Latest news with #UniversityofWalesTrinitySaintDavid
Pembrokeshire Herald
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Pembrokeshire Herald
WRU turmoil deepens as Ospreys and Scarlets remain unsigned
Trailblazing lecturer calls for change in male-dominated industry ABI PENNY, Senior Lecturer in Motorsport Engineering at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), is calling for greater support to encourage more women into motorsport careers. With nearly two decades of teaching and hands-on experience in the field, Abi is determined to inspire the next generation of female engineers and challenge outdated stereotypes. 'Motorsport has been my passion for as long as I can remember,' she said. 'And I feel incredibly fortunate that it's become my career.' Abi has spent the past 18 years teaching Motorsport Engineering at UWTSD and says the industry has transformed during that time. From hybrid powertrains to advanced simulation and data modelling, engineering has become more diverse and dynamic than ever before. But one thing, she says, has remained stubbornly unchanged — the low number of women entering the profession. 'For years, I was the only woman in our motorsport department. Today, there are two of us, and nationally, women now make up around 10 per cent of the motorsport workforce — a small but significant step forward.' According to Abi, breaking the stereotype of the 'grease-covered mechanic' is key to making engineering more appealing and accessible to girls and young women. 'Engineering isn't just about spanners and overalls,' she explains. 'Modern motorsport includes roles in software, simulation, and data analysis. There's space in this industry for people with a wide range of skills and personalities. You can still love fashion, wear heels, and have amazing nails if you want — and still be a great engineer.' Abi credits her own success to the support of her rally-enthusiast father, a strong feminist mother, and inspiring maths teachers at Llangatwg Comprehensive and St John Baptist School. But she knows many young women don't get that same encouragement early on. 'There's been great progress in promoting STEM subjects, but we need to keep going. We need to show girls what's possible — that engineering is an exciting, well-paid, and global career with strong maternity support and genuine camaraderie.' She highlights initiatives such as F1 in Schools, Green Power, and Motorsport UK's Girls on Track programme as examples of what's working. At UWTSD, 10 per cent of current motorsport students are female — a milestone being celebrated with a series of events to foster a stronger community of women in the sector. UWTSD's BEng Motorsport Engineering programme, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, was the first of its kind in the world. Founded by former lecturer Roger Dowden, it has produced graduates who now work for leading names in the industry, including McLaren, Bentley, Ford, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Gordon Murray Automotive. 'Our course blends academic rigour with real-world experience,' Abi said. 'We work closely with industry to ensure our graduates are job-ready and in high demand.' Her message to the next generation is clear: 'You don't have to be a petrolhead to succeed. You just need curiosity, determination, and a belief in yourself. To any girl out there dreaming of motorsport — believe me when I say, you can do anything.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Medieval tale of Merlin and King Arthur found hiding as a book cover
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Researchers have found pages of a rare medieval manuscript masquerading as a cover and stitched into the binding of another book, according to experts at the Cambridge University Library in England. The fragment contains stories about Merlin and King Arthur. The two pages are from a 13th century copy of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin.' The manuscript, handwritten by a medieval scribe in Old French, served as the sequel to the legend of King Arthur. There are just over three dozen surviving copies of the sequel today. Part of a series known as the Lancelot-Grail cycle, the Arthurian romance was popular among aristocrats and royalty, said Dr. Irène Fabry-Tehranchi, French specialist in collections and academic liaison at Cambridge University Library. The stories were either read aloud or performed by trouvères, or poets, who traveled from court to court, she said. Rather than risk damaging the brittle pages by removing the stitches and unfolding them, a team of researchers were able to conduct imaging and computed tomography, or CT, scans to create a 3D model of the papers and virtually unfurl them to read the story. Fabry-Tehranchi, one of the first to recognize the rarity of the manuscript, said finding it 'is very much a once in a lifetime experience.' The scans revealed book-binding techniques from the distant past and hidden details of the repurposed manuscript that could shed light on its origins. 'It's not just about the text itself, but also about the material artefact,' Fabry-Tehranchi said in a statement. 'The way it was reused tells us about archival practices in 16th-century England. It's a piece of history in its own right.' Former Cambridge archivist Sian Collins first spotted the manuscript fragment in 2019 while recataloging estate records from Huntingfield Manor, owned by the Vanneck family of Heveningham, in Suffolk, England. Serving as the cover for an archival property record, the pages previously had been recorded as a 14th century story of Sir Gawain. But Collins, now the head of special collections and archives at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, noticed that the text was written in Old French, the language used by aristocracy and England's royal court after the Norman Conquest in 1066. She also saw names like Gawain and Excalibur within the text. Collins and the other researchers were able to decipher text describing the fight and ultimate victory of Gawain, his brothers and his father King Loth versus the Saxon Kings Dodalis, Moydas, Oriancés, and Brandalus. The other page shared a scene from King Arthur's court in which Merlin appears disguised as a dashing harpist, according to a translation provided by the researchers: 'While they were rejoicing in the feast, and Kay the seneschal (steward) brought the first dish to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, there arrived the most handsome man ever seen in Christian lands. He was wearing a silk tunic girded by a silk harness woven with gold and precious stones which glittered with such brightness that it illuminated the whole room.' Both scenes are part of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin' that was originally written in 1230, about 30 years after 'Merlin,' which tells the origin stories of Merlin and King Arthur and ends with Arthur's coronation. '(The sequel) tells us about the early reign of Arthur: he faces a rebellion of British barons who question his legitimacy and has to fight external invaders, the Saxons,' Fabry-Tehranchi said in an email. 