News

Nursing Honours for two Professors

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:47:05 +0100

Professor Donna Mead OBE MStJ and Professor Maggie Kirk of the University of South Wales were awarded with Fellowships of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The RCN Fellowship is held by only six people in Wales including Professor Ruth Northway also of the University of South Wales.

Fellowships are prestigious awards presented to people who have shown exceptional contributions to the RCN and for pioneering work in nursing. They are awarded by peer nomination and review only.

Speaking about the award Professor Donna Mead OBE, Dean of the Faculty of Health, Sport and Science at the University said, “To receive an RCN Fellowship is one of the greatest honours for a nurse. I have been really fortunate in my nursing career to have worked closely with so many nurses who have inspired me and I will always be grateful for the support given to me by colleagues.
It is truly amazing that two nurses from the same University will be receiving RCN Fellowships at the same time. This is a testimony to the strength of nursing expertise which exists at the University of South Wales.”

Professor Maggie Kirk said, “It means a great deal to me that my peers nominated me for this Fellowship and that the RCN felt I was worthy of the award. I am very fortunate in that the excellent people I collaborate with, in the Genomics Policy Unit at the University of South Wales, and further afield, share my passion for trying to improve the healthcare experience of individuals and families affected by genetics, through education and research.”

Disaster Management students engaged in multi-agency flood simulation

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:38:27 +0100

Earlier in January students from the MSc Disaster Management for Environmental Hazards course took part in a Bronze and Silver Command simulation run by Rhondda Cynon Taff Resilience Unit, as part of their ongoing professional development.

The two day exercise involved a multi-agency response to a widespread flooding incident in the Hawthorn and Treforest Industrial Estate areas. Participating agencies included: South Wales Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue, St John’s Ambulance, Red Cross, Environment Agency, Rhondda Cynon Taff Highways and members of the Local Council.

The students worked in the multi-agency teams as scribes, recording decision-making for evacuation, recovery, and in the assessment of priorities to increase efficiency. After the simulation the students were able to evaluate the exercise and the performance of all players, offering insight into the exercise, and potentially improving future response to flooding in Rhondda Cynon Taff. The simulation was one of several that take place through the Masters Degree, developing skills in incident and emergency management and providing the opportunity to experience potential future careers.

See Forensic Science graduate in action as a crime scene investigator

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:45:31 +0100

See Forensic Science graduate Alex Filmer in action as a crime scene investigator with South Wales Police as part of BBC Wales TV programme 24/7.

Watch the programme. Alex is featured at 8:35 in.

Geography students gain experience of Climate Change in East Africa

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:01:26 +0100

Students from the geography degrees have just returned from a field trip to East Africa, where they have been working on projects as part of the Welsh Government Territorial Approach to Climate Change programme in the Mbale region of Uganda.

The students designed and implemented a project to assess the potential for micro hydroelectricity generation in the Mooni area of Mt Elgon. Their survey results show that a renewable energy scheme could provide a rural school with sufficient electricity for lighting and computers, and to provide facilities for the wider community.

The geographers also worked with Ugandan students to collect data within some of the partner communities to assess vulnerability to climate change, further developing skills in participatory techniques and in working with interpreters.

Other project work included assessing resilience to landslide hazards in the Bududa District and investigating conservation issues in Mt Elgon National Park and at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya.

Prof Murphy's research into GM foods is profiled

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 09:06:26 +0100

An article in the Western Mail on Tuesday, November 20, 2012 looked at Professor Denis Murphy’s research into genetically modified food.

Read Professor Murphy’s article on GM-modified food.