Gradd er Anrhydedd i fridiwr glaswellt

Alan Lovatt

Cyflwynwyd Gradd Baglor er Anrhydedd yn y Gwyddorau i Alan Lovatt, Uwch-fridiwr Glaswellt yn Athrofa’r Gwyddorau Biolegol, Amgylcheddol a Gwledig (IBERS) ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth mewn cydnabyddiaeth o’i wasanaeth hir a’i gyfraniad i’r Brifysgol.

Bu Alan yn bridio glaswellt drwy gydol ei yrfa, yn gyntaf yng Ngorsaf Bridio Planhigion Cymru (a oedd yn perthyn bryd hynny i Goleg Prifysgol Cymru Aberystwyth), yna yn Sefydliad Ymchwil Tir Glas a’r Amgylchedd (IGER), a bellach yn IBERS.  

Dechreuodd weithio gyda rhygwellt Eidalaidd a chynhyrchu’r amrywiaethau Tribune, Trajan ac AberComo, cyn symud ymlaen yn ddiweddarach i fridio rhygwellt  lluosflwydd tetraploid a chynhyrchu amrywiaethau megis AberTorch, AberGlyn, AberBite ac AberGain.

Bu’n gynullydd adran borthiant Cymdeithas Bridwyr Planhigion Cymru. Yn fwyaf nodedig, bu’n ymwneud â’r rhaglen bridio glaswellt uchel ei siwgr arobryn yn IGER/IBERS.

Cafodd Alan ei gyflwyno gan yr Athro Athole Marshall o Athrofa’r Gwyddorau Biolegol, Amgylcheddol a Gwledig (IBERS) ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth ar ddydd Mercher 19 Gorffennaf 2017.

Y cyflwyniad i Alan Lovatt:
Ganghellor, Is-Ganghellor, darpar raddedigion, gyfeillion.  Pleser o’r mwyaf yw cyflwyno Alan Lovatt am radd Baglor er Anrhydedd yn y Gwyddorau Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, prospective graduates and supporters.  It is an honour and a privilege to present Alan Lovatt for an Honorary Bachelor of Science Degree of Aberystwyth University.

Alan, Senior Grass Breeder at IBERS, joined the Grass Breeding Department of the Welsh Plant Breeding Station of the University College, Wales, Aberystwyth on October 1^st 1974. For more than 40 years, Alan has played a significant role in the success of the Aberystwyth grass breeding programme and its transformation from a largely academic focused programme to the present day success where modern technologies are combined with conventional breeding to produce commercially successful varieties that are marketed across the UK and in more than 20 other countries across the world.

Alan spent his early career working on Italian ryegrass,producing the varieties Tribune, Trajan and AberComo then breeding tetraploid perennial ryegrass varieties such as AberGlyn and AberGain.  He has most notably been involved in themulti-award winning high sugar grass breeding programme. The first award was in 2003 when the Aber High Sugar Grass AberDart became the only grass variety to date to win the NIAB variety cup. A further six major awards have subsequently followed,  including “The Queens Anniversary prize 2009” and the 2013 Times Higher Education Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology. 

Alan has had a central role in the integration of new technological advances that are an important component of modern plant breeding. He has championed the application of high throughput phenotyping in the evaluation of yield and forage quality and his role in these developments has been pivotal in enhancing the worldwide reputation of Aberystwyth as a centre of excellence of plant breeding and genetics and of “Aber” as a recognisable description of scientific excellence.

Alan is a born communicator equally adept at talking with farmers, seed merchants, plant breeders and academics. His passion for the Welsh culture and language means he is regularly called upon to take part in TV and radio interviews through the medium of Welsh, primarily on forage breeding but also more widely on plant breeding and genetics and increasingly in wider areas of science. It is testament to his willingness and ability to engage with the public that I have never known him to refuse such requests, even when he has other pressing matters on his time.

Alan’s extensive knowledge and expertise is widely sought after by his peers not only in Aberystwyth but in other parts of the world. He has been the convenor of the British Society of Plant Breeders, forage section where his knowledge of forage plant breeding is utilised to ensure that only the best varieties are available to UK farmers.

Canghellor, mae’n bleser gen i gyflwyno Alan Lovatt i chi am radd Baglor er Anrhydedd yn y Gwyddorau. 

Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present Alan Lovatt to you for an Honorary Bachelor of Science degree.

Anrhydeddau Prifysgol Aberystwyth 2017

Bydd Prifysgol Aberystwyth yn anrhydeddu wyth o bobl yn ystod seremonïau Graddio 2017, a gynhelir yng Nghanolfan Gelfyddydau’r Brifysgol rhwng dydd Mawrth 18 Gorffennaf a dydd Gwener 21 Gorffennaf.

Cyflwynir chwe Chymrawd er Anrhydedd i unigolion a chanddynt gysylltiad ag Aberystwyth neu â Chymru ar hyn o bryd neu yn y gorffennol, ac sydd wedi gwneud cyfraniad eithriadol i’w dewis feysydd.

Cyflwynir dwy radd Baglor er Anrhydedd. Cyflwynir y rhain i unigolion sy’n aelodau o staff Prifysgol Aberystwyth heb radd lefel-mynediad, i gydnabod eu gwasanaeth hir, eu cyfraniad a’u hymrwymiad i’r Sefydliad; ac i aelodau o’r gymuned leol sydd wedi gwneud cyfraniad sylweddol i Aberystwyth a’r cyffiniau.

Cymrodoriaethau er Anrhydedd:

Lance Batchelor, cyn-fyfyriwr o Aberystwyth a Phrif Swyddog Gweithredol Saga ccc

Yr Athro Martin Conway, Cymrawd a Thiwtor Hanes yng Ngholeg Balliol, Rhydychen, ac Athro Hanes Ewropeaidd Cyfoes.

Gareth Howell LLB, sy’n raddedig yn y Gyfraith o Aberystwyth sydd wedi dangos arweinyddiaeth arloesol wrth ddyfeisio atebion ymarferol mewn gwledydd sy’n wynebu pontio eithafol yn eu bywyd cenedlaethol.

Heini Gruffudd BA, cyn-fyfyriwr o Aberystwyth,  athro, awdur, ac ymgyrchydd iaith, a chadeirydd Dyfodol i’r Iaith.

Louise Rickard BSc PhD PGCE, sydd wedi ennill dros gant o gapiau Rygbi Cymru ac yn raddedig o Aberystwyth (BSc Anrhydedd Sŵoleg, PhD Bioleg y Môr), a Phennaeth Bioleg yn Suffolk.

Dato’ Mohamed Sharil bin Mohamed Tarmizi LLB, cyn-fyfyriwr o Brifysgol Aberystwyth a chyn-reoleiddiwr  telegyfathrebu, cyfryngau a phost ym Malaysia.

Graddau Baglor er Anrhydedd:  

Alan Lovatt, Uwch-fridiwr Glaswellt yn Athrofa’r Gwyddorau Biolegol, Amgylcheddol a Gwledig (IBERS) ym Mhrifysgol Aberystwyth.

David Alun Jones, Is-Lywydd Cymdeithas Pêl Droed Cymru a Llywydd Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Canolbarth Cymru.

Rhannu