News Archive: February 2016

Appointment to Welsh Government’s Working Group on Welsh in the Workplace

Dr Lowri Hughes from Bangor University’s Canolfan Bedwyr has been invited by the Minister for Public Services, Leighton Andrews, to join the Working Group on the Welsh language in Local Government Administration and Economic Development . The group is chaired by Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM.

Publication date: 29 February 2016

Sticky mud and biological goo hold key to predicting coastal erosion

Scientists have taken a huge step towards developing a more reliable way of predicting how climate change will impact estuaries and coastal environments. Working as part of a collaborative project, led by Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, to assess how fine materials such as mud and sand are moved by water currents around our coastline, and how this movement could change as the result of climate change, Professor Dan Parsons, of Hull University, has pinpointed key ingredients currently missing from the models which help scientists and engineers predict the way coasts and estuaries will be shaped in the future.

Publication date: 29 February 2016

A man of many words: a film profile of poet Gwyn Thomas

Welsh poet Gwyn Thomas is so much more than just a poet. He's an academic, a writer, an expert on Welsh myths and legends, a screenwriter, a prolific author who appeals to all ages, a husband – father – and grandfather, a friend, a true Welshman, who's also proud of his deep roots in his beloved Blaenau Ffestiniog, and above all else, a gentleman. S4C will take an exclusive look at his life on Tuesday, 1 March in Gwyn Thomas: Gŵr Geiriau . On St David's Day, we'll celebrate a career which has contributed so profoundly to Welsh culture, and follow Gwyn Thomas as he asks where poetic and creative inspiration comes from.

Publication date: 29 February 2016

Bilingual Prescription labels can now be introduced

A Welsh language or bilingual service is vital for the welfare of Welsh speaking patients, according to an enquiry by the Welsh Language Commissioner. A recommendation endorsed by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Wales is for bilingual labels on prescription medicines to be made available to patients. A team comprising language specialists and pharmacists at Bangor University and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has made the first step by translating 30 cautionary instructions given to patients on prescription medicines.

Publication date: 24 February 2016

Bangor University Supports Fairtrade Fortnight 2016

Bangor University is calling on all students, staff and members of the local community to join in the celebrations for Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, which begins on the 29th of February.

Publication date: 24 February 2016

New partnership to develop North Wales rugby talent

Talented young rugby players could realise their dream of playing for Wales thanks to a nurturing new partnership between Bangor University and Rygbi Gogledd Cymru (RGC). Through Bangor University’s sports scholarships for elite athletes, seven students who play for RGC, the regional rugby side for north Wales, have been able to progress into higher education whilst being able to continue to play rugby at high level.

Publication date: 24 February 2016

Bangor Science Festival 2016

Bangor University’s Science Festival is back for its sixth year. The festival runs from 11th-20th March 2016, and welcomes everyone to explore and discuss science through talks, hands-on activities, exhibitions and demonstrations at its FREE events.

Publication date: 23 February 2016

PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Skills Session

Discover more about having a career with PwC, job opportunities with the company, and an applications and interview skills Master Class.

Publication date: 23 February 2016

How to help the women and girls rescued from Islamic State

This article by Leanne K Simpson , PhD Student, School of Psychology | Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article .

Publication date: 23 February 2016

Hat-trick of world premieres at Bangor Music Festival

A top music festival will be unveiling a hat-trick of world premieres. The Bangor Music Festival kicks off with a St David's Day concert by Britain's Got Talent finalists, Cȏr Glanaethwy, and will also star the internationally renowned singing ensemble, The Swingles.

Publication date: 22 February 2016

Bangor Institute for Health and Medical Research Launch

Bangor University is launching the new Institute of Health and Medical Research on Thursday February 25 th 2016. Building on an established foundation of research excellence, the new Bangor Institute for Health and Medical Research (BIHMR) will facilitate more interdisciplinary research that spans discovery in the laboratory through to research that solves complex health problems in the real world. In this way, BIHMR will contribute to improvements in local health and healthcare, as well as making an impact across Wales, the United Kingdom and internationally.