'All along, Arthur is supported by Merlin who advises him strategically and helps him on the battlefield. Sometimes Merlin changes shape to impress and entertain his interlocutors.' The pages had been torn, folded and sewn, making it impossible to decipher the text or determine when it was written. A team of Cambridge experts came together to conduct a detailed set of analyses. After analyzing the pages, the researchers believe the manuscript, bearing telltale decorative initials in red and blue, was written between 1275 and 1315 in northern France, then later imported to England. They think it was a short version of the 'Suite Vulgate du Merlin.' Because each copy was individually written by hand by medieval scribes, a process that could take months, there are distinguishing typos, such as 'Dorilas' instead of 'Dodalis' for one of the Saxon kings' names. 'Each medieval copy of a text is unique: it presents lots of variations because the written language was much more fluid and less codified than nowadays,' Fabry-Tehranchi said. 'Grammatical and spelling rules were established much later.' But it was common to discard and repurpose old medieval manuscripts by the end of the 16th century as printing became popular and the true value of the pages became their sturdy parchment that could be used for covers, Fabry-Tehranchi said. 'It had probably become harder to decipher and understand Old French, and more up to date English versions of the Arthurian romances, such as (Sir Thomas) Malory's 'Morte D'Arthur' were now available for readers in England,' Fabry-Tehranchi said. The updated Arthurian texts were edited to be more modern and easier to read, said Dr. Laura Campbell, associate professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University in Durham, England, and president of the British branch of The International Arthurian Society. Campbell was not involved in the project, but has previously worked on the discovery of another manuscript known as the Bristol Merlin. 'This suggests that the style and language of these 13th-century French stories were hitting a point where they badly needed an update to appeal to new generations of readers, and this purpose was being fulfilled by in print as opposed to in manuscript form,' Campbell said. 'This is something that I think is really important about the Arthurian legend — it has such appeal and longevity because it's a timeless story that's open to being constantly updated and adapted to suit the tastes of its readers.' Researchers captured the documents across wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet and infrared, to improve the readability of the text and uncover hidden details, as well as annotations in the margins. The team carried out CT scanning with an X-ray scanner to virtually peer through the parchment layers and create a 3D model of the manuscript fragment, revealing how the pages had been stitched together to form a cover. The CT scans showed there was likely once a leather band around the book to hold it all in place, which rubbed off some of the text. Twisted straps of parchment, called tackets, along with thread reinforced the binding. 'A series of specialised photographic equipment such as a probe lens as well as simple accessories such as mirrors were used to photograph otherwise inaccessible parts of the manuscript,' said Amélie Deblauwe, a photographer at Cambridge University Library's Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory. The research team digitally assembled hundreds of images to create a virtual copy of the pages. 'The creation of these digital outputs including the virtual unfolding, traditional photography, and (multispectral imaging) all contribute to the preservation of the manuscript in its reused form, while revealing as much of the original contents as possible,' Deblauwe said. The researchers believe the methodology they developed for this project can be applied to other fragile manuscripts, especially those repurposed for other uses over time, to provide a nondestructive type of analysis. The team plans to share the methodology in an upcoming research paper.
South Wales Argus
09-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
University celebrates Outdoor Learning Week with activities
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) held workshops and activities at Yr Egin's community garden and the Carmarthen campus Sports Hall. These sessions were all part of Wales Outdoor Learning Week 2025 and aimed to inspire the university students and primary school children who took part. Early years lecturer, Glenda Tinney, said: "Having a garden and other outdoor space to bring students to engage with the importance of outdoor learning is so important for early childhood students. "Exploring, being curious, and having authentic experiences in the natural world are key to young children's development. "Outdoor learning week reminds us how crucial it is for all of us to get outside and explore. "We look forward to more experiences in future, so we use the outdoors regularly throughout the term to support students' learning." Yr Egin's engagement manager, Llinos Jones, said: "It's inspiring to see students engaging directly with real communities and schoolchildren, putting their work into practice in meaningful ways. "The opportunity to co-deliver workshops helps them develop confidence, imagination, and a deeper understanding of the world around them. "The garden is a fantastic space for learning and connection."
