News: October 2016

Hitachi-GE, Imperial and Bangor University developing UK and Welsh BWR expertise

Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd. (Hitachi-GE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Imperial College London and Bangor University, enhancing its commitment to support Welsh and British expertise.

Publication date: 31 October 2016

Minister breaks ground for ground-breaking development

Menai Science Park (M-SParc) took a leap forward in the construction of Wales’ first dedicated Science Park this week, with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Minister Ken Skates attending the site on Anglesey to break the ground.

Publication date: 31 October 2016

Bangor Professor appointed to UK Research Council’s Science Board

Professor David Thomas, Head of the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University, has been appointed to the Science Board of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the UK's largest funder of independent environmental science, training and innovation, delivered through universities and research centres.

Publication date: 27 October 2016

Bangor University Research Excellence Awards 2016

Bangor University is to highlight and celebrate the high standard of research at the University in a new Research Excellence Awards event to be held for the first time this December, and has just announced the Awards Shortlists.

The inaugural Awards will shine a spotlight on some of the University’s outstanding research teams and individuals.

The winners will be announced at an Awards dinner in Pontio on 5th December 2016.

Publication date: 26 October 2016

Potential 'hot-spots' for sea ice melting identified in the Arctic Ocean

The Arctic region is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the planet. This rapid temperature increase has caused record-breaking seasonal retreat in Arctic Ocean sea ice in recent years. The latest minimum recorded was set in September 2012, while the sea ice cover in September 2016 tied with 2007 for the second lowest extent ever recorded. And it’s not just coverage that’s the problem, sea ice is also thinning, with a current average thickness of 3.2m in the Central Arctic.

Publication date: 26 October 2016

Can Kiefer Sutherland be US president, please?

This article by Gregory Frame, Lecturer in Film Studies Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

To many, the 2016 campaign for the US presidency has been dispiriting and miserable, featuring the two most unpopular candidates in history. Thanks to the fascistic buffoonery of Donald Trump, it has been characterised by a tone that has swung wildly from facetious to obnoxious to disgraceful and back again.

Publication date: 24 October 2016

Child migrants taken to Britain: now they need support and psychological care

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

Hundreds of unaccompanied child asylum seekers are being taken to Britain, moved from a camp in Calais, northern France, as its closure begins. There were 387 unaccompanied minors in the French refugee camp known as “the Jungle” with links to the UK and they are arriving in England in groups of 70.

Publication date: 24 October 2016

Pharmaceutical companies are profiting from rare diseases

Incentives intended to stimulate the development of more treatments for rare diseases are being exploited to boost the profits of pharmaceutical companies, new research led by Bangor University shows.

Publication date: 22 October 2016

Could wild mangoes solve the world's chocolate crisis?

This Article by Sayma Akhter, Bangor University; Morag McDonald, Bangor University, and Ray Marriott,Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Theobroma, the genus to which cacao, or “cocoa” as we know it, belongs, translates from the Latin as “food of the gods”. Ask any serious chocoholic and they would agree that this is an apt name to be used in relation to the sweet treat that many worldwide enjoy.

Publication date: 21 October 2016

New study aims to give children with autism the best start in life

A ground-breaking new study has been launched understand how to support families affected by autism as soon as they receive their diagnosis.

The trial funded by autism research charity Autistica, will test whether offering the Incredible Years® parent supporting programme to families very soon after their child is diagnosed can result in long-term benefits.

Publication date: 20 October 2016

Professor John Turner, New Dean of Postgraduate Research

Professor Turner has been appointed to a newly created post at Bangor University, that of Dean of Postgraduate Research.

In this key role that is set to support and develop the University’s already vibrant postgraduate research community, Prof Turner will lead the Doctoral School. The Doctoral School aims to provide high quality standards of training and support, ensure an excellent postgraduate student experience, attract new funding initiatives, and increase the number of postgraduate students at Bangor University.

Publication date: 20 October 2016

BEACON Wales is co-founder of new alliance launched to support the growth of the UK bioeconomy

Bangor University is delighted to be part of a new UK alliance – BioPilotsUK, launched to support the growth of the UK bioeconomy.

The University’s BioComposites Centre is a partner in the award-winning BEACON Wales project, itself one of five established R&D centres across the UK coming together to form the new alliance. This alliance will seek to position Britain as a global leader in biorefining technology development and bio-based product manufacture – two key elements of the bioeconomy.

Publication date: 18 October 2016

Dr Koen Bartels leads knowledge exchange visit to Amsterdam

Dr Koen Bartels, Lecturer in Management Studies, recently led a knowledge exchange visit by members of Tree House Liverpool CIC to City District Amsterdam-West in the Netherlands.

