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Four outstanding individuals have been conferredwith honorary
degrees from NUI Galway. Thosehonoured on 24 June were Margaret
Atwood, SeánO’Rourke, Professor Gio Wiederhold and SeánCampbell.
Speaking at the conferring ceremony,NUI Galway President, Dr James
J. Browne said:“NUI Galway is fortunate to be associated withmany
outstanding honorary graduates throughoutits history and those
being honoured this year are avery distinguished group. Each has
made anexceptional and distinctive contribution to thediverse
fields of literature, youth affairs, journalismand computer
science. NUI Galway is proud tohonour them.”
Margaret Atwood was conferred with a Degree ofDoctor of
Literature (honoris causa). The Canadianauthor has published more
than forty books offiction, poetry, and critical essays. Margaret
has astrong connection with the West of Ireland and hascontributed
poetry to a collection edited by DesLally in 2008 entitled
Captivating Brightness:
Ballynahinch. Profits from the book were donatedto Cancer Care
West. Margaret Atwood lives inToronto with writer Graeme
Gibson.
Seán O’Rourke was conferred with a Degree ofDoctor of Laws
(honoris causa). A native ofPortlaoise, Seán completed a BA in
English, Historyand Legal Science at NUI Galway in 1977. He
wasawarded the 2006 NUI Galway Alumni AIB Awardfor Literature,
Communications and the Arts, and isthe founding chairperson of the
AlumniAssociation’s Dublin Club.
Professor Gio Wiederhold was conferred with aDegree of Doctor of
Science (honoris causa). GioWiederhold is a Professor Emeritus of
ComputerScience, Electrical Engineering, and Medicine atStanford
University, teaching part-time. During hiscareer he has pioneered
the combination ofDatabase and Knowledge Bases. His
researchcontributions are fundamental for the SemanticWeb, the main
focus of the Digital Enterprise
Research Institute, (DERI) one of NUI Galway’sflagship research
institutes.
Seán Campbell was conferred with a Degree ofDoctor of Laws
(honoris causa). Seán Campbell isChief Executive Officer of
Foróige, Ireland’s leadingyouth organisation and he has worked for
the it forover 25 years. One of Seán’s most notableachievements is
bringing the Big Brother Big Sisteryouth mentoring programme to
Ireland. Seán was adriving force in the development of
Foróige’srelationship with the Child and Family ResearchCentre at
NUI Galway which, among other things,led to Foróige’s partner
status in the UNESCOChair in Children, Youth and Civic
Engagement.
The graduands join the ranks of previous honoraryconferees,
which include Nelson Mandela, HilaryClinton, Christy O Connor Snr
and Christy OConnor Jnr, Enya, Sean Purcell, the late MervGriffin,
Anjelica Huston and Fionnuala Flanagan.
University Honours Four Outstanding Individuals
Inside this Issue: Page 3 Prostate Cancer Institute OpenedPage 5
Student & Staff Awards Page 7 Focal ón Uachtarán... and
more!
OLL
SCÉA
LANuachtlitir Foirne | Staff Newsletter | Samhradh 2011
Pictured at the Honorary Conferring (l-r): President Browne,
Margaret Atwood,Seán O’Rourke, Seán Campbell and Professor Gio
Wiederhold.
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OLLSCÉALA
Ollscéala is published bythe Marketing & Communications
Office,NUI Galway.T: 091 493361 E: [email protected]
Focal ón EagarthóirIs cinnte go raibh neart ar siúl anseo san
Ollscoil lecúpla mí anuas. Thug an tUachtarán Máire MhicGhiolla
Íosa cuairt ar an Ollscoil chun an Institiúid umAilse Phróstatach a
oscailt, agus tháinig Airí nua-cheaptha chomh fada leis an Ollscoil
chun léargas afháil ar an taighde agus ar an obair atá ar bun
snahinstitiúidí éagsúla ar fud na hOllscoile. Chomh maithleis sin,
dea-scéala ba ea na comhpháirtíochtaístraitéiseacha a fógraíodh, ar
fianaise iad go bhfuil anOllscoil ag comhlíonadh an ghealltanais a
thug sí gobhfreastalódh sí ar riachtanais oideachais,
shóisialtaagus gheilleagracha na mac léinn agus an phobail
igcoitinne.
Our students and staff have scooped a record amountof awards in
the last three months alone. So much sothat this issue of Ollscéala
is a bumper edition! Checkout all our achievements on pages 8, 9,
10 and 24.
The Ryan Institute will continue to hit the headlineswith its
Vents & Reefs Expedition. The Institute is partof a team that’s
to sail to the mid - Atlantic to check outa newly discovered
hydrothermal vent ecosystem. TheLead Marine Biologist is our own
Patrick Collins at theBenthic Ecology Unit and he has organised
acompetition for secondary school students to nameundiscovered
animals the team will be collecting.National Geographic television
will be documentingthis historic event.
The new Prostate Cancer Institute was officiallyopened by
President Mary McAleese in April. TheInstitute, of which the
President is a Patron, will focusprimarily on developing better
therapies for patientswith prostate cancer. Read all about it on
page 3.
Bainigí sult as agus go dtí an chéad eagrán eile,
slántamall.
Sinéad Ní Neachtain
2
Pictured (l to r), Irene Gibson, Programme Manager of Croí
MyAction® and Michael Smith, Paramedic withthe HSE West Ambulance
Service along with with Dr Gerard Flaherty, Senior Lecturer in
Clinical Medicineand Medical Education and Director of the Special
Study Module programme at NUI Galway.
In recognition of their outstanding contribution to the
undergraduate medical teaching programme atNUI Galway, two allied
healthcare professionals from HSE West and Croí West of Ireland
CardiacFoundation have been appointed as Honorary Clinical Fellows
at NUI Galway. Irene Gibson has beeninstrumental in setting up a
special study module in preventive cardiology at NUI Galway as well
as co-supervising summer student research in preventive cardiology.
Michael Smith organises and supervisesthe very popular special
study module in Pre-hospital Emergency Care, which exposes 2nd year
medicalstudents to the challenges of immediate care in the
community.
Is é Dónall Ó Braonáin, Leascheannaire ar Raidió na
Gaeltachta,atá ceaptha mar Phríomhfheidhmeannach ar Acadamh
nahOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. Bhain Dónall bunchéim agusscoláireachtaí
iarchéime sa Ghaeilge agus sa Laidin i gColáiste nahOllscoile,
Baile Átha Cliath, mar ar bhain sé MA sa Ghaeilgefreisin. I ndiaidh
cúrsaí oiliúna iarchéime sa teangeolaíocht, sanfhileolaíocht agus
sa phailéagrafaíocht, chaith sé tamall blianta agléachtóireacht i
Roinn na Nua-Ghaeilge, UCD, agus ag obair arthograí
foilsitheoireachta acadúla in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann:Foclóir na
Nua-Ghaeilge (FNG) agus an Foclóir NáisiúntaBeathaisnéise (DIB).
Fostaíodh mar iriseoir le RTÉ é sa bhliain1999. D’oibrigh sé mar
thuairisceoir agus fo-eagarthóir teilifíseagus raidió le Nuacht
RTÉ/TG4 agus mar Chlár Reachtaire leRaidió na Gaeltachta. Bhí sé ar
dhuine den mheitheal a chuireadh Nuachtiris i láthair ar RTÉ Raidió
ahAon agus is comhfhreagraí rialta de chuid BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
é. Ceapadh ina Leascheannaire é arRaidió na Gaeltachta ar Lá Fhéile
Bríde 2006.
Lecturer sits on editorial boardof top environmental journalDr
.Chaosheng Zhang, Head of the newly established Geographic
Information System (GIS) Centreat the Ryan Institute, has been
invited to sit on the editorial board of the top environmental
journal,Science of the Total Environment. Dr Zhang teaches GIS and
statistics courses at School ofGeography and Archaeology.
Honorary Clinical Fellows Appointed
Príomhfheidhmeannach nua ar Acadamhna hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge
Ceaptha
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OLLSCÉALA
3
President Mary McAleese OpensProstate Cancer Institute
Library Hosts GardaPhotographic Exhibition
The James Hardiman Library was the venue for anexhibition of 48
photographs that illustrate the earlyhistory of An Garda Síochána,
including itsprecursors, The Royal Irish Constabulary and TheDublin
Metropolitan Police. This fascinatingcollection of photographs was
on loan from AnGarda Síochána Historical Society. There arescenes
of Gardaí on duty in Dublin and onoccasions such as the funeral of
Kevin O’Higgins in1927. There are several photographs showing
thescenes of crimes, including the discovery of a ton ofsalmon in a
derelict house in Blackrock in 1927.The salmon are laid out for all
to see. Photographsof Gardaí from the Library’s
Ritchie-PickowCollection also feature in a slide show. Dr
MaryHarris, Senior Lecturer in History at NUI Galway,comments:
“This intriguing exhibition providesinsights into police work and
prompts interestingquestions about crime in early
twentieth-centuryIreland.”
President Mary McAleese officially opened thenew Prostate Cancer
Institute at NUI Galway inApril. The Institute, of which the
President is aPatron, is directed by Professor Frank
Sullivan,Consultant Radiation Oncologist. The newfacility, which is
primarily focused on developingbetter therapies for patients with
prostate cancer,will benefit from a close association with
theextensive clinical services already offered to thesepatients at
Galway University Hospitals andother regional hospitals. The
Institute will alsocollaborate with the wide-ranging
biomedicalresearch programmes of the National Centre forBiomedical
Engineering Sciences (NCBES) atNUI Galway and with a number of
researchinstitutes in Ireland and internationally. CancerBiology
and Developmental Therapeutics arestrategic research priorities at
NUI Galway. Overthe last number of years, NUI Galway and
Galway University Hospitals have built a strongteam of
internationally recognised pre-clinical,translational, and clinical
cancer scientists.Galway University Hospitals are the
majoracademic-medical centre in the West of Ireland,and one of the
eight specialist cancer centresestablished under the National
Cancer ControlPlan. It offers the full range of prostate
cancerdiagnostics and treatments, and is one of thecountry’s
leading centres for treatment of thisform of cancer. Initial
funding for the Institutehas been provided by Galway
UniversityFoundation. This has enabled the appointmentof Dr Sharon
Glynn as Director of LaboratoryResearch. Early work at the
Institute will involvethe collection and bioprocurement of
prostatetissue, which will provide the base for its primaryand
collaborative research programme.
