This year’s UGRG Annual Conference aims to provide a forum for researchers working on, and contributing to debates about the broad theme of globalization and the city. The Conference brings together the wide variety of work being undertaken on global cities – from, for example, the impact of the credit crisis on financial centres, to the current questioning of the concept of ‘the global city’. The Conference brings together delegates from as far away as continental Europe, Asia and Canada. Full details can be found here.
Swansea University - Latest News
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Latest News
These pages provide links to current news items and press releases prepared by the University, as well as information on recent and forthcoming events. You will also find up to date details of some of the groundbreaking research that takes place at in the School of the Enviornment and Society.
School Newsletter Issue 3 (December 2009) is available here
School Newsletter Issue 2
(July 2009) is available to download in pdf format
School Newsletter Issue 1
(March 2009) is available to download in pdf format
Saying "No" to the Badger Cull
Why the proposed badget cull in north Pembrokeshire should be halted, Thursday 19 November, Welsh Wildlife Centre, Cilgerran, Cardigan
Speakers include Dr Dan Forman, Conservation Ecology Research Team, School of the Environment and Society, and Sarah Kessell, Chief Executive of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Click Badger Cull poster for further information.
Badgers, Cattle and TB: Opening Up the Debate
November Science Cafe, Wednesday 25th November 2009 at 7:30pm in the Dylan Thomas Centre
Presented by: Dr Dan Forman, Conservation Ecology Research Team
The Swansea Science Cafe offers opportunities for anyone to find out more about new, exciting and topical areas of science. Designed to be informal and entertaining, the cafe typically runs on the last Wednesday of every month at the Dylan Thomas Centre. Entry is free and talks start at 7:30pm. For future events see http://www.sciencecafewales.org/.
Natur Cymru's £500 Writing Challenge
Natur Cymru is the quarterly magazine dedicated to the environment and wildlife of Wales. The purpose of the competition is to stimulate debate and encourage contributions from anyone with a passion for our natural world in Wales. Last year, this competition was jointly won by the School's student Owen Bidder and Dave Wright from Bangor University. The winners were presented with their £250 cheques by wildlife TV presenter, Iolo Williams and their articles published in Natur Cymru. Owen submitted an article entitled ‘The European Polecat: Unsung Species’ which can be viewed here. For further information on the competition, please click here.
Welsh Native Amphibian and Reptile Conference
This Conference, to be held at Swansea University on Saturday 28th November, has been designed for people from all walks of life who have an interest in wildlife and conservation; in particular our native amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna). It is hoped that this event will help the conservation of our herpetofauna by expanding knowledge and enthusing people to pursue an active involvement in conservation. A second objective is to bring together different wildlife organisations to discuss conservation practices and issues.
The first session will be chaired by Dr Dan Forman, of the Conservation Ecology Research Team at Swansea University and Honorary President of South and West Wales Amphibian and Reptile Group. Full details can be found here.
Refugees living in Wales: a survey of skills, experiences and barriers to inclusion
The findings of the first ever survey of refugees living in Wales were launched at The Senedd, Cardiff Bay on 2nd November. The survey, which was undertaken by Professor Heaven Crawley and Tina Crimes of the Centre for Migration Policy Research, in partnership with the Wales Strategic Migration Partnership, Welsh Refugee Council and Welsh Assembly Government, provides information about refugee skills, experiences and barriers to inclusion. The launch of the research and its findings were reported by Radio Wales, Real Radio, the Western Mail and South Wales Evening Post. Click here to read the BBC report.
Research finds fungus could biocontrol spread of Bluetongue
New research from the School has found that a fungus could replace chemical pesticides in controlling the spread of debilitating livestock diseases, including the Bluetongue virus. Dr Minshad Ansari and Professor Tariq Butt are the first to investigate the use of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae to control Culicoides or biting midges, which also spread African horse sickness. Read the full news item here.
Research helping to conserve Wales’ most endangered animal
Gethin Thomas is researching one of Wales’ most endangered and enigmatic aquatic species, the freshwater pearl mussel. Gethin (25) from Ammanford is starting his third year as a PhD student at the School where he is working under the supervision of Dr Carlos Garcia de Leaniz. Read the full news item here.
Global Cities Now? Current Perspectives in 'Global Urban Studies'
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) will be holding it's Urban Geography Research Group (UGRG) Annual Conference on 5th - 6th November 2009. The Conference will be hosted by the Centre for Urban Theory at Swansea University.
CSAR helps BBC Life film impossible underwater details
Young "Nemos" from Swansea University's Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Research (CSAR) will feature in the network BBC wildlife series Life, to be screened on BBC One at 9pm on Monday, November 2. CSAR was approached by the BBC's Natural History Unit in Bristol in late 2008 to assist in the production of this 10-part series, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Life will be screened on BBC One at 9pm on Monday, November 2. For more information on the series visit
http://www.bbc.co.uk/life and for more information on CSAR visit http://www.aquaculturewales.com/
The situation of children in immigrant families in the UK
Research into the situation of immigrant children living in the UK undertaken by Professor Heaven Crawley, Director of the Centre for Migration Policy Research, has been published by UNICEF's Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, Italy. The study provides the first in-depth analysis of the circumstances of first and second generation children using the 2001 Census data. The report has been published as part of a series of working papers alongside a comparative study entitled Children in Immigrant Families in Eight Affluent Countries: their family, national and international context, which includes the findings of the UK case study and research from Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States.
One of the key finding of the research is that many immigrant children and youth in the eight affluent countries are at disadvantage compared with the native children and youth.
Professor Crawley met recently with officials from the UK Border Agency and Department for Children, Schools and Families to discuss the implications of the research for future research and policy development. For further information on the report click here and for further information on the Centre for Migration Policy Research, click here
ISOMAP paper for Geology published on NERC Planet Earth
Researchers in the School, in the University of Southampton’s School of Geography and the University of Liverpool’s Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences have published an ISOMAP geology paper entitled ‘Terrestrial climate signal of the “8200 yr B.P. cold event” in the Labrador Sea region’. The paper, published by NERC on Planet Earth Online in September 2009, examines the potential impact of melting Greenland ice and enhanced freshwater discharge on regional climate. For further information please visit Planet Earth Online at http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/ or download a pdf copy of the article here: Research pdf
Understanding the migrant experience - an ESRC Research Seminar Series - April 2009 to October 2010
Researchers at the Centre for Migration Policy Research (CMPR) have been awarded an ESRC grant to host a series of one day seminars which aim to increase understanding of the migrant experience.
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