Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The Welsh Historic Gardens Trust is working with Aberystwyth University in a new partnership to develop a long-term conservation plan for the Penglais campus grounds. A joint working group has been set up with representatives from the Ceredigion branch of the Trust, with the first meeting held Monday 16 October 2017, As well as the Trust, the group will include Estates Department staff and the University’s own botanical experts. There will also be consultation with staff and students as part of the development of a conservation management plan for the grounds, which are Grade II* listed by Cadw. Dr Caroline Palmer, Chair of the Ceredigion branch of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the University on what we envisage will be the development of a long-term plan to be rolled out over a number of years. Our joint aim will be to draw up a policy for current maintenance and future aspirations for this designed landscape. We are fortuna...

Aberystwyth University’s Penglais Campus has become the first University campus in Wales to achieve the Green Flag Award. The Green Flag Award is a UK-wide partnership, delivered in Wales by Keep Wales Tidy with support from Natural Resources Wales, and is the mark of a high quality park or green space. It is judged by green space experts who visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement. A record-breaking 110 parks and green spaces in Wales have met the high standard needed to receive the Green Flag Award or the Green Flag Community Award this year. Director of Estates Development at Aberystwyth University, Mark Taylor said: “It is pleasing to see the hard work of everyone involved rewarded, in particular our Grounds Team, and the University estate recognised as a safe, green and enjoyable space for students, staff and visitors. We will seek to further enhance our grounds ...

Around four million people are currently living with diabetes in the UK, a figure that is projected to increase to 6.25 and cost £16.9 billion to the NHS (17% of its annual budget) by 2035. Aberystwyth University is hosting a Diabetes Information Evening on Wednesday 3 September between 7-9pm at the Carwyn James Building on Penglais Campus which is designed to raise awareness about diabetes and provide support for those who already have the condition. The evening offers an open invitation to all who have an interest in or questions about diabetes and its management and is being organised by Dr Ffion Curtis, a researcher at the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at Aberystwyth University. She explains, “A recent research study conducted by us and Hywel Dda University Health Board identified that people living in and around Aberystwyth may be at risk of vitamin D insufficiency during the winter months. “The primary source of vitamin D comes from sun exposure. It has been known fo...

A new centre that facilitates the creation of multimedia learning resources using audio, video and animation to improve and enrich the student learning experience, has been opened by Aberystwyth University. Aber Academy represents and investment of £200,000 and is located in the Hugh Owen Building, on the Penglais Campus. It provides training for members of staff on how to use technology effectively, and space to exchange ideas and share good practice in learning and teaching. Facilities including a media lab and a recording studio, and equipment such as cameras, camcorders and microphones, can be used and borrowed by staff to help with the delivery of lectures, research or presentations. The Academy has been developed largely in response to feedback from students in the National Student Survey, the annual Information Services Users Survey and learner experience studies undertaken in 2010 and 2013. Students responding to the surveys indicated clearly they were looking for more video an...

Aberystwyth University students living in University seafront residences will be able to enjoy super-fast internet access following the installation of a new Dark Fibre Network. Working with Pinacl Solutions, the University has invested over a quarter of a million pounds in the new network that connects the Penglais Campus with the seafront residences which provide accommodation for 450 students. The new Dark Fibre Network connects eight University buildings covering a total distance of 3,400m and consisting of over 58,000m of singlemode fibre and is operational from 30 April. The new development means students will be able to access multimedia material and video on the internet much quicker than previously. Initially this wide area network will run at 1 Gigabyte per second, facilitating download speeds that are much quicker than those experienced by most people through their home broadband. For the longer term it has the capacity to deliver speeds of 10 Gigabytes per second and beyo...