News Archive: June 2020

Instagram used to test geographers’ knowledge

Lecturers from Bangor University are using Instagram to host a series of public Geography-related quizzes. Now the group is opening up their regular Geography quiz session to prospective students and the general public, after seeing a surge in interest for them.

Publication date: 29 June 2020

Don’t disturb the sleeping oystercatchers

Zoologists from Bangor University have shown how human activity could be disturbing oystercatchers, a near-threatened British bird. Published in the Journal of Zoology , the research studied to what extent these birds have their sleep disturbed by walkers and their dogs, and by more distant noises from passing boats, and what effect this might be having on both their need for sleep and their alertness to any threats.

Publication date: 29 June 2020

How is ‘lock-down’ affecting our use of green-spaces?

We know that access to green spaces and to nature can affect our mood and even our mental health and well-being. The on-going ‘lock-down’ restrictions have changed that access. What effect will this have on our wellbeing? And what can this tell us about the importance of such access and the experiences of different socio-economic groups? Bangor University’s School of Natural Sciences have been awarded funding from the UK’s Economic and Society Research Council to answer some of these questions.

Publication date: 26 June 2020

Noisy humans make birds sleep with one eye open – but lockdown offered a reprieve

Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for your well-being, as any new parent will tell you. Chronic sleep loss can have a range of effects on the body, from impaired memory to an increased risk of heart attack . But it’s not just humans that need regular sleep. Most animals, from insects to primates, undergo a state of reduced awareness at some point in their day that we can think of as sleep . This article by Graeme Shannon , Lecturer in Zoology, School of Natural Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 25 June 2020

Artificial night sky poses serious threat to coastal species

The artificial lighting which lines the world’s coastlines could be having a significant impact on species that rely on the moon and stars to find food, new research suggests. Creatures such as the sand hopper (Talitrus saltator) orientate their nightly migrations based on the moon’s position and brightness of the natural night sky.

Publication date: 23 June 2020

School announces free learning activities around rainbows and colours

The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering announces a new programme of activities around rainbows and colour, to encourage school children to keen learning.

Publication date: 22 June 2020

Pilot programme to measure coronavirus prevalence in waste water treatment plants

A pilot programme which will flag early signs of the coronavirus in Welsh communities by monitoring sewage systems, has been awarded almost half a million pounds - the Health Minister Vaughan Gething has confirmed. The frequent monitoring of coronavirus levels at waste water treatment plants can offer a signal of the infection rate in the community and provide early sign that coronavirus is present.

Publication date: 20 June 2020

Masters of Education to be delivered in Singapore

In a new collaboration, Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) and the School of Education and Human Development at Bangor University have created a new Master's in Education programme.

Publication date: 19 June 2020

Enhancing spatial ability to help close the gender gap in STEM

Bangor University is to contribute expertise to a new Europe-wide project to improve children’s spatial abilities, with the aim to help close the gender gap in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM). Pupils with high levels of spatial ability are much more likely to succeed in STEM subjects, enjoy doing them and select them for further education and careers compared to those with low spatial ability.

Publication date: 18 June 2020

Enterprise By Design Goes Digital and Thrives Through Trying Times

Bangor University’s multidisciplinary programme, Enterprise by Design , looked a little different this year. The challenge brings students together from seven Schools and subject areas within the University to work together in teams over a 10-week period. This year the students responded to real world briefs set by partner businesses, Anglesey based sea salt company Halen Môn and climbing gear manufacturer DMM, based in Llanberis.

Publication date: 18 June 2020

S4C repeats documentary about American slavery and the Welsh

Tomorrow night (Thursday 18 June) S4C is re-showing America Gaeth a'r Cymry (22.00 English subtitles) a documentary about the Welsh in America and their relationship with slavery, to coincide with the current events of the Black Lives Matter movement. In the three-part series, Professor Jerry Hunter of the School of Welsh and Celtic Studies researches the history of the Welsh in slavery in the USA.

Publication date: 17 June 2020

Scholarship worth £1500 available for everyone studying part of their university course through the medium of Welsh.

Bangor University has welcomed the announcement that all students starting university in September and studying at least 40 credits through the medium of Welsh, will receive a scholarship of £1,500 over three years.

Publication date: 16 June 2020

Researchers present at the virtual Eurographics and EuroVis conference

Researchers at the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering from Visualisation Data Modelling and Graphics group presented their research online as the Eurographics and EuroVis conferences went virtual.