Publication date: 18 October 2016

ESRC Impact Acceleration Account grants awarded to College academics

The Director of Research is delighted to announce the success of several colleagues across the College of Business, Law, Education and Social Sciences who have secured ESRC Impact Acceleration Account grants.

Publication date: 18 October 2016

I bet you wish this story was NOT about you: cheating in sport

What drives professional sportspeople to break the rules of their sport in the hope that they won’t get caught – and in the hope that it will bring glory to them and their team?

It’s all down to character type, according to researchers at Bangor University’s Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP).

Publication date: 16 October 2016

Saving millions by giving babies in Wales the best start in life

Investing in programmes and services promoting the best start in life for our infants and children could deliver financial savings over the short and long term in Wales.

So argue health economists at the Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME) at Bangor University in their report “Transforming Young Lives – The Economic Argument for Investing in Early Years” launched today (13th October 2016). CHEME is part of the University’s School of Healthcare Sciences and contributes to the Bangor Institute for Health & Medical Research (BIHMR) which brings together health research across the University.

Publication date: 13 October 2016

Cutting-edge Bangor University Spin-Out company opened by Minister

Julie James, Minister for Skills and Science officially opened Suprex, a cutting-edge technology company and joint venture between Bangor University and Phytovation Ltd recently (Monday 10th October).

Publication date: 11 October 2016

Ffordd Pawb/ Coherent Connections- an innovative project comes to Bangor

Psychology students at Bangor University are getting involved in an innovative international project which could provide creative new solutions for complex modern problems faced in Bangor, as well as by other communities.

Publication date: 11 October 2016

USA Presidential Elections Outlook

Academics from Bangor Business School and Bangor Law School have written a series of articles on the forthcoming USA presidential elections. Click on a link to read the article in full.

Publication date: 11 October 2016

Blue Sky Charity Funding Awarded to Dr Aamer Sandoo

Dr Aamer Sandoo (Lecturer in Cardiovascular Physiology, SSHES)  was recently awarded £68,000 by the Blue Sky (Awyr Las) Charity to examine the effects of dietary nitrate supplements for lowering heart disease risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The project is in collaboration with Dr Jonathan Moore and clinicians from BCUHB. 

Publication date: 10 October 2016

Medical Sciences PhD student awarded Excellence Achievement Award by the Saudi Arabian Ambassador

Othman Alzahrani, a 3rd year PhD in Molecular Biology and Genetics was one of just 78 (of the 15000 Saudi students in the UK) to be awarded an Excellence Achievement Award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In recognition of this distinction Othman’s name will be engraved on the roll of honour board in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in London. The award ceremony was held at the Saudi Embassy in London recently and Othman is pictured here receiving his certificate from HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the Saudi Ambassador to the UK. 

Publication date: 10 October 2016

Work on novel proteins has potential to suppress cancerous tumour formation

Dr Chris Staples, of Bangor’s North West Cancer Research Institute in the School of Medical Sciences has recently published an article in the prestigious scientific journal “Cell Reports” on the identification of a novel potential tumour suppressor. Chris is working on several novel proteins, which prevent accumulation of DNA damage in human cells, and thus potentially suppress tumour formation with exciting implications for developing new and effective treatments.

Publication date: 10 October 2016

Digital platforms offer the Welsh language a new medium

New digital platforms which we use frequently these days, offer an opportunity for the Welsh language to play a wider role in everyday life.

Researchers at Bangor University are interested to find out how people use the language within digital platforms, and are therefore carrying out two surveys that are available to the public.

Publication date: 5 October 2016

What Theresa May could learn from Ted Heath about how to respond to a humanitarian crisis

In the first seven months of 2016 more than 3,000 people died seeking asylum in Europe and refugees are still seeking sanctuary from war-torn countries such as Libya, Syria and Iraq.

This article by Peter Shapely, Reader and Head of History, Welsh History and Archaeology, Bangor University and Marc David Collinson, PhD researcher in History Bangor University appears in The Conversation, read the original article.

Publication date: 4 October 2016

Community-led marine reserve sees lobsters thrive

The first and only fully-protected marine reserve in Scotland is proving highly beneficial for marine conservation and fisheries, with lobsters more than doubling in numbers and increasing in size.

Conducting potting surveys over four years in Lamlash Bay, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, scientists from the Universities of York and Bangor monitored populations of European lobster (Homarus gammarus), brown crab (Cancer pagurus) and velvet swimming crabs (Necora puber).

Publication date: 3 October 2016