Bangor International August 2017

Bangor International August 2017

No. 1 in the UK for Clubs and Societies WhatUni 2017

Bangor University rated Gold Bangor University has been awarded the Gold standard in the UK Government’s new Teaching Excellence Framework, and is the only University in Wales to achieve this standard.

The framework assesses universities against a range of criteria and is part of the UK government’s plans for raising standards in higher education. It also gives students more information so that they can make the most informed decisions when deciding which university to attend.

Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that Bangor University delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.

maintained a strong commitment to the delivery of high quality student experience for many decades. Not only do we link research and teaching, but we also provide personalised pastoral care, and provide variety and experimentation in our teaching and learning.

“We strongly believe that students deserve to be exposed to, and to be stretched by, the rigour and intellectual challenges of problem solving within their disciplines.

This Gold ranking reflects Bangor University’s impressive performance and I’d like to congratulate everyone at the University for their work on behalf

of our students.”

Commenting on Bangor’s success, UK Government minister and Aberconwy MP, Guto Bebb, said: “This award is well-deserved and sends a message to potential students across the world that Wales is a fantastic destination for higher education. It also demonstrates to employers and overseas businesses planning to invest in Wales that graduates from our universities are being trained to the highest standards.”

Universities are assessed across three main categories, Teaching Quality, Learning Environment and Student Outcomes & Learning Gain.

Bangor University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor John G. Hughes said: “Bangor has

In this issue of our newsletter... l Graduation News l Research News

l Take a look at our International Student Newsletter here: www.bangor.ac.uk/international/support/news/international-student-newsletter-may-2017-32031 www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Graduation 2017!

Honorary Fellowships Awarded Dr Cen Williams, contributed to education nationally and internationally and is internationally renowned for his work in the field of bilingual education.

Kailesh Karavadra, who is a prominent figure from the world of business and finance.

Professor Constantinos Grammenos CBE, a leading expert in international shipping and finance.

Llion Williams, award winning actor and Bangorian.

Chris Coleman and Bangor University Vice Chancellor, Prof John Hughes

Chis Coleman, Wales’ national football team manager joined Bangor Business School graduating students to receive an Honorary Fellowship, marking Wales’ outstanding achievement at Euro 2016, the European football championship when the national team reached the semi-finals in an historic and memorable campaign.

Also receiving Honorary Fellowships were: Osian Roberts, assistant manager of the Welsh national football team, Lord Mervyn Davies CBE, served in government as Minister for Trade, Small Business & Infrastructure from January 2009- May 2010, and continues to follow a highly successful career in the ‘financial services’.

Nicholas Jackson MBE, Chief Executive of the National Zoological Society of Wales, Welsh Mountain Zoo at Colwyn Bay, he has amassed over 40 years’ experience of working in zoology, Dr Raj Jones, for her conservation and philanthropic work. She was the first Chair of the Red Squirrel Trust Wales and is an active member of several conservation bodies.

Ifor ap Glyn - Poet and TV executive, and is currently the fourth National Poet of Wales and has already served as Welsh Children’s Laureate.

Prof Julian Evans OBE, a Bangor graduate and the first to receive the University’s DSc in Forestry.

He received his OBE for services to forestry in the Third World.

Gwion Lewis for his work in Chambers, Gwion is also the editor of the ‘Wales’ section of the Planning Encyclopaedia, he received a BAFTA Wales award for ‘Best Breakthrough’ for his television work in 2013.

Prof Gareth Ffowc Roberts, honoured for his services to education, he is also the author of numerous books on popular mathematics. Through his books, broadcasts, talks and use of social media, he has contributed to popularising mathematics in English and Welsh.

RITS - Bangor MBA Graduates attend Bangor graduation ceremony Eighteen proud MBA students from the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen (RITS), a branch of China’s top Tsinghua University, were conferred their MBA degree at Bangor University on the 18 July 2017, following two years part-time study on the Bangor University validated MBA programme.