Publication date: 16 June 2020

Undergraduate research published in a scientific journal

James Edwards has seen his final year dissertation work at Bangor University published in Acupuncture in Medicine . James, now 23 and studying dentistry, researched the effectiveness of acupuncture for nerve pain in the face. He compared treatment outcomes for acupuncture against drug therapy and surgery.

Publication date: 10 June 2020

Coronavirus: wastewater can tell us where the next outbreak will be

Fairly early in the COVID-19 outbreak, scientists discovered that the virus that causes the disease – SARS-CoV-2 – is shed in faeces . But unlike the virus found in mucus and spit, the bits of virus found in faecal matter are no longer infectious, having lost their protective outer layer. They are merely bits of RNA – the virus’s genetic material. But these bits of RNA are very useful because they allow us to track outbreaks through the wastewater system. This article By Prof Davey Jones of the School of Natural Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 9 June 2020

Bangor University experts on a mission to provide hay fever relief for millions

Researchers from North Wales are studying the DNA of pollen to provide new hope for millions of hay fever sufferers across the UK

Publication date: 9 June 2020

Brexit reveals new findings on minorities & mental health

Being part of a minority group, whose identity is important to you, could negatively affect your mental health. That’s the conclusion of a piece of research offered up by the Brexit referendum and published in the journal Social Science and Medicine. ( Mental health consequences of minority political positions: The case of Brexit )

Publication date: 8 June 2020

Virtual Summer Start-up Week launched to help students become real-world entrepreneurs

Fifty three entrepreneurial students from Bangor have won places on a free online Summer Start-Up week to help get their business ideas off the ground. The unique Summer Start-Up Week, beginning on Monday 8th June, offers five days of inspiration, learning and networking to nearly 500 students, to turn ideas into businesses, social enterprises and freelancing careers.

Publication date: 8 June 2020

Coming of age in 2020 – the summer without exams or school proms

The transition from childhood to adulthood is marked by humans in a wide variety of ways across the world. Many of these “coming of age” celebrations are held at puberty. For instance, the filing of front teeth in Bali is said to ease the “sad ripu” or six evils of lust, greed, wrath, pride, jealousy and intoxication. In contrast, the Jewish bar mitzvah marks the point at which children are deemed to be responsible for their own actions. This article by Isabelle Catherine Winder , School of Natural Sciences and Gwyndaf Roberts , and Vivien Shaw , School of Medical Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

Publication date: 8 June 2020

Message from the University

All of us at Bangor University have been shocked and saddened by the horrific incident that led to the death of George Floyd, and the deeply disturbing events that followed. Social justice, equality, inclusion and respect are all values which we hold dear at Bangor. We are proud to be a community which welcomes people of all backgrounds and persuasions, and together with our Students’ Union, we have developed a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of racism, hate crime and harassment.

Publication date: 5 June 2020

Bangor University prepares for September

Staff at Bangor University are currently preparing for the new academic year in September, despite the uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The University has now confirmed to all its students, new and returning, that it plans for the campus to be open in September. Because of the likely need to have social distancing measures in place, the University is currently planning on combining on campus face-to-face teaching with online teaching. University student accommodation will also be open.

Publication date: 5 June 2020

A green university choice

With many young people wanting to reduce their environmental footprint, students looking for a ‘green’ university can be assured that if they choose Bangor, they will be studying at a university which is word-leading for its commitment to recycling and sustainability . Not only was the University recently placed 7th in the world for recycling and sustainability, measured against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the north Wales institution is also ranked 10th in the world for its green credentials according to the Green Metric World University Rankings .

Publication date: 5 June 2020

A new research centre to study the growing problem of plastic waste

A new research Centre has been established at Bangor Universty to study the growing problem of plastic waste. The Plastic Research Centre of Wales (PRC Wales) is the first of its kind in the country and brings together a wide variety of academics, students, organisations and industries.

Publication date: 4 June 2020

New insight into cancer drug resistance mechanism

Research from the laboratory of Dr. Edgar Hartsuiker at the Bangor North West Cancer Research Institute , School of Medical Sciences , has been published in the latest issue (29 May) of the high-ranking journal Science Advances . Many cancer drugs kill cancer cells by inhibiting the replication of their genetic material, the DNA. One of these drugs is Gemcitabine, used to treat, among others, pancreatic, bladder and lung cancer. Gemcitabine mimics one of the building blocks of DNA, the nucleoside deoxycytidine, and competes with it for integration into cancer cell DNA. Once integrated, it inhibits DNA replication and thus division of the cancer cell.

Publication date: 3 June 2020