News Archive: May 2015

Bangor student Elis wins the Urdd National Chair

Elis Dafydd, a Bangor University student, is the winner of the 2015 Caerphilly and District Urdd National Eisteddfod chair.

Publication date: 29 May 2015

Mad Moses: beneath Max’s desert rampage is a classic Jewish odyssey

Originally published on The Conversation by Professor Nathan Abrams, School of Creative Studies and Media. Read the original article. 

What if Mad Max were Jewish? So asks Neil Pollack in American Jewish magazine The Forward. Certainly, on the surface, there is probably nothing more obviously gentile than a film set in post-apocalyptic Australia, featuring a series of war-mongers in souped-up cars, jeeps, trucks, rigs, motorbikes and so on, and in which no one ever seems to eat.

Publication date: 29 May 2015

Kafka is the real ghost of Kubrick’s The Shining

Originally published on The Conversation by Professor Nathan Abrams, School of Creative Studies and Media. Read the original article. 

Publication date: 28 May 2015

Signposts for improving cancer survival rates in Wales

The findings of a new in-depth study of cancer could pin-point ways to improve cancer survival rates in Wales.
The results of the latest International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP) study revealed today in the BMJ Open is the first to show that GP’s readiness to investigate for cancer – either directly or by referral to secondary care – correlates with cancer survival. In addition, the survey reveals that GPs in the UK and within Wales, were less likely in an on line survey using examples of clinical cases, to refer or investigate patients with possible cancer symptoms when they first present, compared with the other countries in the study: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Publication date: 28 May 2015

Beer, Bread and Better Health

Soapbox Science Swansea 6.6.15

There is apparently a connection between, beer, bread and better health- and that connection is yeast.

Jessica Fletcher, a scientist from Bangor University, will be explaining to the public what that connection is in aSoapbox Science’ event at Swansea University on Saturday 6 June.

Publication date: 27 May 2015

Côr Glanaethwy through to the final of Britain’s Got Talent

Congratulations to Côr Glanaethwy on topping the public vote on Monday night's live semi final of Britain’s Got Talent. Following their success, the 160-strong choir will compete in the final of the ITV talent programme on Sunday evening.

Publication date: 27 May 2015

Drama Medal at the Urdd National Eisteddfod

Congratulations to School of Welsh graduate, Ffion Haf Williams, who won the Drama Medal at the Caerphilly and District Urdd National Eisteddfod 2015 for a play that she wrote during her third year at Bangor as part of her Scripting module.

Publication date: 27 May 2015

Funding boost for the National Centre for Population Health & Wellbeing Research

Bangor, Swansea and Cardiff Universities have recently won £2,249,927 funding from Health and Care Research Wales (formerly NISCHR) to lead the National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research (NCPHWR), an all Wales Research Centre.

Publication date: 27 May 2015

Further evidence of Bangor University’s increasing popularity

Bangor University achieved the second-highest improvement in overall rankings of UK universities in the results of the 2016 Guardian University Guide league tables, which are published today (Tuesday 26 May) by The Guardian.

Publication date: 26 May 2015

Early Christian Irish and Scots ‘first-footers’ in Iceland

The first Icelandic inhabitants were not Vikings or Scandinavians, but early Irish or Scottish people, newly published archaeological work reveals. The Icelandic people have long had an interest in the early settlers who founded their nation, one of youngest islands to be inhabited worldwide, and have held that their forbearers, the island’s first inhabitants, were Vikings.

An article "Viking beaters: Scots and Irish may have settled Iceland a century before Norsemen" has been published on The Conversation (23/05/15). It was written by Kristjan Ahronson. 

Publication date: 25 May 2015

Extreme athletes gain control through fear, and sometimes pay the price

Originally published on The Conversation by Tim Woodman, Professor and Head of the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Bangor University, Lew Hardy, Emeritus Professor, Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance at Bangor University and Matthew Barlow, Post-Doc Researcher in Sport Psychology at Bangor University. Read the original article.

Publication date: 22 May 2015

No, the rise of the emoji doesn’t spell the end of language

Originally published on The Conversation by Professor Vyv Evans, School of Linguistics and English Language. Read the original article.