The successful validation of the MBA degree took place on October 2012, at RITS Shenzhen and Shanghai centres.

Research News International delegates Bangor University’s Centre for Mental Health and Society awarded prestigious Research Council UK Global Challenges Research Fund Grant Bangor University’s Centre for Mental Health and Society has been awarded a prestigious Research Council UK Global Challenges Research Fund grant to work with colleagues in India and Pakistan to address these issues. The project will be equipping local researchers with the skills they need to develop long-term programmes to reduce death, disability and distress. The Capability Grant award is a key component in the UK Aid strategy to grow both the research base in the UK and strengthen capacity overseas.

Professor Catherine Robinson, who will be leading the four-year project explained:

“The project will set up deliberate self-harm registers; conduct household surveys; and collect information from people whose lives have been affected by suicide and deliberate self-harm.”

Dr. Nasim Chaudhry, of the Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning, who are partners in the research commented:

“Deliberate self-harm and suicide remain punishable offences in Pakistan … Our work will not only provide robust evidence on their prevalence but also on what encourages people to seek help.”

Read the full story here: www.bangor.ac.uk/news/ research/reaching-out-toreduce-self-harm-and-suicide32853

attracted to Bangor University’s Health Services Research Summer School

Delegates from as far as Canada, Qatar, Italy and Denmark attended Bangor University’s School of Healthcare Sciences residential summer school held recently.

The Health Services Research summer school has been designed as a platform for development and learning for health and medical researchers as well as for staff working in healthcare services, and provides a unique opportunity for individuals to gain an insight into the ground breaking research being undertaken in healthcare services at Bangor University.

Over the course of a week spent in North Wales, delegates participated in a series of masterclasses and talks by international experts from within Bangor University’s School of Healthcare Sciences.

During the full residential summer school, interactive sessions were built into the programme to illustrate how Bangor University is leading on important research

designed to create a strong NHS research environment in North Wales, and to benefit healthcare for patients in Wales, the UK and across the world. 95% of health research at Bangor University was recognised as world-leading and internationally excellent in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

Reflecting on the success of the week, Head of School, Professor Christopher R. Burton said: “The School of Healthcare Sciences is renowned for the international excellence of our health services research, and for the supportive community we are creating for research staff and students. It has been delightful to provide an opportunity for aspiring and accomplished researchers from across the globe to spend time with us through our Summer School”.

For more information about the health services research summer school in 2018, please contact: Dr Lynne Williams on (+44) 01248 383170 or visit www.bangor.ac.uk/healthcaresciences/summerschool/index.php.en

Bangor University Professor awarded Harry Ransom Fellowship award

Professor Steven Price Bangor University Professor, Steven Price has been awarded the 2017-18 Harry Ransom Fellowship award to research David Mamet's screenplays in Austin, Texas.

The Harry Ransom Center offers fellowships to support short-term residencies for research projects that require substantial on-site use of its collections.

The fellowships range from one to three months with monthly stipends of $3,500 (domestic) or $4,000 (international). Also available are travel stipends and dissertation fellowships with stipends of $2,000 (domestic) or $2,500 (international). The stipends are generously funded by individual donors and organizations, including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Dorot Foundation, the Carl H. Pforzheimer Endowment, and the Marlene Nathan Meyerson Photography Fellowship Endowment.

Professor Steven Price will take up his 30 day residency before August 2018.

Bangor University launches Confucius Classrooms

Confucius Classroom Launch The Confucius Institute at Bangor Classrooms, and we look forward University celebrated the official to working with the schools launch of its five new Confucius involved as they set out to Classrooms in June with develop their own Chinese representatives of Bangor learning centres.”

University, Welsh Government and On Friday 16 June, representatives the Chinese Embassy in from each school attended an attendance alongside local official launch ceremony at Bangor schoolchildren.

