Welcome to the Spring Issue of News Bites from the College of Science where you can find out some of the latest news and events. For more information about the College of Science visit www.swan.ac.uk/science

STUDENT ACTIVITIES / STUDENTS IN THE NEWS

Cutting edge dissertation project on Toxoplasmosis

‘Computer Science Maker Competition’

Fiona Newberry (BSc Biology student) has completed a piece of applied and cutting-edge work for her dissertation project with the Toxoplasma Reference Unit, Public Health Wales.  Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent zoonotic pathogen, which infects 30-40% of the human population. The main route of infection is by ingestion of the parasite from environmental sources or as a foodborne infection.

The Department of Computer Science held the Maker Competition Exhibition on 12 December 2013.   Participants formed teams of at least two people and were given a kit to make something inspiring.  They then uploaded their two minute video on YouTube to showcase their concepts and creations. Teams were asked to come along and demonstrate their creations in front of a judging panel.  First place went to ‘NoteCube’ which was created by Callum Dicker, Cameron Steer and Lewis Edwards.    Details of the creations can be found here:

University Birdwatch Challenge

Geology fieldwork for Physical Earth Science

Swansea graduate continues her research on medicinal leeches

Emma Cole (BSc Zoology student) is the University’s BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) undergraduate representative, and is aiming to encourage as many students as possible to start counting and recording any birds they see. As part of this, Emma has entered Swansea University into ‘A Focus on Nature’s’ University Birdwatch Challenge: any student enrolled at the university records any and all bird species seen around our campus boundaries as often as possible and submits their data onto BirdTrack. With 178 bird species classified as either globally or nationally threatened in the UK (Eaton et al. 2009) the work of the BTO is more crucial than ever. The BTO and Emma work closely in association with the Swansea Ecology Research Team (SERT) in the Department of Biosciences and the University’s Conservation and Ecology Society (SUCES).

Students studying the Physical Earth Science degree scheme within Geography, which combines geology and physical geography, have been busy recently with geological fieldwork.  They dodged the February storms to spend a weekend studying the spectacular geology of the North Pembrokeshire coast, with Newport as a base.  Highlights included the pillow lavas of Strumble Head, sunset over the layered gabbro of St David’s Head, and the sedimentary structures of the Aberystwyth Grits turbidites.

They have also spent several afternoons in the field studying the geology of the resources obtained from the South Wales Coalfield, visiting the site of the Clyne Valley brick-pit and brickworks, and several sites in the Swansea Valley linked to copper smelting, tinplate works, limestone quarrying, coal mining and silica sandstone quarrying to make silica bricks at Penwyllt.  Their third and final field class will take them to a working opencast coal site.

Rachel Taylor (BSc Zoology and MSc Environmental Biology: Conservation & Resource Management) is currently employed as an ecologist with BSG Ecology.  “Since joining BSG Ecology I have been involved in planning and undertaking bat surveys and monitoring exercises, interpreting bat data and compiling reports, particularly with regard to heritage projects and wind farm proposals. I have also completed survey work for water quality monitoring, reptiles, great crested newt, water vole and badger. I have also recently completed a research review on the potential ecological impacts of ground-mounted photovoltaic solar panels in the UK. I consider myself very lucky to be hired by BSG Ecology, in such a competitive job market, and believe that the experience and skills gained during my time at Swansea University and SERT directly contributed to my employment. I am still a member of SERT and intend to aid the continuance of medicinal leech research with them this year, during my spare time.”

A Day in the Life of a Mathematics Student

Watch James Cresswell  (BSc Mathematics student) on a typical day as a student.

Zoology student presents project on bees to primary schools

Outstanding thesis for Geography PhD student

Environmental winner encourages 2014 competitors

At the end of February, the International Bee Research Association (IBRA) launched an International Bee education pack aimed at primary level children and Elinor Meloy (BSc Zoology student) gave a 10 minute presentation to around 100 guests who ranged from primary school children, teachers, MPs and academics.   Elinor was invited to speak about her dissertation project where she studied the social bumblebee species of Newport Wetlands.

Dr Christine Dow has passed her viva without corrections, an achievement that reflects well the outstanding quality of her thesis entitled ‘Modelling and field data analysis of subglacial hydrological conditions in South-West Greenland’. This was as expected, following two successive outstanding student paper awards at the AGU Fall Meetings in 2011 and 2012!  Christine has been based in the Department of Geography and was supervised by Bernd Kulessa and Ian Rutt. Many congratulations to Christine and all the very best for her future research work as a NASA postdoctoral fellow!

Owen Bidder (PhD student in the Department of Biosciences) is on a trip to Slovenia’s Triglav National Park to learn more about the area.  He says it took him less than a minute to apply for the Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s Geraint George Scholarship, which saw him beat off stiff competition and win the overseas trip.   Owen won the 2013 Welsh language environmental scholarship and hopes a number of youngsters will participate in the competition this year.  “My reaction when I saw the competition details on email at Swansea University last year was: ‘Wow, what an opportunity – communication, something I do with a lot of people already, meeting influential environmentalists and an opportunity to go on a fantastic adventure. I went for it and succeeded!”  Owen undertook his BSc Zoology degree here at Swansea.

BSc Geography dissertation received Honorable mention

The British Sedimentological Research Group (BSRG) awarded Hannah Lee (BSc Geography student) an Honorable mention for her final year undergraduate project “Variability and facies controls of soft sediment deformation in torridonian applecross formation”.   

This is the second commendation for a Swansea student in this national award, following Matt Whitney’s commendation in 2012.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Swansea Science Summer School

When?  Science Summer Schools & Science Taster Days throughout 2014

Where?  College of Science, Swansea University

Who?  Year 10 and Year 12 pupils from Swansea and surrounding areas

The College of Science will be running a series of taster days and week-long schools in Biosciences, Computer Science, Geography, Mathematics and Physics between now and March 2015. This is following on from a smaller summer school scheme in 2013. We hope to host up to 200 pupils in Years 10 and 12 (aged between 14 and 17), and give them valuable, hands-on experience of carrying out real scientific experiments with academic staff in a research laboratory. We want to ‘bring science to life’, with workshops such as ‘Mathematics for jugglers’ and ‘Hunting for exoplanets’.

Something fishy is going on at Swansea University….

Further two years’ funding announced for Further Mathematics Support Programme (FMSP) Wales

Wallace Poster Competition

Will Townsend (BSc Zoology student), President of the Swansea Undergraduate Conservation Ecology Society is running the Yellow Fish Project along with the University Biodiversity and Sustainability Team.   The Yellow Fish Project is a nationwide campaign to remind everyone that there is a good chance that whatever goes down the drain will end up in rivers, streams or the sea. Issues with drainage in Swansea have led to especially poor water quality. This makes our local water environments unpleasant for both people and wildlife.

In December 2013 the Welsh Government announced funding would be provided over two years for the continuation of the FMSP Wales.    The significant annual funding of £225,000 would be made available in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.  The programme is led by Wales Institute of Mathematical and Computation Sciences (WIMCS) based at Swansea University.  Welsh Government Education Minister Huw Lewis said “We’ve made a commitment improving levels of numeracy and enhancing the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics”.” High level maths skills open doors to so many careers for our learners and we must support them to get the skills they need to succeed”.

In October 2013, as part of a series of events to commemorate the centenary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) the College of Science launched a poster competition. The competition was open to schools, sixth forms and College of Science undergraduates.  A particularly impressive set of entries was received from Ysgol Brogwaun in Fishguard. On February  14th, Dr Suzanne Bevan (Geography), Dr Ruth Callaway (Biosciences) and Dr Sofya Lyakhova (Maths) attended the school’s morning assembly and presented eight pupils with cash prizes. The school was also given £250 to be spent on science activities or equipment.

The Pembrokeshire Herald reported on the prizes received by Ysgol Bro Gwaun.