The emoji has become one of the fastest growing forms of communication in history. But those who are worried that its growth could see the death of written language are wrong – emojis are being used to enhance, rather than replace words in our digital communications.

Publication date: 22 May 2015

Paralysed patient makes natural movements using robotics and the power of thought

Originally published on The Conversation by Ken Valyear, Lecturer in cognitive neuroscience at the School of Psychology. Read the original article. Erik Sorto, 34, has been paralysed from the neck down for the past 13 years. However, thanks to a ground-breaking clinical trial, he has been able to smoothly drink a bottle of beer using a robotic arm controlled with his mind. He is the first patient to have had a neural prosthetic device implanted in a region of the brain thought to control intentions. The technology created surprisingly natural movements and has the potential to work for multiple robotic limbs.

Publication date: 22 May 2015

Raising a glass to the holidays

Asking people about what they drink on holidays and other special occasions shows we drink around the equivalent of 12 million more bottles of wine a week than we previously thought in England. Previous surveys on alcohol consumption have not accounted for all the alcohol that is sold. Research, funded by Alcohol Research UK and published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, appears to have found many of these ‘missing units’.

Also published today, an article "England's missing booze: 12 million more bottles drunk per week than previously thought" has been published on The Conversation. It was written by Christine Griffin at University of Bath and Mark Bellis at Bangor University

Publication date: 22 May 2015

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: 21 May 2015

Student Led Teaching Awards 2015

The Student Led Teaching Awards returned bigger than ever for its 4th annual ceremony, along with the much anticipated Course Representative awards

Publication date: 21 May 2015

A tale of two nations: why the Scottish nationalists outperformed Plaid Cymru

Originally published on The Conversation by Dr Mari Wiliam, Lecturer in Modern and Welsh History and Dr Andrew Edwards, Dean of Arts and Humanities and Senior Lecturer in Modern History. Read the original article.

Imagine the post-apocalyptic scenario, where the Welsh rugby team is thrashed 56-3 by Scotland. Amidst the doomsday spectre of an empty Millennium Stadium would be calls for the coach to be sacked, the team dismantled and the tactics radically overhauled.

Publication date: 19 May 2015

Emoji 'fastest growing new language'

A Bangor University professor has teamed up with mobile giant TalkTalk to launch a new national PR campaign to help understand emojis – the picture based language.

Publication date: 19 May 2015

Will you vote for the Ugly Food Shop?

Did you buy some ‘Ugly Food’ at a ‘popup shop in Bangor recently? Did you think it was a great business idea?

Publication date: 19 May 2015

Bangor University Students get ready for Medieval Weekend

Join King Arthur and his knights for a fun-filled weekend of fighting, feasting, theatre, music and adventure! Beaumaris Castle and Bangor University student societies come together once again to provide medieval entertainment, including live theatre, archery displays, medieval combat, folk music, and an exciting plot throughout the weekend of 6 and 7 June.

Publication date: 18 May 2015

Menai Science Park makes planning progress

Bangor University is delighted that Menai Science Park Ltd has received outline planning approval from Anglesey Council for the bespoke M-SParc development.

Publication date: 18 May 2015

Prestigious British Academy Award for Bangor Lecturer

Dr Helena Miguélez-Carballeira, from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, has been awarded almost £90,000 to embark on a project that would make a case for studying contemporary Spanish culture and politics from a postcolonial perspective.

Publication date: 18 May 2015

Bangor helps to beat the bullies

Researchers in the Centre for Evidence-based Intervention (CEBEI), part of the School of Psychology, were the first in the UK to examine the effectiveness of the KiVa anti-bully programme that originated in Finland

Publication date: 15 May 2015

Bangor University shares honours during Graduation Week

It’s going to be a rock and roll themed affair at Bangor University’s Graduation Ceremonies this year, as the University awards musician Gruff Rhys and Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens.

They are among the individuals who will be receiving Honorary Fellowships during the University’s annual graduation ceremonies (11-17 July 2015).

Publication date: 15 May 2015

Bangor University and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics sign up to future collaborations

Bangor University and Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding which will enable both organisations to work more closely together in future years. 

