Huge Success for Galway Science and Technology Festival

Inside this Issue: Page 3 Unseen Documents Unveiled during Launch of Duddy Archive

Page 5 One Hundred Years Later, a New Museum Guide Page 9 Focal ón Uachtarán... and more!

Nuachtlitir Foirne Staff Newsletter Nollaig 2011

The 2011 Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition, part ofDiscover Science’s National Science Week, was held at NUI Galway on 27November attracted 24,000 visitors. The event was officially opened by theEuropean Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, MáireGeoghegan-Quinn.

The event ran extremely well with up to 100 volunteers, which includedstudents from the Dominican College Secondary School, NUI Galway andmembers of the public, who provided information and directions to familiesattending the 80 interactive exhibition stands and the various shows andworkshops throughout the University campus.

Families and children enjoyed an array of colourful stands includingMedtronic who demonstrated how blood pumps around the body, BostonScientific’s amazing stand with a large stent for children to examine, SAPprovided a First Lego League, Hewlett Packard with the help of sixth classstudents from Briarhill School explained Cloud Computing, while otherfacinating stands were hosted by CISCO, Covidien, Avaya and Lake Region.The Galway Enterprise Board stand included local company Starlight and anew App “Ireland: Are we there Yet” by local developer, and NUI Galwaygraduate Ann Brehony. The stands allowed children and adults alike toparticipate in experiments, watch demonstrations and discuss ideas withresearchers. Lots more interactive exhibitions took place from NUI Galway,GMIT, Marine Institute and many more.

Huge Success for Galway Scienceand Technology Festival

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LAFour-year-old Sophie Foley, daughter of Dr Mark Foley from the School of Physics, was one of 24,000 visitorsto campus for the Festival Exhibition. Photo Carmel Mazouk.

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Focal ón EagarthóirFáilte go eagrán na Nollag d’Ollscéala.

This edition’s cover story highlights the success of theGalway Science and Technology Festival which tookplace recently on campus and where over 24,000visitors came to NUI Galway to experience some veryexciting experiments, watch demonstrations anddiscuss ideas with researchers.

Unseen documents from secret negotiations betweenthe British government and the IRA were unveiled atthe November launch of the Brendan Duddy Archiveand these papers will be available to researchers fromJanuary 2012 (p.3).

Students really did excel this semester with a recordnumber of national awards, including an outstanding34 awards at the annual NUI Awards (p.8).

Other stories featuring in this edition include winterconferrings (p.4 and p.16), appointments (p.2),amazing research (p.3 and 5) and the GalwayUniversity Foundation US Gala in New York City.

I would like to thank you all sincerely for the manycontributions throughout the year. While weendeavour to include all submissions, space does notalways allow and we will always try to include in afollowing edition.

On a personal note I would like to wish SheilaGorham from the Marketing and CommunicationOffice the very best of happiness as she weds over theholiday season!

Nollaig Shona díbh go léir agus athbhliain faoi sheánagus faoi shíocháin díbhse agus do bhur gclann.

Michelle Ní ChróinínEditor

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Established Professor of MidwiferyNUI Galway has announced the appointment of the Republic ofIreland’s first Professor of Midwifery. Professor Declan Devane,himself a midwife, is based at the School of Nursing andMidwifery. With approximately 700 students, the School is at theforefront of nursing and midwifery education and research inIreland. Over his 22-year career in nursing and midwifery,Professor Devane has established an international reputation as aleading researcher and scholar in his areas of expertise, whichinclude the implementation and evaluation of models ofmaternity care and on methods of assessment of fetal wellbeing.

Professor Graham Ellis has been appointedEstablished Professor of Mathematics in theSchool of Mathematics, Statistics & AppliedMathematics within the College of Science.

Professor Deniz Tasdemir has been appointedEstablished Professor of Marine Biodiscovery inthe School of Chemistry within the College ofScience. This post is part-funded by the BeaufortMarine Research Awards scheme, an initiative ofthe Irish Government, which is co-ordinated bythe Marine Institute. The Beaufort MarineBiodiscovery award includes teams based at theMarine Institute, Rinville, Co. Galway,NUI Galway, Queen's University, Belfast, andUCC.

Professor Robert Lahue has been appointedPersonal Professor in Biochemistry (MolecularGenetics) in the School of Natural Scienceswithin the College of Science.

Professor Charlotte Damm has been appointedEstablished Professor of Archaeology in the Schoolof Geography & Archaeology, within the Collegeof Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies.

Professor Sanbing Shen has been appointedPersonal Professor of Stem Cell Biology in theSchool of Medicine within the College ofMedicine, Nursing and Health Sciences where hewill play a leadership role in establishingfundamental stem cell biology research,supported by SFI, at REMEDI, NUI Galway.

VP for Student ExperienceProfessor Pat Morgan has taken up the appointment as VP for StudentExperience having served as Dean of Graduate Studies since 2008.Professor Morgan succeeds Ms Mary O’Riordan. Student servicesencompass the resources, information and opportunities whichcontribute to the students’ living and learning experience; they serve toenhance the educational experience of students.

Previous positions held by Dr Morgan include Preclinical Vice Dean ofMedicine (2006-08); Senior Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry(2004); and Dean, Faculty of Science (1998-2004).

Dr Morgan is an elected member of NUI Galway’s Governing Authoritysince 1998 and an elected member of the NUI Senate since 2002. In 2008she was presented with a Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence.

Appointments

Dr Pat Morgan

Professor Declan Devane

Ollscéala is published by theMarketing and Communications OfficeOllscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. Tel. 091 - 493361 E-mail: michelle.níchróiní[email protected]: Aengus McMahon


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The selected documents include BrendanDuddy’s hand written records of negotiationsduring the hunger strike and a letter from theIRA to the British Prime Minister HaroldWilson.

Speaking at the launch and on behalf of theDuddy family, Larry Duddy, said: “The familyare delighted that the private papers havebeen donated to NUI Galway. They hopethat analysis of these papers will assist currentand future generations to understandhowever complex and how ever long aconflict has gone on with the dedication andcommitment shown by Brendan Duddy aresolution can always be found.”

President of NUI Galway, Dr Jim Browne,said: “We all remember the horror of so muchof the news emanating from Northern Irelandthroughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s. Allthrough that difficult period Brendan Duddymaintained a steadfast conviction that theconflict could only be ended through anegotiated settlement. I would like to takethis opportunity to thank him for thatsteadfast commitment to peace. I wouldespecially like to thank him, on behalf of

NUI Galway, for making his Archive availableto scholarship, so that others might beinspired and encouraged in the unrelentingwork of peace-building, in similar situationsinternationally.”