Technoteach: Teachers are going back to the classroom

Gower Walking Festival

As recently reported in The South Wales Evening Post, a programme called Technoteach, funded by the Welsh Government through the National Science Academy, is being run by the Technocamps programme based in the Department of Computer Science. Technoteach is giving teachers in primary and secondary schools continuous professional development (CPD) in Computer Science.  The free programme which gives them the chance to learn the key computer science concepts to help them deliver GCSE Computing effectively, run for six weeks.

Swansea Geography staff are offering walks during the Gower Walking Festival in June. 

11 June at 2pm:  Dr Geraint Owen - Geology and scenery around Penclawdd

12 June at 2pm:  Dr Geraint Owen - Geology in Cwm Clydach

13 June at 6pm:  Dr Geraint Owen and Dr Hazel Trenbirth - a geological stroll around Bracelet Bay and Mumbles

18 June at 10am:  Dr Kate Evans: a Tawe Tale and river trip on the Black Prince (an interactive story telling walk along the Tawe followed by a trip on the Tawe on the community barge)

Come and join us!

RESEARCH IN THE NEWS

Prestigious five-year Wolfson Research Merit Award

Professor Matt Jones, Head  of the Department of Computer Science, is among the 21 recipients in the latest round of prestigious Wolfson Research Merit Awards recently announced by the Royal Society, the UK’s national academic of science.  Professor Jones has been given the award as a platform for work motivated by his desire to understand and solve a series of complex human-technology problems of great interest to the international research community and with the aim of improving life for many hundreds of millions of people in the developing world.

Death by fungus provides solution

The Amazon and climate change: Swansea Geography’s research with NASA

Volcanic Ash research to unlock the secrets of climate change

Research undertaken by Professor Tariq Butt (Department of Biosciences) and his team could have far-reaching implications for the control of mosquito larvae across the world. As reported in “Advances Wales”, their study into the mechanisms by which the insect pathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae kills mosquito larvae, demonstrates that the fungus infection processes that occur for terrestrial insects do not apply for the mosquito larvae.    The research as shown that the fungus is able to kill the larvae without germinating which results in a stress-related and fast ‘accidental death’

Advances Wales, page 21:

Scientists have been puzzled by the apparent ‘greening up’ of the Amazon forest during its annual dry season. However, Professor Peter North and Dr Jacqueline Rosette, in research carried out with NASA, have found that the Amazon is not as green in the dry season as researchers previously thought, because a trick of the light skews the satellite images.  The finding will help scientists develop a more accurate picture of changes in the Amazon, which is more important now than ever, given the enormous role the Amazon plays in regulating carbon dioxide, and influencing climate change.

The research is published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature and has received global media coverage.

Professor Siwan Davies (Department of Geography) recently featured her work on S4C’s science series Dibendraw.  Professor Davies currently leads an ambitious £1.2 million five-year research project entitled "Tephra constraints on rapid climate events (TRACE)", funded through one of the European Research Council’s Starting Grants, which are designed to support promising researchers in Europe who have the proven potential of becoming research leaders.  The research aims to unlock the secrets of past climate change, by examining microscopic layers of volcanic ash deposited in ancient ice and marine sediments.

Professor Davies’s team employ a pioneering approach, using the microscopic traces of ash left from volcanic eruptions to precisely match Greenland ice-cores, which provide a record of atmospheric variability, with North Atlantic marine records, depicting changes in the ocean circulation system.

Swansea Physicist talks about ALPHA experiment at CERN

Physics Research Officer, Dr Aled Isaac, part of a team of scientists from the ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) collaboration at CERN who are working towards the understanding of the behaviour of antimatter, also appeared on S4C’s Dibendraw.  The work of CERN and the Higgs boson, which the LHC was built to find was also featured.  Professor Peter Higgs, the scientist who gave his name to the Higgs boson particle, has strong ties to Swansea University and in July 2008, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship.  Professor Higgs returned to Swansea University in July 2012, to give a talk to more than 100 scientists from around the globe at the 10th International Conference on Strong and ElectroWeak Matter, in the wake of the exciting announcements from CERN about the discovery of the Higgs boson.

New research project will help save UK forests, woods and trees

Swansea University has won a share of a £7m funding pot which will develop research into improving the understanding of tree pests and pathogens, and associated plant biosecurity and help address threats to UK forests, woods and trees.

Swansea University’s research is one of seven new research projects to receive funding under the multi-disciplinary Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Initiative (THAPBI) which will generate knowledge to tackle pests and diseases and to support the future health of the UK's woodlands, commercial forests and urban trees. The societal benefits of the UK’s trees are estimated at around £1.8 billion per year.

Swansea’s project, led by Professor Tariq Butt, receives £900K for its research into the Biological Pest Control of Insect Pests that Threaten Tree Health (BIPESCO). Professor Butt said “ We are delighted with the award of funding for our interdisciplinary project that will use botanicals and biocontrol with entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) to kill and control insect pests that pose a threat to UK trees. BIPESCO will develop these natural alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides, of which usage is being severely restricted.”

This research has attracted global media coverage.

Computer Science research helping to fight the rise of the app attackers

Research funding to determine the vulnerability of Antarctic ice shelves

Swansea Salmon Research Group develops programme to identify hatchery fish

Associate Professor Markus Roggenbach, from the Department of Computer Science, has received a share of £3 million funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to undertake research to counter cyber-criminals who are using malicious apps which can collude with each other to infect people’s smartphones.  Malware attacks are rising year on year and over one million new Android malware attacks were identified in 2013 by McAfee, a division of Intel Security.  Malicious apps can gain access to address books, GPS coordinates, passwords or pin numbers. They can redirect your data across the net, send you to phishing sites and also bypass the two-step authentication process used to access an ever-increasing number of online services such as banking or email.

The Swansea Glaciology Group, in collaboration with Aberystwyth University and other partners, has been awarded a major new research grant to study Antarctic ice shelves. In February, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) awarded the team £750k, £500k of which will come to Swansea. The three-year project is led by Professor Adrian Luckman with Co-investigators Dr Bernd Kulessa and Dr Ian Rutt, while Dr Suzanne Bevan has recently been appointed as Research Officer. The project, entitled “Impact of surface melt and ponding on ice shelf dynamics and stability” will undertake a programme of field geophysics, satellite remote sensing and numerical modelling on Larsen C ice shelf to investigate the past and future response of ice shelves to atmospheric warming. This programme will include two 8-week field deployments to Antarctica in late 2014 and 2015 involving five researchers from Swansea and Aberystwyth. The goal of the project is to determine the vulnerability of Antarctic ice shelves to collapse over the next 200 years.

(Image by Alison Cook)

Over the last few years, the Swansea Salmon Research Group led by Dr Carlos Garcia de Leaniz and Dr Sofia Consuegra has worked closely with Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water to develop a traceability programme for identifying hatchery fish in salmon stocking projects in Wales. Working closely with Llyn-y-Fan hatchery and supported by funding from Welsh Government through SEACAMS, broodstock were sampled, genetically tagged and released last year as the first step in this ongoing programme of research.

Tortoise dung reveal changes to the eco-system

Swansea University scientists are studying fossilized tortoise dung to shed more light on the changing eco-system of the Galapagos islands.  Discover Magazine features the work of the Department of Geography’s ecologist, Dr Cynthia Froyd and her colleagues, who are researching how the landscape of the Galapagos Islands has changed since tortoise numbers dropped in the 16th century.

BookMark app to help locate books in Swansea University’s Library

A research project in the Department of Computer Science has been looking at ways of repurposing everyday physical objects digitally. As part of this, they appropriated the hundreds of thousands of barcodes that are already on books in Swansea University's Library and Information Centre to support low-cost, scalable indoor navigation.

Any barcode in the library is now a "signpost" to any other – their app lets you scan any book's code to get a detailed map from where you are right to the bookshelf holding the item you are looking for.