This summer, as part of the Vents & Reefs(VENTuRE)
expedition, marine scientists fromNUI Galway and University College
Cork(UCC), are part of a team heading out to themid-Atlantic to
check out a newly discoveredhydrothermal vent ecosystem. There, on
themid-Atlantic ridge, at a depth of almost 3000metres, the Marine
Institute’s Holland I ROV(Remotely Operated Vehicle) will be
sendingimages of a whole new world to scientists at the
surface. This pristine ecosystem is such anexciting discovery
that National GeographicTelevision will be there to film the
wholeexperience. Patrick Collins, a researcher with theBenthic
Ecology Unit at NUI Galway’s RyanInstitute, is the lead Marine
Biologist with theVents & Reefs campaign, and has organised
avery exciting competition for second-levelstudents in Ireland to
name these, as yet,undiscovered creatures.
NUI Galway Gives Students a Chance to Name Sea Creature
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OLLSCÉALA
4
NUI Galway Acquires Rare Archiveof Writer Thomas Kilroy
Highest AcademicHonour for NUI GalwayExperts
Pictured: (back, l-r) NUI Galway’s Professors ColinO’Dowd, Peter
McHugh, and Donal O’Regan; (front)NUI Galway President, Dr James J.
Browne, andPresident of the Royal Irish Academy, Professor
LukeDrury.
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has elected threeof NUI Galway’s
top academics for admission.Professors Peter McHugh, Colin O’Dowd
andDonal O’Regan are among 23 scholars from aroundIreland joining
colleagues like Ernest Walton, ErwinSchrödinger, Seamus Heaney and
Mary Robinson,who have previously attained Membership of theRIA
through distinction in education and research.The NUI Galway
Professors work in the fields ofBiomedical Engineering, Climate
Physics andMathematics.
From the Ireland of the 1960s arose a generationof writers that
created a cultural revival, whichcompares with, and perhaps
exceeds, the ‘IrishRenaissance’ of the early 1900s. This
secondflowering has contributed to Ireland’s reputationas a
uniquely creative nation. The papers of thosethat did most to forge
that reputation are inpublic archives, - except, until now, those
ofThomas Kilroy. To mark the acquisition of thattreasure trove of
papers by the James HardimanLibrary, a public interview with Thomas
Kilroyhimself took place on campus in March. ThomasKilroy is
world-renowned as a novelist anddramatist. His novel, The Big
Chapel (1971),received a Booker Prize nomination, and hisplays
include The Death and Resurrection of Mr.Roche (1968), Double Cross
(1986), The SecretFall of Constance Wilde (1997) and Christ
Deliver
Us! (2010). The Archive contains research notes,drafts and
scripts of his novels and plays. Allcreative work is complemented
bycorrespondence from agents, theatrepractitioners, publishers, and
the public, as wellas production material from the stage plays.
Italso includes a collection of correspondencefrom literary friends
and associates, as well asThomas Kilroy’s private correspondence
withmembers of The Field Day Theatre Company.There are papers
relating to the Abbey Theatre,of which he is a long-standing board
member.The Archive complements other purely literaryArchives at the
Library, such as the JohnMcGahern and Eoghan Ó Tuairisc
Collections,as well as theatre Archives pertaining to theDruid
Theatre, the Lyric Players’ Theatre, andTaibhdhearc na
Gaillimhe.
NUI Galway and Galway-Mayo Institute ofTechnology (GMIT) have
announced a newstrategic partnership to serve the educational,
socialand economic needs of their students and the widerregional,
national and international communities.The agreement provides for
collaborativeopportunities in teaching and learning,
research,entrepreneurship, regional development,commercialisation,
programme design, distanceeducation, and work-based learning.
Bothinstitutions will work closely together in promotingflexible
learning and programme delivery, studentplacements, internships,
staff development anddevelopment of adjunct research positions.
Bothwill also devise a joint Teaching, Learning and
Assessment strategy to provide programmes thatfocus on the needs
of students, the workplace andthe world of professional practice in
the region,nationally and internationally. The agreementmakes it a
priority to ensure that researchprogrammes are of the highest
quality and deliveredto best international practice. Recognising
NUIGalway as the lead institution in research, andGMIT’s research
excellence GMIT in critical areas,both will work to develop a
collaborative strategyfor research, including ensuring access for
researchstaff and students of each to the facilities of both.GMIT
and NUI Galway will actively develop jointand dual research awards
at Masters and Doctorallevels.
NUI Galway and GMIT Sign Strategic Partnership
President Browne, Dr Lionel Pilkington and Thomas Kilroy viewing
the archive.
Rory O’Connor, GMIT Chairman, MichaelCarmody, GMIT President,
Nollaig MacCongáil,Registrar & Deputy President, NUI Galway
andGearoid O’Conluain, NUI Galway Secretary.
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OLLSCÉALA
5
PhD Conferring Seventy students have been conferred with aDoctor
of Philosophy (PhD) by NUI GalwayPresident, Dr James J. Browne. All
Colleges of theUniversity were represented, including Arts,
SocialSciences and Celtic Studies; Business, PublicPolicy and Law;
Engineering and Informatics;Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences;
andScience. To view the names of those pictured,please log
ontohttp://www.nuigalway.ie/graduatestudies/
1,000 ResearchPapers in ARAN ARAN (Access to Research at NUI
Galway) is therepository for research papers, which is maintainedby
the James Hardiman Library. The service wasintroduced in 2008 to
make research publicationsfrom the University available to all
online. Thisalso helps increase the number of citations. ARANhas
now passed another milestone: its 1,000thpublication, Ireland,
peacekeeping and policingthe ‘new world order, by Dr Ray Murphy,
IrishCentre for Human Rights, which had gone out ofprint, is now
online.
Pictured: (l-r): Professor Terry Smith, Dr RayMurphy, John Cox
and Fergus Fahey
NUI Galway Awards Over270 Junior CertificateStudents Over 270
second-level students from acrossConnaught who received an A in
Junior CertificateHonours Business Studies have been presentedwith
Certificates of Achievement from the J.E.Cairnes School of Business
and Economics. Thepresentations, in association with the
BusinessStudies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI),were made
at a special ceremony at the University.This is the first year NUI
Galway has presentedthese awards.
International Nursing andMidwifery ConferenceThe third
international conference, Building andPromoting Excellence in
Practice, held by theSchool of Nursing and Midwifery in April,
broughttogether leaders in the field to share theirexperiences of
clinical care and research. Theconference covered issues of chronic
illness,mental health, older people, maternity care andwomen’s
health, as well as teaching and learning inpractice. The keynote
speaker was MargareteSandelowski, Distinguished Professor in
theSchool of Nursing at the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel
Hill.
NUI Galway Hosts Lectureon Historical Sisters
The Centre for Irish Studies hosted a free publiclecture
entitled ‘Hanna and Her Sisters: The livesof Hanna Sheehy
Skeffington and MargaretSheehy Culhane Casey, as told by
theirgranddaughters’. A joint presentation wasdelivered by NUI
Galway Lecturer, Dr MichelineSheehy Skeffington, and Professor Dara
Culhane,Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Teenagers Need PositiveThinking – Not NegativeStereotypingA new
approach in the field of child and youthresearch, which involves
working positively withteenagers, rather than focussing on
negativeconnotations, was discussed during a publiclecture at NUI
Galway in March. Guest speakerProfessor Richard Lerner, said we
should rejectthe prevailing negative view of adolescents,
whichfocuses on what they lack. Professor Lerner, who isBergstrom
Chair and Director of the Institute forApplied Research in Youth
Development at TuftsUniversity in the US, is a prolific researcher
overfour decades and his latest book, The Good Teen,offers a
programme of Positive YouthDevelopment.
NUI Galway Law GraduateBecomes Seychelles’ FirstFemale Judge An
NUI Galway law graduate is to become thefirst-ever female judge in
the Seychelles. MrsMathilda Twomey, who studied the LL.M. inPublic
Law, has been appointed as a Justice of theCourt of Appeal by
Seychelles President, JamesMichel, on the recommendation of the
islandnation’s Constitutional Appointments Authority.Commenting,
Marie McGonagle, Director of theLL.M. in Public Law, said: “I am
delighted atMathilda’s appointment. She is a very skilledlawyer,
who gave much to and gained much fromthe LL.M. at NUI Gaway. I wish
her everysuccess.”
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OLLSCÉALA
Event QuestionsExecutive Accountabilityand
ParliamentaryDemocracyThe School of Law, in association with
MasonHayes+Curran solicitors, has hosted a conferenceentitled
Executive Accountability andParliamentary Democracy. The
conferencetheme was pursued in the context of theformation of a new
Government and thebeginning of a potentially new era in Irish
Politicsand Public Law. Emily O’Reilly, Ombudsman,delivered the
keynote, and there were panelpresentations by Donncha O’Connell
from NUIGalway’s School of Law, Catherine Allen, Partnerwith Mason
Hayes+Curran solicitors; andpolitical analyst and TCD lecturer, Dr
ElaineByrne. The half-day conference was introducedjointly by Marie
McGonagle, Director of theLLM in Public Law, and Judge
CatherineMcGuinness, Adjunct Professor of Law, both ofNUI
Galway.
TrailblazingMathematician VisitsNUI GalwayOne of the world’s top
mathematicians visitedNUI Galway for the 5th de Brún Workshop
inApril. Professor Cheryl Praeger, from theUniversity of Western
Australia, is in the top onepercent of the world’s highly
citedmathematicians. She has made revolutionarycontributions to
Algebra, Discrete Mathematics,and Statistics (Data Analysis).
According to DrDane Flannery, of the de Brún Centre
forComputational Algebra: “We were very fortunateto host Professor
Praeger and to hear about herlatest research, and her insights
aboutMathematics in the wider context of modernscience and society.
Her visit here also highlightsthe many successes of women in
Mathematics.”
Award WinningEntrepreneurshipEducator and PractitionerSpeaks at
NUI GalwayThe Centre for Innovation and StructuralChange (CISC) has
hosted Professor Peter Kellyof Aalto University in Finland, who
delivered this
year’s InterTradeIreland Innovation Lecture onthe topic of
‘Rethinking Business Models:Creativity Inspired Innovation’.
Professor Kelly’slecture challenged conventional wisdom
aboutdeveloping a business, and provided practicalguidance on how
to succeed in the recession.
Spring Open Day a Successfor Students and Families
Pictured: Rita Grant, 2nd Arts, and James Britton,3rd Science,
at the Spring Open Day at theUniversity in April.This event is
targeted at Leaving Certificate andmature students who are
interested in studying atNUI Galway. Over 3,000 visitors attended
theevent, which featured hands-on, interactiveScience Experience
workshops and campus tours.