Deposited at NUI Galway in 2009, thearchive contains over 700 descriptive items ofpaper and sound archives which have beencatalogued by the Library's SpecialCollections staff and will be available toscholars and bona fide researchers fromJanuary 2012. For unseen documents andcommentary by Dr Niall Ó Dochartaigh:http://archives.library.nuigalway.ie/duddy

The University was also recently presentedwith a rare edition of an historically significantnewspaper to the James Hardiman Library,through the donation from a privatecollection of the original 1691 edition of theLondon Gazette which features an account ofthe Battle of Aughrim. The donation, fromthe personal collection of Councillor NormanMorgan, an East Galway collector, contains acopy of the London Gazette, 16-20 July 1691,issue 2680, which includes an account "Fromthe Camp" of the Battle of Aughrim.

Unseen Documents Unveiledduring Launch of Duddy ArchiveDocuments highlighting the secrecy and tension involved in communicationand negotiation between the British government and the IRA throughout ‘theTroubles’ were unveiled at the launch of the Brendan Duddy Archive inNovember following a symposium Negotiating Peace, which brought togetherprominent figures from the worlds of academia and diplomacy, to explore keyquestions surrounding the negotiated settlement of violent conflicts, drawing inparticular on the experience of negotiation in the Irish peace process.

Irish ClinicalResearchers OpenNew Study for Rarebut Devastating CancerA new clinical study has opened in Ireland for a rare butdevastating type of bone marrow cancer. Irish patientswith advanced myelofibrosis will have access to a newstudy of combined oral medications for their disease.

Frank Giles, Professor of Cancer Therapeutics at NUIGalway and Trinity College Dublin, is leading the studywith Eibhlin Conneally, Consultant Haematologist atSt James’s Hospital, Dublin. The Irish study is beingrun in conjunction with centers in France, Italy, and theUK and patients may be enrolled at either GalwayUniversity Hospitals or St James’s Hospital.

The study involves a combination of Ruxolitinib,manufactured by Novartis, along with another pill thatalso targets the abnormal pathways that drivemyelofibrosis. This news comes within weeks ofRuxolitinib becoming the first and only productapproved for this disease by the US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA).

Myelofibrosis is a life-threatening cancer of the bonemarrow that results in bone marrow failure because thenormal spaces in which blood cells are formed becomeprogressively filled with fibrous tissue. In an attempt tomaintain normal blood cell counts, the body thenbegins to make these cells in abnormal sites includingthe liver and spleen. In turn, these can then becomeenlarged and painful. Patients not alone are at risk frommarrow failure, but in some patients, myelofibrosischanges into a particularly aggressive form of acuteleukemia.

According to Professor Frank Giles, who is alsoDirector of the HRB Clinical Research Facility Galway,a joint venture between Galway University Hospitalsand NUI Galway: “We are delighted to finally have ourfirst effective therapy for patients suffering fromadvanced myelofibrosis. This is a significant positiveadvance in treatment for these patients. We are verypleased to be able to offer this study to patients here inIreland, especially as Ruxolitinib has just been approvedin the US. We hope that approval in Europe willhappen soon but in the interim we have an opportunityto build on this, our first broadly effective therapy for avery debilitating illness, and hopefully offer even bettertherapy with a combination of medications in the nearfuture.”

Pictured left to right: John Cox, Librarian; Dr Niall Ó Dochartaigh, Lecturer in Politics;Brendan Duddy; President Browne; and Kieran Hoare, NUI Galway Archivist.


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Winter Conferrings

Over 1,600 students graduated from across thefive colleges at the University's winterconferring ceremonies last month. Liam Ferriewas also conferred with an honorary Master ofCommerce degree.

A native of Scotland, Liam is now living inMenlo, Co. Galway. In 1987 he founded the IrishEmigrant, a weekly online newsletter coveringIrish news, and has been working as Editor and

writer of the publication since then. He is alsoFounder of Irish Emigrant Publications, Ireland'slongest-established Internet publishing company,producing online publications such asProfessional Ireland, BookView Ireland, ArtsIreland and Sports Ireland.

In addition, degrees, higher diplomas, Mastersand PhDs were awarded to students graduatingover the three days from the College of

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences;College of Engineering and Informatics; Collegeof Business, Public Policy and Law; College ofScience; and the College of Arts, Social Sciencesand Celtic Studies.

85 certificates for successful completion of theAccess courses delivered by NUI Galway duringthe academic year 2010/2011 both on campusand in Outreach Centres in Clifden andBallinasloe were presented at the recent AccessAwards Ceremony.

Also receiving awards were 55 Access Studentswho graduated with degrees in Arts, Commerce,Law, Engineering and Nursing studies in 2011.A further 18 students who received post-graduate diplomas in Education, Health, Artsand Business Studies, and post-graduate degreesin Marketing, Social Work, CommunityDevelopment and Law were acknowledged.In addition, 8 students whom received postgraduate diplomas and degrees in 2010 werealso acknowledged on the night. By the end ofthis year a total of 390 graduates and 133post-graduates will have come through thisUniversity’s Access Programme since 2001.That is a wonderful achievement.

The Attorney General, Máire Whelan S.C.,officially launched the NUI Galway DisabilityLegal Information Clinic in October. A graduateof NUI Galway, Attorney General, MáireWhelan, spoke about the importance of studentengagement and community involvement inclinical legal education.

The Disability Legal Information Clinicprovides a free, confidential, accessible, drop-inlegal information service on issues related todisability. It also provides a resource that workson the basis that legal practitioners, socialworkers, disability service providers etc. cancontact the clinic and that trained volunteerswill provide practical legal research on the issuesthat they highlight. Trained student volunteers

are supervised by a legal practitioner and a staffmember of the University’s Centre staff theclinics for Disability Law and Policy. For moreinformation see www.nuigalway.ie/cdlp/dlic

Pictured are the Attorney General, Professor GerQuinn and the Registrar, Professor Nollaig MacCongáil with volunteers from the Clinic.

President Browne and Liam Ferrie

Attorney General Launches Disability LegalInformation Clinic


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One Hundred Years Later,

a New Museum GuideFor years, doctors have warned that too much salt is bad for your heart.Now a new study co-led by an NUI Galway clinical researcher suggeststhat both high and low levels of salt intake may put people with heartdisease or diabetes at increased risk of cardiovascular complications.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA), found that moderate salt intake is associated with the lowestrisk of cardiovascular events, whereas higher intake of sodium wasassociated with an increased risk of stroke, heart attack and othercardiovascular events while low intake was associated with an increasedrisk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for congestive heartfailure.