The app is available on Google Play:

Research in Ethiopia to establish reasons for recent droughts

Dr Iain Robertson (Department of Geography, Swansea University), Dr Park Williams (Columbia University, USA), Dr Tommy Wils (Rotterdam University, Netherlands), Dr Marcin Koprowski (Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland) and Dr Zewdu Eshetu (Addis Ababa University) recently conducted a National Geographic-funded palaeoclimatic project in Ethiopia. Cores were obtained from 65 juniper trees growing in the grounds of churches in the Ethiopian Highlands. The long-term aim of this research is to establish if the recent droughts are part of a natural climate cycle or exacerbated by anthropogenic influences. Stable isotopes will be measured on these samples to investigate the demise in the proportion of moisture transported out of the Congo Basin towards the Horn of Africa. As the Congo Basin acts as the primary source of moisture to much of the Ethiopian Highlands, the suggested shift in precipitation source may have significant impacts on the amount of rainfall received in the region. A joint lecture on the preliminary results of the research was given to the Climate Science Centre at Addis Ababa University.

OTHER NEWS AND EVENTS

Computer Science research project on extending the classical Curry-Howard correspondence to hypersequent calculus and parallel processes

Bridging the Gaps Travel to Grenoble

Dr Arnold Beckmann (Computer Science, Swansea University), in collaboration with Dr Norbert Preining (Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), has been awarded a Royal Society Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation International Exchanges Award.

A celebrated result, bridging proof theory and theory of computation, is given by the Curry-Howard correspondence.  It enables us to see proofs of formulas expressing specifications as programs solving the specification.  The aim of this project is to go beyond the traditional Curry-Howard correspondence and extend it to a wider class of proof theoretic calculi, and a wider class of computational models.  In particular, they want to treat communication and parallelism in a similar way.

Dr Bernd Kulessa has been awarded a 'Bridging the Gaps Travel to Grenoble' grant. In June 2014 he will visit the Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre) (Université Joseph Fourier / CNRS) and the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement (LGGE) to consolidate existing and establish new collaborations in the seismic, radar and seismoelectric geophysical assessment of ice masses, to pave the way to future joint Horizon 2020 bids, and to deliver a seminar on recent advances in Polar ice sheet research.

Major donation given to University’s History of Computing Collection

International EMMI workshop SIGN 2014 a great success

Grant awarded for collaborative work on the seismoelectric geogphysical method for glaciological applications

Swansea University’s History of Computing Collection has received a major donation of notes, papers and books that belonged to computational pioneer Leslie John Comrie FRS (1893-1950).  Professor Tucker said: “We are delighted to have this important collection at the HOCC. Comrie had a prolific and important career. He trained as a chemist and was especially interested in astronomic calculations – a lunar crater and an asteroid are named for him. However, his work on computation was universal and he made many important contributions in the course of the Second World War. In engineering and industry, Comrie helped lay the basis of our contemporary abilities in simulation.”

The EMMI workshop SIGN 2014 on the Sign Problem in QCD and beyond, which took place at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany in February, was deemed a great success. The meeting, organised by Professor Gert Aarts of the Physics Department of Swansea University's College of Science and co-organised by Professor Owe Philipsen of the Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt am Main, brought together 75 scientists from Europe, Japan, China and the USA to exchange results on the resolution of the so-called sign problem in Quantum Chromodynamics and related theories.

Dr Bernd Kulessa (Department of Geography) has been awarded an International Exchanges Grant from the Royal Society, which will foster collaboration with Professor Karl Butler, University of New Brunswick Fredericton, in the development of the seismoelectric geophysical method for glaciological applications. The collaboration was kick-started during Bernd's five-month sabbatical visit to New Brunswick in 2011, at the time supported by a Harrison McCain Foundation Visiting Professorship. Karl will now visit Swansea for two weeks in May / June 2014, and Bernd will visit New Brunswick for six weeks in the summer of 2014 - a great opportunity to prepare publications arising from their joint glacier seismoelectric and other geophysical research conducted in southern Iceland in the 2013 summer, in collaboration with Dr John Hiemstra (Department of Geography) and other UK colleagues!

Centre for NanoHealth welcomes new Co-Director

Swansea University’s Centre for NanoHealth (CNH) has welcomed a new addition to its Board of Directors.  Professor Huw Summers, current Chair of Nanotechnology for Health and Head of the Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Centre at Swansea University joins the Centre’s existing Directors, Professor Steve Wilks and Professor Steve Conlan, to take CNH into its next phase of development.

The Centre, which was established five years ago, combines nanotechnology with medical science to provide opportunities to develop innovative solutions to the world’s challenge of detecting the onset of diseases at the earliest stage.

Two amigos’ South American CRYathlon challenge in aid of heart charity

Steven Jones will embark on the CRYathlon challenge with support on the cycling leg from fellow alumnus, Tim Butt (BSc Geography and MSc Environmental Dynamics and Climate Change). The CRYathlon is made up of a coast to coast 1,000 mile cycle from Buenos Aires to Santiago, across the Pampas lowlands; a three peak hiking challenge over the Andes Mountain range; and a canoeing challenge covering over 1,000 miles of the Amazon River, from Iguitos in Peru to Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas.  Tim Butt, aged 23, who suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest last year said: “The South America Challenge marks the start of a series of challenge-based fundraising under the banner CRYathlon, through which we aim to raise a target of £15,000 to fund heart screening and medical research through CRY."

Physics Professor elected to Council of the Learned Society of Wales

Professor Mike Charlton of Swansea University has been elected to the Council of the Learned Society of Wales - the organisation which celebrates Welsh learning internationally and is a source of authoritative, scholarly and critical comment and advice on policy issues affecting Wales.

Professor Charlton who has been at the University for over 14 years is the head of Department of Physics, and also is Chair of Experimental Physics. He is part of a team of scientists from Swansea that are members of the ALPHA (Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) collaboration at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research).

The ALPHA experiment aims to compare hydrogen and antihydrogen, in order to study fundamental symmetries between matter and antimatter and to shed light on how the universe came about. The ALPHA collaboration has been able to create antihydrogen atoms, hold onto them for long periods of time, and perform first experiments measuring their spectral properties.

Professor Charlton said: “It is a great privilege to be elected to the Council of the Learned Society of Wales and I look forward to working with colleagues to help promote the role of the Society, and in particular its activities connected to science and its applications, both in Wales and beyond.”

View Professor Charlton describing his work here:

To read previous editions of the College of Science Newsletter:

For further details on any item reported above, please contact the member of staff concerned, or email Mrs Sandra Kramcha

Croeso i rifyn y gwanwyn o Pigion - cylchlythyr y Coleg Gwyddoniaeth. Dyma'r lle i ddod o hyd i'r newyddion diweddaraf, a gwybodaeth am ddigwyddiadau. I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am y Coleg Gwyddoniaeth, ewch i www.swan.ac.uk/science

GWEITHGAREDDAU'R MYFYRWYR / MYFYRWYR YN Y NEWYDDION

Prosiect traethawd hir arloesol ar bwnc Tocsoplasmosis

'Cystadleuaeth Gwneuthurwr Cyfrifiadureg'

Mae Fiona Newberry (myfyriwr BSc Bioleg) wedi cwblhau darn o waith cymhwysol ac arloesol ar gyfer ei phrosiect traethawd hir gydag Uned Cyfeirio Tocsoplasma, Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru. Mae Tocsoplasma gondii yn filhaint pathogen cyffredin, sy'n effeithio ar 30-40% o'r boblogaeth ddynol. Y brif ffordd o ddal yr haint yw drwy amlyncu'r parasit o ffynonellau amgylcheddol neu fel haint a gludir gan fwyd.

