Bangor international december 2013

BANGOR INTERNATIONAL December 2013

New Sports Dome Opened by Lord Coe Bangor’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor John G Hughes, said:

L-R Lord Davies of Abersoch, Chair of the University Council and Vice-Chancellor Prof. John G Hughes Lord Coe, the man who made the To be opened by summer 2014, the London 2012 Olympic Games a rerefurbished University Sports facilality, officially opened a new sports ities will include a brand new twofacility at Bangor University on the storey gym, a new aerobics studio, 25th November 2013. the complete replacement and upPart of an on-going refurbishment of the University’s sports facilities, which are used by students and the local community, the weatherproof sports dome provides facilities for indoor netball and tennis throughout the year.

grade of the public changing rooms and showers, and a new floor in the main sports hall.

“We’re delighted to have such a high profile sporting personality as Lord Coe visiting us to open the new facility. Bangor has recently invested millions of pounds in developing new academic and social facilities for students, making it an even more attractive place to study.”

Management and property consultant AA Projects was responsible for the overall design of the Dome and is providing quantity surveying, employer’s agent, design and building surveying services on all phases of the University’s sports redevelopment programme.

The structure, costing just over half a million pounds measures 73m x 26m and provides two full size indoor netball and tennis courts.

Along with two existing courts at the Sports Centre, this makes Bangor University the only sporting venue in the region with four netball courts.

In this issue of our newsletter... uBangor University visits South Korea uBangor Scientists in Madagascar uGround-Breaking Project to brain-scan shoppers www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Research News Ground-Breaking project to brain-scan shoppers

Dr Paul Mullins and Dr Helen Morgan from the School of Psychology put a shopper through the MRI scanner

Psychologists at Bangor University are to brain-scan supermarketshoppers to test their reactions to promotions and special offers in a major cutting-edge project with one of Europe’s leading shopping behaviour specialists.

The project, to be carried out jointly by UK-based SBXL and the respected School of Psychology, will ask selected shoppers to simulate an £80 grocery shop in a supermarket, while going through a £3 million 20-ton medical MRI scanner.

The project is being sponsored by three multi-national grocery and healthcare companies, together responsible for more than 20 household brands found in shops and supermarkets, ranging from beauty products to canned vegetables.

The state-of-the-art MRI scanner is based at Bangor University. The equipment was originally developed for medical purposes, identifying brain tumours and scanning for brain defects and dysfunctional brain activity. But now it is increasingly being used for commercial research.

For the full story which appeared on the BBC News website please click here

Bangor University Visits South Korea

Professor John Hughes (second from the left) with some of the other delegates

Professor John Hughes participated recently in a high-profile visit to South Korea as part of a UK delegation of 12 Vice-Chancellors. Organised by the British Council in Korea, the delegation visited a number of educational institutions and industrial organisations including the country's leading Ewha Womans University.

The purpose of the mission to South Korea was to present to local universities and companies a mix of British universities with strength and reputation in the Sciences and the Arts with a view to building relationships and collaborative networks. In addition to attending campus visits and conferences, the British Ambassador's Residence in Seoul also hosted a celebratory Alumni event which saw Professor Hughes meeting a number of exchange students who had visited Bangor in recent years.

Bangor Rotary Club’s International Evening

Alan Edwards and Katerina Videnskaya from the International Student Support Office, and 10 students from all over the world were recently invited to the Rotary Club’s annual International Evening.

The event allowed students to talk a little about their home countries and to highlight their experiences in Bangor – from their first impressions, the course and, importantly, getting used to the weather! Students from Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zambia, Greece, India, Poland, Spain and the USA were treated to a lovely meal and welcome from members of the Rotary charity and they, in turn, learnt a little about our students’ countries and impressions of Bangor.

Bangor Scientists in Madagascar

Research News

Bangor University to lead multi million pound Europe-wide project to study the history of our seas...

Dr. Julia Jones of Bangor University (centre) with Tim Smart, British Ambassador to Madagascar

Bangor scientists contribute to efforts to reduce environmental destruction and poverty in Madagascar.

Bangor University is leading research investigating how poverty is closely tied to the state of the environment in countries such as Madagascar. The research project which aims to help understand the linkages between poverty and the destruction of tropical rainforest brings together scientists from Madagascar, the UK, the USA and the Netherlands.

The recent research project launch in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, involved speeches by the UK Ambassador, and senior representatives of the ministries of Environment and of Higher Education in Madagascar.

To read the full story please click here.

International Recognition of Bangor’s Psychology Department

The history of the European marine environment during the past thousand years is the target of a €3.1million (£2.6 million) project, funded by the European Union and led by scientists from the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University.

The project, which also involves researchers from Norway, Germany, France, Croatia, Portugal and the Netherlands, will use the shells of very long-lived molluscs as a record of environmental change over the past thousand years.

It builds on research originally developed at Bangor by Professor James Scourse and Professor Chris Richardson that led in 2007 to the discovery of the longest-lived animal known to science – a clam from Iceland that had lived for 507 years.

As Bangor Psychology celebrates its 50th Anniversary the stature of the department on the global stage was again underlined by its ranking in the QS World University Ranking Psychology subject table. Bangor Psychology, which has one of the largest student bodies in the UK, has been ranked in the top 100 Psychology departments in the world for the second year running.

“We’re delighted with this award, It’s very encouraging that the potential of this new and exciting approach to climate research has at last been recognized.”

Professor Charles Leek, Head of Psychology, was delighted with the result saying: "When you look at how well known many of the Universities below us in the rankings are it is gratifying to think that the research and teaching excellence in Bangor Psychology is increasingly recognised on the world stage. We are 50 years old this year, and with staff and students drawn from across the globe, and research with an international reputation, we have never been stronger."

said Dr Paul Butler of Bangor University, School of Ocean Sciences, who will coordinate the project with Professor Scourse.

www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Country Representatives Bing Li

Sukhjinder Bhatti

Maggie Parke

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388207 Email: b.li@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388874 Email: s.bhatti@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388416 Email: maggie.parke@bangor.ac.uk

Responsible for:

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Responsible for:

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Argentina Brazil Canada Chile

Sarah Jones-Morris

Noor Al-Zubaidi

Michael Rogerson

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388843 Email: s.jones-morris@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 382879 Email: n.al-zubaidi@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 383648 Email: m.rogerson@bangor.ac.uk

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Bahrain Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait

European Union Countries

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Upcoming Visits We shall be visiting the following countries during 2014: Bangladesh Bahrain Brazil Cameroon China Ghana Hong Kong India Indonesia Iraq

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