Bangor International November 2015

Bangor International November 2015

Top 10 UK University for Teaching Quality Times University League Table 2016

Signs of our times: Emojis

Chevening Scholars

Professor Vyv Evans of Bangor University has attracted worldwide media coverage with his study on Emoji’s - ‘the fastest growing language’, Most recently his work has attracted attention in the Australian, Indian, Swiss and Greek press as well as in many other countries!

Professor Evans comments: “Emoji is the fastest growing form of language in history based on its incredible adoption rate and speed of evolution. “As a visual language emoji has already far eclipsed hieroglyphics, its ancient Egyptian precursor which took centuries to develop.”

The Emoji phenomenon doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon!

Read an article written by Vyvyan Evans, Professor of Linguistics at the School of Linguistics & English Language, Bangor University and published on ‘The Conservative’:

www.theconversation.com/signsof-our-times-why-emoji-can-beeven-more-powerful-than-words50893

Chevening Scholars at the welcome reception with Vice Chancellor Professor John G. Hughes

Eighteen Chevening Scholars from 14 countries worldwide joined Bangor University in September 2015 to undertake a broad range of Masters degrees. The students represent countries from far and wide including Burundi, Honduras, Cambodia, Madagascar and Afghanistan and many are studying disciplines in the University's specialist niche areas such as International Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Banking and Finance, and Marine Environmental Protection.

www.bangor.ac.uk/international

The group was officially welcomed to the University in a recent reception hosted by Vice Chancellor, Professor John Hughes.

Chevening Scholarships are the UK government's global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partner organisations. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding scholars and talented professionals who have been identified as potential future leaders. Awards are typically for a one year Master’s degree at universities across the UK.

Research News Bangor Law School Sign Memorandum of Understanding with Leading Malaysian Universities

Can we use eDNA as an ‘environmental magnifying-glass’?

An innovative idea submitted by Bangor University is one of eight projects selected within four “idea” areas to be funded by the Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) new “Highlight Topic” research funding stream.

Based on their research, the scientific community were invited to subject project areas which would place environmental science at the heart of the sustainable management of the planet.

“Environmental DNA: a tool for 21st century ecology”, the new idea suggested by Bangor University in collaboration with other academics and stakeholders, was among around 150 submissions. The successful project will assess how we can use new genetic techniques to measure biodiversity.

Professor Angela Hatton, chair of NERC’s Science Board, said:

“Highlight topics are designed to give the scientific community a greater role in identifying areas that need strategic research funding. This first group of projects will provide important knowledge to help society deal with problems including biodiversity loss, nanoparticle pollution and environmental change.”

Read the full story here: www.bangor.ac.uk/news/ research/can-we-use-edna-as-anenvironmental-magnifying-glass24870

L-R – Prof John Hughes, VC Bangor University; Prof Dr Johan Shamsuddin, Dean Faculty of Law, University of Malaya The months of August and September Professor Cahill, Head of Bangor saw visits to Bangor Law School from University Law School and the Malaysia’s leading Universities, Institute for Competition & University of Malaya and Universiti Procurement Studies said: Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA).

“We are delighted to commence Cooperation between the Law School in the areas of Elder Abuse Law and Public Procurement Law is now proceeding, and extensive MOUs have been signed with both Universities to promote research and exchange cooperation of scholars in these areas.

Legal challenges in dealing with the needs of a growing elder population is now a major issue both in the United Kingdom, and also in Malaysia, so this area is one that is ripe for mutual cooperation. The Faculties of the Universities intend to exchange scholars, and also to engage in cooperative research. Students from the two Universities will also participate in exchange programmes, and both Universities are very interested in the research of Bangor University Law School’s Institute for Competition & Procurement Studies, as procurement law reform is becoming an increasingly high-agenda issue in Malaysia.

Welcoming the signing of the MOUs,

cooperation with our Malaysian colleagues, and look forward to successful cooperation over the coming years.”

Professor John Hughes, Vice Chancellor of Bangor University, welcomed the signing of the MOUs, observing that “Bangor University continues to internationalise its links around the world, and these are exactly the kind of links that we wish to foster and develop.

Bangor Law School is one of the University’s most internationalised Schools, and has led the way in developing cooperation with leading Faculties in different parts of the world. This is but another example of how the work of the Law School a cademics is of interest to colleagues around the world, and we commend the Law School in setting up these links with prestigious Malaysian University Faculties, and I am sure that we will see great results from the cooperation in the years to come.”