Cynhaliodd yr Adran Gyfrifiadureg Gystadleuaeth Gwneuthurwr Cyfrifiadureg ar 12 Rhagfyr 2013. Roedd cystadleuwyr yn ffurfio timau gydag o leiaf ddau aelod ac yn cael cit i geisio cynhyrchu rhywbeth ysbrydoledig. Yna, roedd angen iddyn nhw lwytho fideo dwy funud o hyd ar YouTube i arddangos eu syniadau. Gofynnwyd i'r timau ddod i ddangos eu syniadau'n gweithio o flaen panel o feirniaid. Yr enillydd oedd ‘NoteCube’ a grëwyd gan Callum Dicker, Cameron Steer a Lewis Edwards. Mae manylion am y syniadau yma:

Her Gwylio Adar Prifysgolion

Gwaith maes daeareg ar gyfer Gwyddorau Ffisegol y Ddaear

Un o raddedigion Abertawe yn parhau â'i hymchwil ar gelod meddyginiaethol

Emma Cole (myfyriwr BSc Sŵoleg) yw cynrychiolydd israddedig y Brifysgol gydag Ymddiriedolaeth Adareg Prydain, a'i nod yw annog cymaint o fyfyrwyr â phosibl i ddechrau cyfrif a chofnodi unrhyw adar maen nhw'n eu gweld. Fel rhan o hynny, mae Emma wedi cofrestru Prifysgol Abertawe gyda Her Gwylio Adar Prifysgolion 'A Focus on Nature'. Gall unrhyw fyfyriwr sydd wedi ymgofrestru gyda'r Brifysgol gofnodi'r holl rywogaethau adar maen nhw'n eu gweld ar ein campws mor aml â phosibl a chyflwyno'r data ar BirdTrack. Gan fod 178 o rywogaethau adar wedi'u nodi dan fygythiad yn fyd-eang neu ar ynysoedd Prydain (Eaton ac eraill. 2009), mae gwaith Ymddiriedolaeth Adareg Prydain yn fwy hanfodol nag erioed. Mae Emma a'r Ymddiriedolaeth yn cydweithio'n agos gyda Thîm Ymchwil Ecoleg Abertawe yn Adran y Biowyddorau a Chymdeithas Cadwraeth ac Ecoleg y Brifysgol.

Mae myfyrwyr sy'n astudio gradd Gwyddorau Ffisegol y Ddaear ym maes Daearyddiaeth, sy'n cyfuno daeareg a daearyddiaeth ffisegol, wedi bod yn brysur yn gwneud gwaith maes daearegol yn ddiweddar. Er mwyn osgoi'r stormydd ym mis Chwefror, aethon nhw am benwythnos i astudio daeareg odidog arfordir gogledd Sir Benfro, gyda'u pencadlys yn Nhrefdraeth. Roedd yr uchafbwyntiau'n cynnwys y lafa clustog ym Mhencaer, yr haul yn machlud dros y gabro haenog ym Mhenmaen Dewi, a strwythurau gwaddodol tyrbiditau Grutiau Aberystwyth.

Maen nhw hefyd wedi treulio sawl prynhawn yn y maes yn astudio daeareg adnoddau o feysydd glo'r de, gan ymweld â phwll briciau a gweithfeydd briciau Cwm Clun, a nifer o safleoedd yng Nghwm Tawe sy'n gysylltiedig â mwyndoddfeydd copr, gweithfeydd tun, chwareli calchfaen, pyllau glo a chwareli tywodfaen silica i wneud briciau silica ym Mhenwyllt. Ar gyfer trydydd dosbarth maes y myfyrwyr, sef y dosbarth maes olaf, byddan nhw'n ymweld â safle glo brig sy'n gweithio.

Ar hyn o bryd, mae Rachel Taylor (BSc Sŵoleg ac MSc Bioleg Amgylcheddol: Cadwraeth a Rheoli Adnoddau) yn cael ei chyflogi fel ecolegwr gyda chwmni BSG Ecology. “Ers ymuno â BSG Ecology rydw i wedi bod yn rhan o'r gwaith o gynllunio a chynnal arolygon ac ymarferion monitro ystlumod, dadansoddi data am ystlumod a llunio adroddiadau, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â phrosiectau treftadaeth a chynigion am ffermydd gwynt. Rydw i hefyd wedi cwblhau gwaith arolygu ar fonitro ansawdd dŵr, ymlusgiaid, madfallod dŵr cribog, llygod y dŵr a moch daear. Rydw i hefyd wedi cwblhau adolygiad ymchwil yn ddiweddar ar yr effaith ecolegol bosibl o osod paneli solar ffotofoltäig ar y ddaear yng ngwledydd Prydain. Mewn marchnad swyddi sydd mor gystadleuol, rydw i'n cyfrif fy hunan i fod yn lwcus iawn i gael fy nghyflogi gan BSG Ecology, ac mae'r profiad a'r sgiliau a gefais ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe a Thîm Ymchwil Ecoleg Abertawe wedi cyfrannu'n uniongyrchol at y ffaith fy mod mewn swydd. Rydw i'n dal i fod yn aelod o'r Tîm Ymchwil ac rwy'n bwriadu parhau i gynorthwyo gyda'r gwaith ymchwil ar gelod meddyginiaethol eleni, yn ystod fy amser rhydd.”

Diwrnod ym Mywyd Myfyriwr Mathemateg

Gwyliwch James Cresswell (myfyriwr BSc Mathemateg) wrth iddo fynd o gwmpas ei bethau ar ddiwrnod cyffredin fel myfyriwr.

Myfyriwr swoleg yn cyflwyno prosiect am wenyn i ysgolion cynradd

Traethawd ymchwil rhagorol myfyriwr PhD Daearyddiaeth

Enillydd amgylcheddol yn annog cystadleuwyr 2014

Ddiwedd mis Chwefror, lansiodd y Gymdeithas Ymchwil Gwenyn Rhyngwladol becyn addysg Gwenyn Rhyngwladol i blant oed cynradd a rhoddodd Elinor Meloy (myfyriwr BSc Sŵoleg) gyflwyniad 10 munud o hyd i tua 100 o westeion a oedd yn amrywio o blant ysgol gynradd, i athrawon, i Aelodau Seneddol ac academyddion. Gwahoddwyd Elinor i siarad am ei phrosiect traethawd hir lle bu'n astudio rhywogaethau gwenyn Gwlyptiroedd Casnewydd.

Mae Dr Christine Dow wedi pasio ei harholiad llafar heb ddim cywiriadau, llwyddiant sy'n adlewyrchu'n dda ar ansawdd y gwaith yn ei thraethawd ymchwil sy'n dwyn y teitl 'Modelling and field data analysis of subglacial hydrological conditions in South-West Greenland'. Roedd hyn i'w ddisgwyl, yn dilyn ennill gwobr am bapur myfyriwr rhagorol ddwy flynedd yn olynol yng Nghyfarfodydd Hydref AGU yn 2011 a 2012. Bu Christine yn gweithio yn yr Adran Ddaearyddiaeth o dan oruchwyliaeth Bernd Kulessa ac Ian Rutt. Llongyfarchiadau gwresog i Christine a phob llwyddiant iddi gyda'i gwaith ymchwil yn y dyfodol fel cymrawd ôl-ddoethur gyda NASA!

Mae Owen Bidder (myfyriwr PhD yn Adran y Biowyddorau) wedi mynd ar drip i Barc Cenedlaethol Triglav yn Slofenia i ddysgu rhagor am yr ardal. Fe gymerodd hi lai na munud iddo wneud cais am Ysgoloriaeth Geraint George gan Urdd Gobaith Cymru, meddai, a llwyddodd i ennill y trip mewn cystadleuaeth ffyrnig. Enillodd Owen yr ysgoloriaeth amgylcheddol yn 2013 ac mae'n gobeithio y bydd nifer o bobl ifanc yn cystadlu y flwyddyn nesaf. “Fy ymateb pan welais i fanylion y gystadleuaeth ar e-bost ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe y llynedd oedd: 'Waw, am gyfle - cyfathrebu, rhywbeth rydw i eisoes yn ei wneud gyda llawer o bobl, cwrdd ag amgylcheddwyr dylanwadol a chyfle i fynd ar antur wych. Fe es i amdani, a llwyddo!” Astudiodd Owen ei radd BSc Sŵoleg yn Abertawe.

