BangorInternationalDecember2012

BANGOR INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2012

£2M investment in Electronic Engineering Teaching Laboratory...

New International Foundation Programme Following an agreement earlier this year, Bangor University and Llandrillo Menai International have worked together to launch a new International Foundation programme which will provide a pathway into Bachelor Degrees at Bangor. The tuition fees for the programme are £5,500 with a 15% commission rate available to agents.

Vice Chancellor, Professor John Hughes said, “This close collaboration that we now have with Coleg Llandrillo is working well and is an example of how further and higher education institutions can work together for the benefit of the region.”

For further details on the new programme contact: T: +44 (0) 1492 542315 E: llandrillointernational@gllm.ac.uk www.llandrillo.ac.uk/international

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) and Bangor University today opened a new Agilent Branded laboratory equipped with Agilent instruments. The lab, located in the School of Electronic Engineering at Bangor University, will support teaching of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in Electronic Engineering. The School of Electronic Engineering is Ranked 2nd in the UK, as determined by the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and had the highest percentage of 4 star publication of any Electronic Engineering School.

The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Hughes, and Graham Newton from Agilent formally opened the laboratory. The event featured a presentation from the Vice Chancellor, Graham Newton and Professor Paul Spencer, Head of the School of Electronic Engineering and also guest speaker Rear Admiral Paul Thomas delivered a keynote presentation which was followed by a celebratory dinner.

“We are extremely happy to have worked with Agilent to re-equip our new teaching lab with the latest industry-standard equipment, this equipment is in use and our students are benefitting from the new environment already. We are very grateful to Agilent for its continued support.”said Prof. Paul Spencer, Head of Electronic Engineering at Bangor.

“Agilent has a lasting commitment to supporting academic institutions in nurturing the next generation of engineers by equipping their laboratories with state-of-the-art test instruments,” “Bangor University has a reputation in Optoelectronics and Organic Electronics, and it is a pleasure to be able to assist them in this way.” stated Ueli Nussbaumer, Agilent’s European Geographic Business Manager.

“This investment comes at a welcome time as it enables us to build on the school’s success in the RAE and to continue to use our research expertise to provide an outstanding student experience, and to inspire our students to achieve their full potential. We are introducing a range of new four-year MEng programmes for undergraduates, and extending the range of MSc courses that we offer.” said Professor Paul Spencer.

Amshah Aljeaidan a 3rd year Electronic Engineering Student from Kuwait in Bangor University's new Teaching Laboratory.

www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Spotlight on Brazil Student Profile

Science without Borders Nikola Jonlew Neto from Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Nikola Neto is one of our Science Without Borders students from Uni Federal De Minas Gerais and is currently studying Electronic Engineering.

Nikola decided to come to Bangor because, “I liked the Electronic Engineering department and I wanted to live in a small and friendly city”.

Nikola said, “The lecturers offer a lot of support to all of the students. They care about our studies and are very supportive, and helpful. Altogether it is a very caring environment and we have access to plenty of individual support outside of our lectures”.

Nikola has joined Bangor University’s handball team and is really enjoying it, as for Bangor and the surrounding area Nikola said, “It is nice, the atmosphere of this University city is great.

When I first arrived for wecome week everybody was so welcoming and I settled in easily”.

For more information about the Science without Borders scholarship scheme visit: www.bangor.ac.uk/ international/borders

Bangor University visits Brazil Our International Officer for Brazil, Gwawr Williams, was delighted to meet a record number of students at the British Council Education UK Exhibitions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in October.

“The Science Without Borders scholarship programme, supported by the Brazilian government, is opening up a world of opportunities for students from Brazil. There is certainly an increased interest in studying abroad, including the UK. It is therefore important that potential students are not only aware of the fantastic study opportunities offered at BU, but also how special Bangor is as a study destination”, said Gwawr Williams.

Gwawr also visited a number of key HE institutions who already have links with Bangor University and are keen to develop long term, sustainable partnerships.

“The programme is also encouraging UK institutions to explore other ways of working with reputable institutions in Brazil. Opportunities include Study Abroad, staff and student exchanges, research collaborations as well as direct recruitment.”, added Gwawr.

Bangor University has since received a signed MoU from the The Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ), the University of São Paulo campus specialising in agriculture and related science. The link was developed by Professor Paul Withers, SENRGY, and he has already visited the ESALQ/USP Piricicaba Campus in November, providing guest lectures and discussing common research interests.

“I’m very excited. It’s a wonderful opportunity to develop collaborative research on the globally important issues of food security, resource use efficiency and environmental protection, Our farming systems are very different but the issues are fundamentally the same. The interchange of research experience and ideas will be of enormous benefit to our students and will develop Bangor University’s reputation for science excellence in this area”, said Professor Paul Withers.