Social MarketingConferenceThe Centre for Innovation and
StructuralChange (CISC) hosted the 3rd Annual SocialMarketing
Conference entitled ‘EnablingSustainable Behaviour: The
Environment,Communities, Health & Well Being’. TheConference
brought together two world-renowned sustainable behavioural
changeexperts, Dr Doug McKenzie-Mohr and Dr CraigLefebvre. Other
practitioners and leaders in thepublic and voluntary sector were
also on hand toanswer questions.
Psychology ConferenceThe School of Psychology hosted the 8th
AnnualPsychology, Health and Medicine Conference atthe University
in April. The aim was to promotehigh quality research at the
interface ofpsychology, health and medicine, and to
facilitatesocial and professional networks among peopleworking in
this area. This year’s event featured
presentations on all aspects of health psychology,from
laboratory studies of cardiovascular healthto cognitive behavioural
interventions to improvehealth outcomes in clinical settings.
Keynotespeakers included Professor Derek Johnston,University of
Aberdeen, Scotland; Dr CatherineWoods, Dublin City University; and
Dr ValMorrison, Bangor University, Wales.
Wily Students Turns€10 into €200Students from all disciplines
were given thechallenge of taking €10 and using their wits tomake
as much money as possible over three days.The SEEN €10
competition’s aim was to showthat any student could create an
enterprise froma tiny initial investment. The winner was
PhilipRyan, a Commerce student from Donnybrook,Co Dublin, who
turned a profit of €202 by sellingconfectionery and soft drinks
door-to-door in theNUI Galway student villages. SEEN is theStudent
Enterprise Exchange Network, theUniversity’s student-run and
focused enterprisesupport service.
Job Opportunities forGraduates in the West
Pictured at the Graduate Recruitment &Opportunities in the
West (GROW) Fair, ProfessorChris Curtin (Vice-President for
Innovation andPerformance), John Hannon (Head of CareerDevelopment
Centre), and representatives fromBioWare, a division of EA
Games.
Some 15 companies, all actively recruiting third-level
graduates, visited in March as part of theGraduate Recruitment and
Opportunities in theWest Careers Fair (GROW). Exhibitors
wereparticularly keen to meet and recruit NUIGalway graduates from
a wide range ofdisciplines including business, science,engineering,
languages and IT. The event wasorganised jointly by the Career
DevelopmentCentre and Alumni Association.
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7
OLLSCÉALA
A Chairde,
With Leaving Certificate exams over, I'm delightedto report
another boost in the CAO figures forapplications to NUI Galway! For
the thirdconsecutive year, first preference applications forour
undergraduate degrees have increasedsignificantly as the
University’s popularitycontinues to soar.
Since March we have seen a further almost 10%increase in the
number of students selecting NUIGalway as their first choice
institution through theChange of Mind and late application process.
NUIGalway is now in the top two universities forgrowth in first
preference applications through theChange of Mind. This is a great
achievement!
The most popular courses for students to date arein Biomedical
Science; Marine Science and thenew BA CONNECT degrees, especially
theTheatre and Performance, Creative Writing,Human Rights, and Film
Studies options. Scienceand Engineering courses have also seen a
jump inpopularity this year with NUI Galway outperforming the
national trend in both, butespecially in Engineering where the
opening of anew Engineering Building in July is a big draw forCAO
applicants.
Students Matter!This interest in and popularity for our courses
isvery heartening. It is a tribute to all our colleagues- academics
and support staff - who havedeveloped programmes and who regularly
travelall over Ireland to promote these course offeringsto
prospective students.
Such interest by students means they must berewarded by giving
them the very best experiencewhile attending NUI Galway. We must
prioritisethe 'first-year learning experience'. First-yearstudents
must be given every support in making
that often challenging transition from secondaryschool to
university. I know that CELT areworking hard on this and I would
encourage allstaff to contribute, in whatever way they can,
tomaking each first-year student's experience aspositive as it can
be. Níl dabht faoi ná go bhfuiltáithí na chéad bhliana
fíor-thábhachtach - túsmaith leath na hoibre.
Following on from the first-year experience, wemust strive to
ensure that our teaching andlearning resources offer all students
the bestpossible learning environment. CELT is making areal
difference here -with the upgrade ofBlackboard which will be
available in September;the roll out of new tools to improve
interactionwithin the classroom; and the increasing rates
ofservice-learning and volunteerism on campus.Such steps will
ensure that NUI Galway studentshave a rich and positive learning
experience.
Research Matters!Another very gratifying development is the
growthin PhD students. This year already we haveawarded over 125
PhDs at conferrings in Marchand June (see Ollscéala p. 5). We have
more thandoubled our PhD output in recent years to almost150 in the
calendar year 2010. And with this year'sAutumn and Winter
conferrings we are poised toexceed this figure and are well on
target to achievethe goal of 200 per year by the end of 2011.
As our research centres continue to develop andgrow, so too our
PhD programmes become moreattractive to students from Ireland and
beyond. Tofurther support this, we have set up a new PhDScholarship
programme - the Hardiman ResearchScholarships (see Ollscéala p.20).
These fully-funded four-year PhD scholarships are focused onfive
key areas of research in which the Universityoffers leading
expertise. The value of the ResearchScholarship is a stipend of
€16,000 plus fees. ThisScholarship programme will attract the
beststudents to NUI Galway and support theirdevelopment as
innovative individuals who willcontribute globally to economic,
cultural andsocial development. Well done to Dr Pat Morgan,
Dean of Graduate Studies, and her team for theirwork with the
Colleges in this area! Tá éachtdéanta ag foireann an Staidéir
Iarchéime.
The Library's recent archive acquisitions will alsosupport these
research endeavours. Archivaltreasures such as those recently
received fromThomas Kilroy (see Ollscéala p.4) and existingholdings
such as the McGahern, Ó Tuarisc andShields Family Collections, as
well as theatrearchives relating to Druid Theatre, Lyric
Players'Theatre, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, will all furtherenhance
NUI Galway's location as a centre fordoctoral research in the arts
and humanities.
New AlliancesIn the spirit of strategic collaboration which
we'vedeveloped over the last few years I'm very pleasedwith the new
partnerships which we haveannounced recently with GMIT (see
Ollscéala p.4) and Galway Arts Festival. These partnershipsgive
further expression to our commitment towork with the strengths and
needs of our region toaddress national objectives, all the while
strivingfor the highest international standards. Already
thebenefits of such alliances are clear and a number ofnew
initiatives have emerged from our strategicpartnerships with
University of Limerick, GeorgiaTech and Druid Theatre which are
enriching ourresearch activities as well as the teaching
andlearning experience at NUI Galway.
This final edition of Ollscéala for the academicyear highlights
the tremendous range of activity atNUI Galway. From world-class
conferences toresearch breakthroughs, from volunteerism topublic
advocacy - our university is at the heart ofnational life. In
challenging times we are workingto continuously improve what we do
as acommunity of teachers, scholars, researchers andsupport staff.
I thank you for your contributionand wish you an enjoyable
summer.
Beir bua agus beannacht, James J. Browne Ph.D.,D.Sc.,MRIA,C.Eng.
Uachtarán - President
Tá Focal ón Uachtarán le fáil ar line agus go dátheangach:
www.nuigalway.ie/president/reports
Focal ón Uachtarán
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OLLSCÉALA
Student & Staff AwardsRTÉ’s Tommie GormanPresents Journalism
Awards
RTÉ news correspondent Tommie Gorman haspresented awards to two
graduates of the NUIGalway MA in Journalism class of 2010.
LorraineO’Hanlon received the fourth annual DonnaFerguson Award for
the highest mark in thebroadcasting module. The Connacht
TribuneMedal was presented to Antoinette Giblin for thehighest
overall mark in the course.
Pictured (top to bottom): Winners of theInnovation, Creativity
and Enterprise (ICE)Programme: James Kenny, Mullingar, CoWestmeath;
Patrick Flanagan, Sligo and MarkRuane, Sligo for their project
‘Pipe Protect’ – anew product that uses mobile phone technologyto
monitor and control pipes during freezingweather. The ICE module, a
competitive part ofthe B.Comm. and the B.Sc. in BusinessInformation
Systems, involves groups of studentspresenting their innovations to
mentors andgoing through a number of stages of judging. Thefive
finalist groups compete for a prize of €6,000,sponsored by the
Chartered Institute ofManagement Accountants (CIMA).
Engineering StudentsWin Prestigious TransportAwardsSix NUI
Galway students are among the winnersof the transport industry’s
national Student Idea ofthe Year Awards. The awards are
presented
annually to the originators of innovative ideas thatcould make a
real contribution to an aspect oftransport in Ireland. The
students, from theCollege of Engineering and Informatics,
werepresented with their awards by RTÉ's DuncanStewart. Olgierd
Gosztowtt from Poland, PeterIstenes from Riverside, Galway, and
Paul Jacobsenfrom Castlegar, Co Galway, won the SafetyCategory. The
prize in the Marine Category wasawarded to Cathal McCormack from
Oranmore,Co Galway, Jason McDonagh from Moyola Park,Galway, and
Kieran McDonnell, from Mullingar,Co Westmeath. This is the 15th
year in whichNUI Galway students have scooped CILT
awards,reflecting the University’s strong reputation inengineering
education.
Marine Category: Pictured at the presentation of theStudent Idea
of the Year Awards, Marine Category,were (l-r): Seamus Cleere,
Award Sponsor fromHazChem Training Ltd.; Monica Murphy,
EasternSection Chairperson of CILT; Mary Dempsey of theCollege of
Engineering and Informatics at NUIGalway; NUI Galway students Jason
McDonagh,Cathal McCormack, and Kieran McDonnell; andRTÉ's Duncan
Stewart.
New NUI Galway SocietiesBursaries AnnouncedThe winners of the
newly launched UCG Spirit of78/80 Socs Bursary have announced at a
specialceremony. The Societies Office, in conjunctionwith the
Graduates of 1978 – 1980, have awardedbursaries, each worth €1,000,
in six differentcategories. Funds for five are provided by
NUIGalway graduates from the class of 1978 – 1980,with the
Societies Office funding the sixth. Therecipients are:Soloist
Category:Isaac Burke, Castlebar, Co Mayo;Groups Category: Orna Ní
Bhroin, Foxrock,Dublin and Diarmuid Scahill, Coolough
Road,Galway;
Performance Category: Dave Rock, Kinvara, CoGalway; Civic
Engagement/Charity Volunteering:Julie D'lima, Tirellan Heights,
Galway;Audience Choice: Adam Guinane, Limerick City;Borja
Catellan-Valladolid, Spain; Joe Junker,Ballymore Eustace, Co
Kildare, James Frawley,Mervue, Galway; and Meaghan
LaGrandeur,Ottawa, Canada;Judges Choice: joint winners: Aron
Hegarty,Inniscaragh, Co Cork and Teresa Brennan,Barrow House, Co
Laois.