Front L-R: Prof John Hughes, VC Bangor University; Prof Datuk Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, Vice Chancellor niversiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (UniSZA) Back L-R – Mr Aled Griffiths; Prof Dr Fadzil Adam, Director of Research Institute for Islamic Product & Civilization UniSZA, Dr Zuhairah, Dean Faculty of Law, Accountancy, and International Relations UniSZA; Prof Dato’ Wira Dr Ismail bin Ibrahim, Member of UniSZA Board of Directors; Prof Dermot Cahill, Head of Law School Bangor University

Makerere University and Bangor University look to the wellbeing of future generations across continents

Bangor University sign Memorandum of Understanding with Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

Professor Tom Rippeth with Professor Jiaxue Wu during Toms visit in January 2015

In February 2015 Makerere University in Uganda and Bangor University signed an important Memorandum of Understanding to begin working together to meet the challenges of sustainable development. Since then the collaboration has moved quickly with projects as diverse as textile re-use and value addition to pineapple crops attracting attention from government and organisations such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

At the heart of the collaboration is a close working between the two universities that recently culminated in a visit to Bangor from Dr. Yasin Ziraba the Director of the Innovations Systems Cluster Programme, Dr. Florence Nakayiwa the Director of Planning at Makerere and Pamela Matovu the co-ordinator of Makerere’s Sustainability Programme. The purpose of the visit, arranged and hosted by the Sustainability Lab at Bangor, was to share knowledge and experience of sustainable development in both countries and to identify further areas for collaboration. Pamela is at Bangor for six weeks in total working with the Sustainability Lab staff to develop the programme for collaboration with Jalia Packwood her counterpart at Bangor.

Over the course of the week numerous new projects were identified including industrial research, student placements and training opportunities as well as closer working between the two universities at an organisational level.

Dr Einir Young, Director of the Sustainability Lab is excited about the future of this collaboration, saying:

“In just eight months since signing with Makerere three exchange visits have taken place, numerous projects have been identified and two funding bids are already prepared and submitted. The progress and level of commitment on both sides has been phenomenal and we expect the relationship to present a host of opportunities for students at both universities in the very near future.”

Cat Jones, Head of Hub Cymru Africa said: “We are excited to see this partnership working together to implement Sustainable Development in practice. There is pioneering legislation coming into place here in Wales, combined with the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we must build on this opportunity to develop good practice through partnerships like this one.”

Both Universities are grateful to the Welsh Government and Hub Cymru Africa for financial support for this collaboration.

Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Marine Scientists at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

The aim of the Memorandum of Understanding is to establish and develop a strategic collaborative relationship in order to promote academic and cultural exchange and research collaboration between the two institutions through mutual assistance in the areas of teaching and research.

The agreement to reach a Memorandum of Understanding came about following a visit to Guangzhou by Professor Tom Rippeth earlier in the year.

Commenting Tom said: “The research interests of the oceanographers at Sun Yat-sen University very much overlap with those at the School of Ocean Sciences with research collaboration already growing between the two institutions and a joint workshop planned for September 2016. The MoU is the natural next step in our collaboration.”

Take a look at our School of Ocean Sciences webpage: www.bangor.ac.uk/ oceansciences/

Research News Health Partnerships to teach, Three Bangor research projects among UK top 20 contributing towards development

Planting mangroves in Kenya No fewer than three research projects at Bangor University have been selected from nearing 7,000 submissions to be included among the top 20 most impressive examples of UK research contributing to development.

Chosen from UK university research projects submitted to the Research Excellence Framework 2014, Bangor University’s work on crop improvement provides an excellent case study of how UK research can make a global impact, in this case, by increasing food security for an estimated 3 million people.

This work by Professor John Witcombe of the School of Environment, Natural Resources & Geography has developed a disease-resistant variety of pearl millet, a staple crop for populations throughout Africa and South Asia. Every year it suffers extensive crop losses due to the disease downy mildew. The new disease-resistant variety is now grown extensively in India – enabling more resilient farming systems, creating jobs for local women. This is one of numerous new and improved crop varieties developed at Bangor University, with the participation of local farmers in Asia.

Read more on these fantastic research projects here: www.bangor.ac.uk/news/ research/three-bangor-researchprojects-among-top-20-contributing-towards-development-24550

train and provide practical assistance to health workers in Lesotho

Quithing Hospital - Nurses and Midwives attending update training Bangor University’s School of The 20 month project will see the Healthcare Science will be sending University and Health Board working key academics with expertise in in partnership with health colleagues healthcare organisation, management in Quthing, Lesotho in Sothern Africa. and leadership to Lesotho.

Bangor University’s School of Healthcare Sciences will be providing The University is working with Betsi bespoke refresher training in clinical Cadwaladr University Health Board skills at remote health centres and to (BCUHB) on a Department for support health management at a International Development funded district level. This will be delivered project awarded via the Tropical using a sustainable ‘train the trainer’ Health & Education Trust Health model so that the benefits can Partnership Scheme. continue beyond the project life.

