

Dona Breese Padan, International Marketing and Recruitment Officer at Bangor University, will be visiting Canada in February and March to meet students interested in studying Business, Law, Education and Social Sciences degrees at Bangor University in the UK.

Publication date: 20 February 2015

Premiere of new work by TV and film composer with X-Factor

A new work by a talented composer who orchestrated the music used in a trailer for the latest Hobbit movie blockbuster will be unveiled at a top music festival. Owain Llwyd, 30, who's also composed for the X-Factor, Top Gear and Big Brother, is looking forward to the premiere at Bangor Music Festival, which starts on March 4.

Publication date: 19 February 2015

Food across the generations

Takeaways, supermarkets, fast foods, runner beans from Kenya and pizza in the freezer. We just can’t do without them today can we? Who can imagine a world without a wide selection of prepared foods? Cast your mind back a couple of generations and this vast choice of food was unimaginable. On Thursday, 26 th February there will be a cross generation community lunch held at Busy Bees café, Penrhyndeudraeth between 12-2 o'clock to discuss the food of yesterday and today.

Publication date: 19 February 2015

History treasure trove opens its doors

A treasure trove of local history resources is opening its doors to the public. Bangor University Archives are holding an Open Day on the 26 th of February between 1pm and 4.30pm

Publication date: 18 February 2015

National Language Technologies Portal provides key software to develop technology in Welsh

Key software components described as the ‘building blocks’ needed to develop computer technology in Welsh are being released free of charge to companies and individuals, having been developed by Bangor University.

Publication date: 18 February 2015

Dragons for St. David's Day

Welsh and Chinese dragons go head-to-head this St. David’s Day weekend with two colourful family events from Bangor University’s Confucius Institute.

Publication date: 18 February 2015

Ugandan university signs sustainable development deal with Bangor

Bangor University sustainable development experts are visiting Makerere University , Kampala, Uganda (MUK) this week (February 14-19) to sign a five-year collaboration deal. Bangor University will contribute expertise putting sustainable development into action.

Publication date: 17 February 2015

Tides stir up deep Atlantic Heat in the Arctic Ocean

Researchers have identified how warm Atlantic water that is flowing deep into the Arctic Ocean is mixing with colder waters above to contribute to sea-ice loss in the Arctic. The results, published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience (16.2.14 10.1038/ngeo2350 ), show that tidal flows in the Arctic are causing deep, warm water (originating from the Gulf Stream) to mix with cold, fresh water lying above, in turn contributing to melting the floating sea-ice.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

Climate change should not affect near elimination of malaria

Some good news in the face of climate change has emerged from health economists: a study into the health economics of combatting malaria in countries nearing elimination has shown that climate change will not have too great an effect and should not dissuade health organisations from continuing to scale- up their current elimination methods.

Publication date: 16 February 2015

SENRGy wins prestigious Commonwealth Scholarships for MSc Tropical Forestry

Bangor University’s School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography (SENRGy) is delighted to announce funding for a further 10 scholarships for its MSc Tropical Forestry (distance learning) beginning in September 2015.

Publication date: 13 February 2015

Finance Minister to see how EU-funded research project is boosting business growth

Finance and Government Business Minister Jane Hutt visited North Wales on Thursday 12 February to see how an EU backed project is helping to boost business competitiveness through collaboration with Welsh universities. Led by Bangor University, the £31m Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS) project, backed with EU funds of over £20 million, is helping Welsh businesses to work with academics and students from Welsh universities to develop new and innovative products for commercial success.

Publication date: 13 February 2015

Bangor in top 10% of World’s Greenest Universities

Bangor University’s commitment to sustainability has again earned it a commanding position in an international league table of environmentally friendly institutions. The UI Green Metric , a league table of the world’s greenest universities, was first launched by Universitas Indonesia in 2010 to highlight sustainability and environmental management at universities around the globe. Each year the number of Universities taking part increases; in the current league 360 Universities from 62 countries took part and Bangor has been placed in 28 th position.

Publication date: 12 February 2015

Top 30 world place for Bangor University in World GreenMetric Ranking

Bangor University has been ranked in the top 30 in the world for its ‘greenness’. The latest UI GreenMetric World University Ranking compared 360 universities in 62 countries on their efforts towards campus sustainability and environmentally-friendly university management.

Publication date: 11 February 2015

Bangor University athletes top of the XC league

Congratulations to the Bangor University Athletics Team who recently won the Division 1 title for the first time at the Grand Prix North Wales Cross-Country League in Oswestry. The victory came just 12 months after gaining promotion to the First Division.

Publication date: 11 February 2015

Bangor Psychology students pitch for victory

For the fourth year running Bangor Psychology MSc students have reached the finals of the Brolio/The Pitch 2015. Brolio/The Pitch is organised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing and part funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and gives students the opportunity to ‘pitch’ their ideas in a prestigious marketing competition.

Publication date: 9 February 2015

Success for Bangor students at international law competition

Four Bangor University students are celebrating a sensational performance at an international law competition. Ayaz Saboor, Bianca Rowson, Miriam Mbah and Catherine-Anne Higham were one of 90 teams from universities worldwide to compete at the KK Luthra Memorial Moot held in Delhi, India, last month.

Publication date: 9 February 2015

New more efficient method of sampling biodiversity showcased in major UK estuaries

Two of the UK’s major estuaries have proved to be a successful testing-ground for an effective new method of ‘health-checking’ aquatic biodiversity, which could lead to faster and more efficient sampling for other sites. “Bio-monitoring” or assessing the impacts of human activities in the natural environment is often achieved by monitoring biological diversity. Existing methods rely on manual identification, but that takes time, resources and often focuses on larger creatures, that sometimes may not be able to reflect accurately the health of particular habitats.

Publication date: 9 February 2015

Move over smart cities – the Internet of Things is off to the country

Bangor University is about to take the concept of smart cities out of town. The Internet of Things - which enables object-to-object communication over the internet and real time data monitoring - has typically been associated with urban environments and until now the countryside has been left out in the cold.

Publication date: 6 February 2015

Tiny organisms could change the face of coastal science

New scientific research published in the journal Nature Communications, led by researchers at Bangor University in collaboration with scientists from the National Oceanography Centre Liverpool and the Universities of St. Andrews, Hull, Leeds and Plymouth, has discovered that ‘sticky’ sugars produced by micro-organisms have a remarkably large effect on the movement of sand and mud in aquatic environments.

Publication date: 6 February 2015

There may be more influencing your exercise endurance than you think

Now that we’re in to February, are you struggling to stick to your New Year’s resolution exercise plan? There may be more to your success or failure than meets the eye. Researchers at Bangor University and the University of Kent have found that being shown positive or negative images subliminally, or so fleetingly that you’re not even aware of having seen them, had an effect on when individuals reached their point of exhaustion while exercising.

Publication date: 6 February 2015

Times Higher magazine asks the questions

The Times Higher magazine speaks to Professor Jo Rycroft Malone, one of the most highly cited global researchers, about her move to become director of the health services and delivery programme at the NIHR

Publication date: 5 February 2015

Sacred values are crucial for conservation of remaining forests in Ethiopia

Forests that are sacred to local people are less likely to suffer deforestation according to results of research by Bangor University.

Publication date: 4 February 2015

Archive of the month

Publication date: 1 February 2015