Bangor University will continue to pursue opportunities in Brazil and is looking forward to welcoming a further four Science Without Borders students in January 2013.

Gwawr Williams, International Officer counselling a student at the British Council Education Exhibition, Brazil

Wales Health Symposium

Bangor Students take on Brazil

Professor Jane Noyes, Bangor School of Health Sciences, Dr Antonio Ribas, Consultant, Primary Care Department, Ministry of Health of Brazil and Professor John Hughes, Bangor University Vice Chancellor.

Bangor University School of Health Sciences organized a one day BrazilWales Health Symposium on 31 October 2012, aimed to bring together academics, practitioners and policy makers from Brazil and Wales public health sectors to explore context, ideas and opportunities for Health collaboration. In her introduction speech at the Symposium, Professor Jane Noyes from Bangor University who coordinated the Symposium commented that Brazil and UK share similar underlying approaches and ideologies in health care. Both health systems are public funded, free at point-of-use, universal and based on comprehensive primary health care.

Both are concerned with improving health equity and reducing socio-economics disparities and both strive to ensure that Health is a lever for broader social changes. These provide the foundation for broader partnerships between the two countries, which may include regulation of medical devices, influenza research, primary health care, workforce planning and the health effects of climate change.

Bangor University has been active in promoting collaborations with Brazilian universities and government agencies. In June 2012, Bangor University signed a MoU with UNESP, which is one of the most prestigious universities in Brazil. The agreement supports a range of academic exchange and research collaboration. A high profile partnership with FAPESP, the Sao Paulo State Science Foundation, will facilitate research mobility and initiatives between Bangor University and Sao Paulo State based universities over the next two years in science, engineering and health. On the back of this funding opportunity, Bangor School of Ocean Science received a delegation from the Institute of Oceanography of USP in early October 2012.

Dr Matt Harris, Specialist Registra in Public Health in the NHS and Global Health Advisor to the Department of Health

Sean Kiely and Paul Spencer The School of Electronic Engineering has recently been welcoming students from Brazil, and has been collaborating with Universities there.

Two of our final year MEng students - Sean Kiely and Paul Spencer were offered a 9 week placement over the summer at the University of Sao Paulo.

“Going to Brazil and taking the opportunity to work abroad not only gave me more confidence in my studies, motivation to become a better engineer and a willingness to try new things but also gave me a better perspective on the World.

Quite frankly in the UK we have so many opportunities that we let slip by but if you’re given the chance to go and study abroad, grab it with both hands and don’t look back, I loved every minute of it”, said Sean Kiely.

Paul Spencer added, “My time spent in Brazil was a great experience both academically and culturally.

The research I carried out during the 9 week placement was in the field of organic electronics, in particular the organicfield effect transistor (OFET). Everyone at the university was very welcoming and helpful,we were invited to social events and made some good friends.”

Bangor University contributes to ‘Buildings as Power Stations’ technology Bangor University’s School of Chemistry is contributing to a research project which could put Wales at the forefront of global renewable energy technology.

A ‘Buildings as Power Stations’ pilot manufacturing facility, launched recently by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Wales First Minister Carwyn Jones at Baglan Energy Park, near Port Talbot, puts the UK on the threshold of a £1 billion pound new industry which will revolutionise building construction and make a major contribution to renewable energy targets.

Dr Peter Holliman’s research group at Bangor University’s School of Chemistry, is working closely with SPECIFIC partners to develop low cost solar cells. Key targets are to increase light harvesting to increase efficiency whilst also addressing low energy manufacturing to reduce costs and embodied energy.

“Bangor University has a long tradition of working with industry. A key role for the modern University is to bring commercial benefit to the area. Working alongside SPECIFIC provides an important exploitation route for Welsh innovation bringing expert scientists and engineers to the region to create wealth and jobs in Wales,” said Dr Peter Holliman.

Business Secretary Vince Cable and First Minister Carwyn Jones at the SPECIFI pilot plant.

Increasing Broadband capacity two thousand-fold A revolutionary “future-proof” technology, first proposed by Bangor University, is the front-runner in satisfying future demand for dramatically increased internet speeds and capacity.

The technology, which would use current optical internet cabling, has proven its ability to increase broadband transmission by up to two thousand times the current speed and capacity. To illustrate, that would mean downloading 20 feature length films in one second.

Professor Jianming Tang, of Bangor University’s School of Electronic Engineering and a leading scientist pursuing the new technology explains: “Compared to today’s commercially available broadband connections, the technology is expected to provide end-users with both downloading and uploading speeds up to 2,000 times faster than current speeds and with a guaranteed quality of services at a price that subscribers are currently paying for their current 20Mb/s services, regardless of subscribers’ home location. Obviously, this will revolutionise communication technology”.

