News Archive: May 2019

The return of Draig Beats

Friends organise festival to raise money to support brain-injured lecturer, and the Botanic Garden she loves. On the 8th June, Bangor University’s botanic garden at Treborth will be filled with fantastic music across three stages, revellers enjoying vegetarian food, children exploring the ancient woodlands and meadows, families learning drumming and dance together, and so much more. All of this is part of Draig Beats, a family friendly festival at Treborth Botanic Garden from 10:00am to 9:00pm. The event is organised by friends and colleagues of Dr Sophie Williams, a former Bangor University lecturer who contracted Japanese encephalitis while on fieldwork in China in 2015.

Publication date: 31 May 2019

Third of people in Wales use digital technology to self-diagnose – new report

More than a third of people in Wales (34 per cent) use digital technology to self-diagnose health conditions, whilst only 14 per cent make a healthcare appointment online. These insights are from a novel survey exploring how people in Wales use digital technology to support and monitor their health, by Public Health Wales and Bangor University.

Publication date: 30 May 2019

Senedd Research publishes new briefing paper by Bangor academic

A new briefing paper on Early Child Education and Care (ECEC) written by Dr David Dallimore of the School of Health Sciences has been published by the National Assembly of Wales’ Senedd Research Service. This briefing is the first in a series of three, providing a quick guide to early childhood education and care (ECEC). It introduces the concept of ECEC, sets out evidence for different approaches to ECEC and relates this to current policy in Wales.

Publication date: 28 May 2019

Young Italian from Mold wins Learners Medal

Francesca Elena Sciarrillo from Mold has won the Learner Medal at the Cardiff and Vale Urdd Eisteddfod 2019. She was awarded the Medal at the main ceremony at the Urdd Eisteddfod today (Tuesday, May 28). Francesca, 23, received an MA in English Literature in 2018, and is now a postgraduate apprentice in Marketing. From an all-Italian family, she is the only one who speaks Welsh.

Publication date: 28 May 2019

Modernists & Mavericks’: public lecture by prominent art critic

The prominent art critic Martin Gayford will be discussing Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London painters at Bangor University on Wednesday, 12 June at 6.30pm, in the Eric Sunderland Lecture Theatre of the Main Arts Building. Entry is free, and all are welcome to attend the lecture, entitled `Modernists & Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney & the London Painters’.

Publication date: 28 May 2019

Bangor’s Expertise helps win Gold at Chelsea

Bangor University's Botanic Garden Curator, Natalie Chivers spent the whole of last week up to her elbows in soil as she was part of the planting-scheme design team for the Montessori St Nicholas Garden at the Chelsea Flower show. Natalie spent the week planting all the carefully selected blooms for this Garden which has won the coveted Chelsea Gold award.

Publication date: 24 May 2019

Designing for people living with dementia

For ten years, Enterprise by Design has worked with different companies across North Wales, mostly focused in the adventure tourism sector. This year, student teams had a rewarding and challenging brief over the 10 week process, creating memorable experiences for dementia visitors to North Wales. This year’s finale, held in Pontio recently, saw a wide variety of product ideas from undergraduate teams made up across Psychology , Computer Science & Electronic Engineering , Business , Product Design , Music & Media , and Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences . The goal for 2019’s team was to create a product or service that would make North Wales more memorable to dementia tourists.

Publication date: 24 May 2019

Bangor academic wins Hugh Owen Medal

Professor Enlli Thomas, Professor and Director of Research and Impact, School of Education , Bangor University, has been awarded the Learned Society of Wales Hugh Owen Medal for contributions to educational research, in recognition of her expertise on the Welsh language, bilingualism, and studies into teaching, learning and using Welsh.

Publication date: 24 May 2019

New innovation receives Meterological Society Award

The Royal Meteorological Society’s Vaisala Award for Weather Observing and Instrumentation for 2018 has been awarded to Professor Tom Rippeth and his research team at Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences . Prof Rippeth is interested in how different water masses mix within our oceans and how the mixing of waters of different temperatures and salinity drives and affects global climate and weather patterns.

Publication date: 24 May 2019

Bangor scholars contribute to The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature

An extensive new volume on the literature of Wales, from its origins to the present day, features contributions from numerous Bangor University experts and will be officially launched at the Hay Festival on 24 May. The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature (Cambridge University Press, 2019) is described by the publisher as being the “biggest history of Welsh literature ever published” and is a chronological guide to fifteen centuries of Welsh literature and Welsh writing in English.