University in the company of Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for The five schools involved in the Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Confucius Classrooms scheme are Skates AM and LI Xiaopeng, from located across north Wales and the Education Section of the include two local secondary schools, Ysgol Friars in Bangor and Chinese Embassy. A delegation from the Confucius Institute’s Holyhead High School, and a further three primary schools, Our partner university, the China University of Political Science and Lady’s School in Bangor, Ysgol Law in Beijing, also attended as did Esgob Morgan in St Asaph and Councillor Derek Hainge, Mayor or Ysgol Hiraddug in Dyserth.

Bangor.

An initiative of China’s cultural Speaking after the event, Cabinet agency Hanban, Confucius Secretary for Economy and Classrooms are based within Infrastructure, Ken Skates AM, schools and colleges around the said: world and are intended as local “Confucius Institutes provide an hubs to stimulate and support the innovative teaching and learning of important opportunity for the people, communities, businesses Chinese language and culture and organisations of North Wales across communities. to learn more about modern and Commenting on the recent award, classical China.

Confucius Institute Director, The new classrooms provide a Dr David Joyner, said: valuable opportunity for us to keep “We are delighted to have secured building on our long standing funding for five of only 60 cultural and economic links with Confucius Classrooms worldwide.

China and will form an important This is a very prestigious award part of our work to increase our for us, particularly as these are trade links.” also our first Confucius

Bangor Law School Highly Ranked

Research News

Bangor Law School has ranked 10th in the UK for students’ satisfaction with teaching, and 8th for satisfaction with feedback.

Bangor Law School is also the highest positioned law school in Wales, according to the latest university league tables published

by The Guardian University Guide for 2018.

Historic wrecks to assist Wales’ marine renewable energy future

The School has risen to 23rd position in the UK, out of the 98 institutions included in the rankings.

Over the next two years, marine scientists from Bangor University will be surveying the coast of Wales as part of the European 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.

These excellent results follow the publication of the 2017 National Student Survey, in which Bangor Law School rankedTop 20 in the UK. Commenting on these latest results – which demonstrates the School’s tremendous progress over the last ten years – Professor Dermot Cahill, Head of School, said:

“Our attention to feedback is really appreciated by our students – this, as well as manageable class sizes, makes for an excellent student experience, where students have many opportunities to interact with, and get support from, our fantastic academics. Many UK law schools have sacrificed quality over quantity; at Bangor, we have taken a different path, and these rankings recognise that the quality is higher here than at many other law schools. As such, we tend to attract a higher quality student, interested in our mixed discipline Law degrees, and the opportunities we offer to study abroad, contributes to a very positive learning environment.”

He added: “Students really appreciate our creation of law firm internships, which helps them find good jobs after their degree. This year we are sending students to internships in Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, London, Brussels and Dublin. These opportunities really open their eyes to law as a career choice, plus help them make the right career choice after graduation”.

Published annually, The Guardian’s league tables are calculated from scores relating to student satisfaction, student/staff ratio, spend per student, average entry requirements, and the percentage of graduates in employment or further study six months after graduating.

www.bangor.ac.uk/law/

The marine renewable energy (MRE) sector is developing technologies to capitalise on Wales’ excellent wave and tidal resource, to create sustainable energy.

Sonar images of the historic wrecks, taken from the University’s research vessel, Prince Madog, will reveal how the tides and currents have removed or deposited sediments around the wrecks on the seabed. The oceanographers can learn how the presence of structures on the seabed can change how sediments are carried in the water or deposited, and over what sort of timescales.

Read the full story here: www.bangor.ac.uk/news/ research/historic-wrecks-toassist-wales-marine-renewableenergy-future-33065

UK leads rivals on international student satisfaction

Research News Bangor science project wins EU award

Photo: AIMPLAS

Enrique Moliner receiving the award on behalf of the BREAD4PLA team: BREAD4PLA, a green science and technology project in which Bangor University’s research played a significant role, has been awarded one of the two ''Green Awards'' as one of the best LIFE Environment Projects of the last 25 years.