The research was co-led by Professor Martin O’Donnell, Professor ofTranslational Medicine, NUI Galway and Dr Salim Yusuf, PopulationHealth Research Institute (PHRI) at McMaster University in Canadaand Hamilton Health Sciences. Professor O’Donnell is also AssociateDirector of the HRB Clinical Research Facility at NUI Galway, andUniversity Hospital Galway.

“This research addresses an important population health issue – theassociation between sodium (salt) intake and cardiovascular disease,”said NUI Galway’s Professor O’Donnell. “This area has become topicalagain, with the recent publication of another paper in JAMA reportingan association between low-sodium intake and cardiac death. Ingeneral, previous observational studies have either reported a positiveassociation, no association or an inverse association between sodiumintake and heart disease and stroke. This has resulted in a lot ofcontroversy. Our study is the first to report a J-shaped associationbetween sodium intake and cardiovascular disease, which may explainwhy previous studies have found different results.”

Compared with moderate sodium excretion (between 4 to 5.99 gramsper day), the researchers found that sodium excretion of greater than6-7 grams per day was associated with an increased risk of allcardiovascular events, and sodium excretion of less than 3 grams perday was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death andhospitalisation for congestive heart failure.

The findings call into question current guidelines for salt intake, whichrecommend less than 2.3 grams (or 2,300 mg) per day. The guidelinesare mostly based on previous clinical trials that found blood pressure islowered modestly when sodium intake is reduced to these levels(which was also found in the present study), but there are no largestudies looking at whether such low levels of sodium intake reduce theincidence of heart attacks and stroke. Clarifying the optimal dailyintake of sodium is particularly important in patients with establishedheart disease, as they may be especially vulnerable to the cardiovasculareffects of very high- and low-salt intake and are most likely to receiverecommendations on restricting sodium in their diets, the authorsconcluded.

Study Calls Sodium IntakeGuidelines into Question

Professor Wallace Arthur, Zoology and Éamon de Buitléar.

Only two tattered copies remain of theoriginal Zoology Museum catalogue,published in 1911 by UCG. Onehundred years later, Éamon de Buitléarofficially launched a completely newversion of the booklet at a specialceremony on campus.

The Zoology and Marine BiologyMuseum is housed in the RyanInstitute, and currently has over 500specimens on display from a broadrange of animal groups. Specimensinclude native animals as well as moreexotic creatures, including stuffedmonkeys, koalas, kiwis and theintriguing kangaroo rat.

The museum’s origins go back to theformation of the University in 1849,with many of the specimens comingfrom the Zoological Society ofLondon. By 1899 it was among thebest working museums of its kind to befound in any university of the time.The previous information booklet,called ‘A Catalogue of the Specimens’was produced by Professor R. J.Anderson in 1911.

Speaking at a special ceremony oncampus, Éamon de Buitléar said: “Tosee this fine museum and launch thisbooklet is an absolute pleasure. Formany of us, the way we lead our lives

today means we are getting further andfurther away from nature. Thismuseum is a valuable resource andportal into our past, and anintroduction into the wonders ofnature.”

“Our museum is a time capsule takingus back to the days of Darwin andother great adventurers who travelledthe world collecting exotic species”said Wallace Arthur, Professor ofZoology. “This museum is part of theUniversity, but also belongs very muchto Galway and the public. We welcomevisitors and encourage them to spendas much time as they wish studying thespecimens in whatever way isappropriate for their needs – verydifferent needs for different groups, forexample biologists, artists andlaypeople.”

Free and open to the public daily, themuseum attracts large numbers ofvisitors, ranging from the generalpublic to school parties to visitingresearchers and academics. Themuseum collection is used extensivelyin practical classes for Zoologystudents. The material allows thestudents to examine characteristicfeatures of species and broadertaxonomic groupings at first hand.


NUI Galway New York Gala

In November the US Board of the GalwayUniversity Foundation hosted its 5th AnnualGala at the Metropolitan Club in New YorkCity. This year’s event honoured Adrian Jones,BA 1986 and Managing Director, MerchantBanking Division of Goldman Sachs andfeatured a spectacular performance by FrankieGavin and De Dannan.

The Gala attracted a capacity crowd of graduatesand friends of NUI Galway from the UnitedStates and Ireland and raised in excess of$200,000 for Autism Research at NUI Galway. In2006, the School of Psychology at NUI Galwayoffered its first Masters program in AppliedBehavioural Analysis (ABA), designed to provideprofessional training to students seeking careersin the area of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

and other developmental disabilities. Since theintroduction of this program, 55 students havegraduated, and are working throughout Ireland asautism treatment specialists, family supportworkers, and consultants to schools andeducational programs that serve children withautism diagnoses.

Because of the success of the Masters program,the University now offers a PhD in AppliedBehavioural Analysis, training graduates to workas certified practitioners, researchers andeducators. Through expansion and furtherdevelopment of The Irish Centre for Autismand Neurodevelopment Research, NUI Galwayhas the opportunity to become a leading centrefor education, research and advocacy in the areaof Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A videohighlighting the activity of the Centre featuringDr Geraldine Leader, Dr Olive Healy and DrJennifer Holloway from the School ofPsychology was shown to guests attending theevent. In January 2012, NUI Galway with thesupport of Galway University Foundation, theAmerican Ireland Fund and Autism Speaks, willhost an International Conference on Autism.

Further information on the conference is at:http://www.conference.ie/content/Autism_Centre_LoRes_NoCrop.pdf

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Pictured from left: President Browne, Adrian Jones, BA 1986 & 2011 NY Gala Honoree, Ms Tina Jonesand Mr Michael Higgins, BComm 1982, Chair, US Board, Galway University Foundation.

Presentation of €1 million from NBCRI NBCRI have donated one million euro to thedevelopment of the Translational ResearchFacility through Galway UniversityFoundation.

The Translational Research Facility atNUI Galway is being developed on the groundsof University Hospital Galway adjacent to theClinical Sciences Institute. It will house tenprincipal investigators and one hundred andtwenty researchers across a broad range ofdisciplines in cancer biology as well as other keyresearch programmes in clinical disciplines.

The capacity for this space to be flexible andadaptable to different research needs meansthat there will be a continual flow of researchprogrammes throughout its lifetime. This willbe achieved by creating open-plan wetlaboratory space, with an adjoining open planwrite-up area, allowing research groups to

expand and contract as their requirementschange. The ten offices for principalinvestigators together with support facilitiessuch as tissue culture and microscopy will besituated around the open plan area.