South Wales Argus
04-05-2025
- Science
- South Wales Argus
UWTSD graduate calls for inclusivity in outdoor education
Research by Indy Wild, who studied an MA in outdoor education at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, was published in the Journal of Adventure Learning and Outdoor Education. This research looks at the barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially trans and non-binary people, when accessing outdoor spaces. It also shows how community-led outdoor groups can help with social justice and environmental activism. Indy said: "Publishing my research in a peer-reviewed journal is an incredible milestone. "Outdoor education has long excluded perspectives like mine, and I hope my work can help shift the narrative towards greater inclusivity." The research uses questionnaires, interviews, field notes, and social media analysis to provide insights into the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals in outdoor settings. It found that LGBTQIA+ individuals face significant challenges in accessing green and blue spaces. This is worse for those who experience intersectional marginalisation, such as queer individuals who are also neurodivergent. Indy said: "My findings revealed that outdoor groups not only remove barriers but also significantly impact participants' lives. "These groups create a sense of community, drive environmental activism, and offer hope, something crucial for those facing societal exclusion." Indy runs a Forest School training company in Hampshire, where they integrate their research findings into training programmes that promote diversity and accessibility. They have also developed courses on trans inclusion in outdoor education and continue to support LGBTQIA+ engagement with nature. Indy is applying for PhD scholarships to further their research into intersectionality and outdoor access.
Wales Online
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
University of Wales Trinity Saint David reignites Welsh student's creative spark
For one student from Aberdare in South Wales, choosing which university to attend was all about reigniting his passion for creativity. Luke Cotter, who graduated last year with a BA in Fine Art, recalls the pivotal moment that made his decision clear – attending an open day at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), where a session by one of the course tutors sparked his desire to create again. That spark, combined with the university's hands-on approach and excellent workshop facilities, confirmed his choice to study at UWTSD's Swansea College of Art. 'I chose UWTSD because, during the open day, there was a session by one of the lecturers that really did it for me. It reignited my passion for creating. The university's excellent workshops also stood out to me because I enjoy working with my hands,' Luke explains. Courses that inspire creativity and success (Image: UWTSD) Reflecting on his time studying Fine Art at UWTSD, Luke highlights the freedom the course offers and how rewarding the ability to experiment with different forms of art has been. Luke says: 'This course is fantastic. The freedom to create all year round and the inspiration from other artists around me have been a highlight. When I first started, I was painting castles, and now I'm creating large sculptures from second-hand wood. The studio gives you the space to push your creative boundaries.' Luke's journey at UWTSD also opened doors for him to showcase his work to the public in some of Swansea's well-known venues, from the Vivian Gallery to Volcano Theatre, and be part of the local art scene. 'I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to display my work in venues such as the Elysium Gallery and the university's Alex Building. I also created awards for the Cellar Prizes in 2023 and even presented them at the National Eisteddfod of Wales - the opportunities here have been amazing.' (Image: UWTSD) While his time at university was filled with opportunities, it wasn't without challenges. Luke admits that writing academic essays was initially difficult, but with support from tutors, he was able to improve. 'The academic writing was a challenge at first, but the tutors walked me through what makes a good essay. There were also challenges working in groups for public shows, but in the end, it all came together perfectly.' Adding a unique dimension When asked if he would recommend UWTSD's Fine Art course, Luke's answer is clear: 'Of course. This course is open to everyone and gives you the freedom to create the work you've always wanted to make. The opportunities here are incredible.' Luke studied through the medium of Welsh. For him, the opportunity to discuss and explore creative ideas in Welsh with fellow students added a unique dimension to his studies. Gwenllian Beynon, a senior lecturer at Swansea College of Art, said: 'Since Luke started at Swansea College of Art, he has been enthusiastic about using the Welsh language in his studies. "His creative development has incorporated his artistic knowledge and his knowledge of Wales and its art. His opinion about them is very strong, and tutorial discussions with Luke are always interesting.' The start of the journey to success (Image: UWTSD) Luke's journey at UWTSD started when he visited one of its open days, which the university offers across its campus locations. These provide the perfect opportunity to discover what UWTSD's courses and campuses offer and give prospective students a flavour of studying at the university. 'It's important to do the research into what is offered by universities,' says Andy Carr, UWTSD head of student recruitment and widening outreach. 'Each university has its own unique characteristics, and choosing the location and the experience offered to students can be just as important as which course to study. (Image: University of Wales Trinity Saint David) 'Visiting open days is essential because it is the opportunity to see the university's facilities, the location, and to speak directly with academic staff and professional support services. That is a great help when weighing up what kind of experience is right for you and what career you want to have after graduating. "At UWTSD, we have a wide choice of courses and campus locations, but what they all have in common is the emphasis placed on offering a good experience to our students. "There are a number of open days organised for June and July, so this is the perfect opportunity to visit us."
