Latest University News

Emotions: how humans regulate them and why some people can't

Take the following scenario. You are nearing the end of a busy day at work, when a comment from your boss diminishes what’s left of your dwindling patience. You turn, red-faced, towards the source of your indignation. It is then that you stop, reflect, and choose not to voice your displeasure. After all, the shift is nearly over.

This may not be the most exciting plot, but it shows how we as humans can regulate our emotions.

This article by Leanne Rowlands, PhD Researcher in Neuropsychology, at the School of Psychology is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 19 October 2018

Scientists can now predict coral feeding habits from space

New research has revealed that tropical corals living in more productive waters take advantage of the increased food availability and that these feeding habits can be predicted from satellites orbiting our planet.

Publication date: 18 October 2018

Bangor University hosts Music Masterclasses in China

Iwan Llewelyn Jones, an academic from the School of Music and Media, Bangor University will be visiting China later this month to perform and host masterclasses for music students in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Publication date: 17 October 2018

Quantum Theory and Medieval Welsh Legends at Harvard

This month, Dr Aled Llion Jones from Bangor University's School of Welsh delivered the keynote lecture at the Harvard Celtic Colloquium. The prestigious annual gathering draws scholars of Celtic Studies from across the US and Europe.

Publication date: 17 October 2018

Celebrating the successes of the Welsh Language Skills Certificate’s latest recipients

As part of the Shwmae Su'mae Week celebrations here at Bangor University, an event will be held to celebrate the work of Bangor Branch students from the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. It will serve as an opportunity to showcase those students who have successfully obtained the Language Skills Certificate this year. Some of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s Ambassadors who are studying at Bangor will also be there.

Publication date: 16 October 2018

Opening of new Bangor University biotechnology research centre

A research centre that will discover new enzymes with the potential to transform the efficiency of biotechnology industries has just been opened in the presence of research scientists from across Europe, industry representatives and officials from the Welsh Government.

Publication date: 16 October 2018

Welsh learners presented with their certificates on Shwmae Su’mae Day

A number of University staff who have been undertaking Welsh language courses have received certificates for their efforts today as part of Shwmae Su'mae Day, a day that promotes the use of Welsh by encouraging everyone to start chatting with simple greetings in the language.

Publication date: 15 October 2018

Another Award for Bangor University’s Student Accommodation

Bangor University’s student accommodation has been awarded ‘Best Student Halls’ by a major source of information for prospective students.

Student Crowd (https://www.studentcrowd.com/) provides a space where students can review their university resources, and where potential students can learn about the universities they’re interested in, from real student feedback.

Publication date: 15 October 2018

Prestigious International Fellowship for promising young researcher

A post-doctoral researcher at Bangor University’s School of Natural Sciences, has been awarded a prestigious  European Commission Horizon2020 funded Marie Sklodowska Curie Global Fellowship.

The fellowship, which allows for international mobility and knowledge exchange will enable Dr Karina Marsden of Bethesda to spend two years working in The University of Melbourne, Australia, before returning to Bangor University for the final year of her research project.  It was awarded following a successful joint application by Bangor and Melbourne universities.

Publication date: 15 October 2018

Are electric fences really the best way to solve human-elephant land conflicts?

Conflict between humans and elephants has reached a crisis point in Kenya. As the elephants have begun to regularly raid farms in search of food, it has become not uncommon for local people to attack and kill them in retaliation. Between 2013 and 2016, 1,700 crop raiding incidents, 40 human deaths and 300 injuries caused by wildlife were reported in the Kajiado district alone.

This article by Liudmila Osipova, PhD Researcher, Bangor University is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 12 October 2018

Waste Awareness Week #WAW18

Last week, Bangor University ran its second ever ‘Waste Awareness Week’ (WAW) between Saturday the 29th September and Friday the 5th October 2018. The campaign was launched to share ideas and raise awareness about the importance of resource efficiency both in the University and in Bangor City, to reduce our environmental impacts both locally and nationally and to encourage our students to become responsible global citizens.

The Sustainability Lab worked in partnership with Campus Life, Halls of Residence, Student Housing, Catering, the International Office, Gwynedd Council, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and British Heart Foundation Cymru(BHF) to run an exciting range of WAW activities and events during the week. These included a beach clean, waste awareness visits in student halls and private accommodation, waste career talks, a campus cleaning event, an information sharing day, recycling quizzes, a debate night, a film night and an eco-craft night, along with other smaller idea-sharing events.  

Publication date: 12 October 2018

Bangor University research informs national policy and provides the evidence base for Wales’ first Rural Education Action Plan

Cabinet Secretary for Education Kirsty Williams has today (11/10/18) launched the Welsh Government’s new Rural Education Action Plan that introduces a range of initiatives and measures for educational improvements and experiences across rural school areas of Wales.

