News Archive: January 2016

Strengthening regional education ties

Giants of education in North Wales have further strengthened their ties to lay the foundations for a new era of academic and industrial collaboration. Wrexham Glyndŵr University, Bangor University and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai met at the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus to sign a new partnership agreement that will see the institutions seek alternative progression routes from further education to higher education and look at a wider strategic alliance in the region.

Publication date: 28 January 2016

Click here for art

This article by Lyle Skains , Lecturer in Writing, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article . To many, museums are like dinosaurs: fossilised. They call to mind Renaissance paintings, Roman sculpture, “don’t touch!” admonishments, and Indiana Jones demanding “it belongs in a museum!” But these associations won’t be true for much longer. While there will always be a Louvre and a National Portrait Gallery, today there are many more types of museum exhibits and art, thanks to the constant evolution of technology and computing.

Publication date: 28 January 2016

Holocaust Memorial Day

Bangor University is proud to be associated with and support the annual Holocaust Memorial Day service of remembrance which will be held at Siambr Dafydd Orwig, Gwynedd Council Headquarters Caernarfon on Wednesday, 27 January 2016.

Publication date: 27 January 2016

Livelihood projects designed to compensate for the local costs of conservation may not be reaching the right people

Conservation of tropical forests is widely recognised as a good thing: these forests lock up carbon which reduces the effects of climate change, contain biodiversity found nowhere else on earth, and influence local availability of water. However conservation can also have negative impacts on local people. New research shows that compensation schemes introduced to reach the poorest and most vulnerable are not always benefiting those they are meant to help.

Publication date: 27 January 2016

Important documents to be safeguarded for all

Papers providing an unbroken record of an important Welsh estate, and which tell us a great deal about life in north Wales over the centuries, are to be safeguarded following a grant to Bangor University’s Archive and Special Collections .

Publication date: 26 January 2016

'The working lives of judges in the criminal courts' - Professor Penny Darbyshire

‘The working lives of judges in the criminal courts’: a guest lecture by Professor Penny Darbyshire, Kingston Law School, Kingston University

Publication date: 26 January 2016

EU backed project is ready to make more leaders

A flagship project at Bangor University has been granted £2.7m funding from the Welsh Government and the European social fund. The new programme will be called ION Leadership and promises to deliver partly funded leadership training to 600 business owners and aspiring leaders in the Convergence area of Wales.

Publication date: 25 January 2016

People with dementia gain from learning self-management skills

People with early-stage dementia benefit when they are empowered to manage their own condition, a study led by researchers at the University of Exeter has found. Research involving Bangor University and published in the journal International Psychogeriatrics, found that attending weekly ‘self-management’ group sessions which encouraged socialisation, discussion, problem solving and goal setting fostered independence and promoted social support amongst people with dementia.

Publication date: 25 January 2016

School welcomes representatives from Central College University, Iowa

Senior management representatives from Central College University, Iowa, USA, visited the School of Social Sciences on Monday 7th December as part of a four-day visit to Bangor.

Publication date: 22 January 2016

Welsh politicians learn about vital cancer research work at Bangor

The cutting edge research work on cancer being carried out in the School of Medical Sciences was highlighted to senior Plaid Cymru politicians during a recent visit to the North West Cancer Research Institute.

Publication date: 22 January 2016

#ShareYourWelsh

Welsh learners from across north Wales have played a leading role in the popular campaign #ShareYourWelsh run by BBC Radio Wales this January. According to ‘Ffrwti’, #ShareYourWelsh was the highest trending hashtag (#) on social media in Wales on January the 8 th 2016, confirming the popularity of this campaign. Welsh for Adults North Wales at Bangor University have been working closely with this project right from the start.

Publication date: 21 January 2016

Launch of a new book on Translation Studies in Welsh

A new volume of papers called Ysgrifau a Chanllawiau Cyfieithu (Writings and Guidelines for Translation) has just been published by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol , and will be launched at Canolfan Bedwyr , Bangor University on Thursday the 22nd of January.

Publication date: 20 January 2016

Meet us in Thailand!

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

Publication date: 20 January 2016

Classroom assistants get Welsh-language boost

Fifteen classroom assistants are receiving Welsh-language skills training on a pioneering new course, which is being taught in north Wales for the first time.

Publication date: 20 January 2016

Mind the Gap: Mindfulness tops agenda as Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health visits Bangor University

The Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health, Luciana Berger spent the afternoon at Bangor University’s Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP) to meet with their team and discuss mindfulness in society. Afterwards Ms. Berger introduced the Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Oliver Turnbull’s Public Lecture on Neuroscience for Psychotherapists.

Publication date: 20 January 2016

Bangor students given opportunities to embrace social entrepreneurship through Enactus UK

Bangor University is pleased to announce that it has joined the world-wide Enactus organisation by signing up to the Enactus UK programme. The Enactus programme enables university students to become involved in social entrepreneurship, where projects are designed that can enhance the lives of people within communities.

Publication date: 19 January 2016

Ten years after the Thames whale, how are Britain’s sea mammals faring?

This article by Peter Evans , Honorary Senior Lecturer, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article . The British Isles are blessed with a wide variety of sea mammals, with records showing 29 species of whales, porpoises and dolphins and seven species of seals in its waters. But only some of these are regular inhabitants, and when the more unusual species make an appearance it can cause considerable public interest – as happened ten years ago when a northern bottlenose whale, normally found in the deep Atlantic, instead swam up the River Thames in front of the Houses of Parliament and tens of thousands of fascinated onlookers.

Publication date: 19 January 2016

The 'necessity defence'– should climate activists be allowed to break the law?