Winners of 2011 SportsAwards Announced
The NUI Galway 2011 Sports Awards, presentedat a special
ceremony in the Ardilaun Hotel,celebrate the broad diversity of
success on and offthe field that is the strength of sport at
theUniversity. This year’s recipients are - Archery:Aisling Finn,
Ballimacourty, Clarinbridge, CoGalway; Boxing: John Ridge,
Rusheenamanagh,Carna, Co Galway; Darts: Stiofán De Lundres
ÓDálaigh, Dangerville, Tuam, Co Galway; LadiesGaelic Football:
Eilish Ward, Ballybrillaghan,Mountcharles, Co Donegal; Men’s
GaelicFootball: Ciaran McDonald, Newtown, Aherlow,Co Tipperary;
Camogie: Michaela Morkan,Shinrone, Birr, Co Offaly; Handball:
DiarmaidNash, Tobarnagoth, Scarrif, Co Clare; Hockey:Aoife Smyth,
Upper Salthill, Galway; Judo: FionaKeating, Lower Salthill, Galway;
Mountaineering:Joan Mulloy, The Quay, Westport, Co Mayo;Women’s
Rugby: Heather Cary, Toronto,Canada; Ladies Soccer: Nuala Marshall,
London,Ontario, Canada; Men’s Soccer: Evan PrestonKelly, Dr Mannix
Road, Galway; Team Award:Men’s Senior Basketball Team 2010 –
2011;Team Award: Men’s Senior Rowing 2010 – 2011;Most Improved
Club: Women’s Rugby 2010 -2011; Club Captains Award: Dee
O’Dwyer,Athletics Club; Special Achievement Award:Nithin Bindal,
Cricket Club; Participation Award:Fun Run Committee, Athletics
Club;Recreational Award: Futsal - Men on Bikes;Alumni Leadership
Award: Boxing Club.
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Students win HSA ThirdLevel ‘Safety in Design’National
CompetitionA team of students from NUI Galway has won aHealth and
Safety Authority-run competitionaimed at undergraduates from
construction-related degree programmes in third-levelinstitutions.
The winning team was made up byKevin Carney, Frenchpark, Co
Roscommon,Grant Deeney, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon,and Shane
McHale, Ballina, Co Mayo. The NUIGalway three worked together
giving expert adviceon remedial repairs, traffic management and
long-term maintenance of a bridge that sufferedstructural damage as
result of a strike.
NUI GalwaySocieties AwardsThe NUI Galway Societies Awards have
takenplace on campus with 17 awards presented at agala event. These
awards celebrate thecontribution which over 100 societies make
tothe University and wider community. Thecoveted Best Society of
the Year award went tothe Drama Society for the professionalism
andcreativity they brought to their numerous andvaried events
during the year. Most ImprovedSociety went to the GiG (Gay in
Galway) Soc fortheir determination and effort to improve andexpand
the society. Best New Society went to theComic Book Society, which
exploded on to thesocieties scene this year with colourful
andoriginal events. Best Society Individual went toDrama Society’s
Neasa O’Callaghan, whose hardwork and dedication during the Irish
StudentDrama Awards was exemplary. Neasa is alsoauditor of Classics
Soc and an active member ofLit & Deb. Best Fresher went to
RonanGallagher, who was venue manager of the Bankof Ireland theatre
during the ISDA Festival andwho has been involved in lighting for
manyDramsoc productions. Best Event went to theISDA festival,
organised by the Drama Society.
International Award forGraduate Student NUI Galway PhD student,
David Byrne, hasbeen awarded second place for his
posterpresentation at the Institute of StructuralEngineers Young
Researchers Conference, heldin London. The conference, now in its
13th year,provides a platform for research students topresent their
work and exchange ideas with peersand industry leaders. David, from
Wicklow town,was presented with the award for his poster,
‘Theanalysis of shear transfer in void formed flat slabs,including
in-situ measurements from a building’.His entry was shortlisted
from over 60 abstractssubmitted from PhD students in the UK
andIreland, and was judged by a panel of Institutemembers.
School of Medicine TeamWins Jack Flanagan MedalThe Dublin Ageing
Research Network-sponsored 2011 Jack Flanagan
IntervarsityCompetition has been won by the NUI GalwaySchool of
Medicine team of Larissa Higgins, TaraMcDonnell, Tara Tarmey and
Teresa O’Dowd.The winners receive the Jack Flanagan Medal
inGerontology and a cash bursary. Thecompetition is named after
Ireland’s first doctorto specialise in modern-day geriatric
medicine. Itbegan as an intervarsity competition between
thepenultimate year students of Dublin medicalschools and has
expanded to include Galway andCork. The event challenges teams on
theirknowledge of medicine and psychiatricprogrammes and how they
interrelate with anageing population.
Pictured (l to r): Larissa Higgins, Tara McDonnell,Professor
Martin O’Donnell (Director, HRBClinical Research Facility), Tara
Tarmey, TeresaO’Dowd and Professor Fidelma Dunne (Head ofMedical
School)
Student AwardedPrestigiousInternational PrizeA doctoral fellow
at the Centre for Innovationand Structural Change (CISC), Ciara
Fitzgerald,has been presented with second prize in theAssociation
of University Technology Managers(AUTM) Graduate Student Literature
ReviewPrize. Ciara’s studies at NUI Galway are fundedunder the
Programme for Research in ThirdLevel Institutions (PRTLI 4) as part
of the IrishSocial Sciences Platform. She is researchingstrategic
planning and formulation practices inIrish Technology Transfer
Offices and her prize-winning paper focuses on Legitimacy,
Missionand Management: Key Challenges forTechnology Transfer
Offices. The criteria for thisglobal competition include topic
saliency toAUTM members, richness of discussion forapplication to
practice, and strength ofconceptual framework in organising the
review.As a prize winner, Ciara attended the AUTMAnnual Meeting in
Las Vegas, where she receivedher plaque and presented her work.
Pictured: Ciara Fitzgerald, CISC, NUI Galwayreceiving her prize
from Ashley Stevens, immediatePast President of the Association of
UniversityTechnology Managers (AUTM), in Las Vegas.
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OLLSCÉALAComic Book SocietyScoops National Award
The NUI Galway Comic Book Society won theBest New Society Award
at the Board of IrishCollege Societies (BICS) Awards ceremony
inMay. BICS provides a national forum for societiesacross Ireland's
Universities, Colleges andInstitutes of Education to promote their
interestsand work towards best practice. The NationalAwards are the
highlight of the BICS year.
D.Eng AwardNUI has awarded the D.Eng to Professor GerHurley,
Electrical and Electronic Engineering, forhis published work. This
higher doctorate is thehighest qualification that can be awarded by
theNUI and is given to scholars who have published asubstantial
body of ground-breaking andinfluential work and have achieved
outstandingdistinction internationally in their field.
Fifteen SummerScholarshipsFifteen NUI Galway School of Medicine
researchstudents have been awarded Summer StudentScholarships by
the Health Research Board(HRB). The aim is to encourage an interest
inhealth research and to give students anopportunity to become
familiar with the researchprocess, techniques and methodologies
throughconducting a summer project. The students will besupervised
by academic and clinical staff at NUIGalway and Galway University
Hospitals. The 15 recipients are: Cliona Small,Knocknacarra,
Galway; Maria Duignan, Boyle, CoRoscommon; Catherine Crowe,
Ballaghaderreen,Co Roscommon; Máirtín Ó Maoláin, Dangan,Galway;
Sorcha Kearney Wolnik, Shantalla,Galway; Fiachra O Deasmhunaigh,
Bishoptown,Co Cork; Sarah Cormican, Oranmore, CoGalway; Domhnall
O’Connor, Tullamore, CoOffaly; Tariq Esmail, Burlington,
Canada;Dympna O’Dwyer, Mullagh, Co Clare; MarkGurney, Grange, Co
Sligo; Kate Dinneen, Barna,
Co Galway; Robert McGrath, Loughrea, CoGalway; Urszula
Donigiewicz, Carigtwohill, CoSligo, Darren Kilmartin, Rosses Point,
Co Sligo;and Alan Jacobsen, Castlegar, Co Galway.
Research CouncilFellowshipsSix NUI Galway researchers have been
awardedFellowships by the Irish Research Council forScience,
Engineering and Technology (IRCSET).Over €3.3 million is being made
available underthe Empower scheme to support 37 people whowill
carry out a research and professionaldevelopment programme over the
next two years.The NUI Galway recipients include Dr FionaBrennan,
Dr Olivier LeRoux, Biology; Dr RoryCoffey, Dr James Murphy,
Earth/EnvironmentalSciences; Dr Alexander Rahm, Mathematics; andDr
Micheal Scanlon, Chemistry. Congratulatingthe six, Vice-President
for Research, ProfessorTerry Smith, said; “The IRCSET Empowerscheme
gives our researchers the opportunity tobuild and broaden their
research and professionalskills at an early stage.”
£190,000 for breast cancerresearch at NUI GalwayA three-year
research project by Dr Afshin Samalihas been awarded £190,000 by
the Breast CancerCampaign charity to look specifically at
findingnew ways of overcoming breast cancer treatmentresistance.
Most patients receive anti-hormonetreatments, such as tamoxifen, to
prevent breastcancer coming back, but over time onethird ofpeople
develop resistance to them. Dr Samalibelieves that when two
molecules called HSP72and IRE-_ join together, they produce
othermolecules that prevent breast cancer cells beingdestroyed by
these treatments.
Graduate Develops TopApple Mac AppNUI Galway graduate Vinny
Coyne’s Eirtext apphas reached number one in the Mac App store.
Italso features in the top 10 apps in the store forsocial
networking. Eirtext enables users to avail offree and cheap
web-based text messaging throughiMac, iBook, iPhone and iPod Touch.
Vinny, whograduated with a B.E. in Electronic and
ComputerEngineering in 2006, has developed a number ofiPhone apps.
Eirtext was previously number one inthe free apps download chart in
the App Store.
Researchers AwardedFunding for IrishBiomedical
ResearchProjects
Two NUI Galway researchers, Professor AbhayPandit of the Network
of Excellence forFunctional Biomaterials (NFB) and ProfessorRhodri
Ceredig of the Regenerative MedicineInstitute (REMEDI) are among
five awardeesfunded under an innovative new researchprogramme
funded by the Johnson & JohnsonCorporate Office of Science and
Technology(COSAT) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).The research
projects, all biomedical, werelaunched by the Minister for Research
andInnovation, Mr Sean Sherlock TD. ProfessorPandit, in
collaboration with Professor JohnLaffey, Department of Anaesthesia,
NUI Galwaywill conduct a study on a novel treatment for acutelung
injury. Professor Ceredig in collaborationwith Professor Benjamin
Bradley of the Institute ofTechnology, Tralee will conduct a drug
discoveryprogramme using by-products obtained fromprocessing of
natural materials.