Read the full story here: www.bangor.ac.uk/international/news/health-partnerships-to-teach-train-andprovide-practical-assistance-to-health-workers-in-lesotho-24890

Bangor University student awarded Ebola Medal Following Sierra Leone being declared free of the Ebola virus, a Bangor University PhD student has been awarded a medal in recognition of her bravery and dedication in tackling the crisis in West Africa.

Helena Robinson, 29, from Guernsey, is a postgraduate student at the School of Medical Sciences and was awarded the Ebola Medal following her five-week deployment to Sierra Leone in December 2014.

Read the full story here: www.bangor.ac.uk/news/latest/ bangor-university-student-awardedebola-medal-24942

L-R: Professor Nicky Callow, Dean of the College of Health and Behavioural Sciences, Helena Robinson, Professor John G Hughes, Vice Chancellor and Dr Edgar Hartsuiker

MSc Tropical Forestry Summer School in Ghana staff and completely indulge myself in the fascinating topic of tropical forestry for two weeks."; “It was great to have that immersion in the forest.

Social and face-to-face networking with lecturers and fellow students brought the course to life literally."

Students and staff on the final day of the Tropical Forestry Summer School, FORIQ HQ, Ghana later commented: "The overview of the In the summer of 2015, 29 students forest types was essential…I feel I now (from 15 different countries) on the have a much greater appreciation of MSc Tropical Forestry (distance tropical forestry across a range of learning) programme at Bangor different site types."

University embarked on a unique and shared learning experience, The second week of the summer culminating in an intensive two week school gave students the opportunity residential summer school in the to carry out research proposals they forests of Ghana. 24 of these students had planned via the distance learning are from developing commonwealth platform from their own countries countries and are grateful recipients prior to the summer school. Working of scholarships from the closely with researchers and field Commonwealth Scholarship staff from the Forestry Research Commission.

Institute of Ghana (FORIG), students The first week of the summer school conducted five different research enabled students to get to know each projects, ranging from forest other in person and was designed to regeneration and ecology, to herbicide also provide an in-depth use in agroforestry systems, the understanding of the forests of bamboo supply chain, silvicultural southern and central Ghana. Assisted standards in the Bobiri forest reserve by the University of Energy and and forest inventory/growth Natural Resources, Sunyani, and modelling. Students had the Kwame Nkrumah University of opportunity to base themselves either Science and Technology, Kumasi, we at the beautiful Bobiri forest reserve were privileged to spend a week in the and butterfly sanctuary, or within the forests of the southern, western and FORIG compound in Kumasi where central parts of Ghana. We visited they could access facilities and other various forest sites along an research organisations. The students ecological gradient, starting in the presented the results of these studies lush, wet evergreen forests of Ankasa on the final day of the summer school and heading north as far as the at the FORIG headquarters in Kumasi, forest-savannah transition zone in the company of a number of FORIG around Kintampo. We learned from research staff. discussions with landowners, tenant farmers, forest communities, charcoal The summer school was a huge success, as evidenced by the makers, permaculture experts, forest overwhelmingly positive feedback we managers, forest scientists and have since received from students, custodians of sacred groves and such as “It was such a privilege to monkey sanctuaries. This first week meet my fellow students and teaching was clearly a success; one student

We very much believe that this educational experience has not only enabled the formation of many new friendships and contacts, but also enables our part-time students, who are all employed in the forestry profession, to continue to implement the principles of sustainable forest management in their own countries.

The next tropical forestry summer school will take place in 2017.

We would like to thank and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Professor Philip Nyeko of Makerere University.

The MSc Tropical Forestry (distance learning) programme is fully accredited by the Institute of Chartered Foresters, as are all forestry degree programmes offered

by Bangor University.

Bangor’s Alumni News...

The Alumni Office at Bangor University are always happy to hear from our former students, whether it’s to help you find lost classmates, to help you organise reunions or to receive your photos and memories of your time in Bangor.

Alumni Reunion in Alumni Reunion in Boston Alumni Changsha, China Shanghai, China Reunion On 19th September President and Vice Chancellor, Professor John G, Hughes welcomed alumni to a special reunion in Changsha. The event also celebrated Bangor’s partnership with the Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha.

An alumni reunion was held in Shanghai on the 21st September at the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at Tomorrow Square. Over 60 alumni attended the evening hosted by President and Vice Chancellor, Professor John G. Hughes.

An alumni reunion was held at the Harvard Faculty Club in Boston on the 7th October as part of the Annual Harvard Celtic Colloquium.

Several of our academics were key note speakers at the Colloquium including Professor Andrew Edwards (Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities) and Professor Peredur Lynch (Professor of Welsh). Bangor has strong ties with Harvard University’s Celtic Department and frequently collaborates with the world famous university for research, as well as student and staff exchanges.

