News: May 2017

Handwriting in Children with Dyslexia and DCD: A Workshop for Practitioners

The School of Psychology’s Bangor Literacy Lab, led by Dr. Markéta Caravolas, recently held a workshop funded by the Economic and Social Research Council’s Impact Acceleration Account. 

Publication date: 30 May 2017

Happy 100th birthday, Mr President: how JFK's image and legacy have endured

This article by Gregory Frame, Lecturer in Film Studies, School of Creative Industries & Media, Bangor University, was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

John F Kennedy was born 100 years ago on May 29, 1917. While the achievements of his presidency and the content of his character have been subjects of contestation among historians and political commentators since the 1970s, there is little question regarding the enduring power of his image. As the youngest man to win election to the presidency, entering the White House with a beautiful wife and young children in tow, he projected the promise of a new era in American politics and society.

Publication date: 26 May 2017

New extreme micro-organisms found in Siberian soda lake

Professor Peter Golyshin of the School of Biological Sciences, and expert in environmental genomics of microorganisms is the only UK author and participant in research which has discovered a new class of micro-organisms (archaea) that live in the extreme environment of a Siberian alkaline soda lake. What makes this discovery ground-breaking is that these micro-organisms can convert organic material directly into methane under such extreme conditions.

Publication date: 26 May 2017

Teaching students to survive a zombie apocalypse with psychology

In this article originally published on The Conversation, John A Parkinson, Professor in Behavioural Neuroscience, and Rebecca Sharp, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, both of  the School of Psychology, describe hhow and why they 'gamified' an undergraduate course in behavioural psychology. 

Read the original article. 

Publication date: 22 May 2017

Bangor University assists development of 'dementia-friendly' church groups

Five groups of churches across North and Mid Wales have been allocated funding to develop dementia-friendly community projects and work towards becoming “dementia friendly”.

The funding comes from Bangor University’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)* and has been awarded to Professor Bob Woods and Revd Dr Bob Friedrich. It follows a conference at Llangollen Pavilion where 78 delegates from Welsh churches gathered to hear how to create Dementia Friendly Churches.

Publication date: 19 May 2017

Urgency scientific expedition to assess climate induced death of coral reefs

A team of scientists led by a Bangor University professor have recently returned from a scientific expedition to the remote and largely uninhabited Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

Publication date: 12 May 2017

Associate Member of The Colclough Centre Invited to Celebration of Best Selling Author's Career

Publication date: 10 May 2017

Affluent countries contribute less to wildlife conservation than the rest of the world

Some countries are more committed to conservation than others, a new Bangor University research collaboration has found.

In partnership with Panthera, the only organisation dedicated to protecting wild cats, researchers from Bangor University assessed how much, or little, individual countries contribute to protecting the world’s wildlife. By comparison to the more affluent, developed world, biodiversity is a higher priority in poorer areas such as Africa, whose countries contribute more to conservation than any other region.

Publication date: 5 May 2017

Can environmental documentaries make waves?

Trump’s first 100 days in office were, among other things, marked by a climate march in Washington DC that attracted tens of thousands of demonstrators. No surprises there. Since the beginning of his mandate in January, Trump has signed orders to roll back the number of federally protected waterways, restart the construction of contentious oil pipeline, and cut the budget from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Among the various orders and memoranda, the one signed to overhaul Obama’s Clean Power Plan is probably the most remarkable, along with promoting coal extractions all over the US.

This article by Michela Cortese, Associate Lecturer, School of Creative Studies & Media, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 5 May 2017

Is talking to yourself a sign of mental illness? An expert delivers her verdict

Being caught talking to yourself, especially if using your own name in the conversation, is beyond embarrassing. And it’s no wonder – it makes you look like you are hallucinating. Clearly, this is because the entire purpose of talking aloud is to communicate with others. But given that so many of us do talk to ourselves, could it be normal after all – or perhaps even healthy?

This article by Paloma Mari-Beffa, Senior Lecturer in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Psychology, Bangor University was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Publication date: 3 May 2017