Clod am draethawd hir BSc Daearyddiaeth

Cafodd Hannah Lee (myfyriwr BSc Daearyddiaeth) glod am ei phrosiect israddedig blwyddyn olaf “Variability and facies controls of soft sediment deformation in torridonian applecross formation” oddi wrth Grŵp Ymchwil Gwaddodol Prydain.

Dyma'r ail dro i fyfyriwr o Abertawe gael clod yn y wobr genedlaethol yn dilyn clod i Matt Whitney yn 2012.

YMGYSYLLTIAD CYMUNEDOL A GWEITHGAREDDAU YMESTYN ALLAN

Ysgol Haf Gwyddoniaeth Abertawe

Pryd? Ysgolion Haf Gwyddoniaeth a Diwrnodau Blasu Gwyddoniaeth drwy gydol 2014

Ble? Coleg Gwyddoniaeth, Prifysgol Abertawe

Pwy? Disgyblion blwyddyn 10 a 12 o Abertawe a'r ardaloedd cyfagos

Bydd y Coleg Gwyddoniaeth yn cynnal cyfres o ddiwrnodau blasu ac ysgolion am wythnos yn ein Hadrannau Biowyddoniaeth, Cyfrifiadureg, Daearyddiaeth, Mathemateg, a Ffiseg rhwng nawr a mis Mawrth 2015. Mae hyn yn dilyn ymlaen o gynllun ysgol haf llai yn 2013. Rydym yn gobeithio y bydd hyd at 200 o ddisgyblion o flynyddoedd 10 a 12 (rhwng 14 ac 17 oed) yno, ac y byddwn yn rhoi profiad gwerthfawr ac ymarferol iddynt o gynnal arbrofion gwyddonol go iawn a addysgir gan staff academaidd mewn labordy ymchwil. Rydym am 'ddod â gwyddoniaeth yn fyw', gyda gweithdai fel 'Mathemateg i jyglwyr' a 'Hela planedau allheuol'.

Mae rhywbeth yn y dwr ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe...

Cyllid ar gael am ddwy flynedd arall ar gyfer Rhaglen Gymorth Mathemateg Bellach yng Nghymru

Cystadleuaeth Poster Wallace

Mae Will Townsend (myfyriwr BSc Sŵoleg), Llywydd Cymdeithas Ecoleg Gadwraethol Israddedigion Abertawe, yn rhedeg Prosiect Pysgodyn Melyn ar y cyd â Thîm Bioamrywiaeth a Chynaliadwyedd y Brifysgol. Mae Prosiect Pysgodyn Melyn yn ymgyrch genedlaethol i atgoffa pobl bod siawns dda y bydd unrhyw beth a gaiff ei dywallt lawr y draeniau yn cyrraedd afonydd, ffosydd neu'r môr yn y pen draw. Mae problemau draenio yn Abertawe wedi arwain at ansawdd dŵr gwael iawn. Mae hyn yn gwneud amgylcheddau dŵr lleol yn annymunol i bobl ac anifeiliaid.

Ym mis Rhagfyr 2013, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru y bydd cyllid yn cael ei ddarparu dros ddwy flynedd er mwyn i Raglen Gymorth Mathemateg Bellach yng Nghymru barhau. Bydd y swm sylweddol o gyllid o £225,000 ar gael yn 2014-2015 a 2015-2016. Arweinir y rhaglen gan Sefydliad Gwyddorau Cyfrifiadurol a Mathemategol Cymru ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe. Dywedodd Huw Lewis, y Gweinidog Addysg: “Rydym wedi ymrwymo i wella lefelau rhifedd a’r pynciau STEM - gwyddoniaeth, technoleg, peirianneg a mathemateg. Mae lefel uchel o sgiliau mewn mathemateg yn agor drysau i gymaint o yrfaoedd a rhaid i ni gefnogi ein dysgwyr a'u helpu i ddatblygu'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen arnynt.”

Fel rhan o gyfres o ddigwyddiadau i nodi can mlynedd ers marwolaeth Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), lansiodd y Coleg Gwyddoniaeth gystadleuaeth llunio poster ym mis Hydref 2013. Roedd y gystadleuaeth yn agored i ysgolion, colegau chweched ac israddedigion y Coleg Gwyddoniaeth. Cafwyd nifer o geisiadau trawiadol yn enwedig gan Ysgol Brogwaun yn Abergwaun. Ar 14 Chwefror, aeth Dr Suzanne Bevan (Daearyddiaeth), Dr Ruth Callaway (Biowyddorau) a Dr Sofya Lyakhova (Mathemateg) i wasanaeth boreol yr ysgol i gyflwyno gwobrau ariannol i wyth disgybl. Rhoddwyd £250 i'r ysgol hefyd i'w wario ar weithgareddau neu offer gwyddonol.

Technoteach: Athrawon yn mynd yn ôl i'r ystafell ddosbarth

Gwyl Gerdded Gwyr

Fel yr adroddwyd yn ddiweddar ym mhapur The South Wales Evening Post, mae rhaglen o'r enw Technoteach, sy'n cael ei hariannu gan Lywodraeth Cymru drwy'r Academi Wyddoniaeth Genedlaethol, yn cael ei chynnal gan raglen Technocamps sydd wedi'i lleoli yn yr Adran Gyfrifiadureg. Pwrpas Technoteach yw rhoi datblygiad proffesiynol parhaus i athrawon ysgolion cynradd ac uwchradd ym maes Cyfrifiadureg. Mae'r rhaglen rad ac am ddim, sy'n rhoi cyfle iddynt ddysgu'r prif gysyniadau cyfrifiadureg i'w helpu i addysgu Cyfrifiadureg TGAU yn effeithiol, yn rhedeg am chwe wythnos.

Mae staff Daearyddiaeth Abertawe yn cynnig tripiau cerdded yn ystod Gŵyl Gerdded Gŵyr ym mis Mehefin. 

11 Mehefin am 2pm: Dr Geraint Owen - Daeareg a golygfeydd o amgylch Penclawdd

12 Mehefin am 2pm: Dr Geraint Owen - Daeareg yng Nghwm Clydach

13 Mehefin am 6pm: Dr Geraint Owen a Dr Hazel Trenbirth - taith ddaearegol o amgylch Bae Bracelet a'r Mwmbwls

18 Mehefin am 10am: Dr Kate Evans: Stori'r Tawe a thrip ar yr afon (taith gerdded storïol ryngweithiol ar hyd y Tawe gyda thrip ar yr afon ar y bad cymunedol, Black Prince)

Dewch gyda ni!

YMCHWIL YN Y NEWYDDION

Gwobr fawreddog bum-mlynyddol: Gwobr Teilyngdod Ymchwil Wolfson

Mae'r Athro Matt Jones, Pennaeth yr Adran Gyfrifiadureg, ymhlith y 21 o bobl sydd wedi'u dewis yn rownd ddiweddaraf Gwobrau Teilyngdod Ymchwil Wolfson a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar gan y Gymdeithas Frenhinol, academi wyddoniaeth genedlaethol gwledydd Prydain. Dyfarnwyd y wobr i'r Athro Jones fel llwyfan i'w waith a ysgogwyd gan ei awydd i ddeall a datrys cyfres o broblemau cymhleth pobl a thechnoleg sydd o ddiddordeb mawr i'r gymuned ymchwil ryngwladol, sydd â'r nod o wella bywyd i gannoedd o filoedd o bobl yn y byd datblygol.