Publication date: 22 February 2016

Bangor University students awarded prestigious Drapers’ Company medals

Bangor University students were presented with the Drapers’ Medals recently. The Drapers’ Company is one of the historic Livery Companies of the City of London, and now a philanthropic organization. The Drapers’ Company kindly donates two medals each year to be awarded to outstanding postgraduate students.

Publication date: 22 February 2016

Bangor Academic chosen to represent Wales on UK’s Biomedical Sciences representative body

Mr Merfyn Williams , course director of the BSc Biomedical Science degree in the School of Medical Sciences has had the honour of being invited to join the Heads of University Centres of Biomedical Sciences (HUCBMS) Executive Committee. HUCBMS is a representative body for the biomedical sciences in the UK and has a membership of over 60 universities, which includes Bangor University, within the UK and overseas. Its mission is ‘ to promote the development and enhancement of biomedical sciences teaching and research’ .

Publication date: 22 February 2016

A series of tours of Bangor University’s art and ceramic collections

Guided tours of Bangor University’s Art and Ceramic Collections will be held between February and May. The aim is that tours will raise awareness of these important collections, with highlights including a mural by Edward Povey in Powis Hall, art and ceramics in the University’s Council Chamber Corridor and a chance to see and learn about works of arts by other renowned artists such as Kyffin Williams, Brenda Chamberlain, Peter Prendergast and Frederick William Hayes.

Publication date: 19 February 2016

British power stations are burning wood from US forests – to meet renewables targets

Last year, 6m tonnes of “wood pellets” harvested from forests in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Virginia were shipped across the Atlantic, to be burnt in renewable “biomass” power plants. This was almost double the 2013 figure – the US “wood pellet” industry is booming. This article by David Styles , Lecturer in Carbon Footprinting, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article .

Publication date: 19 February 2016

‘Critical Language Awareness – the missing key component in Welsh language revitalization policy and planning’ – Dr Steve Eaves

‘Critical Language Awareness – the missing key component in Welsh language revitalization policy and planning’: a guest lecture by Dr Steve Eaves, Welsh Centre for Language Planning.

Publication date: 19 February 2016

The alcohol harm paradox explained

New research from a collaboration including Bangor University, Liverpool John Moores University and Alcohol Research UK explains why people in deprived communities have higher levels of alcohol-related ill health than people in non-deprived communities, despite drinking the same amounts of alcohol – the alcohol harm paradox.

Publication date: 18 February 2016

Ocean Oases: How islands support more sea-life

A 60 year-old theory to explain why seas surrounding islands and atolls are particularly productive has just been proven by a marine biologist from Bangor University’s School of Ocean Science, working with a colleague at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ).

Publication date: 16 February 2016

Wonky veg and ugly fruit are making a comeback – here's why

Rhi Willmot , PhD Researcher in Behavioural and Positive Psychology, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation . Read the original article . Do the same rules that govern human attraction also apply to our choices of fruit and vegetables? Plenty of evidence suggests we do look for similar traits in both people and produce, and our perceptions of food are clearly affected by what it looks like. Each year we waste 1.3 billion tonnes of food worldwide, a third of the total produced . This unbelievable figure is partly made up of “ugly” fruit and vegetables – those that are perfectly edible but rejected by supermarkets due to their blemished skin or unusual shape.

Publication date: 15 February 2016

Introducing modern morality plays on BBC Radio 3

Sue Niebrzydowski , Senior Lecturer in medieval literature at Bangor University’s School of English Literature is to be heard introducing a series of five modern morality plays this week (15-19 February, 2016) on BBC Radio 3 . Covering moderation, envy, pride, wrath and justice, the five plays inspired by the genre of medieval morality drama explore how far contemporary attitudes to sin and virtue have changed.