The action plan forms a pivotal part of the transformation reforms outlined in Education in Wales - Our national mission 2017-21 that sets out Welsh Government’s strategy on how they aim to improve the school system by 2021 and details activities which will transform policy into practices in our schools. The action plan draws upon evidence and recommendations made in a research report led by Gwilym Siôn ap Gruffudd of Bangor University’s School of Education and Human Development. The report: Rethinking Educational Attainment and Poverty- in Rural Wales (REAP) was commissioned by Regional Education Consortia ERW and GwE as a result of a competitive tender process.

Publication date: 11 October 2018

High-res data offer most detailed look yet at trawl fishing footprint around the world

About a quarter of the world's seafood caught in the ocean comes from bottom trawling, a method that involves towing a net along the seabed on continental shelves and slopes to catch shrimp, cod, rockfish, sole and other kinds of bottom-dwelling fish and shellfish. The technique impacts these seafloor ecosystems, because other marine life and habitats can be unintentionally killed or disturbed as nets pass across the seafloor.

A new analysis that uses high-resolution data for 24 ocean regions in Africa, Europe, North and South America and Australasia shows that only 14 percent of the overall seafloor shallower than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) is trawled. Most trawl fishing happens in this depth range along continental shelves and slopes in the world's oceans. The study focused on this depth range, covering an area of about 7.8 million square kilometers of ocean.

Publication date: 9 October 2018

Tanzania to adopt new policies to safeguard fish stocks

The Tanzanian Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is to adopt recommendations for conserving the unique genetic diversity of tilapia for food security.

The recommendations are based on the findings of research led by Prof George Turner at Bangor University's School of Natural Sciences, in collaboration with colleagues at Bristol University, the Earlham Institute at Norwich and at the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (Tafiri), funded by the Royal Society, the Leverhulme Trust, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Publication date: 8 October 2018

Four Bangor University students compose 100 poems in 24 hours

On this year’s National Poetry Day, four Bangor University students took up Literature Wales’ annual challenge to compose 100 original poems in 24 hours.

Publication date: 5 October 2018

Research by Canolfan Bedwyr’s Language Technologies Unit informs European agenda

Research and expertise by Canolfan Bedwyr's Language Technologies Unit were referenced the European Parliament recently, as Plaid Cymru's European MP, Jill Evans, credited the work of the Unit as being at the forefront of minority language technology. The MEP presented findings of the recommendations made by the Digital Language Diversity Project (DLDP) in its report on ensuring linguistic equality in the fields of digital technology. Following the speech by Jill Evans MEP, the head of the Language Technologies Unit, Delyth Prys, and the Unit's Chief Software Engineer, Dewi Bryn Jones, were invited to speak at a conference on language technologies and digital equality within a multilingual Europe.

Publication date: 4 October 2018

Universities must look at local employment markets when building their graduates' skills

Students are often reminded that a degree is “not enough”, and that they will also need “employability skills” – a complex combination of personal attributes, discipline-specific knowledge and generic talents – to succeed after university. They are encouraged while studying to develop skills such as problem solving, self-management and the ability to work as part of a team.

This article by Teresa Crew, Lecturer in Social Policy, School of History, Philosophy & Social Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 4 October 2018

Tree Sparks goes from strength to strength

An eco-awareness company set-up by a Forestry student following a period of ill-health has been given a seal of approval from an influential business network in the region.

Publication date: 4 October 2018

Why we should give prejudiced students a voice in the classroom

In the space of a few years, Britain’s political landscape has changed. Now, generally, young people are proportionately more likely to have socially liberal and socialist views, and want to remain part of the EU. Meanwhile, older demographics proportionately voted for Brexit, and were said to be largely responsible for voting the Conservatives into office in 2017.

This article by Corinna Patterson, Lecturer in Sociology, at the School of History, Philosophy and Social Science is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 3 October 2018

Fulbright enables Triple Harp research

An American student has just embarked on a postgraduate research degree at Bangor University having received a highly prestigious Fulbright Award.

Publication date: 2 October 2018

Tours of Bangor University’s art and ceramic collections accompanied by poetry

Guided tours of Bangor University’s Art and Ceramic Collections will be held in conjunction with English Literature at Bangor University this October and November. The aim is to raise awareness of these important collections, with highlights including a mural by Edward Povey in Powis Hall, art and ceramics in the University’s Council Chamber Corridor and a chance to see and learn about works of arts by other renowned artists such as Kyffin Williams, Brenda Chamberlain, Peter Prendergast and Frederick William Hayes.

Publication date: 2 October 2018

Golf: the neuroscience of the perfect putt

Sports fans across the world watched the American golfer Tiger Woods roll in a putt to win the PGA tour’s season ending Tour Championship on September 23. His victory caps a remarkable comeback from personal struggles and injuries that caused him to plummet to 1,199 in the world rankings less than a year ago, and restores him as one of the world’s best.