Partners working with Bangor University in the consortium (project name OCEAN) include world leading technology companies and leading research institutes: Fujitsu Semiconductors Europe, Finisar Israel, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute and VPIsystems GmbH. Valued at over three million Euros, the project is funded by the European Union.

British University of Kuwait visit Bangor University The Vice Chancellor Professor John Hughes received a visit from Dr Abdul Aziz Al Sayed of British University of Kuwait (BUK) on 15 November. Bangor University’s involvement in Kuwait higher education dates back to 2006 when the University was approached by BUK led by Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Sayed who was interested in forming a new private university following the British model.

Bangor University has been the leading partner of BUK in setting up the University and delivering a range of programmes from 2015 in Kuwait. In February 2007 a Heads of Terms document

Vice Chancellor Professor John Hughes and Dr Abdul Aziz Al Sayed was signed in Kuwait in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales.

The project has enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the British Ambassador to Kuwait as well as the British Council. BUK is expecting the phase one building to be completed by 2014 with the first intake of students by 2015.

Delegates from Pakistan visit Bangor University A group of Registrars from various Pakistan Universities, Higher Education Council and British Council Pakistan recently visited Bangor University as part of a week-long visit to the UK. The purpose of their visit was to gain an insight into UK Universities' processes in order to enhance their own respective universities, focussing in particular on leadership, recruitment, managing change and strategic thinking.

The interactive session was led by Mr Ainsley Lewis, Head of Admissions and Student Record and Ms Angharad Thomas, Head of International Recruitment & Admissions at Bangor University.

Work Placements available to LLB and New Undergraduate LLM Students in the School of Law Internship Scheme From 2013 Bangor University Law School will be able to offer students an impressive programme of work placements.This new scheme will offer a unique and invaluable opportunity for students to experience the different types of careers Law graduates might wish to pursue.

The Careers and Employability Service have developed a new fully funded Undergraduate Internship Scheme with students starting internships this year.

Students can spend between 1-2 months working for a Solicitors’ firm, with the possibility of the students being placed with companies that specialise in the field that they will be doing their dissertations in.

The placements officer - Gwilym Owen - is a qualified Solicitor who works as a part time consultant with Gamlins, a large regional firm of Solicitors.

He also works as a part time lecturer in Bangor Law School and is a member of the Winning in Tendering project team.

Internships will be project based and will last between 150-180 hours.

School of Psychology No.2 in the UK

International Morning

In the Times University League table

The International Education Centre (IEC) held an ‘International Morning’ on the 7th November, where the Vice Chancellor Professor John Hughes formely opened the new IEC building.

Staff from various departments were welcomed and various presentations were given by staff within the IEC, it was also a chance to meet the international marketing, recruitment and admission officers.

“The event provided a great opportunity to exchange ideas and best practice with colleagues across the University”, said Dr Wu, Director of International Development.

There are approximately thirty internship opportunities available, this will be an invaluable opportunity for students to develop their employability skills at Bangor.

Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hughers and Dr Wu, Director of International Development

Psychology at Bangor has been ranked second out of 105 departments (beaten only by Cambridge) for Student experience. A fact that reflects the unique combination of teaching & research quality, exceptional pastoral care, beautiful environment and lively student life our students enjoy. The same league table, widely considered as the UK benchmark, put Psychology at Bangor 7th in the UK for research quality and in the top 15 overall. Prof. Charles Leek, Head of School said, "This performance is reflected in the department's reputation in the UK and worldwide, a reputation which enhances the employability of our graduates almost as much as the skills that are embedded in all our programmes."

www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Country Representatives Bing Li

Sukhjinder Bhatti

Maggie Parke

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

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 382990 Email: s.bhatti@bangor.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 382028 Email: maggie.parke@bangor.ac.uk

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Mainland China Hong Kong Japan South Korea Taiwan Vietnam

Bangladesh India Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka

Argentina Canada Chile Mexico USA

Sarah Jones-Morris

Gwawr Williams

Noor Al-Zubaidi

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

Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388844 Email: gwawr.williams@bangor.ac.uk

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

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Responsible for:

Australia Brunei Indonesia Kazakhstan Malaysia

Botswana Cameroon Ghana Norway Kenya Brazil

New Zealand Singapore Thailand Turkey

Upcoming Visits

Nigeria South Africa Tanzania Uganda Zimbabwe

Bahrain Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait

Libya Oman Saudi Arabia UAE Qatar

Seasons Greetings from the International Education Centre

Thailand - January Bangkok Malaysia - November Johor Bahru & Kuching USA - December & January San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland Oregon & Vancouver, WA Norway - February Kristiansand, Bergen & Oslo For further details about country visits please contact the relevant Country Manager.

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