Digital Media ExhibitionShowcases TalentA digital media
exhibition has been held toshowcase projects from NUI Galway’s MA
inDigital Media programme. The programme wasshortlisted for the
‘gradireland postgraduatecourse of the year’ in 2010. It attracts
bright,creative students with a strong sense of identityand
individuality from a variety of undergraduatedisciplines. In recent
years, a number of projectshave gone on to win national Digital
Mediaawards. The exhibition was part of the NUIGalway Arts in
Action 2010-2011 initiative, whichaims to cultivate awareness of
the creative artsacross campus.
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Seoladh tionscnamh nua in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, a
thugann deis do mhúinteoirí áiseannadigiteacha a úsáid sa seomra
ranga. Chruthaigh mic léinn an Dioplóma Iarchéime san Oideachas
(DIO) iScoil an Oideachais OÉ Gaillimh, ceachtanna idirghníomhacha
ilmheánacha as Gaeilge ag baint úsáid asMatchware Mediator.
Teicneolaíocht ar leith atá anseo, urraithe ag COGG (Comhairle um
OideachasGaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta), agus beidh na háiseanna
ar fáil do mhúinteoirí agus do dhaltaí ar fud natíre. Tugann sé seo
deis do mhúinteoirí acmhainní digiteacha a úsáid ar bhealach
cruthaitheach, núálach.
Research ProvidesCommunicationGuidelines inCross-Cultural
GPConsultationsAn NUI Galway researcher is part of the team thathas
won a prestigious award for its work onguidelines to support
communication in cross-cultural general practice consultations. Dr
AnneMacFarlane, Lecturer in Primary Care, Disciplineof General
Practice, School of Medicine, has ledthe Health Research Board
Partnership Awardwith colleagues Mary O’Reilly-de Brún and Tomasde
Brún, Directors of the Centre for ParticipatoryStrategies (CPS),
Galway and Alice O’Flynn andDiane Nurse of the HSE Social Inclusion
Unit.This research has used innovative participatoryresearch
methods to enable the meaningfulinvolvement of health service users
from themigrant community and health service providers inthe
development of a guideline to supportcommunication in
cross-cultural general practiceconsultations. This research has
been awarded theProfessor James McCormack medal for bestresearch
presentation, at the Association ofUniversity Departments of
General PracticeAnnual Scientific Meeting.
Professor Speaks at United Nations Expert GroupMeeting on
YouthProfessor Pat Dolan has participated in the UnitedNations
Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding
acrossGenerations’ in Doha, Qatar. The purpose of themeeting was to
provide UN Member States and theUN Secretariat with expert opinion
on dialogue andmutual understanding as it relates to generations.
Indoing so, it seeks to explore the family structure as aframework
for enhancing intergenerational dialoguebetween younger and older
people and exploring itsimpact in a broader context including
community,education and the workplace. Professor Dolan,holds the
UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth andCivic Engagement and is Director
of the Centre forChild and Family Research at NUI Galway.
Cruthaíonn Mic Léinn ModhannaDigiteacha Teagaisc don
Todhchaí
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OLLSCÉALAMusical Note forMonsignor Pádraig deBrún Memorial
LectureThe 2011 Monsignor Pádraig de Brún MemorialLecture, entitled
Your Inner Muse: Heart, Ears,Mind, and Chipsets, has been delivered
by thedistinguished American concert pianist andMuseAmi CEO, Robert
Taub. The lectureaddressed the relationship between music
andtechnology, and placed leading-edge technologicalinnovation
within the context of musicalinnovation over the ages. Robert Taub
has beenacclaimed internationally as a concert pianist andrecording
artist. Having achieved much in theperforming arts, Robert founded
MuseAmi in2007. He is familiar to Galway audiences as
hisperformances have featured frequently in theMusic for Galway
concert programmes.
Irish Student DramaFestival Comes to GalwayThe next generation
of theatrical talent came toGalway for the Irish Student Drama
AssociationFestival in March. This is the largest event ever inthe
festival’s 63-year history, with NUI Galway’sDramsoc hosting 45
events over 9 days. Thefestival productions were a combination of
thework of emerging student writers, as well as worksby t Brian
Friel, William Shakespeare, TomMurphy, Conor McPherson, Martin
McDonaghand Harold Pinter. The Irish Student DramaAssociation
(ISDA) is the umbrella organisation ofIreland’s third-level drama
societies. Featuring 25plays from 13 colleges around the country,
theevent had daily performances in the DruidTheatre, Nun’s Island
Theatre, and the Bank ofIreland Theatre on campus.
Hidden Histories ofWomen in TechnologyExhibit OpensAn exhibit
entitled ‘Hidden Histories of Womenin Computing’ went on display at
the University’sDigital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) inMay.
The exhibit highlighted how, in spite ofmany obstacles, women have
made an enormouscontribution to advances in communications
andcomputer technologies. The event follows theprovision by DERI of
information workshops tosecond-level students on the historical
role of
women in science and technology. The DigitalEnterprise Research
Institute an internationallyrenowned centre of web science
research, has justcompleted a season of outreach activities
basedaround the broader theme of ‘Digital Inclusion’.
Students VolunteerOverseas
Pictured: Students from NUI Galway and theUniversity of
Limerick, who travelled to SouthAmerica as part of NUI Galway’s
annual overseasvolunteering programme, with NUI GalwayPresident Dr
James J. Browne, and University ofLimerick President Professor Don
Barry. TheChaplaincy at NUI Galway has organised asummer overseas
volunteering opportunity forstudents for many years. This year, the
project is inNorth-Western Brazil and involves work incommunity
development and the provision ofwater and sanitation. The students
are travelingunder the auspices of the Irish charity SERVE.
New Report IdentifiesImportance of Life CoursePerspective to
PolicyPlanningA report into the developmental welfare state hasbeen
launched by Minister for Social ProtectionJoan Burton TD, at the
Royal Irish Academy inDublin. The report, entitled
CommunityEngagement in Ireland’s Developmental WelfareState: A
Study of the Life Cycle Approach, was
funded by the Irish Research Council for theHumanities and
Social Sciences, and carried outby a team from the Irish Centre for
SocialGerontology and School of Business andEconomics at NUI
Galway. The result is a highlyrelevant and timely insight to
current and futurepolicy priorities for vulnerable groups. “The
ideathat ‘people matter’ in policy planning isrecognised by
international organisations such asthe UN,” said lead author Dr
Gemma Carney. “InIreland, we are fortunate to have an engaged
andresourceful community sector willing to speak upfor less
fortunate groups. The test now is how weuse that resource in
challenging economic times,”she added.
2nd International DanceFestival Launched
Pictured: President Browne officially launchesGalway's 2nd
International Dance Festival in Aidof Special Olympics. The
festival was held in theRadisson Blu Hotel in May and organised by
NUIGalway staff members Gloria Avalos, AnnMonahan, Breda Kelleher,
Micheál Newell andLorraine Tansey, together with Susana Campos
ofthe Sisters of La Retraite. All proceeds go to theSpecial
Olympics to help support clubs andorganisations in Connaught.
Pictured are NUIGalway staff and students (from left) Woo YuenYing,
2nd year medical student, Singapore,Yoldana Reyes, PhD student,
Mexico, ReshmiRoy, 2nd year medical student (traditional
Indiandance), Gloria Avalos, School of Medicine,Mexico, and Abirami
Manian, 1st year medicalstudent, (traditional Indian dance).Photo
Andrew Downes.
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OLLSCÉALA
Campus Company andTechnology Publisher toSet Up Second Office
inSilicon ValleyAfter just a year on the NUI Galway campus, theNew
Tech Post – a daily digest of articles oninnovative and emerging
technologies – hasannounced it is opening a second office, in
SiliconValley, in partnership with the Irish InnovationCenter (IIC)
in San Jose. New Tech Post’scoverage of innovative and emerging
technologiesis reflected in its five main newsfeeds: Video;Mobile;
Business; Technology; and Social Media.According to founder John
Breslin, a lecturer inelectronic engineering at NUI Galway: “The
mainaim of the New Tech Post is to cover emergenttechnologies and
share new, innovative ideas withan audience interested in learning
what futuretrends to think about and how they might beaffected by
them. We’re very excited to be workingwith the Irish Innovation
Center in San Jose oncreating a ‘news bridge’ between Galway and
theUS, since they are ideally placed in Silicon Valleyand connected
to the heart of the tech world.”
Botanist PublishesNew BookBotany students and scientists have a
definitivenew book that explores plant cell walls. The book,edited
by Dr Zoë Popper, lecturer in Botany andPlant Science, School of
Natural Sciences, NUIGalway is entitled The Plant Cell Wall:
Methodsand Protocols.It has been written by experts in thefield,
who detail current and state-of-the-artmethods applied to
investigate the many aspects ofthe plant cell wall. These include
its structure,biochemical composition, and metabolism.
Students Compete withTexans in Virtual BusinessWorldAn online
business simulation tool is allowingNUI Galway students compete
against their peersin the University of Texas in learning about
thetrials and tribulations of running a business. Aspart of the
Bachelor of Commerce withAccounting degree, an interactive game
calledGlobalsym involves students managing a virtualcompany
producing and selling products, and
competing against other virtual firms in an etherealbusiness
world. Through collaboration withUniversity of Texas, the NUI
Galwayundergraduates have extended the competitionbeyond their
classmates, to vie for supremacy overtheir postgraduate US
peers.
Book ConfirmsMultinationals’ Talent areKey to Economic RecoveryA
new book, Global Talent Management, byProfessor Hugh Scullion and
Dr David Collings atthe J.E. Cairnes School of Business &
Economicshas been launched by Jack Golden, Group HRDirector of
building materials group CRH..Commenting on the publication,
Professor JohnSlocum, Editor of the Journal of World Business,said,
“Professor Scullion and Dr Collings havewritten the definitive book
on global talentmanagement. Their experience and selection
ofcompelling articles written by renowned scholars,create a
delightful journey.”
New Book ExaminesHow Evolution Works
A new book by an NUI Galway Professor ofZoology examines how
evolution works bychanging the course of embryonic and
post-embryonic development. In Evolution: ADevelopmental Approach,
Wallace Arthur asksquestions like, what separates humans
fromchimpanzees? Is it the genetics of our populations,or our
different structures and behaviouralcapabilities? The book tackles
themes such asdevelopmental repatterning, adaptation
andcoadaptation, the origins of evolutionary novelties,and
evolutionary changes in the complexity oforganisms. Together, these
themes explain howevolution works by changing the course of
embryonic and post-embryonic development,providing a title
influenced by the new approach ofevolutionary developmental
biology, ‘evo-devo’.