Publication date: 14 May 2015

Major construction milestone progresses on multi-million pound student village development

The £38m St Mary’s Halls Student Accommodation development for Bangor University has recently passed a crucial milestone with the project team from VINCI achieving its highest point of construction with completion of the last of the steel frame and roof on the numerous new buildings on the development.

Publication date: 14 May 2015

The world's most expensive painting is too sexually explicit for Fox news

Originally published on The Conversation by Andrew Smith,Subject Leader for Fine Art at. Read the original article.

If Pablo Picasso were still with us he’d be doubly proud – one of his pieces has sold for the highest price ever achieved for a painting: US$179m for his Women of Algiers. Not only that, but he would no doubt take pride his work prompted an art critic to label Fox news as “sexually sick” after they blurred out the breasts in the cubist masterpiece in their coverage of the sale

Publication date: 14 May 2015

Bangor students forging links with local businesses

Students at Bangor University are benefiting from the University’s links with local businesses. Outdoor tourism company, Celticos, based in the Felinheli has been working closely with staff and students to provide multilingual content for its website as well as employing students to enable the company to provide tailor made packages for tourists.

Publication date: 13 May 2015

Bangor University Peer Support Volunteer of the Year 2015 Awarded

When mention was made that the Peer Guide to receive the Peer Support Volunteer of the Years 2015 had texted her students to see if they were making progress with accommodation arrangements for next year, student Hannah Lee began to suspect that her name was about to be called out to receive Bangor University’s annual Award.

Publication date: 12 May 2015

Bangor University student film nominated for RTS Student TV Award

A short film created by an alumnus and current student at Bangor University’s School of Creative Studies and Media has been nominated for a Royal Television Society 2014 Student Television Award in the Postgraduate Drama category.

Publication date: 12 May 2015

HPC Wales to lead European HPC network

High Performance Computing (HPC) Wales, with support from Bangor University, has been awarded a grant by the European Commission under the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme to lead Europe’s Network of HPC Competency Centres for SMEs.

The unique Network will promote access to computational facilities, pool expertise and resources across Europe and share best practice in HPC industrial use, raising awareness of the benefits of HPC and contributing to the implementation of the European HPC Strategy.

Publication date: 12 May 2015

Successful workshop on careers in the Nuclear industry

Over 70 students from a range of disciplines including engineering, chemistry, environmental science, business, law, psychology and geography came together at a workshop held recently at Bangor University to learn about careers in the nuclear industry. The workshop was held in partnership with Horizon Nuclear Power, National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN), and the Nuclear Graduates Programme.  

Publication date: 12 May 2015

Bangor University Students Demonstrating Excellent Employability

The annual Employability Celebration evening was held recently to congratulate and showcase Bangor University students who have taken part in the Bangor Employability Award and demonstrated exceptional commitment to developing their employability through extra- and co-curricular activities whilst at University.

Publication date: 8 May 2015

Prestigious Poetry nomination for Bangor Professor

A Bangor University poet and academic has been nominated for one of the most prestigious and high-profile posts in the poetry world.

Publication date: 6 May 2015

Global decline of large herbivores may lead to an “empty landscape,” scientists say

The decline of the world’s large herbivores, especially in Africa and parts of Asia, is raising the specter of an “empty landscape” in some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Many populations of animals such as rhinoceroses, zebras, camels, elephants and tapirs are diminishing or threatened with extinction in grasslands, savannahs, deserts and forests, scientists say.

Publication date: 2 May 2015

Archive of the month

Publication date: 1 May 2015

It may be a medieval morality play about death – but Everyman works

This article by Sue Niebrzydowski, of the School of English Literature, was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. 

I think it’s safe to say that the word “morality” doesn’t exactly call to mind the most enticing entertainment. Yet a morality play has just opened at London’s National Theatre with Chiwetel Ejiofor, star of 12 Years a Slave, in the title role. The label doesn’t lie – the purpose of this pre-Shakespearean drama is indeed moral instruction. We’re supposed to leave having learnt something for the good of our soul

Publication date: 1 May 2015

Jerry Hunter’s book shortlisted for Book of the Year

A book by a Professor from Bangor University’s School of Welsh has been shortlisted for the Welsh Book of the Year 2015.

Publication date: 1 May 2015