Publication date: 15 February 2016

Bangor’s Sports Psychology expertise in demand in Malaysia

Prof. Nicky Callow from Bangor’s School of Sports Science has been invited to the University of Malaya (UM) in Kuala Lumpur as part of their prestigious visiting professorship scheme where renowned academics from around the world present workshops and seminars at the university.

Publication date: 12 February 2016

Bangor staff and students sample Nuclear Skills Training

Horizon Nuclear Power (a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd), is currently looking to invest over £10bn in a new nuclear power station at their Wylfa Newydd site, Northern Anglesey. It will provide 2,700MW of new power station capacity to the UK, enough to power around 5 million homes. Given its proximity to the University, Bangor University and Horizon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will enable both organizations to collaborate and work more closely together in future years.

Publication date: 11 February 2016

Bangor Science Festival Photography, Art and Poetry Competition

As part of the Bangor Science Festival , Bangor University is inviting anyone under the age of 19 to enter their Photography, Art and Poetry Competition.

Publication date: 10 February 2016

Dr Yvonne McDermott Rees shortlisted for 2016 Law Teacher of the Year

Dr Yvonne McDermott Rees , Senior Lecturer in Law at Bangor University, has been named as one of the six finalists for the 2016 Law Teacher of the Year Award . The prestigious national teaching award, which is sponsored by Oxford University Press, is aimed at celebrating excellent Law teaching and recognising the vital role played by teachers in building the lawyers of tomorrow.

Publication date: 9 February 2016

Bangor University graduate sets off on journey of a lifetime

A Bangor University student is setting out on an exciting expedition across the world.

Publication date: 8 February 2016

Count us in

Mathematics is a natural part of our cultural heritage, so argues author Gareth Ffowc Roberts, Emeritus Professor of Education at Bangor University in his new book Count Us In .

Publication date: 8 February 2016

Archive of the month

Publication date: 5 February 2016

Bangor University among the world’s greenest

Bangor University has been placed 22 nd in a global league table of the world’s greenest universities. The UI Green Metric , produced by Universitas Indonesia highlights sustainability and environmental management at universities around the globe and measures each participating university’s commitment in developing an ‘environmentally friendly’ infrastructure,

Publication date: 4 February 2016

Bangor University contributes to Welsh Institute of Performance Science

Lecturers from the School of Sport, Health, and Exercise Science at Bangor University are to play a key role in providing research support for Elite Welsh athletes to fulfil their medal hopes ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. As part of the newly formed Welsh Institute of Performance Science (WIPS), Drs Sam Oliver, Stuart Beattie, and Anthony Blanchfield from SSHES have been appointed as research leads for environmental physiology, coaching science, and performance physiology respectively to support Sport Wales in providing practical innovative performance strategies for elite Welsh athletes and support staff.

Publication date: 4 February 2016

'Best Welsh-language playwright' a research student at the School of Welsh

On the night of Saturday, 30 January, a number of theatre companies, directors, actors, dancers and playwrights came together at Sherman Cymru in Cardiff for the 2015 Wales Theatre Awards ceremony - a ceremony which celebrates excellence in the fields of theatre, opera and dance.

Publication date: 4 February 2016

Wales joins the Finns in beating the bullies

An anti-bullying programme being rolled out to schools by Bangor University, the only Centre in the UK licensed to introduce the programme, is helping schools to reduce and deal with bullying. Developed and evaluated in Finland, with extensive funding from the Finnish government, the KiVa anti-bullying programme is proven to reduce bullying in schools there - and early indications suggest its effectiveness in Welsh schools as well.

Publication date: 2 February 2016

Outstanding Bangor University student receives national award for marine conservation research

Bangor University PhD student Jack Emmerson has been awarded the Marine Conservation Society Wakefield Memorial Award, for his project ‘Sustainable static-gear fisheries in the Irish Sea’.

Publication date: 1 February 2016