Ffwng sy'n lladd yn cynnig ateb

Yr Amazon a newid yn yr hinsawdd: Ymchwil Daearyddiaeth Abertawe gyda NASA

Ymchwil ar ludw folcanig i ddatgelu cyfrinachau am newid yn yr hinsawdd

Fe all gwaith ymchwil gan yr Athro Tariq Butt (Adran y Biowyddorau) a'i dîm fod â goblygiadau pellgyrhaeddol ar reoli larfae mosgito ledled y byd. Fel y nodwyd yn “Advances Wales”, mae eu hastudiaeth i'r dulliau mae ffwng pathogenig pryfed Metrhizium anisopliae o ladd larfae mosgito, yn dangos nad yw'r prosesau heintio ffwngws sy'n digwydd i bryfaid daearol yn berthnasol i larfae mosgito. Mae'r ymchwil wedi dangos bod y ffwngws yn gallu lladd y larfae heb egino sy'n achosi 'marwolaeth ddamweiniol' gyflym drwy straen.

Advances Wales, tudalen 21:

Mae'r ymddangosiad 'mwy gwyrdd' sydd gan goedwig yr Amazon yn ystod ei thymor sych wedi drysu gwyddonwyr. Fodd bynnag, mae'r Athro Peter North a Dr Jacqueline Rosette, mewn gwaith ymchwil a gynhaliwyd gyda NASA, wedi canfod nad yw'r Amazon mor wyrdd yn y tymor sych ag yr oedd ymchwilwyr wedi tybio'n flaenorol, oherwydd bod y golau yn chwarae tric ac yn gwyro'r delweddau lloeren. Bydd y canfyddiad yn helpu gwyddonwyr i ddatblygu darlun mwy cywir o'r newidiadau yn yr Amazon, sy'n fwy pwysig nag erioed erbyn hyn, o gofio'r rôl enfawr mae'r Amazon yn ei chwarae wrth reoleiddio'r carbon deuocsid ac yn dylanwadu ar y newid yn yr hinsawdd.

Mae'r ymchwil wedi'i chyhoeddi yn y rhifyn diweddaraf o'r papur gwyddonol Nature ac wedi cael sylw byd-eang yn y cyfryngau.

Yn ddiweddar, ymddangosodd yr Athro Siwan Davies (Adran Ddaearyddiaeth) gyda'i gwaith ar gyfres wyddonol Dibendraw  ar S4C. Mae'r Athro Davies wrthi'n arwain prosiect ymchwil uchelgeisiol gwerth £1.2 miliwn o'r enw “Tephra constraints on rapid climate events (TRACE)”, sy'n cael ei ariannu gan un o Grantiau Cychwyn y Cyngor Ymchwil Ewropeaidd, sydd wedi'u cynllunio i gefnogi ymchwilwyr addawol yn Ewrop sydd â photensial amlwg o ddod yn arweinwyr ymchwil. Nod yr ymchwil yw datgelu cyfrinachau newid blaenorol yn yr hinsawdd, drwy archwilio haenau microsgopig o ludw folcanig mewn ia hynafol a gwaddod morol.

Mae tîm yr Athro Davies yn defnyddio dull arloesol ac yn defnyddio'r olion microsgopig o ludw sydd wedi'u gadael ar ôl gan echdoriadau folcanig i baru colofnau rhew yr Ynys Las yn fanwl, sy'n cynnwys cofnod o amrywioldeb atmosfferig, gyda chofnodion morol Gogledd Iwerydd, sy'n dangos newidiadau yn system cylchrediad y cefnfor.

Un o ffisegwyr Abertawe yn siarad am arbrawf ALPHA yn CERN

Fe wnaeth y Swyddog Ymchwil Ffiseg, Dr Aled Isaac, sy'n rhan o dîm o wyddonwyr ALPHA (Cyfarpar Ffiseg Laser Gwrth-hydrogen) yn CERN, sy'n gweithio ar geisio deall sut mae gwrthfater yn ymddwyn, ar raglen Dibendraw ar S4C. Ymddangosodd gwaith CERN a boson Higgs - sef y rheswm yr adeiladwyd y Peiriant Gwrthdaro Hadronau Mawr - ar y rhaglen hefyd. Mae gan yr Athro Peter Higgs, sef y gwyddonydd a ddaeth o hyd i ronyn boson Higgs, gysylltiadau cryf â Phrifysgol Abertawe ac ym mis Gorffennaf 2008, cafodd ei wneud yn Gymrawd Anrhydeddus. Daeth yr Athro Higgs yn ôl i Brifysgol Abertawe ym mis Gorffennaf 2012, i siarad gyda thros 100 o wyddonwyr o bob cwr o'r byd yn y ddegfed Gynhadledd Ryngwladol ar Fater Cryf ac ElectroWan, yn dilyn cyhoeddiadau cyffrous gan CERN am ddarganfod boson Higgs.

Prosiect ymchwil newydd i helpu i achub coed gwledydd Prydain

Mae Prifysgol Abertawe wedi ennill cyfran o bot ariannu gwerth £7 miliwn a fydd yn datblygu ymchwil ar wella dealltwriaeth o blâu a phathogenau coed, a bioddiogelwch planhigion cysylltiedig, ac yn helpu i fynd i’r afael â bygythiadau i goedwigoedd, fforestydd a choed gwledydd Prydain.

Mae ymchwil Prifysgol Abertawe yn un o saith prosiect ymchwil newydd i gael nawdd dan y Fenter Iechyd Coed a Bioddiogelwch Planhigion aml-ddisgyblaethol a fydd yn creu gwybodaeth i fynd i’r afael â phlâu ac afiechydon ac i gefnogi iechyd coetiroedd, coedwigoedd masnachol a choed trefol gwledydd Prydain yn y dyfodol. Amcangyfrifir bod buddion cymdeithasol coed gwledydd Prydain yn werth tua £1.8 biliwn y flwyddyn.

Mae prosiect Abertawe, a arweinir gan yr Athro Tariq Butt, yn derbyn £900,000 ar gyfer ei ymchwil ar Reoli Plâu Biolegol ar gyfer Plâu Pryfed sy’n Bygwth Iechyd Coed. Meddai’r Athro Butt: "Mae’n bleser gennym dderbyn y nawdd ar gyfer ein prosiect rhyngddisgyblaethol a fydd yn defnyddio planhigion a bio-reoli gyda ffyngau entomopathogenig (EPF) i ladd a rheoli plâu pryfed sy’n fygythiad i goed gwledydd Prydain. Bydd BIPESCO yn datblygu’r plaladdwyr naturiol hyn sy’n ddewis amgen yn lle plaladdwyr cemegol confensiynol y mae eu defnydd yn cael ei gyfyngu'n sylweddol erbyn hyn.”

Mae'r ymchwil wedi cael sylw byd-eang yn y cyfryngau.

Ymchwil Cyfrifiadureg yn helpu i frwydro yn erbyn ymosodwyr ar apiau

Cyllid ymchwil i ganfod pa mor fregus yw silffoedd iâ yr Antartig

Grwp Ymchwil Eogiaid Abertawe yn datblygu rhaglen i adnabod pysgod deorfa

Mae'r Athro Cyswllt Markus Roggenbach, o'r Adran Gyfrifiadureg, wedi derbyn cyfran o gyllid gwerth £3 miliwn gan y Cyngor Ymchwil Peirianneg a Gwyddorau Ffisegol i wneud ymchwil i atal seiber-droseddwyr sy'n defnyddio apiau maleisus sy'n gallu cyd-dwyllo gyda'i gilydd i heintio ffonau clyfar pobl. Mae ymosodiadau maleiswedd yn codi o flwyddyn i flwyddyn a chanfuwyd dros filiwn o ymosodiadau maleiswedd newydd ar Android yn 2013 yn ôl McAfee, sef adran o Intel Security. Gall apiau maleisus gael mynediad at lyfrau ffôn, lleoliadau GPS, cyfrineiriau neu rifau pin. Gallant ailgyfeirio data ar draws y we, eich anfon i wefannau gwe-rwydo ac osgoi'r broses ddilysu dau gam sy'n cael ei defnyddio fwyfwy gan nifer o wasanaethau ar-lein fel bancio ac e-bost.