The design of the building will, because of itsopen plan nature, help to facilitate the growthof multidisciplinary approaches to clinicalproblems.

Pictured from left: Mary Bennett NBCRI; President Browne, Dr Anna O'Coinne, Chairperson NBCRI,Professor Michael Kerin, NBCRI and Head of Surgery, NUI Galway and Mrs Patricia Caffrey, NBCRI.


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Participants in three novel environmental coursesat NUI Galway will learn from real life communityinitiatives and develop entrepreneurship skillsthrough participating in ‘Dragon’s Den’ styleinterviews, where the students pitch a wellresearched environmental project to an interviewpanel. Under the leadership of Dr Mike Gormally,and in conjunction with Galway County Council,two courses were designed to meet local authorityneeds. A Certificate Course in BiodiversityConservation and Management, coordinated byMs Elaine O’Riordan, the Galway CountyBiodiversity Project Manager, enables participantsto consider biodiversity in the context of their

professional roles. The MSc in Biodiversity andLand Use Planning, coordinated by Dr GescheKindermann, is delivered as a distance-learningcourse to facilitate working professionals meetimportant environmental legal obligations. TheMSc in Sustainable Resource Management: Policyand Practice, coordinated by Dr Caitriona Carlin,is the first new course since the strategic NUIGalway – UL alliance. Benefitting from expertise atboth institutions, students engage with primaryresearch, develop skills in applying knowledge toreal world situations, and experience the reality ofpolicy in practice.

Pictured at the recent Graduate Jobs Fair (l-r): John Hannon; Deirdre Sheridan, both Careers Development Centre;Willie Golden, Dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Law; and Professor Gerry Lyons, Dean of the College ofEngineering and Informatics.

New WebsiteWatches Galway’sWeatherCome rain or shine, a new website showing thecurrent weather conditions in Galway is nowavailable to the general public. The site usesreal-time data collected by a weather station atNUI Galway to show temperature, humidity,pressure, wind, rain and sunshine.

Behind the project is the Informatics ResearchUnit for Sustainable Energy (IRUSE), underthe leadership of Dr Marcus Keane. IRUSEfocuses on achieving the goal of energyefficient buildings. In order to support ongoingand future research activity, an automatedweather station was installed. Information fromthe weather station now appears in real-timeon a website http://weather.nuigalway.ie/thanks to students of the HDip / MSc inSoftware Design and Development. ColinDivily from Corofin, Co Galway and NaomiOno, originally from Japan, implemented thewebsite through a collaboration with theDiscipline of Information Technology. Theywere supported by Johann Ott, MagdalenaHajdukiewicz and other members of theIRUSE group.

Dr Marcus Keane explains: “The websitedisplays the live weather data, as well as 12-hour and monthly trends and providesessential data for the research carried out at theUniversity. With the weather being such aconstant topic of conversation for everyone inthis country, we thought it only right to sharethis data with the general public.”

The weather station was installed in June 2010on the roof of the Concourse building oncampus. The data loads to the new websiteevery minute from all of the sensors, except forrainfall which is reported hourly. As well as forIRUSE’s research, the weather station is alsoused as part of teaching for the Energy SystemsEngineering degree programme.

Novel environmental coursestarget smart economy

Graduate Jobs Fair

Staff members receiving Diploma awardsat the recent Adult and ContinuingEducation conferring:

Front row - Louise Coyle (Spanish),Mary Dooley (French), Kathleen O'Connell(Spanish); Middle Row - Brendan Beatty(French), Maura Grealy (Italian),John Gaffney (Italian);

Back row - Catherine Geraghty (Spanish),Suzanne Gilsenan (French).


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Graduates and students of NUI Galway featuredprominently at the annual NUI Awardsceremony which took place in November in theRoyal Hospital Kilmainham taking home animpressive 34 awards.

Five NUI Travelling Studentships in theHumanities and the Social Sciences and in theSciences were awarded to NUI Galwaygraduates: Bríd Ní Ghráinne, Law; FionaMorrissey, Law; Ciara Kyne, Chemistry; EimearDolan, Engineering; and Niamh Fahy,Orthobiology/Regenerative Medicine.Other scholarships and awards include the DrMary L Thornton NUI Scholarship in Education

which was awarded to NUI Galway’s HannaghMcGinley. The Dr Henry Hutchinson StewartLiterary scholarships and prizes were awardedto: Niall Culligan, English; Síle Dolan, Gaeilge;John Mooney, German; Shaun Murphy, Latin;and Rebecca, Spanish. The French GovernmentMedal and NUI Prize for Proficiency in Frenchwas awarded to Philip Morrow.

The scoláireacht agus Duais Chiste Theach anArdmhéara/Mansion House Fund Scholarshipand prizes went to Dara Folan, for a ScoláireachtGaeilge and an Irish History prize and to ColmÓ Cuaig for a Gaeilge prize.

A total of nineteen Dr Henry HutchinsonStewart Medical Scholarships and Prizes wereawarded to NUI Galway’s School of Medicine,Nursing and Health Sciences. The awardrecipients were Cillian McNamara and KarenMcNamara, Biochemistry; Danielle Anstett andJulianne O’Shea, General Practice; LarissaHiggins and Teresa O’Dowd, Gynaecology andObstetrics; Cliona Small, Medical Microbiology;Siobhan Eccles, Midwifery; Ester Afolalu andLaura M Coyne, Nursing; Orla Ní Ghríofa andMairead Crowley, Occupational Therapy;Larissa Higgins, Paediatrics; Miroslawa Gorecka,Pathology; Elaine Fallon, Public Health; LauraTobin, Speech and Language Therapy; YasirLoai, Pharmacology; Matthew Smyth,Physiology; and Gerard Healy MB BCH BAOHons, Surgery.Speaking on the success of NUI Galway studentsand graduates, President Jim Browne, said:“This clearly highlights the high calibre ofstudents studying on NUI Galway programmesand follows previous successes in these annualawards. I congratulate each of the Awardrecipients on their achievement, which will addto their academic reputation. I commend theAward recipients and I pay tribute to theirteachers for their work in supporting studentsand helping them to achieve such high

NUI Awards Ceremony

An Bhialann won a Gold Medal Award at therecent Hotel and Catering Review Gold MedalAwards. Organised by Hotel and CateringReview, the Gold Medal Awards recogniseexcellence within the hospitality industry,rewarding food service operations that have been

outstanding. Applicants are judged across a widerange of criteria including excellence in foodstandards, customer service, culinary creativityand innovation. This is the second national awardfor An Bhialann, last November, the CateringManager in An Bhialann won the Irish Hospitality

Institute Catering Manager of the year Award forbrilliance in food standards and service delivery.Winning two prestigious national hospitalityawards, against stiff competition, is an industryrecognition of the excellent standards of cateringnow available in NUI Galway.