Publication date: 23 May 2019

New Bangor University and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai policing degree will go live from 2019/20

From September 2019, Bangor University in partnership with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai (GLLM) will offer an undergraduate degree in Professional Policing which is licensed by the College of Policing. This will introduce students to the skills required to work as a police officer and is building on the highly successful Foundation Degree in Policing that has been offered for some years by GLLM.

Publication date: 23 May 2019

Is there such thing as a ‘European identity’?

The outcome of the UK’s 2016 referendum on EU membership has sent shockwaves across Europe. Among other impacts, it has prompted debates around the issues whether a “European culture” or a “European identity” actually exist or whether national identities still dominate. This article by Nikolaos Papadogiannis , Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary History at the School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 22 May 2019

New research at Bangor University helps shed light on the possibility of past life on Venus

Whilst today Venus is a very inhospitable place, with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead, geological evidence, supported by computer model simulations, indicate it may have been much cooler billions of years ago and had an ocean, and so have been very similar to Earth.

Publication date: 22 May 2019

Mobile app helping chemotherapy patients stay safe during treatment at Ysbyty Gwynedd

Doctors at Ysbyty Gwynedd are testing a smart phone app as part of a clinical trial to help patients stay as safe as possible during their chemotherapy treatment. Patients who have been invited to take part in the ‘Keep Me Safe’ trial are using the app to help them take the right steps if any complications occur during their treatment.

Publication date: 20 May 2019

Bangor Students Start-ups Shine with Santander

Student entrepreneurs at Bangor University are now able to take advantage of enhanced support from Santander Universities as the University launches the Santander Enterprise Accelerator or SEA. SEA provides a unique opportunity for Bangor University students, and encourages those who are enterprising to use their skills and ambitions to start companies in the region.

Publication date: 20 May 2019

University Flag

The University Flag is being flown in tribute to the memory of Suzanne Rowlands, a member of staff in the Research, Innovation and Impact Office.

Publication date: 18 May 2019

Flexible and omnipresent Baboons could be at risk

Despite being so commonplace in some regions of Sub-Saharan Africa that baboons can be considered pests to some communities, new research shows that half the six species of baboons present in the region could be at risk by mid-century. A recent paper in the Journal of Biogeography reveals that baboons, most of which are in the ‘of Least Concern’ category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, could struggle for survival under future climate conditions.

Publication date: 16 May 2019

Responding to adverse childhood experiences - An evidence review

Public Health Wales’ Policy, Research and International Development directorate in conjunction with the Public Health Collaborating Unit at Bangor University, has produced a new report ‘ Responding to Adverse Childhood Experiences’ . The new report, developed by Dr Lisa Di Lemma, examines evidence across a variety of programmes responding to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The report looked at programmes and interventions for 11 individual ACE types, and ACEs as a collective term, to identify common approaches across programmes.

Publication date: 16 May 2019

Bangor University Appoints Vice-Chancellor

The Council of Bangor University has appointed Professor Iwan Davies FLSW as the University’s next Vice-Chancellor. He will become only the eighth Vice-Chancellor or Principal in the University’s 135 year history. Professor Davies is currently the Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Swansea University, and he is a leading authority on international commercial law with a particular interest in asset finance, IP and personal property law.

Publication date: 16 May 2019

Researching the kingfisher’s iconic hydrodynamic design

Renowned for their noiseless dive, the kingfisher’s iconic beak-shape has inspired the design of high speed bullet trains. Now scientists have tested beak-shape among some of the birds’ 114 species found world-wide, to assess which shape is the most hydrodynamic. Avian biologist, Dr Kristen Crandell and third year undergraduate student, Rowan Howe, of Bangor University, created 3d printed models of the beak shapes of several of the diving kingfisher species, at the University’s Pontio Innovation Centre.

Publication date: 15 May 2019

“Epic novel” reaches Wales Book of the Year 2019 Shortlist

A work described by one contemporary critic as an “epic novel...a river of a story that flows like life itself” has been placed on the shortlist for one of the Wales Book of the Year 2019 awards. Ynys Fadog by Professor Jerry Hunter, Pro Vice-chancellor and Professor at the School of Welsh and Celtic Studies , tells the story of a Welsh family attempting to create a better life for its members during a time of great upheaval in the still-new America. The 580-page novel sits alongside Llyfr Glas Nebo (Manon Steffan Ros) and Esgyrn (Heiddwen Tomos) in the Fiction category shortlist.