The United Kingdom ranks number one for overall international student satisfaction compared with other leading destination nations according to a new report

by Universities UK International.

The report which analysed data from 137,000 students internationally, examined the experience of international students in the UK and key competitor nations - the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and the Netherlands.

Based on the percentage of international students who would recommend their institution, the UK comes top at all three levels (undergraduates, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students).

At undergraduate level, the UK is not only ranked first among its competitors overall, but also comes top across five critical measures of the student experience – overall satisfaction, learning environment, arrival and orientation, living, and support services.

Vivienne Stern, director of Universities UK International, said: “This study highlights the UK’s strength in the student experience, at every level, and across a wide range of measures: from the quality of the teaching and learning experience, through to the warmth of welcome received.

International students are an important part of university communities and bring diversity to the student experience.“

Read the full report here: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/ International/UUKi-Competitive-advantage-2017.pdf

Researchers from AIMPLAS, Technological Institute of Plastics, Spain; the Biocomposites Centre and School of Chemistry from Bangor University; ATB, the Agricultural Engineering Institute, Germany and CETECE, the Cereals Technology Centre, Spain successfully developed a new biodegradable packaging for bakery products from the wastes generated by the same industry they come from.

Dr Viacheslav Tverezovskiy, Biocomposites Centre, explains: "The new packaging materials are fully biodegradable and compostable. The project’s success really helps to demonstrate the benefits of a circle economy and there is much more food waste we could work with. The Biocomposites Centre is continuing its research into bio-derived PLA and other bioplastic materials towards a sustainable future.”

Read the full story here: www.bangor.ac.uk/news/ research/bangor-science-projectwins-eu-award-32508

www.bangor.ac.uk/international

Meet us in your country in 2017 We shall be visiting the following countries between August and November 2017: USA - August - September Hong Kong - September China - September, October & November Vietnam - September - October

Dominican Republic - October Ghana - October Nigeria - October Thailand - November

If your country is not listed above then you may contact the relevant Country Manager listed below, OR visit our country visits page for more information: www.bangor.ac.uk/international/visits

Country Managers

Office Contacts

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

International Office

IEC, Bangor University Bangor, Gwynedd Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, LL57 2DG, U.K. Singapore, Sri Lanka Country Manager responsible for:

Tel: +44 (0) 1248382028 E-mail: international@bangor.ac.uk Web: www.bangor.ac.uk

Karen Jones Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388207 : Email: k.m.jones@bangor.ac.uk Country Manager responsible for: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Maggie Parke Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388416 : Email: maggie.parke@bangor.ac.uk Country Manager responsible for: The Americas: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, USA

Partnerships Office IEC, Bangor University Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, U.K. Tel: +44 (0) 1248 388325 E-mail: c.billing@bangor.ac.uk Web: www.bangor.ac.uk

Bangor International College Michael Rogerson Tel: +44 (0) 1248 383648 : Email: m.rogerson@bangor.ac.uk Country Manager responsible for: European Union Countries Noor Al-Zubaidi Tel: +44 (0) 1248 382879 : Email: n.al-zubaidi@bangor.ac.uk Country Manager responsible for: Middle East and North Africa including: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Qatar International students in the UK

Oswalds Building, Victoria Drive Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DG, U.K. Tel: 01248 383 783 E-mail: bic@bangor.ac.uk

Beijing Office

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

Bangor University Room A029, 3rd Floor, The Exchange Beijing, B-118, Jianguo Road Chaoyang District Beijing, P.R. China 100022

Country Manager responsible for: Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon Central Asia - including Azerbaijan.

Tel: 010-58902596; 010-58902597 E-mail: luna.wu@bangor.ac.uk Web: www.bangor.org.cn

Please do contact us if you would like one of our international officers to visit your school or if you need any advice. www.facebook.com/BangorUniversityInternational

@BangorUni_intl