Catering in An Bhialann is provided byARAMARK Ireland’s Food Services division whohave provided catering services there since 1992.In 2010, a €3.5m investment resulted in acomplete redesign of this 800 seat restaurantwhich now boasts a modern interior, newentrances and extended seating. An Bhialann alsohouses a brand new kitchen which incorporatesthe latest in equipment and services, all designedto deliver a wide choice of top quality and valuefor money dishes. Global coffee house Starbucksand the popular sandwich chain Subway are alsolocated in An Bhialann which caters for over16,000 customers on a weekly basis.

Moffetts was also nominated, for the second yearin a row, by Hotel and Catering Review for a GoldMedal Award.

Ann Duggan Conference/Catering Manager photographed with ARAMARK Ireland’s GrainneKelliher, Acting VP Food Services, Donal O’Brien, CEO, Sanjay Patel, Client Account ManagerEducation and Joan O’Shaughnessy ,Vice Chairperson and Special Advisor to CEO.

Gold Medal Award for Catering


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A Chairde,

Agus 2011 ag teachtchun críche, ba mhaithliom súil a chaitheamhsiar ar bhliain a bhídúshlánach ar chéadbhealach.

I have been heartened this year by the efforts ofacademic and support staff to meet the challengeswhich the current economic difficulties continueto present. I want colleagues to know that yourflexibility and support in responding to thechallenges which faces us as a university and as asector are very much appreciated.

Some successes of 2011Despite these challenges we have enjoyed manysuccesses this year. Some of these highlights aredetailed below:

Research: We continue to do well in researchterms. This year has seen the establishment of newresearch centres in Prostate Cancer, Lifecourseissues and Autism and Neuro-DevelopmentalResearch. We have added considerably to ourresearch assets with the Library's acquisition ofimportant archival collections including those ofThomas Kilroy, John Huston and Brendan Duddy.Having conferred almost 200 doctoral degrees thisyear, we are well-placed to reach the five-yeartarget we set ourselves in the Strategic Plan for2014. Our challenge is now to maintain our PhDoutput. Initiatives such as the Hardiman ResearchScholarships programme, launched this year,highlight our commitment to sustain doctoralnumbers.

Teaching: Last month I was invited to give thekeynote address at an international conference ofGerman universities on the social mission ofuniversities. I was impressed by the internationalregard shown by colleagues from Europe, the USand beyond, for our work in this field. Colleaguesfrom all areas of the University have built this solidreputation for Service Learning and Volunteering.It was clear to me that we are leaders in this area.This CELT-led programme, along with CELT'swork in supporting teaching and learning issignificantly enhancing the student learningexperience. Other highlights this year in teaching

include the recent EPAS accreditation for theBusiness School; our appointment of Ireland's firstProfessor of Midwifery; the new BioInnovateprogramme; the continuing development of theArts in Action programme.

Campus Developments: The official opening ofthe Engineering Building in July by An Taoiseachwas a highlight of the year. Despite some setbacksduring the year the building programme continuesand we look forward to the commencement ofconstruction on four key projects early in the newyear:

• the Arts, Humanities, Social SciencesBuilding to house our archives and relatedresearch activities;

• the new Biosciences building to driveresearch and graduate education in thebiomedical area

• a Translational Research Facility which willallow us to bring our research from bench tobedside

• and a new Lifecourse Institute with a focuson research in Child & Family, Ageing andGerontology, and Disability Law and Policy

Awards and Accolades: Among the manyindividual and institutional successes of recentmonths, are a NAIRTL Award for Dr FrancesMcCormack; successes for our students includinga Rhodes Scholarship, Undergraduate Awards andthe Royal Irish Academy's Hamilton Award inMathematics. During the year colleagues havebeen appointed to important academic andexternal positions including the Irish FiscalAdvisory Council (Professor John McHale) theRoyal Irish Academy (Professors Peter McHugh,Colin O’Dowd and Donal O’Regan) andEuropean Research Council (Professor NicholasCanny). These representative examples serve tohighlight the commitment of staff and students tothe highest standards of research and teachingexcellence. Congratulations to all involved.

Our alumni too continue to distinguish themselvesin national life with the recent appointments ofgraduates and former students to the positions ofPresident of Ireland, Taoiseach, Tánaiste,Attorney General, head of the Defence Forces andthe Irish Naval Service.

Galway University Foundation The US Board of Galway University Foundationheld its 5th Annual Gala Banquet on 16 Novemberas part of its mission to raise funds for NUIGalway's programmes and activities. This eventrecognised the business and philanthropicachievements of NUI Galway graduate, AdrianJones, Goldman Sachs, who is a member of theInternational Advisory Board of the J.E. CairnesBusiness School. Proceeds raised by this event arebeing used to support Autism research workunderway in the School of Psychology.

The Foundation continues to support a range ofkey academic programmes and activities oncampus. NUI Galway is fortunate to have one ofthe most dynamic fundraising operations withinthe Irish university sector, operating successfully inIreland and the US. We are grateful for thecontinuing support and resources which resultfrom the Foundation's activities.

Challenges ahead…2012 will present its challenges. Increasingcompetition for students and resources; ourposition in the international rankings; and theuncertainty of the economic climate all poseconsiderable questions for us. The morale andenthusiasm of colleagues in meeting thesechallenges will be critical. We cannot prosperwithout the continuing contribution of each staffmember.

As 2011 draws to a close, I’d like to thank all stafffor their hard work and commitment in what hasbeen a positive year for this University. I offer mysincere and renewed thanks to all of you for yourcontinuing efforts. May I wish each and every staffmember a peaceful and happy Christmas andevery good wish for 2012.

Guím gach dea-ghuí don Nollaig agus don BhliainNua.

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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Pain ResearchNew findings about how the brain functions tosuppress pain have been published in the leadingjournal Pain, by NUI Galway researchers. For thefirst time, it has been shown that the hippocampusof the brain, which is usually associated withmemory, has an active role to play in suppressingpain during times of stress. The work was carriedout by researchers in Pharmacology andTherapeutics and the Centre for Pain Research atthe National Centre for Biomedical EngineeringScience.

