Latest News

Super-lenses made from spider webs and laser-based advanced manufacturing to be discussed in public seminar.

Super-lenses made from spider webs and laser-based advanced manufacturing are just two of the topics being discussed by world-class Bangor University academics in an upcoming public seminar.

Publication date: 10 July 2020

Post-Covid shift away from global supply chains could boost North Wales economy

A backlash against globalisation in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis can kick-start North Wales’s powerful manufacturing sector with a boom in cutting edge technologies like 3D printing boosting the recovery, according to a top expert.

Bangor University economics lecturer Dr Edward Jones, predicts more businesses and governments will want to have their supplies closer to home as they emerge from months of unprecedented lockdown.

Publication date: 9 July 2020

How animals are coping with the global ‘weirding’ of the Earth’s seasons

This article by Dr Line Cordes, Lecturer in Marine Biology, School of Ocean Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The UK’s weather did a somersault  in the first half of 2020, as the wettest February on record gave way to the sunniest spring. Climate change has warped the environmental conditions that might be considered normal, creating progressively weirder seasons that cause havoc for society. Longer, drier summers increase the risk of crop failure and fires, floods engulf homes, and less winter snowfall and earlier thaws threaten freshwater supplies.

Publication date: 9 July 2020

Bangor University’s Clubs & Societies placed second in WhatUni.com awards 2020

Bangor University has been awarded second place in the ‘Societies & Sport’ category of this year’s Whatuni Student Choice Awards. The University also came in the top four in the Giving Back category. 

Publication date: 8 July 2020

Forest Research wins funding for collaborative research into oak tree health

A pioneering new project to investigate the health of our British oak trees has been the go-ahead thanks to almost £2 million investment from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Defra and Scottish Government.

The project, named ‘BAC-STOP’ (Bacteria: Advancement of Control and Knowledge to Save Threatened Oak and Protect them for Future Generations’), will focus on Acute Oak Decline (AOD) - an emerging complex disease in which bacteria cause stem lesions on native species of British oak.

Publication date: 8 July 2020

Solving mysteries with Leverhulme Research Grants

Three awards to Bangor University will enable scientists to solve some of the unanswered mysteries of science and record one of the earth’s most diverse ecosystems.

Publication date: 7 July 2020

Cyfri’r Cewri: Wales’ mathematicians

Professor Gareth Roberts who is well-known for his Welsh language work to popularise mathematics, and who is a former Pro Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University has a new book published.

The book builds on Llewelyn Gwyn Chambers’ work Mathemategwyr Cymru (Cardiff, 1994). Previously a Reader in the Department of Mathematics at Bangor, he set out the history of some 70 Welsh mathematicians.

Publication date: 7 July 2020

The impact of climate change on marmot survival differs between seasons

Many animals have evolved life cycles and strategies (patterns of survival and reproduction) in line with predictable seasonal variation in environmental conditions. Short and mild summers produce bursts of vegetation and food, the perfect time to give birth to young. Long, harsh winters when food is scarce have shaped animals to largely depend on fat reserves for energy, and in extreme cases, to hibernate or migrate.

However, climate change is altering these seasonal conditions to which many species are adapted. Temperatures are increasing, winter snowfall is declining, snow is melting earlier, summers are extending, and the frequency of extreme events (e.g., droughts, floods) are on the rise.

Publication date: 7 July 2020

Academics and cartoonist bring Sociology to life in the Welsh language

Two academics from Bangor University have collaborated with the cartoonist Huw Aaron to present the important field of Sociology in a fun and memorable way in Welsh

Publication date: 6 July 2020

Bangor researchers’ work informs Lords report warning of ‘pandemic of misinformation’ in democracy

The advice of two researchers at Bangor University has informed a report into democracy and digital technologies by a House of Lords committee.

Publication date: 3 July 2020

Bangor and Santander Universities offer support through Enterprise Support Allowance during COVID crisis

Bangor University and Santander Universities are supporting student and graduates with their businesses and new ventures through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Publication date: 3 July 2020

Work begins on UK system for estimating COVID-19 cases from wastewater

Scientists will develop a standardised UK-wide system for detecting coronavirus in wastewater, in order to provide an early warning of future outbreaks and reduce reliance on costly testing of large populations.

The majority of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease - are believed to shed the virus in their faeces, even if they are asymptomatic, so sewage surveillance is widely seen as a promising way of identifying future disease hotspots.

Publication date: 2 July 2020

Three from Bangor University shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year Awards

Creative writing is in full flow at Bangor University as two creative writing Lecturers have been included in this year’s English language Wales Book of the Year shortlist, and a Journalism Lecturer is shortlisted in the Welsh language Llyfr y Flwyddynshortlists, announced on I July 2020.

Publication date: 1 July 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

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

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

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

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