Can you break the law to stop climate change … and get away with it? That’s exactly what five climate change activists wanted to argue at a recent criminal trial in Seattle, Washington. This article by Tara Smith , Lecturer in Law Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article .

Publication date: 18 January 2016

Cool new uses for Wool

Ever wondered how sheep survive on those cold, wet hills? Their wool has amazing insulation properties to keep them warm, and man has taken advantage of their fleece for millennia. But to keep things cool? Research scientists at Bangor University’s BioComposites Centre have now helped to further reveal the amazing properties of wool as a cold chain insulation material, to prove its performance in new and valuable applications.

Publication date: 18 January 2016

Enough 'Anthropocene' nonsense – we already know the world is in crisis

At a public seminar at a respected university in Scandinavia on how to promote cross-disciplinary research last year, the dean of one of the faculties passed the comment that “now we are living in the Anthropocene, everything we see around us, everything in our environment, we realise is the result of human activity”. An article by James Scourse , Professor of Marine Geology and Director of the Climate Change Consortium of Wales, was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article .

Publication date: 15 January 2016

Bangor University Court expresses deep concern at proposed funding cuts for higher education in Wales

Bangor University’s annual Court meeting today (15 January 2016) expressed deep concern at the significant reduction of funding to universities contained in the draft Welsh Government Budget for 2016/17, and the implications for the wider Welsh economy and society.

Publication date: 15 January 2016

Welsh Professor and Student on Wales Theatre Awards Shortlist

Professor Angharad Price and Llŷr Titus, a PhD student in the School of Welsh, are warmly congratulated on reaching The Wales Theatre Awards Shortlist 2016.

Publication date: 15 January 2016

Bangor named the most international university in Wales

Bangor University has been listed among the 200 most international universities globally and the most international university in Wales in a table published today (14 January 2016). The table of the most international universities is drawn from data contained in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, where the University appears among the top 350 world Universities.

Publication date: 14 January 2016

Putting science to the fore in Wales in 2016

With the formal detailed planning application for the proposed Menai Science Park ( M-SParc ) a Bangor University led project, submitted to Anglesey Council in December, M-SParc’s Director, Ieuan Wyn Jones, looks back at a momentous year for Wales’ first dedicated science park, ,and looks forward to what promises to be an exciting future for scientific endeavour in North West Wales in 2016 and beyond.

Publication date: 13 January 2016

Bangor University admitted to European School of Law Network

Bangor University has become a member of the prestigious European School of Law, a network of only 16 universities worldwide. It joins leading universities from nine countries – including the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece and Ireland – in a collaborative initiative which strives to improve students’ understanding of EU legal systems and the various legal traditions within Europe.

Publication date: 12 January 2016

Bangor University student to use new role to inspire others to get involved in volunteering

Bangor University student volunteer Ashlee Prince has been chosen to lead the Wales Points of Light Network of Young Community Leaders after inspiring award organisers with her long term commitment to volunteering.

Publication date: 12 January 2016

WANTED: budding scientists to capture our coast

People with a passion for the UK’s coastline are being invited to help make history by being part of the largest coastal marine citizen science project ever undertaken. The £1.7m Capturing Our Coast project, funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund, is designed to further our understanding of the abundance and distribution of marine life around the UK

Publication date: 12 January 2016

Eminent engineer launches Pontio Innovation

One of the UK's most eminent engineers, Professor Sir John O'Reilly was at Bangor University recently (28 January) to launch Arloesi Pontio Innovation. Sir John O’Reilly was most recently Director General of Knowledge and Innovation for the UK Government. He is a former Head of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Bangor University. He then became Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University.

Publication date: 11 January 2016

Around the world in 80 payments – global moves to a cashless economy

This article by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo , Bangor University ; Leonidas Efthymiou , Intercollege Larnaca , and Sophia Michael , Intercollege Larnaca was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article . Ever since computers were first introduced into the retail banking system in the late 1950s, there has been the vision of a future world where cash is obsolete . The near death of personal cheques, increase in debit and credit card use, and innovations such as PayPal, Square, Apple Pay and Bitcoin, have led us to believe the cashless society is well within our reach.

Publication date: 11 January 2016

Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol appoints student Ambassadors at Bangor University

Three Bangor University students have been recruited as Ambassadors by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol with the aim of encouraging more prospective students to study part of their degree courses through Welsh.

Publication date: 7 January 2016

Culture Challenge Winners to travel to China

Bangor University’s annual Culture Challenge student competition took place recently. The event organised by the International Student Support Office saw seven teams of Bangor University students battle each other to win a trip of a lifetime to China.

Publication date: 5 January 2016

Frankincense, given by the Wise Men, could be the latest super ingredient

Frankincense was considered precious enough to be presented by the Wise Men to the baby Jesus, along with gold and myrrh. It is a natural substance which was greatly valued in the ancient world. What was it that made frankincense a precious gift fit for a king?

Publication date: 5 January 2016

Commonwealth Scholarship Success for Marine Science Graduates bound for New Zealand

Three Bangor University students are among eight to have been awarded Commonwealth Scholarships this year. The Scholarships and Commission are awarded for postgraduate study and professional development to Commonwealth citizens, providing opportunities for student from developing countries to study at Bangor University, and Bangor graduates to study overseas.

Publication date: 5 January 2016

Changing the use of agricultural land could massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions

A Bangor University academic has contributed to a new study which provides a radical and important new perspective on how to address the UK’s climate change commitments. The research has found making farmland more productive could increase the amount of food it produces and bring about significant reductions in the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Publication date: 4 January 2016

Archive of the month

Publication date: 1 January 2016