In times of immense stress or fear, paintransmission and perception can be suppressedpotently in humans and other animals. Thisimportant survival response can help us cope with,or escape from, potentially life-threateningsituations. An increased understanding of thebiological mechanisms involved in this so-calledfear-induced analgesia is important from afundamental physiological perspective and mayalso advance the search for new therapeuticapproaches to the treatment of pain.

Dr David Finn, Co-Director of the Centre for PainResearch and study leader said: “The body cansuppress pain when under extreme stress, in partthrough the action of marijuana-like substancesproduced in the brain. What we have nowidentified for the first time, is that the brain’shippocampus is an important site of action ofthese endocannabinoids during the potentsuppression of pain by fear. This research, whichwas funded by a grant from Science FoundationIreland, advances our fundamental understandingof the neurobiology of pain and may facilitate theidentification of new therapeutic targets for thetreatment of pain and anxiety disorders.”

Dr Brian McGuire, Co-Director of Centre for PainResearch and Senior Lecturer in ClinicalPsychology was also awarded a grant of over€700,000 under the Health Research BoardInterdisciplinary Capacity Enhancementprogramme, which aims to develop leading Irishhealth researchers. The research programmefocuses on chronic pain (pain that lasts more than3 months) and will fund three post-doctoralresearchers from psychology, health promotionand health economics for a period of three years.The research programme will look at a number ofimportant aspects of chronic pain including theproblem of chronic pain in young children aged

5-12 years; pain management using cognitivebehavioural therapy which is to be delivered overthe internet; and how GPs make clinicaljudgments about treating people with chronic lowback pain.

Widening Participationin Higher EducationThe School of Education, in conjunction with theAccess Office hosted a seminar in Novemberentitled Widening Access and Participation andthe Student Experience in Higher Education:Evidence from Research and Practice atNUI Galway. Imelda Byrne, Access Officer spokeon the design and delivery of access courses atNUI Galway and the successes and challengesencountered over the period of the initiative.Dr Elaine Keane, Lecturer in the School ofEducation presented findings from a three-yearstudy exploring the post-entry academic and socio-cultural experiences of 45 school-leaver-agedaccess and traditional-entry students at an Irishuniversity. Finally, there was a presentation fromMs Ciara Togher, a former access student andgraduate who outlined her experiences as aparticipant of this programme.

Gender ARCGender ARC (Advanced Research Consortium onGender, Culture and the Knowledge Society) wasestablished in January 2011 following the launchof the NUI Galway - UL strategic research allianceand is affiliated with the Institute for Business,Social Science and Public Policy and the MooreInstitute for Humanities and Social Studies atNUI Galway and with the Institute for the Studyof Knowledge in Society at UL. Gender ARC is aresearch network linking more than fiftyacademics at both institutions who are engaged ingender-focused research across diverse disciplines.Gender ARC recently hosted two public lectures.Dr Mia Gray from University of Cambridge spokein September on ‘Inclusive RegionalDevelopment? Gendered Social Networks in anAge of Austerity’. Professor Ann Gray of theUniversity of Lincoln gave a lecture entitled ‘No-one wants to be lectured at by a woman': Thegendered presentation of history on television’ atUL in November. Membership of the GenderARC is open to all researchers in NUI Galway andUL, whose current work is gender focused. Detailsof members’ research activities and future eventscan be viewed on www.genderarc.org

EmploymentLaw and MentalHealthThe School of Law, sponsored by the ResearchOffice’s Millennium Fund, recently hosted aconference on Employment Law and MentalHealth in Ireland. Practitioners and academicsfrom a number of different disciplines addressedthe conference. Mental Health can covernumerous issues from work related stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, or mental healthproblems including, for example, depression.Employers have legal obligations andrequirements in respect of these employees, and itis important to understand the various issues, bothlegal and medical that arise in this context. Theconference was organised by the School of Law’sCentre for Disability Law and Policy, and theSchool of Law’s Clinical Legal EducationProgramme in association with the EmploymentLaw Association of Ireland.

NUI Galwayand Tulca Festivalof Visual ArtsCo-ordinated by the Community KnowledgeInitiative (CKI) and the Arts Office and with theparticipation of the James Hardiman Library, theHuston School of Film & Digital Media andMarketing in the J.E. Cairnes School of Businessand Economics, this year’s Tulca Festival of VisualArts ran a number of events in association withNUI Galway. Entitled ‘After the Fall’ and curatedby Megs Morley, the festival presented artists’responses to the contemporary economic collapseand included exhibitions by both local andinternational artists.

Students in the BComm Marketing Researchdegree class conducted market research for Tulca,through profiling arts festival marketing in Irelandand designing and implementing a visitor surveyfor Tulca. The collaboration between Tulca andthe Marketing Research class has brought benefitsto both parties. The students got the opportunityto do marketing research in the real world andTulca had ‘extra hands’ to do research work thatordinarily would not get done in a non-profitorganisation.


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As the European Year of Volunteering 2011draws to a close the “We Volunteer!” exhibition,featuring students from twenty higher educationinstitutions, celebrates its journey across collegecampuses and international locations includingBrussels with a final reception hosted by theEuropean Commission Representation in Irelandat European Union House.

"We Volunteer!" has sought tocelebrate and acknowledge thecontribution of studentvolunteers to their

communities. The exhibitionhas recognised the work,

time and commitmentgiven by studentvolunteers who havehelped lead the way indemonstrating just how

much we can give back tocharitable causes and

community groups with our free-time.

Pictured: Nicola Brassil, 2nd yearBA at NUI Galway, a

volunteer with the GSPCAas part of the nationalexhibition “We

Volunteer!” celebratingstudent volunteering across

Irish Higher Education forthe European Year of Volunteering 2011.

www.wevolunteer.ie

We Volunteer!

MúscailtMúscailt Arts Festival runs from 6-10 February 2012.This year the theme is Let the Light Come in andartists are already busy creating new works forcampus in all media and materials.

Pop up sculptures, Lighting Shows, Protest Art,Street Art, Rubbish Art, Lighting FX, Video Artand Sculptural Crochet will all feature. Videoworks from Sea2sky can be seen in the UniversityArt Gallery. New shows from Branor TheatreCompany, Moonfish and Colours TheatreCompany plus new writings and performancesfrom students and staff can be seen in the StudentTheatre. Múscailt guarantees to showcase originalideas for large artworks on campus and let theUniversity community decide which ideas shouldbear fruit. All welcome.