Dyfarnwyd grant ymchwil newydd mawr i Grŵp Rhewlifeg Abertawe, ar y cyd â Phrifysgol Aberystwyth a phartneriaid eraill, i astudio silffoedd iâ yr Antartig. Ym mis Chwefror, dyfarnodd Cyngor Ymchwil yr Amgylchedd Naturiol £750,000 i'r tîm, a bydd £500,000 o'r arian hwnnw'n dod i Abertawe. Yr Athro Adrian Luckman sy'n arwain y prosiect dros dair blynedd, gyda'i Gyd-ymchwilwyr Dr Bernd Kulessa a Dr Ian Rutt, tra bod Dr Suzanne Bevan wedi'i phenodi'n Swyddog Ymchwil yn ddiweddar. Bydd y prosiect, o'r enw “Impact of surface melt and ponding on ice shelf dynamics and stability” yn cynnwys gwaith maes geoffiseg, synhwyro o bell drwy loeren a modelu rhifiadol o silff iâ Larsen C i weld ymateb silffoedd iâ yn y gorffennol a'r dyfodol i gynhesu atmosfferig. Mae'r rhaglen yn cynnwys dau drip wyth wythnos i'r Antartig yn niwedd 2014 a 2015 sy'n cynnwys pump o ymchwilwyr o Abertawe ac Aberystwyth. Nod y prosiect yw canfod pa mor debygol yw silffoedd iâ yr Antartig o ddymchwel yn ystod y 200 mlynedd nesaf.

Llun gan Alison Cook

Yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, mae Grŵp Ymchwil Eogiaid Abertawe, dan arweiniad Dr Carlos Garcia de Leaniz a Dr Sofia Consuegra, wedi gweithio'n agos gydag Adnoddau Naturiol Cymru a Dŵr Cymru i ddatblygu rhaglen olrhain er mwyn adnabod pysgod deorfa mewn prosiectau stocio eogiaid yng Nghymru. Drwy weithio'n agos gyda deorfa Llyn-y-Fan drwy gymorth cyllid gan Lywodraeth Cymru drwy SEACAMS, cafwyd samplau o ddeoreidiau, fe'u tagiwyd yn enynnol a'u rhyddhau y llynedd fel y cam cychwynnol yn y rhaglen ymchwil barhaus.

Baw crwbanod yn dangos newidiadau i'r ecosystem

Mae gwyddonwyr Prifysgol Abertawe yn astudio baw crwbanod sydd wedi'i ffosileiddio i weld newidiadau yn ecosystem ynysoedd y Galapagos. Mae cylchgrawn Discover Magazine yn cynnwys gwaith ecolegydd yr Adran Ddaearyddiaeth, Dr Cynthia Froyd a'i chydweithwyr, sy'n ymchwilio sut mae tirwedd ynysoedd y Galapagos wedi newid ers i niferoedd crwbanod ddisgyn yn yr unfed ganrif ar bymtheg.

Ap BookMark yn helpu i ddod o hyd i lyfrau yn Llyfrgell Prifysgol Abertawe

Mae prosiect ymchwil yn yr Adran Gyfrifiadureg wedi bod yn edrych ar ffyrdd o roi ail bwrpas i wrthrychau ffisegol cyffredin yn ddigidol. Fel rhan o hyn, fe briodolon nhw'r cannoedd o filoedd o godau bar sydd eisoes ar lyfrau yng Nghanolfan Llyfrgell a Gwybodaeth Prifysgol Abertawe er mwyn cael ffordd lywio dan do sy'n isel o ran cost.

Mae unrhyw far cod yn y llyfrgell yn “arwydd cyfeirio” at un arall - mae'r ap yn eich galluogi i sganio codau llyfrau i gael map manwl o'ch lleoliad presennol i'r silff lyfrau sy'n cynnwys y gwrthrych rydych chi'n chwilio amdano.

Mae'r ap ar gael ar Google Play:

Ymchwil yn Ethiopia i nodi'r rhesymau dros sychderau diweddar

Yn ddiweddar, cynhaliodd Dr Iain Robertson (Adran Ddaearyddiaeth Prifysgol Abertawe), Dr Park Williams (Prifysgol Columbia, Unol Daleithiau America), Dr Tommy Wils (Prifysgol Rotterdam, yr Iseldiroedd), Dr Marcin Koprowski (Prifysgol Nicolaus Copernicus, Gwlad Pwyl) a Dr Zewdu Eshetu (Prifysgol Addis Ababa) brosiect paleo-hinsoddol yn Ethiopia a ariannwyd gan National Geographic. Casglwyd creiddiau o 65 merywen ar diroedd eglwysi yn ucheldiroedd Ethiopia. Nod hirdymor yr ymchwil yw canfod a yw'r sychderau diweddar yn rhan o gylchred hinsawdd naturiol neu a oes dylanwadau anthropogenig yn eu hachosi i fod yn waeth. Bydd isotopau sefydlog yn cael eu mesur ar y samplau hyn i weld y gostyngiad yn y lleithder sy'n cael ei drosglwyddo o Fasn Congo tuag at Gorn Affrica. Gan mai Basn Congo yw prif ffynhonnell lleithder i lawer o ucheldiroedd Ethiopia, gall y newid i'r ffynhonnell waddod gael effaith sylweddol ar faint o law sy'n cyrraedd yr ardal. Cafodd darlith ar y cyd ar ganlyniadau rhagarweiniol yr ymchwil ei rhoi i'r Ganolfan Gwyddor Hinsawdd ym Mhrifysgol Addis Ababa.

NEWYDDION A DIGWYDDIADAU ERAILL

Prosiect ymchwil Cyfrifiadureg ar ymestyn cyfatebiaeth glasurol Curry-Howard i galcwlws uwcholynol a phrosesau cyfochrog

Grant Teithio i Grenoble Pontio'r Bwlch

Dyfarnwyd Gwobr Cyfnewidiadau Rhyngwladol Sefydliad Eingl-Japaneaidd Daiwa y Gymdeithas Frenhinol i Dr Arnold Beckmann (Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Abertawe), ar y cyd â Dr Norbert Preining (Uwch Sefydliad Gwyddoniaeth a Thechnoleg Japan).

Mae cyfatebiaeth Curry-Howard yn rhoi canlyniad sydd i'w ddathlu, sy'n cysylltu'r theori prawf a'r theori cyfrifiant. Mae'n ein galluogi i weld prawf fformiwlâu sy'n mynegi manylebau fel rhaglenni sy'n datrys y fanyleb. Nod y prosiect yw mynd y tu hwnt i gyfatebiaeth draddodiadol Curry-Howard a'i hymestyn i ddosbarth ehangach o brawf calcwli theoretig, a dosbarth ehangach o fodelau cyfrifiadol. Yn benodol, maen nhw am drin cysylltiadau a chyfochredd mewn modd tebyg.

Dyfarnwyd grant 'Teithio i Grenoble Pontio'r Bwlch' i Dr Bernd Kulessa. Ym mis Mehefin 2014, bydd yn ymweld ag Institut des Sciences de la Terre (ISTerre) (Université Joseph Fourier / CNRS) a'r Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement (LGGE) i atgyfnerthu a chreu cysylltiadau cydweithio newydd wrth gynnal asesiadau geoffisegol seismig, radar a seismodrydanol o gasgliadau iâ, er mwyn paratoi'r ffordd ar gyfer llunio ceisiadau Horizon 2020 ar y cyd yn y dyfodol, ac i roi seminar am y cynnydd mewn gwaith ymchwil ar lenni iâ pegynol.