Law of the Sea Launched
Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns (President of the HighCourt), Dr
Ronán Long (NUI Galway), Mr EoinFannon (Office of the Attorney
General),Commodore Marke Mellett PhD (Flag Officer,Naval Service)
pictured at the launch of a newbook on the Law of the Sea by Mahon
Hayes,former Ambassador and PermanentRepresentative of Ireland to
the United Nations.The book is published by the RIA with the
supportof Marine Law and Ocean Policy Centre. It offersa remarkable
insight in the role of the Irishdelegation at the third United
Nations Conferenceon the Law of the Sea. This has been described
byformer US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as"one of the most
remarkable negotiations indiplomatic history".
Journal Throws Spotlighton Virology ResearchAn article written
by researchers at the Cell CycleControl Lab and Centre for
Chromosome Biologyin the School of Natural Sciences has
beenselected by the editors of the ‘Journal of Virology’as their
‘Spotlight’ area of expertise. In their articlein the Journal,
Tikhanovich et al. found a novelclass of small noncoding RNAs,
which directlyinhibits human polyomavirus replication byinterfering
with the duplication of the geneticinformation of these viruses.
Their findingsprovide a new chapter in the function of thesesmall
noncoding RNAs beyond the previous fieldsof investigation such as
transcription control.Moreover, the results of Tikhanovich et al.
mayhelp the design of novel synthetic agents forinhibiting
replication of polyomaviruses and otherviruses.
Books and On-Line Matters
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OLLSCÉALA
Student Named National Winner inEU Language Competition
Casey McDonagh, a second-year student ofSpanish and French, has
just returned from anaward ceremony in Brussels, where he
representedIreland as national winner in a new competitionorganised
by the European Commission. TongueStories is part of the
celebrations of the EuropeanDay of Languages and is designed to
highlighthow speaking foreign languages can make adifference in
people's private and professionallives. Participants were invited
to tell theirfavourite stories about their own experience
withforeign languages. Casey’s entry describes theimpact of
studying Gabriel García Márquez’sshort story ‘Isabel viendo llover
en Macondo’ inthe Spanish American Short Stories course taughtby Dr
Lorraine Kelly. Casey’s story can be foundat:
www.tonguestories.eu/contestant/casey-667
NUI GalwayAcademic Is NewHonorary Consul ofthe Federal
Republicof Germany
Professor Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa has beenappointed Honorary
Consul of Germany toIreland. He succeeds the late Mr Hergett,
whopassed away in 2009. Professor Schmidt-Hannisa,who is Professor
(Chair) of German at the Schoolof Languages, Literatures and
Culture, is verycommitted to foster the excellent
German-Irishcooperation in the field of education and scienceand to
further strengthen the traditionally strongties between both the
German and the Irish peoplein all different fields of society.
NUI Galway ConferenceHonours InternationalHuman Rights
Lawyer
In cooperation with Queen’s University Belfastand the University
of Essex, the Irish Centre forHuman Rights has hosted an
internationaltripartite video-conference dedicated to the lifeand
work of the renowned human rights lawyer,Professor Kevin Boyle. The
conference was jointlyorganised by the three Universities where
Kevinspent his career. It focused on themes in humanrights with
which he was most engaged. Keynotespeakers included Professor
William Schabas,Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights atNUI
Galway, and Professor Sir Nigel Rodley,Professor of Law and Chair
of the Human RightsCentre, University of Essex.
New Book SaysMarketing is King
In 2005, Harvard Business Review reported that of30,000 products
launched in the USA, 90 percentfailed because of poor marketing.
The other 10percent went on to become successful brands.This stark
fact introduces the new edition of thebestselling text Creating
Powerful Brands by brand
gurus Professor Leslie de Chernatony ofUniversità della Svizzera
italiana, Lugano andAston Business School UK, Professor
MalcolmMcDonald, Emeritus Professor at CranfieldUniversity and
Honorary Professor at WarwickBusiness School, and Dr Elaine Wallace
of the J. E.Cairnes School of Business & Economics,
NUIGalway.
NUI Galway Spin-OutCompany Featured inSOGETI
A spin-out from DERI, Peracton, features in a newbook by SOGETI
offering guidelines to successfulcloud computing. The book Seize
the Cloudintroduces finance personnel to cloud basedtechnologies
and illustrates how firms use them.As a start-up, Peracton provides
a unique insightto the challenges and angles to address
thefinancial services needs of a customer companyand forthcoming
market and legal requirements.The MAARS technology used by Peracton
to meetthese needs has been developed by in DERI atNUI Galway is
now offered commercially throughPeracton.
Professor Nicholas CannyHonoured at Book Launch
Pictured at the launch of Reshaping Ireland, 1550-1700,
Colonization and its Consequences, a newbook on the colonial
paradigm in early modernIreland, were NUI Galway President, Dr
James J.Browne and Professor Nicholas Canny. Edited byBrian Cuarta
SJ, the book was launched by AntOllamh Michéal Mac Craith, Roinn na
Gaeilge, tocelebrate the contribution and mark theretirement of
historian Nicholas Canny, AcademicDirector of the Moore Institute
for Research in theHumanities and Social Studies at NUI Galway
andPresident of the Royal Irish Academy.
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15
OLLSCÉALA
President Says Poor SystemsCompromising Necessary Changewithin
Public Sector
Mary Carpenter’sContribution in IndiaThe Global Women’s Studies
Programme, in the School ofPolitical Science and Sociology, hosted
a public lecture inApril entitled ‘Imperial feminist or
transnational socialreformer? Mary Carpenter and India’, which was
deliveredby Professor Clare Midgley, Research Professor in
Historyat Sheffield Hallam University and President of
theInternational Federation for Research in Women’s History.
“Poor systems within the civil service and the public sector
will further dis-empowertheir leaderships and compromise the change
needed to correct the public finances”,said President Dr James J.
Browne in a speech at the launch, in April, of the Leadershipin the
Irish Civil Service: A 360° Review of Senior Management Capability
report. Thetwo-year study by the University’s Centre for Innovation
and Structural Change(CISC), led by Dr Alma McCarthy, was funded by
the Irish Research Council for theHumanities and Social Sciences
(IRCHSS). Speakers at the launch included Dr MariaMaguire, OECD and
Independent Consultant; Philip Kelly, Assistant SecretaryGeneral,
Department of An Taoiseach responsible for Transforming Public
Services;and Brian Cawley, Director General of the Institute of
Public Administration. Thereport is available online at
www.nuigalway.ie/cisc
4th Annual Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture
Pictured: (from L-R) Dr Brian Cawley, IPA; Dr James J. Browne,
President, NUI Galway;Dr Alma McCarthy, Conference Organiser, CISC
& J.E. Cairnes School of Business andEconomics, NUI Galway; Dr
Maria Maguire, Independent Consultant & OECD; Mr PhilipKelly,
Department of An Taoiseach; Dr James Cunningham, Director of CISC,
NUI Galway.
Duais €1,000 buaite agCumann Sóisialta anAcadaimhTá duais
náisiúnta €1,000 buaite ag an gCumann Sóisialta inAcadamh na
hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, An Cheathrú Rua.Tháinig an Cumann sa tríú
háit i gcomórtas Ghlór na nGaeldo Chumainn Ghaelacha i gColáistí
tríú leibhéal nahÉireann. Fógraíodh na torthaí beo ar chlár Rónán
MhicAodh Bhuí, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Dé Céadaoin, 5Aibreáin
2011.
Bronntar na duaiseanna seo ar choistí mac léinn i gColáistítríú
leibhéal, a bhfuil forbairt agus caomhnú teanga aguscultúr na
Gaeilge mar spriocanna lárnacha acu. Bhí 14Cumann Gaelach ar an
ngearrliosta agus ba mhór an t-éachtdo mhic léinn an Acadaimh an
gradam seo a ghnóthú ibhfianaise nach bhfuil ach 120 mac léinn
lánaimseartha ar angcampas. Is iad an dá champas is mó sa tír,
Coláiste nahOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath agus Coláiste na Tríonóide
atháinig sa chéad agus sa dara háit.
This year’s Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture an initiative byGalway
Chamber, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology(GMIT) and NUI Galway,
has been addressed by MrMatthew Elderfield, Head of Financial
Regulation at theCentral Bank of Ireland, who spoke on the
theme,‘Assessing Risks – the New Model for Ireland’.
PresidentBrowne added: “NUI Galway is very proud to be
associatedwith The Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture, which honours
hislifetime of public service. In a time of upheaval, this issue
isdeeply relevant and meaningful for Irish public policy."
Pictured l-r: Carmel Brennan, President of Galway Chamber;Jim
Fennell, Acting President of GMIT; Dr Emer Mulligan,
Head of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics;and
Breda Ryan.
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16
OLLSCÉALA
The folklore and philosophy of the West ofIreland was explored
by NUI Galway’s Dr TomDuddy in Castlebar in March. In a free
publiclecture, Dr Duddy spoke about ‘From Folklore toPhilosophy:
the life and work of William Larminieof Castlebar’. The lecture was
part of the‘Humanities in the West’ series of talks, sponsoredby
the School of Humanities. Other lecturesincluded one entitled,
‘Representing the Nationthrough Sport: The National Film
Institute’sGaelic Games Films, 1948 – 1968’, by Dr SeánCrosson of
the Huston School of Film & DigitalMedia; and another by Dr
Nessa Cronin of theCentre for Irish Studies, who spoke
about‘Haunted Landscapes: Place, Space and Mobilityin 21st Century
Ireland’. Throughout this series,University lecturers visit
different regional centres(Castlebar, Roscommon and Sligo) to
lecture on arange of topics.
Musical Medical StudentsHit Right Note
Humanitiesin the West
Music and medicine at NUI Galway have cometogether once again
with a performance by theMedical Orchestra at the Arts in
ActionTraditional Concert. The 25-piece orchestraopened the
concert, which was headlined byrenowned traditional musician
Mairtin O’Connorand his band. This is the second year that
buddingyoung doctors at the School of Medicine havebeen able to
take a semester-long course inperformance, visual arts and
literature. GrammyAward-winner Susan McKeown also sang at theAula
Maxima, as part of the Medicine and the Artsmodule, in March.
NUI Galway’s MooreInstitute to HostWorkshop onModernismAs part
of the research project ‘1916 and After’,the Moore Institute and
the School of Languages,Literatures, and Cultures have held a
one-dayworkshop entitled The Shadows of Modernism.The workshops,
led by Margaret Higonnet(University of Connecticut) and Mario
Perniola(University of Rome, Tor Vergata), questionedand discussed
aspects and issues of modernismwhich have been neglected or are
still unsought inthe context of the rapid transformation
ofaesthetic and social phenomena.