For further information [email protected] and seewww.muscailt.nuigalway.ie

CIPD SymposiumThe Discipline of Management presented aSymposium on Employee Voice andEngagement in November which was hostedby the Chartered Institute for PersonnelDevelopment (CIPD) and attended by over70 HR professionals and students. Dr TonyDundon, Dr Deirdre Curran and EugeneHickland discussed research and practice.The discussant from industry was TomCreedon, Medtronic’s Senior HumanResources Manager. Joe Cunningham, theNational Organiser from SIPTU was the tradeunion discussant. The event was chaired byMaureen Maloney and Dr David Collingsacted as moderator.

The University presented 32 new recipients withstudent Sports Scholarships at a recent ceremonyin the Bailey Allen Hall. This brings the totalnumber of students receiving sports scholarshipsat NUI Galway to 60.

NUI Galway Elite Sports Development Officer,former Olympic Sprinter and former Director ofCoaching for Athletics Ireland, Gary Ryan, said:“The NUI Galway Sports Scholarship scheme hasa broad range of extremely talented young athletesand over the past number of years we have put inplace excellent supports that have helped many ofour students improve their performance

significantly and to attain enormous success bothin their sporting career and at the same timereceiving an excellent education. Receiving thisscholarship is a fantastic opportunity for thesestudents as they will have access to some of thebest people working in sport in Ireland.”

Scholarship benefits include a subsistence grant,coaching, medical and physiotherapy support,performance nutrition and performancepsychology, strength and conditioning as well asperformance planning and mentoring. EachScholarship is built around the individuals needsand their chosen sport.

Sports Scholarships

Pictured are the 2011 NUI Galway Sports Scholarship recipients. Back row (l-r): Richard Bennett, Jason Doherty,Sean O’Connor, Éinne Ó hEochaidh, Cian Fadden, James Brophy, Kenneth Hansberry, and Gerard Hanley.Third row (l-r): Billy Lane, Dean Higgins, Gerard O’Donoghue, Colm Galvin, Kevin McGlade, Sean Moran andBrian Gaffney. Second row (l-r): Eabhnait Scanlon, Enda Cradock, Richard Bennett, Gerard Cheevers, RuairíMcGeever, David Byrne , Freddie Timmins and Gary Sweeney. Front row (l-r): Cliona Hurst, Darren Wallace,Desmond Leonard, Joe Woods, Heather Cary, Jennifer Byrne, Chloe Morey and Eilish Ward.

The New Engineering Building recently won theaward for Best School/Educational Building at theCommercial Media Group's Building and DesignAwards 2011.

Pictured (l-r): David McKeown, Kilsaran, EamonMcCarney, Taylor Architects, Padraig Fahey, NUIGalway, Aidan O’Connell, BAM Building, IvanYates, MC.

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School & EducationalBuilding Project of the year


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National Undergraduate Award Law student Trevor Glavey was named as one ofthe 23 winners of the Undergraduate Awards, anawards programme open to undergraduatestudents on the island of Ireland and the USA. Hewas awarded the Oscar Wilde Gold Medal foracademic excellence in the Law category byPresident Mary McAleese, at the UndergraduateAwards Ceremony that was held at Dublin Castlein October.

Having graduated top in his class from CorporateLaw at NUI Galway, Trevor credited his lecturer,Dr Laurent Pech, for his Undergraduate Awardwin and cited the University as “a fantastic place tostudy, full of great people doing tremendouswork.” There were 2,381 submissions to the 2011Undergraduate Awards programme, of which 237were shortlisted. Of these 237, 23 winners wereselected. NUI Galway had 11 students in theshortlist.

Hamilton AwardApplied Mathematics student FionnualaConnolly, was recently awarded a 2011 HamiltonAward in Mathematics by the Royal IrishAcademy (RIA). Awards were presented tostudents of Mathematics in nine of the highereducation institutions in Ireland.

Fionnuala is currently in her final year of study forthe Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematicsand was assessed along with all third-year studentsin all mathematical degrees taught in NUI Galway.She was judged to be the most outstandingcandidate, based on her examination results in hermathematics courses.

Congratulating Fionnuala on the award, ProfessorMichel Destrade, Head of Applied Mathematicssaid: “We are delighted that Fionnuala won theAward this year. It was well deserved because shewas indeed an exceptional student, not only inApplied Maths but also in Pure Maths.”

Pictured is Fionnuala Connolly with Dr MichaelTuite, Dr Ray Ryan and Professor Ted Hurley fromthe School of Mathematics, Statics and AppliedMathematics.

NAIRTL Award

Award winners from NAIRTL’s 2011 NationalAwards for Excellence in Teaching (l-r): ThomasFarrell, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; JenniferSchweppe, University of Limerick; Aine Hyland,Chair of the NAIRTL Awards Selection Committee;Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn;Marion Palmer, Institute of Art, Design andTechnology, Dun Laoghaire; Frances McCormack,NUI Galway, and Kathleen Horgan, MaryImmaculate College, Limerick.

Lecturer in English and Vice-Dean (Learning andAssessment), Dr Frances McCormack, was amongfive third-level teachers recognised as exemplifyingexcellence in teaching at the annual NationalAcademy for the Integration of Research,Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) awardsceremony in Dublin recently.

Minister Ruairí Quinn presented the awards andnoted that the awardees were “Teachers whonever cease in their own learning, cultivating thepotential in their students, making each and everystudent feel recognised and valued.” The NAIRTL Awards recognise higher educationteachers who demonstrate outstanding dedicationto their teaching and have made an exceptionalimpact on student learning.

Doctoral Award in BiomaterialsDr Michael Keeney, a PhD graduate of NUIGalway (2010), has been awarded the prestigiousEuropean Doctoral Award for his PhD studies.

The award is made annually by the EuropeanSociety for Biomaterials and confers added valueto the Doctoral Degree already gained by DrKeeney. The award is complementary to the PhDdegree, and recognises the European orinternational dimension of work. The award alsoacknowledges the PhD supervisor, ProfessorAbhay Pandit of the Network of Excellence forFunctional Biomaterials (NFB), proving theintegration of their research at an internationallevel. This is the first European Doctoral Award inthe field of Biomaterials won by an Irish student orUniversity.

Rhodes Awardfor Economics StudentEconomics student Mohit Agrawal has beenawarded one of the most prestigious scholarshipsin the world, a Rhodes Scholarship to studyeconomics at Oxford University. Mohit iscurrently studying for an MA in Economic PolicyEvaluation and Planning and plans to begin hisstudies in Oxford in September 2012.

