Esteem Newsletter | September 2022 View online

Facebook icon Instagram icon Twitter icon YouTube icon Flickr icon LinkedIn icon

Sent on behalf of Professor Perumal Nithiarasu, Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact

Dear Colleagues,

Please read below about some of the Faculty’s most recent success stories. We would particularly like to see more from our Professional Services staff for the next email! 

STUDENT SUCCESSES

Victoria Hoare

Biosciences MSc student Victoria Hoare (MSc Environmental Biology: Conservation & Resource Management), gained a distinction in 2019 for her project on beach debris survey techniques and marine debris accumulation along coastlines of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean. The study has recently been published in Marine Pollution Bulletin highlighting the extent of plastic waste (>3000 fragments and 2000 bottles per 100m2) on uninhabited islands in the remote the Indian Ocean. 

The study was funded via a Darwin Plus DEFRA grant and conducted in collaboration with a team from Zoological Society of London.

Michelle Sharma

Congratulations to engineering student Michelle Sharma who has been recognised for her hard work by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). 

The IET Prize is awarded annually to outstanding students who are completing a course of study which has been accredited by the IET. Prize winners are nominated by their university based on having shown distinction in their course leading to the award of a first degree. 

As part of her win, Michelle will receive a certificate and two years free student membership of the IET. 

Research to benefit from Livery Company Awards

Two Swansea University researchers in Sport and Exercise Sciences have won travel scholarships from the Worshipful Livery Company of Wales, which will allow them to further their research.

Freja Petrie researches ways of reducing concussion in women’s rugby and Rachael Kemp is investigating the effects of exercise on cancer cell growth and migration. 

Both will now be able to advance their work, thanks to a total of £1000 of funding awarded by the Livery Company following a competition open to Swansea University researchers who are in the early stages of their career.

  Read more

OUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

The Big Heart Bike Ride

Sue Phillips, Faculty Finance Team, is heading to Africa for another cycling adventure.... this time her very own Tour de Tanzania.

The Ginger Sue charity cycling adventures have raised thousands of pounds to support heart charities and cardiac wards across the UK. This year, Sue and her fellow cyclists will begin their gruelling 450km trek at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, finishing at the postcard-perfect white-sand bays and gentle blue shores of Zanzibar for a well-deserved rest.

Sue has already booked her 2023 adventure to Kerala, India!

  Read more

STAFF NEWS

The impact of micropollutants on the environment

Professor Chedly Tizaoui, Chemical Engineering, recently gave an Invited Lecture at the 9th Central European Symposium on Plasma Chemistry (CESPC) joint with COST Action on Plasma Applications for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture (PIAgri) in Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia. He discussed the fate and impacts of micropollutants in the environment giving particular attention to their uptake by plants and human exposure to these substances through the food chain. The conference was attended by nearly 200 people and was held in the beautiful mountainous High Tatras in Slovakia. 

BSSM Chair

Congratulations to Associate Professor Hari Arora, Biomedical Engineering, who was recently elected as Chair of the British Society for Strain Measurement (BSSM). Hari has served on the National Council since 2016 and on the Conference Organising Committee as Co-Chair since 2019 and took a particular interest in driving the early career events such as the annual Postgraduate Experimental Mechanics (PGEM) Conference and Young Stress Analyst Competition.

The British Society for Strain Measurement is a non-profit making scientific, membership organisation focused on promoting the knowledge and application of advanced strain measurement, stress analysis and experimental mechanics techniques. 

  Read more

THE Awards - November 2022

Congratulations to Professor Mary Gagen, Associate Professor Will Bryan and the Swansea University Science for Schools Scheme (S4) project team who have been shortlisted for the 2022 THE Awards in the ‘Widening Participation and Outreach Initiative of the Year’ category.

S4 is a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) outreach project connecting Key Stage 3 pupils in South Wales with university science. S4 is led by research scientists and aims to get young people excited by, and engaged in, science through free, hands-on, curiosity-driven, and research-led workshops.

  Read more

Engineering Talent Awards 2022: Swansea University win the Innovation Award

The Department of General Engineering has been awarded the Equal Engineers ETA Innovation Award sponsored by Network Rail for their social justice learning and assessment strategy. The Sustainable Engineering Management MSc led by Dr Xiaojun Yin has incorporated critical pedagogies from the social sciences into engineering teaching. The techniques have been developed by Gabrielle Orbaek White as part of her doctoral studies with Dr Patricia Xavier, Dr Catherine Groves and Dr Elaine Forde. Using a critical approach, students undertake engineering design with international development partners, while confronting how the legacy of colonisation influences the relationships they develop. 

IN THE NEWS

The ’Lost’ Islands of Ceredigion

Research conducted by Honorary Professor Simon Haslett, Geography, has uncovered a medieval map that provides evidence of two lost islands off the Ceredigion coast. In collaboration with David Willis, Oxford University, they suggest that these may relate to the mythical lands of Cantre’r Gwaelod. The findings have generated approximately 80 items of coverage in 17 countries, 39 international items and with a +48 million estimated UK reach. It was the second most read article on BBC News online on the day of release!. 

  Read more

KEEP IN TOUCH!

If you are aware of any recent achievements to share, either for yourself or for any members of your team, we would love to hear about them!  We’re interested in stories from academic and professional services communities. Please email any news to Anna Ratcliffe (a.c.ratcliffe@swansea.ac.uk). Deadline for submissions: 15th of each month.

If you would like to promote a research event on the FSE Events webpage, please contact fse-reception@swansea.ac.uk

View in Browser | Unsubscribe

Prifysgol Abertawe | Swansea University