NUI GalwayStudy FindsClues to HumanIntelligenceResearch suggests
that human intelligence iscontrolled by the part of the brain known
as the‘cortex’, and most theories of age-relatedcognitive decline
focus on cortical dysfunction.However, a new study carried out by
Dr MichaelHogan from the School of Psychology witholder Scottish
adults suggests grey mattervolume in the ‘cerebellum’ at the back
of thebrain predicts cognitive ability, and that keepingthose
cerebellar networks active may be the keyto keeping cognitive
decline at bay. The mostinteresting finding from this study is that
greymatter volume in the cerebellum predictsgeneral intelligence.
However, results differ formen and women, with men showing a
strongerrelationship between brain volume in thecerebellum and
general intelligence. It has longbeen recognised that the
cerebellum is involvedin sensory-motor functions, including
balanceand timing of movements, but it is now believedthe
cerebellum also plays an important part inhigher-level cognitive
abilities.
19th Annual Colloquiumof the InternationalGeographical
Commissionon the Sustainability ofRural Systems The School of
Geography and Archaeology hoststhe 19th Annual Colloquium of the
InternationalGeographical Union Commission on theSustainability of
Rural Systems, from 1 to 7 August2011. The theme of this year’s
colloquium is TheSustainability of Rural Systems: Local and
GlobalChallenges and Opportunities. Dr Mary Cawley, amember of the
Commission, and colleagues inGeography are responsible for the
event. This isthe first time the Commission has met in
Ireland.Delegates from 20 countries are attending.
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17
OLLSCÉALA
A new documentary film, Bridging the Gap, inwhich leading
academics in Irish higher educationdiscuss contemporary social and
economic issuesin an engaging and accessible way, was
launchedrecently. Two of the NUI Galway contributors tothe film, Dr
Su-Ming Khoo, School of PoliticalScience and Sociology, and Dr
Vinodh Jaichand,Irish Centre for Human Rights, also spoke at
thelaunch. The aim of the film is to ‘bridge the gap’between higher
education and adult andcommunity education, by making available
theknowledge, expertise and perspectives ofacademics to students
learning in community-based settings. The film consists of two
DVDs,which contain a number of short programmes ontopics such as
human rights, globalisation,education, democracy, gender and
racism.
Launch of New Adult and Community Education Resource DVD
NUI Galway StudentsBring Maths to LifeIn June, NUI Galway’s
Figure Fun hostedMATHS: Making Awesome Things Happen inSummer, a
camp with maths in mind forsecondary school students. This course
was aimedat first-years pupilswho wish to improve theirmaths skills
in a fun environment. Mathematics isundergoing many changes in
post-primary. Thiscamp focused on providing students with a
strongfoundation in number systems, geometry andprobability.
Dr Catherine Paolucci, lecturer and programmedirector of the BA
in Mathematics and Education,said: “This is an exciting programme
which offeredstudents an opportunity to reinforce theirclassroom
learning in an alternative setting with afocus on real-life
applications.”
Strategic ResearchAgreement into RoadSafety TechnologyAnnounced
The Connaught Automotive Research (CAR)Group at NUI Galway has
announced a strategicresearch agreement with Valeo Vision
Systems,one of the world’s leading manufacturers ofautomotive
vision systems. The CAR Groupresearches systems to help improve
road safety byallowing drivers to see blind spots around
vehicles.
The aim is to develop intelligent cars with agreater ‘awareness’
of their environment andability to avoid crashes. Under the
directorship ofDr Martin Glavin and Dr Edward Jones, the CARGroup
is based in the discipline of Electrical andElectronic Engineering.
It comprises of a team ofresearchers who work in close
collaboration withindustry on the development of the
imageprocessing systems.
Students Fighting Fitfor EntrepreneurshipA two-day
‘Entrepreneurship Boot Camp’ has beenheld at NUI Galway, to widen
and deepen theentrepreneurial know-how and employability
ofstudents. The camp presented a challenging anddynamic experience
with games, activities, lectures,competitions and mentoring by
academic staff,industry practitioners, knowledge experts
andrepresentatives of state agencies. Some 25 students,from all
disciplines, left their inhibitions at the doorand came in with an
open mind. Student PaulCurley described the camp as “a completely
freshand life-changing experience”. The event wasorganised by the
Student Enterprise ExchangeNetwork (SEEN), NUI Galway’s student-run
andfocused enterprise support service.
Brain Imaging TechniquesTopic of MeetingNUI Galway has hosted an
international meetingentitled Combining Human Brain Imaging
Techniques. International experts reviewed thelatest advances in
brain imaging techniques andthe challenges and opportunities that
lie incombining them.
The meeting was organised by Dr Michael Hogan,NUI Galway, in
collaboration with JoshuaBalsters, Trinity College Institute of
Neuroscience,Dublin; Jacinta O'Shea, Oxford University; andSteven
Jackson, Nottingham University. It issupported by the European
Science Foundation(ESF) and the Health Research Board (HRB).
Bronnadh seic €5,000 arChoiste TuismitheoiríScoil
ChuimsitheachChiaráinBhronn mic léinn Acadamh na
hOllscolaíochtaGaeilge, An Cheathrú Rua seic €5,000 ar
ChoisteTuismitheoirí Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin legairid.
Bailíodh an t-airgead seo i rith Sheachtainna Mac Léinn (14-17
Márta 2011) san Acadamhar an gCeathrú Rua. Tá feachtas bailiúchán
airgidar bun faoi láthair ag Coiste na dTuismitheoiríagus cabhróidh
an t-airgead le háiseanna spóirt afheabhsú agus a fhorbairt sa
scoil. Bhí mic léinnagus foireann an Acadaimh le feiceáil
tharttimpeall na Ceathrún Rua le linn Sheachtain naMac Léinn ag
bailiú airgid, go háirithe ar an Máirt,15 Márta mar a rinne siad
brú leapa ó TG4 anoirgo dtí An Cheathrú Rua.
Pictured at the launch were Ann Lyons, Community Knowledge
Initiative, NUI Galway; Dónal Walsh,Galway City VEC; Yuvi Basanth,
Roots and Reels Films; and Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, Irish
Centre forHuman Rights., NUI Galway.
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Sheol láithreoir cáiliúil TG4, Eimear NíChonaola, céim nua
pháirtaimseartha saGhaeilge Fheidhmeach in Ollscoil na
hÉireann,Gaillimh le gairid. Tá an chéim á tairiscint igcomhpháirt
ag Acadamh na hOllscolaíochtaGaeilge agus ag Roinn na Gaeilge. Is é
seo an t-aon chlár dá leithéid in Éirinn ina bhfuil céim saGhaeilge
á tairiscint trí mheán na foghlamacumaiscthe. Tá an chéim nua seo
dírithe arfhoghlaimeoirí lánfhásta atá ag obair golánaimseartha
agus atá ag iarraidh céim ollscoile abhaint amach. Bainfear leas as
teicneolaíochtaínuálacha leis an gcéim a sheachadadh. Déanfaran
chéim a sheachadadh ar an idirlíon den chuidis mó; agus dá réir sin
beidh deis ag na mic léinna gclár ama staidéir féin a leagan amach
agus achur in oiriúint dá stíl mhaireachtála. Ní bheidhscileanna
ríomhaireachta riachtanach le tabhairtfaoin gcéim mar go dtabharfar
an oiliúintríomhaireachta chuí do na rannpháirtithe ag túsan
chúrsa.
Seolann láithreoir TG4 céim nua sa Ghaeilge in OÉ Gaillimh
18
OLLSCÉALA
Ocean Energy Focus ofPublic Lecture Professor Tony Lewis,
Director of the Hydraulics& Maritime Research Centre, UCC,
delivered alecture entitled The Status of Ocean EnergyDevelopment
in Ireland, at NUI Galway in May.Professor Lewis summarised the
latest nationaland international developments in ocean energyand
government strategies to meet the challengesahead. “Energy supply
and sustainability are keychallenges for the future,” says
Professor GerryLyons, Dean of College of Engineering
&Informatics at NUI Galway. “While Ireland is veryheavily
dependent upon energy imports, we haveunique advantages in terms of
climate and locationfor the development of renewable energy
sources.Professor Lewis is ideally positioned to help us
allunderstand the challenges and opportunities.”
Eighth InternationalEconomics ColloquiumHeldThe Eighth
International Colloquium onEconomic Growth, Structural Change
andInstitutions has been held in NUI Galway.
Organised jointly by the J.E. Cairnes School ofBusiness &
Economics and the Department ofEconomics, University of Brasília,
the Colloquiumbrought together a group of international
scholarsfrom North and South America, Europe, India andJapan to
discuss the global economic crisis fromthe point of view of growth,
structural change andinstitutions.
Experts Convene toExplore Molecules’Influence on
DiseaseInternational experts have gathered at NUIGalway to further
the scientific knowledge-basesurrounding microRNA profiling.
MicroRNAs arenewly discovered molecules within our cells
thatcontrol the activity of genes. The EuropeanMolecular Biology
Organization (EMBO)practical course entitled
‘MicroRNA-profiling,from in-situ hybridization to
next-generationsequencing’ was the title of the course that
tookplace at the University. MicroRNA research atNUI Galway has
been a growing area since 2006,supported in part by a Transfer of
KnowledgeGrant from the EU (under Marie CurieFramework 6). NUI
Galway researchers supportedthe team of international experts who
came to
Galway to train a group of 22 scientists from allover the world
in the latest techniques forinvestigating microRNAs, as part of the
EMBOcourse.
Parents and ChildrenNeeded for Blood PressureStudy The Centre
for Research on Occupational and LifeStress at NUI Galway is
recruiting people to takepart in their Family Research Project.
This studywill examine the influence of family factors andsocial
networks on blood pressure, and is beingfunded by the Irish
Research Council for theSocial Sciences and Humanities. The team
arelooking for parents, and children aged 6 to 10years, to take
part. Ann-Marie Creaven, leadresearcher, said: “Social factors are
stronglyassociated with blood pressure responses to stressand are
relevant to public health. There is littlespecific research
examining blood pressure inchildren and parents. This project will
showparents and children how their blood pressurefluctuates in
response to everyday events.”
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The James Hardiman Library has hostedphotographer Tarquin
Blake’s AbandonedMansions of Ireland exhibition. Blake’s
three-yearphotographic project documents the end of thelanded
aristocracy and the demise of theirmansion houses. His beautiful,
haunting imagesof crumbling ruins, over 40 of which were ondisplay,
convey an indefinable beauty in the decay– in the abandonment.