Alumni with Vice Chancellor Professor John G. Hughes and Luna Wu, Director of Bangor University’s China Office at the Shanghai reunion

Bangor Alumni publishes new book on Classroom Management A former Bangor University student currently residing inThailand, Richard James Rogers, has just published his first ebook, and launched it globally on the Kindle store. Richard refers to his teacher training at Bangor on a number of occassions throughout the book, titled, ‘The Quick Guide to Classroom Management’. Details of the book can be found below: Title: The Quick Guide to Classroom Management Subtitle: 45 Secrets that all High Schgol Teachers need to know ISBN: 9781513605920 ~ ASIN: B016ZG1IX0

If you’d like to get in touch with the Development and Alumni Relations Office, please do so via the contact details below: Development and Alumni Relations Office, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DG Tel: + 44 (0)1248 382020 / 388332 ~ Email: alumni@bangor.ac.uk

International Biologists come to Bangor University for Training The Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory (MEFGL) of the Environment Centre Wales and Bangor University was host to a plethora of international researchers this September, who came to Bangor for a training course entitled “Bioinformatics for eDNA”, as well as the UK’s eDNA Working Group Meeting.

The training course, funded by the Global Innovation Initiative grant from the British Council, (awarded to Dr Mark de Bruyn of MEFGL) was taught by researchers from Bangor, France, Denmark and Mexico, with participants from both corners of the world – from Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia, and University of California, Los Angeles, USA, as well as Bangor University. Alice Evans and Si Creer of MEFGL also led the course with Mark, and took the participants through the entire pipeline of eDNA

analysis, from sampling in the sun from a boat next Puffin Island, to lab work in MEFGL’s facilities in the ECW, to sorting DNA sequences using cutting edge bioinformatics. The course was a great success thanks to some fantastic teaching and enthusiastic learning!

Participants from the

Bioinformatics for eDNA” course also attended the UK’s 3rd eDNA Working Group Meeting, to which around 70 academics and stakeholders made the journey from the USA, Indonesia, Turkey, Belgium and all across the UK. The Bangor 2015 meeting followed on from meetings in 2014 in York and Hull, and brought together universities, research institutes charities and government agencies with an interest in the world of environmental DNA: Keynote speakers Dr Jeremy Briggs of the Freshwater Habitats Trust, and Dr Kristy Deiner of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, sparked some interesting discussion, as well as talks from members of universities and other groups.

New Courses at Bangor University To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and aid sustainable development, there is an urgent need to support our electricity generating capacity through the development of low carbon technologies, particularly those generated from renewable sources. Ocean waves and tides represent a huge global energy resource – it is estimated that waves and tides together contain around 4,000 GW of energy. Exploiting even a fraction of this could contribute significantly to low carbon electricity generation, and so this industry, and R&D into wave and tidal energy, is expanding at a rapid pace. In particular, tidal energy is entirely predictable, and so intermittency in the resource, unlike the majority of renewable resources such as wind and solar, can be accounted for within the larger global energy mix. The UK are world leaders in the marine renewable energy industry, and researchers at Bangor University are at the forefront of international research into wave and tidal resource characterisation.

Marine Renewable Energy MSc This MSc programme is designed to equip students with the skills necessary to identify and quantify the potential of specific locations for marine renewable energy generation installations, with an emphasis on the resource (waves and tides), time series analysis, numerical modelling, and the challenges faced when placing arrays of devices in the marine environment.

Quick facts: l l l l l

Duration - 1 year full-time Qualification - MSc Tuition Fee - £13,800 Entry Requirements - 2(ii) undergraduate Honours degree in a physical, mathematical or other numerate science English Language Requirement - 6.0 (no element below 5.5)

For full details on the Marine Renewable Energy MSc please visit the link: Dr. Simon Neill, Course Director www.bangor.ac.uk/international/courses/postgraduate/ marine-renewable-energy-msc

www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Karen Jones

Ali Khan

Maggie Parke

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388207 Email: k.m.jones@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388874 Email: a.khan@bangor.ac.uk

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

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Brunei China Hong Kong Japan Philippines

South Korea Taiwan Vietnam

Bangladesh India Indonesia Malaysia Nepal Pakistan

Singapore Sri Lanka

The Americas: Brazil Mexico Canada USA Colombia

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

Responsible for: Thailand Brunei Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon Central Asia including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine

Responsible for: Middle East and North Africa including: Bahrain Oman Egypt Saudi Arabia Iraq Turkey Iran UAE Jordan Qatar Kuwait Libya

Responsible for:

International students in the UK

European Union Countries

Upcoming Visits for 2016 We shall be visiting the following countries in January 2016: Thailand - January Bangladesh - January Pakistan - January Hong Kong - January Please do contact us if you would like one of our international oďŹƒcers to visit your school or if you need any advice.

W: www.bangor.ac.uk/international E: international@bangor.ac.uk

www.facebook.com/BangorUniversityInternational

For further details about country visits please contact the relevant Country Manager.