This article by Andrew Michael Cooke, Lecturer in Performance Psychology,  at the School of Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Publication date: 28 September 2018

Lecturer welcomes new students having received two new Awards

Dr Teresa Crew, a Lecturer in Social Policy at Bangor University is beginning a new year of Lecturing at Bangor University with two new accolades to her name.

Dr Crew has been awarded an Outstanding Teaching in Social Policy Award by the Social Policy Association.  Teresa Crew, who is the Year One Coordinator (for Social Sciences) in the School of History, Philosophy & Social Sciences also received a Bangor University Teaching Fellowship during the University’s recent degree Ceremonies.

Publication date: 28 September 2018

The launch of a 'unique reference book on Welsh music'

On Thursday, September 27th, at Powis Hall, Bangor University, an event was held to mark the launch of a new and highly significant volume on music in Wales. Cydymaith i Gerddoriaeth Cymru (‘Companion to the Music of Wales’) is an authoritative encyclopedia that covers all aspects of music in Wales from the 6th Century to the present day and is the result of a collaborative project between the School of Music and Media at Bangor University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Publication date: 28 September 2018

Creative Conversations Celebration Event

Bangor University, in partnership with Flintshire Social Services, and the renowned author John Killick has recently celebrated their latest project in supporting people with dementia - Creative Conversations.

The project was led by Dr Kat Algar-Skaife from the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) Wales, at the College of Human Sciences, Bangor University and was funded by Health and Care Research Wales, Welsh Government. 

Publication date: 24 September 2018

Historic wrecks to assist Wales’ marine renewable energy future

Historic wrecks around Wales’ coastline, such as that of a German submarine sunk 10 miles off Bardsey Island at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula on Christmas Day 1917, are to play a part in assisting Wales’ growing marine renewable energy sector.

Over the next two years, marine scientists from Bangor University will be surveying the coast of Wales as part of the ERDF-funded SEACAMS2 project led by the University in partnership with Swansea University. The researchers at Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences and Centre for Applied Marine Sciences are undertaking collaborative research, including marine surveys, to support the sustainable growth of the marine renewable energy sector in Wales. 

Publication date: 8 September 2018

Extreme weather in Europe linked to less sea ice and warming in the Barents Sea

This article by Yueng-Djern Lenn, Senior Lecturer in Physical Oceanography, Benjamin Barton, PhD Researcher, School of Ocean Sciences and Camille Lique, Research scientist in physical oceanography, Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer) was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 30 August 2018

Research methods that find serial criminals could help save tigers

A geographic profiling tool used to catch serial criminals could help reduce the casualties of human-tiger conflict, according to scientists who collaborated on an innovative conservation research study.

Publication date: 28 August 2018

Humphrey Llwyd: the Renaissance scholar who drew Wales into the atlas, and wrote it into history books

This article by Huw Pryce, Professor of Welsh History, was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 23 August 2018

Alumnus of the Year 2018

Every year Bangor University’s Alumni Advisory Board considers candidates and advises the University on an Alumnus of the Year award. Bangor University was proud to present Gwilym Rees-Jones with 2018’s Alumnus of the Year award during graduation week. 

Publication date: 18 July 2018

Eight bedtime stories to read to children of all ages

This article by Raluca Radulescu, Professor of Medieval Literature and English Literature and Dr Lisa Blower, Lecturer in Creative Writing, both from the School of English Literature was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 15 June 2018

From Salad Cream to the Severn bridge, renaming is an emotive issue

This article by Dr Sarah Louise Wheeler, Lecturer in Social Policy (Welsh medium), at the School of Social Sciences was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The American food giant Heinz sparked controversy with a recent proposal to change the name of one of its best known products. If it goes ahead, there will be no more Salad Cream in the world’s kitchens. We will have to make do with bottles of Sandwich Cream instead.

Publication date: 14 June 2018

Bangor University announces new Honorary Fellows

Bangor University has announced the individual who are to receive Honorary Fellowships during this year’s degree ceremonies.

The University awards Honorary Fellowships to reward individuals who have connections with the University or with Wales, to mark their outstanding contribution in their chosen fields.

This year the University is to award Fellowships to 10 individuals. The Award will be made during the University’s Graduation Week, this year, 16-20 July.

Publication date: 8 June 2018

Forestry Student Launches Social Enterprise

A student from Bangor University forced to turn-down her dream work placement because of ongoing health problems has reason to celebrate following the launch of her own eco-awareness business, which aims to enlighten teenagers about environmental issues.

Publication date: 4 June 2018

Performance from Chongqing boosts Wales-China link

Building on Wales’ link with Chongqing in south-west China, Bangor University’s Confucius Institute brought the Chongqing Performance Company to Holyhead’s Ucheldre Centre earlier this week (1 November), enthralling audiences with a stunning performance of Chinese music and dance. 

Publication date: 3 November 2017