Publication date: 14 May 2019

Centre’s pioneering research helping to shape future strategy for ageing in Wales

A ground-breaking research centre – the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research - led by Swansea University, with Bangor and Cardiff Universities, is set to play a key role in shaping the future care of older people in Wales.

Publication date: 13 May 2019

Replanting oil palm may be driving a second wave of biodiversity loss

This article by Simon Willcock , Senior Lecturer in Environmental Geography, Bangor University and Adham Ashton-Butt , Post-doctoral Research Associate, University of Hull is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article . The environmental impact of palm oil production has been well publicised. Found in everything from food to cosmetics, the deforestation, ecosystem decline and biodiversity loss associated with its use is a serious cause for concern.

Publication date: 13 May 2019

University Flag

The University Flag is being flown in tribute to the memory of Professor Antony Carr, Emeritus Professor in the School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences.

Publication date: 11 May 2019

Health Board and Bangor University pledge to support nurse development to mark International Nurses Day 2019

Nurses and Midwives across North Wales will have better access to training and development opportunities as part of a year-long pledge by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Bangor University’s School of Health Sciences.

Publication date: 10 May 2019

Policy action called for to prevent gambling harm

Academics are calling for a radical overhaul of the UK gambling laws including a tax on the industry to prevent gambling harms and support those with gambling problems, in a paper published today (Thursday 9 May 2019). As gambling is increasingly being recognised as a public health issue, the academies say major investment is needed to alleviate the growing economic burden on society.

Publication date: 9 May 2019

Students from Bangor University share their films at Pontio Cinema

On Friday, 10 May 7pm Pontio Cinema and Bangor University’s Film Society will be hosting a public showcase screening of films produced by students, including work by students studying in Bangor University’s School of Music and Media and across the university as a whole.

Publication date: 9 May 2019

University Flag

The University Flag is being flown in tribute to the memory of Professor John Lewis, former Professor in the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

Publication date: 9 May 2019

Europe Day Flag Notice

Today (May 9) Bangor University is marking Europe Day in the traditional manner by flying the EU flag from the Main Arts Building.

Publication date: 9 May 2019

Game of Thrones: neither Arya Stark nor Brienne of Tarth are unusual — medieval romance heroines did it all before

Brienne of Tarth and Arya Stark are very unlike what some may expect of a typical medieval lady. The only daughter of a minor knight, Brienne has trained up as a warrior and has been knighted for her valour in the field of battle. Meanwhile Arya, a tomboyish teen when we first met her in series one, is a trained and hardened assassin. No damsels in distress, then – they’ve chosen to defy their society’s expectations and follow their own paths. This article by Raluca Radulescu , Professor of Medieval Literature and English Literature at the School of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 8 May 2019

Bangor University Celebrates Europe Day 2019

On 9 May, the University, along with many establishments across the UK and Europe, will mark Europe Day with a number of events and activities. The European Union celebrates this day to mark the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration of 1950, considered to be the first official step in the creation of the European Union as it is today.

Publication date: 8 May 2019

Llew Rees Memorial Prize 2019

The University has awarded its annual award for sporting achievement, the Llew Rees Memorial Prize, to Theo Schoebel, for an exceptional year of domestic and international Karate successes.

Publication date: 7 May 2019

Employability Celebration Event 2019

An annual Employability Celebration event was held in Pontio on Tuesday, 30 th April to congratulate and showcase Bangor University students who have taken part in the Bangor Employability Award and University internship schemes, and demonstrated exceptional commitment to developing their employability through extra-curricular activities whilst at University.

Publication date: 3 May 2019

The Future of VR Technology

Bangor University Lecturer Dr Llŷr ap Cenydd has been Talking About the Future of VR Technology as Oculus, owned by Facebook is set to launch their new Oculus Quest headset.

Publication date: 3 May 2019

Cardiff-Bangor collaboration brings medical training to North Wales

Medical students will be able to complete all of their medical training in North Wales for the first time as part of a new initiative between Cardiff University and Bangor University. The collaboration will enable Cardiff University’s highly successful MBBCh Medicine programme (C21) to be delivered through the School of Medical Sciences at Bangor University.

Publication date: 2 May 2019