Rhodd mawr yn cael ei roi i Gasgliad Hanes Cyfrifiadura'r Brifysgol

Gweithdy rhyngwladol EMMI, SIGN 2014, yn llwyddiant ysgubol

Dyfarnu grant am waith ar y cyd ar y dull geoffisegol seismodrydanol ar gyfer cymwysiadau rhewlifegol

Mae Casgliad Hanes Cyfrifiadura Prifysgol Abertawe wedi cael rhodd fawr o nodiadau, papurau a llyfrau oedd yn eiddo i'r arloeswr cyfrifiadol Leslie John Comrie FRS (1893-1950). Dywedodd yr Athro Tucker: “Rydym yn falch iawn o gael y casgliad pwysig hwn yn rhan o'r Casgliad Hanes Cyfrifiadura. Cafodd Comrie yrfa gynhyrchiol a phwysig. Hyfforddodd fel fferyllydd ac roedd ganddo ddiddordeb mawr mewn cyfrifiadau seryddol - mae ceudwll ac asteroid wedi'u henwi ar ei ôl. Fodd bynnag, roedd ei waith ym maes cyfrifiannu yn fyd-eang a gwnaeth nifer o gyfraniadau pwysig yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd. Drwy beirianneg a diwydiant, llwyddodd Comrie i helpu i osod y sail ar gyfer ein gallu cyfoes mewn efelychu.”

Barnwyd bod gweithdy SIGN 2014 gan EMMI am y Broblem Arwydd mewn Cromodynameg Cwantwm a'r tu hwnt, a gynhaliwyd yn GSI yn Darmstadt, yr Almaen ym mis Chwefror, yn llwyddiant ysgubol. Yn ystod y cyfarfod, a drefnwyd gan yr Athro Gert Aarts o Adran Ffiseg Coleg Gwyddoniaeth Prifysgol Abertawe ac a gyd-drefnwyd gan yr Athro Owe Philipsen o Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt am Main, daeth 75 o wyddonwyr ynghyd o Ewrop, Japan, Tsieina ac Unol Daleithiau America i rannu canlyniadau am yr ateb i'r hyn a elwir yn broblem arwydd mewn Cromodynameg Cwantwm a theorïau cysylltiedig.

Dyfarnwyd Grant Cyfnewidiadau Rhyngwladol gan y Gymdeithas Frenhinol i Dr Bernd Kulessa (Adran Ddaearyddiaeth), a fydd yn golygu cydweithio gyda'r Athro Karl Butler o Brifysgol New Brunswick Fredericton, i ddatblygu dull geoffisegol seismodrydanol ar gyfer cymwysiadau rhewlifegol. Dechreuodd y gwaith o gydweithio pan fu Bernd ar ymweliad sabothol am bum mis i New Brunswick yn 2011, yn cael ei gefnogi ar y pryd gan Broffesoriaeth Ymweld Sefydliad Harrison McCain. Bydd Karl yn ymweld ag Abertawe am bythefnos ym mis Mai / Mehefin 2014, a bydd Bernd yn ymweld â New Brunswick am chwe mis yn ystod haf 2014 - cyfle gwych i baratoi cyhoeddiadau sy'n codi o'u gwaith ymchwil seismodrydanol rhewlif ac ymchwil geoffisegol arall a gynhaliwyd yn ne Gwlad yr Iâ yn ystod haf 2013, ar y cyd â Dr John Hiemstra (Adran Ddaearyddiaeth) a chydweithwyr eraill o Brydain!

Y Ganolfan Nanoiechyd yn croesawu Cyd-Gyfarwyddwr newydd

Mae Canolfan Nanoiechyd Prifysgol Abertawe wedi croesawu aelod newydd i'w Fwrdd Cyfarwyddwyr. Mae'r Athro Huw Summers, Cadeirydd Nanotechnoleg Iechyd a Phennaeth y Ganolfan Nanotechnoleg Aml-ddisgyblaethol ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe, yn ymuno â Chyfarwyddwyr presennol y Ganolfan, sef yr Athro Steve Wilks a'r Athro Steve Conlan, i fynd â'r Ganolfan Nanoiechyd ymlaen i'w cham datblygu nesaf.

Mae'r Ganolfan, a sefydlwyd bum mlynedd yn ôl, yn cyfuno nanotechnoleg gyda gwyddor feddygol er mwyn creu cyfleoedd i ddatblygu atebion arloesol i'r her fyd-eang o ganfod afiechydon mor fuan â phosibl.

Her CRYathlon: dau amigo yn Ne America i godi arian i elusen y galon

Bydd Steven Jones yn mentro ar her CRYathlon gyda chefnogaeth cyn-fyfyriwr arall, Tim Butt (BSc Daearyddiaeth ac MSc Dynameg Amgylcheddol a Newid yn yr Hinsawdd), yn ystod y rhan beicio. Mae'r CRYathlon yn cynnwys beicio 1,000 o filltiroedd o arfordir i arfordir o Buenos Aires i Santiago, ar draws iseldiroedd Pampas; her ddringo tri chopa dros fynyddoedd yr Andes; a her canŵio dros 1,000 o filltiroedd ar hyd yr Amazon, o Iguitos ym Mheriw i Manaus, prifddinas Amazonas. Dywedodd Tim Butt, 23 oed, a ddioddefodd ataliad ar y galon y llynedd a oedd bron â'i ladd: “Mae'r her yn Ne America yn nodi cychwyn cyfres o heriau i godi arian o dan yr enw CRYathlon, a'n bwriad yw codi £15,000 i dalu am sgrinio calonnau a gwaith ymchwil meddygol drwy CRY.”

Athro Ffiseg yn cael ei ethol i Gyngor Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru

Mae'r Athro Mike Charlton o Brifysgol Abertawe wedi cael ei ethol i Gyngor Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru - y sefydliad sy'n dathlu dysgeidiaeth Cymru yn fyd-eang ac yn ffynhonnell o sylwadau beirniadol a chyngor awdurdodedig ac ysgolheigaidd ar faterion polisi sy'n effeithio ar Gymru.

Yr Athro Charlton, sydd wedi bod yn y Brifysgol ers dros 14 o flynyddoedd, yw pennaeth yr Adran Ffiseg, ac mae hefyd yn Gadeirydd Ffiseg Arbrofol. Mae'n rhan o dîm o wyddonwyr o Abertawe sy'n aelodau o ALPHA (Cyfarpar Ffiseg Laser Gwrth-hydrogen) yn CERN (y Sefydliad Ewropeaidd dros Ymchwil Niwclear).

Nod arbrawf ALPHA yw cymharu hydrogen a gwrth-hydrogen er mwyn astudio cymesureddau sylfaenol rhwng mater a gwrthfater ac i daflu goleuni ar sut y daeth y bydysawd i fodolaeth. Mae ALPHA wedi llwyddo i greu atomau gwrth-hydrogen, eu dal am gyfnodau hir o amser, a chynnal arbrofion cychwynnol i fesur eu priodweddau rhithiol.

Dywedodd yr Athro Charlton: “Mae'n anrhydedd fawr cael fy ethol i Gyngor Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weithio gyda chydweithwyr i hyrwyddo rôl y Gymdeithas, ac yn benodol ei gweithgareddau sy'n gysylltiedig â gwyddoniaeth a defnydd ohoni, yng Nghymru a'r tu hwnt.”

I weld yr Athro Charlton yn disgrifio'i waith, ewch i:

I ddarllen rhifynnau blaenorol Cylchlythyr y Coleg Gwyddoniaeth:

Am ragor o wybodaeth am unrhyw fater y cyfeiriwyd ato uchod, cysylltwch â'r aelod o staff perthnasol, neu anfonwch neges e-bost at olygydd y cylchlythyr Mrs Sandra Kramcha