Accompanied by historyand folklore, they tell of troubled times
andprivate hardship. The exhibition also featured twoaudio visual
presentations.
Library Hosts Abandoned Mansions Photo Expo
19
OLLSCÉALA
Medical School OrchestraThe NUI Galway Medical School Orchestra
hasperformed at the 52nd Annual meeting of theCorrigan Club, the
cross-border association thatforges closer links between doctors
North andSouth. through scientific discourse and socialactivities.
Ahead of the recital, Dr RisteardMulcahy, a founding member of the
CorriganClub, explained its origins to the medical
studentmusicians. The performance was a social highlightof the
two-day meeting.
Distinguished Lecture onInequalities,Interculturalism
andDiversity The Lifecourse Institute (LCI) at NUI Galway hasheld
its annual Honorary Public Lecture entitledInequality and Diversity
across the Lifecourse:Intercultural Perspectives. The main
speaker,UNESCO Chair, Professor Jagdish Gundara,spoke about
interculturalism, diversity, inequalityand how groups of children
and families, olderpeople and people with disabilities are
affected.The lessons learnt from interculturalism in the UKand
elsewhere were considered, as was the Irishperspective on how best
to respond to theparticular challenges of the economic
recession.Professor Pat Dolan, UNESCO Chair andDirector of the LCI,
commented: “We aredelighted to host such distinguished speakers
andto open up the debate to the floor on such animportant topic for
many groups in Irish society.”
NUI Galway SponsorsInaugural U.S./IrelandLegal Symposium
Gillian Buckley, WDC with President Browne.
NUI Galway was the main sponsor of the inauguralU.S./Ireland
Legal Symposium, which took place inCo Mayo in May. The Symposium
offered anoutstanding line-up of speakers, including MrJustice
Peter Kelly of the Commercial Court andChief Justice Maureen
O’Connor of the OhioSupreme Court. It was hosted by the Brehon
LawSociety of Philadelphia and supported by theWestern Development
Commission (WDC), MayoCounty Council and Temple University
BeasleySchool of Law in Philadelphia.
Data Analysis Focus ofEconomics ConferenceThe J.E. Cairnes
School of Business & Economicshosts a three-day intensive
course entitled Topicsin Microeconometrics in June. The
keynotespeaker is William Greene, Toyota Motor CorpProfessor of
Economics, Stern School of Business,New York University. . The aim
of the conferenceis to provide intensive instruction on
frontiertechniques in econometrics used in the analysis ofcross
section and panel data.
Centre for Disability Lawand Policy Hold ThirdInternational
SummerSchoolThe Centre for Disability Law and Policy holds itsthird
International Summer School in June..Co-hosted with the Harvard Law
School Project onDisability, the six-day summer school
equipsparticipants with the insights and skills to translatethe
generalities of the UN Convention on the Rightsof Persons with
Disabilities into tangible reform forpeople with disabilities. The
event is directed byProfessor Gerard Quinn, Director of the Centre
forDisability Law and Policy at NUI Galway, and byProfessor Michael
Stein, Professor of Law, HarvardLaw School and Executive Director,
Harvard LawSchool Project on Disability.
Pictured receiving the Hewlett-Packard Prize (MSc,Information
Systems Management, J.E. CairnesSchool of Business &
Economics), at the University’sAwards Day in February, is Kevin
Hynes, SeniorTechnical Officer at the CELT/Audio VisualDepartment.
Also pictured are Dean Willie Golden,President Browne and Professor
Nollaig MacCongáil.
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20
OLLSCÉALA
Students Produce Leaflet onHigh Altitude Illness
A new study undertaken by the Centre for Healthfrom Environment
at the Ryan Institute, finds mostunwanted or leftover prescription
medicines aredisposed of incorrectly. Disposing of medicines
byflushing down sinks and toilets, or including ingeneral household
waste, is a common occurrenceand may result in environmental
contamination.The research was conducted by second-yearmedical
students, Sarah Cormican and MichelleFurey. Of 207 people surveyed
for the Public
Awareness Regarding the Safe Disposal ofUnwanted Medicines in
Galway City study, mosthad leftover medicines in their home but
only one-third regularly returned them to a pharmacy.Professor
Martin Cormican, Director of theCentre, said: “The project
highlights the need toput in place a national system for safe
disposal ofunwanted medicines similar to the batteryrecycling
scheme. There is also a need for action tolet people know about the
need for safe disposal.”
Call for Action to Improve Safe Disposalof Unwanted Medicines in
Ireland
A group of second-year medical students atNUI Galway have
collaborated in the design andproduction of an information leaflet
on highaltitude illness, as part of their 10-week longspecial study
module in high altitude medicine.Developed in conjunction with
MountaineeringIreland, the leaflet is aimed at
trekkers,mountaineers, guides and others who travel tohigh altitude
regions. It provides accessibleinformation on the changes that
occur in the body
at altitude, as well as acclimatisation to altitude,and
recognising, managing and preventing highaltitude illness. The
leaflet is available online atwww.highaltitudemedicine.ie, a
website developedespecially for the study module, and at
theMountaineering Ireland website atwww.mountaineering.ie. Copies
have also beendistributed to outdoor and sports equipmentoutlets in
Galway City, Castlebar and Sligo.
30 PhD Scholarships in FiveResearch Areas AnnouncedThirty
fully-funded PhD Hardiman ResearchScholarships have been announced.
The four-yearscholarships are focused on five areas of research
inwhich NUI Galway offers world-leading expertise:Biomedical
Science and Engineering; Informatics,Physical, and Computational
Sciences;Environment, Marine, and Energy; Applied SocialSciences
and Public Policy; and Humanities inContext. These scholarships
offer opportunities forsuitably qualified people to pursue a
structuredpostgraduate degree by research. Structured
PhDprogrammes, while retaining the focus on advancingknowledge
through original research, also provideprofessional development
modules in subject-specific and transferable skills.
Gender and Child WelfareNetwork Hold First IrishConferenceThe
Gender and Child Welfare Network, aninternational group of
researchers and practitioners,held its fourth interdisciplinary
conference, and itsfirst Irish conference, at NUI Galway in
June.The network has held three previous conferences onthe
relationship between gender and child welfare.This event focused
specifically on the relationshipbetween gender, child protection
and familysupport. The keynote speaker was Norah Gibbons,Director
of Advocacy with Barnardos. Organiser andProfessor with the School
of Political Science andSociology, Bríd Featherstone, said: “I am
delightedthat this event took place at NUI Galway and thatsuch a
distinguished group of speakers from so manycountries contributed
their insights on such animportant topic.”
Pictured at the launch of the high altitude illness leaflet, at
the NUI Galway climbing wall, are the 2nd yearmedical students who
produced it (left-right): Christina Melon, Oakville, Ontario,
Canada; SimonGordon, Sligo; Kate Dinneen, Barna, Galway; Dermot
Nolan, Broadford, Co Clare; David Flynn,Ballymote, Co Sligo; Hale
Loofbourrow, Juneau, Alaska; and (climbing) Shannon Kelly,
Camloops,British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Andrew Downes.
The research was conducted by second-year medicalstudents at NUI
Galway, Sarah Cormican (left) and
Michelle Furey. Photo by Andrew Downes.
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The fifth International Seminar on JohnMcGahern, commemorating
the work of therenowned Irish writer, takes place from 2-23 Julyin
Co Leitrim. Last year’s event attracted morethan 150 participants
from home and abroad. Thisyear’s theme is McGahern and Creativity,
and thekeynote is being given by Colm Tóibín, whosenovel Brooklyn
made the shortlist for this year’sInternational IMPAC DUBLIN
Literary Award. Inaddition to the public seminar, NUI Galway
hasorganised the fourth International Summer Schoolon McGahern’s
work and its contexts; this will
form part of the University’s 28th InternationalSummer School in
Irish Studies. The SummerSchool is designed for experts who are
interestedin the writings of John McGahern, his life andtimes in
20th-century Ireland, and related areas ofcreative writing. The
Summer School incorporatesthe International Seminar and continues
at theCounty Library, Ballinamore, CoLeitrim the weekafter the
Seminar. For further details, contact 091495442 or visit
www.nuigalway.ie/iss
NUI Galway and Leitrim County Council AnnounceJohn McGahern
Seminar
21
OLLSCÉALA
Photos of Actor ArthurShields on Display atNUI GalwayPeople were
recently able to take a trip downtheatrical memory lane at NUI
Galway, as imagesfrom the archive of the Abbey Theatre actorArthur
Shields (1896-1970) went on show. Somephotographs from the Shields
Family Archive wereput on display in the foyer of the James
HardimanLibrary while many more images featured in acomputerised
display. The Shields Family Archivecollection is held at the James
Hardiman Libraryand includes posters, programmes and
playscripts.
Neuroscience Researchershost Brain AwarenessWeek
EventNeuroscience researchers at NUI Galway hosted apublic event
during Brain Awareness Week inMarch. The event gave people a chance
to learnabout the workings of the human brain and aboutneuroscience
research underway in NUI Galway.The Galway Neuroscience Group is
made up of apool of researchers from NCBES, Pharmacology,Anatomy,
Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurology, andPhysiology.
Law, Technology andGovernance ConferenceThe Law School has
hosted the Law, Technologyand Governance Conference, at which this
year'sLL.M. class in these subjects presented their thesistopic.
The keynote speaker was Professor Robert
Clark of UCD and issues dealt with includedgenetic
discrimination in employment, the dataprotection rights of the
deceased, and self-produced child pornography. Staff and
studentsfrom the Law School and elsewhere attended. Theday was a
great success, with very positivefeedback from the audience.
Photographic ExhibitionCelebrates StudentVolunteeringNUI Galway
has hosted aphotographic exhibition entitledWe Volunteer! to
celebrate andrecognise third-level studentvolunteering across
Ireland.Colleges north and south cametogether for this special
initiative tomark the European Year ofVolunteering and to recognise
thetremendous contribution studentvolunteers make to the lives
oftheir communities. Speakingabout the exhibition, LorraineTansey,
Student VolunteerCoordinator at NUI Galway, said: “If a picture
isworth a thousand words, then this expo speaksvolumes about the
commitment of studentvolunteers and the impact they have on
theircommunities.”
Prsident Commended byIUQB Review Team The Irish Universities
Quality Board (IUQB) haspublished a third report from its
Institutional
Review of Irish Universities (IRIU) process, thistime focusing
on NUI Galway. Dr Padraig Walsh,IUQB Chief Executive, said: “This
evidence-basedreview provides independent confirmation ofNUI
Galway’s commitment to quality in line withnational and European
standards.” The ReviewTeam, com