Born and raised in West Lafayette, Indiana, in theUS, Mohit enrolled in NUI Galway duringSeptember 2011, after being awarded a George J.Mitchell Scholarship, allowing him to do apostgraduate degree at any university on the islandof Ireland. Mohit chose this University because hesaid it enabled him to further his major career goal,to combine a background in mathematics andpolitics to help craft economic policy. Mohitcompleted his undergraduate degree inmathematics and computer science at PrincetonUniversity in the United States.

Exchange with world leadingInternet research centreSiobhán McGinty, a Hardiman Scholar, has beenawarded a PhD student exchange at the Universityof California, Riverside. A PhD student of DrElaine Wallace in the marketing discipline,Siobhán will work with Donna Hoffman,Chancellor’s Chair and Professor of Marketing atthe UCR Sloan Center for Internet Retailing.

The UCR Sloan Center is the world’s leadinguniversity research center dedicated to improvingthe effectiveness of Internet marketing throughthe study of online consumer behaviour. ProfessorHoffman is also the cofounder of eLab, an awardwinning research lab, which the Wall StreetJournal has described as the ‘electronicscommerce pioneer among business schools’.

Student & Staff Awards


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Cleveland Clinic visits BioInnovate

Pictured is of the Director of BioInnovate Ireland, Dr Mark Bruzzi and Professor Terry Smith with some ofthe 2011-12 BioInnovate Research Fellows and delegates from the Cleveland Clinic.

EuropeanAward for BISProgramme

NUI Galway has been awarded EPAS accreditationfor its Business and Information SystemsProgramme. Awarded by the European Foundationfor Management Development (EFMD), thisaccreditation confirms that the BSc in BusinessInformation Systems (BIS) meets the highestinternational standards for business and managementeducation. Achieving the accreditation is a major featfor the course, being only one of eight Europeanundergraduate programmes to receive the five-yearaward.

Speaking at the formal launch of the EPASaccreditation in the J.E. Cairnes School of Businessand Economics, President Browne, said: “This is atremendous endorsement of the activities of ourBusiness School. As one of only eight Europeanuniversities to receive this quality mark, we inNUI Galway are proud of this acknowledgement ofthe quality of our business education programmes,and in particular the BIS degree programme.”

Martin Hughes, Programme Director of the BSc BIShighlighted: “The BSc. BIS degree provides studentswith the ideal platform for a successful career inbusiness - over 70% of the 2011 class were in careeremployment by graduation.”

The BSc BIS was also recently recognised by the ITIndustry in Galway by winning the “OutstandingAcademic Contribution Award” at the 2011 ITAGAwards.

NUI Galway and BioInnovate Ireland recentlyhosted representatives from the ClevelandClinic and Senior Executives from the USMedical Devices Sector. BioInnovate Ireland is a specialist trainingprogramme modelled on the Biodesignprogramme offered at Stanford University,Palo Alto, California. The programmeoperates on two levels – a Fellowshipprogramme and a graduate education trainingprogramme (BioInnovate Class). TheFellowship programme, which commencedlast August, has recruited two elite multi-disciplinary teams, each of four high-calibreFellows, which includes experienced medical,engineering, business, technology and lawgraduates. BioInnovate Ireland seeks to bring

together the medical device industry, theclinical community and the academiccommunity to underpin medical deviceinnovation training in Ireland. Theprogramme is subdivided into three phases:Identify, Invent and ImplementBioInnovate Ireland is being offered by:NUI Galway, DCU, UCC, UL and RCSI.BioInnovate Ireland has the support of theIMDA, SFI, Enterprise Ireland, IDA,Medtronic, Creganna, Steripak, Lake RegionMedical and a team of clinicians nationally.BioInnovate Ireland is now seekingExpressions of Interest for its medical deviceinnovation Fellowship programme with anexpression of interest form available fordownload from www.bioinnovate.ie

PRINCE Study Research Team winsBest Poster Prize Staff from the School of Nursing andMidwifery recently won best poster prize atthe prestigious Irish Thoracic SocietyScientific Meeting which was held in Dublin.The Poster and an oral presentation given bythe principal investigators Professor KathyMurphy and Dr Dympna Casey, described thefindings from the HRB funded PRINCEStudy which evaluated the effectiveness of astructured education pulmonary rehabilitationprogramme for improving the health status ofpeople with chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease within primary care. The study found

that people who attended the programmewere significantly better able to manage theirbreathing difficulties than those who did notattend.

The comprehensive findings from thePRINCE Study will be presented togetherwith presentations from key respiratory careexperts at a Respiratory Symposium focusingon respiratory management which will be heldin NUI Galway in Áras Moyola on the 21January 2012. For further details pleasecontact [email protected]

Pictured at the ITAG Awards from left: Mr Alan Walsh(Student, BIS), Mr Padraic De Burca, Dr Ann Torres,Ms Ann Marie Curran, Ms Kathleen Garity (Graduate,BIS), Dr James Cunningham and Dr Tom Acton.Sitting: Mr Martin Hughes and Dr Emer Mulligan


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Is cúis áthais d'Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh afhógairt go mbeidh Róisín Ní Mhainín as RosMuc ina Damhsóir Cónaitheach Sean-nóis sanIonad sa bhliain 2012.

Bhí Róisín ar an gcéad ghlúin damhsóirí ban abhí i mbéal an phobail. Tá a stíl damhsa féinaici agus deir damhsóirí eile gur ceannródaídamhsa sean-nóis í sa mhílaois nua seo. Isléiriú a fheabhas a d’éirigh léi ag an Oireachtasar an ról ceannródaíoch atá aici i meascdamhsóirí sean-nóis agus i measc phobal na n-ealaíon dúchasach i gcoitinne.

Bhí teaghlach, cairde agus lucht leanúna Róisínfaoi dhraíocht ag an damhsa a rinne sí ag anócáid a eagraíodh le ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ara post nua. Ag fógairt an cheapacháin dó, dúirtan tOllamh Gearóid Denvir gur as tobar andúchais i gConamara a thóg Róisín a cuidcéimeanna. Léiríonn an ceapachán seodúthracht agus díograis na hOllscoile i leith andúchais sin.

Fad a mhairfidh an tréimhse chónaitheach,beidh Róisín ar stáitse ag imeachtaí éagsúlaagus tabharfaidh sí sraith de cheardlannadamhsa ar an sean-nós in OÉ Gaillimh. Beidhan pobal in ann freastal ar na ceardlanna.Cuirfear tús leo i mí Eanáir 2012.

DamhsóirConaitheach Nua

Irish cinema has enjoyedunprecedentedcommercial and criticalsuccess over the past tenyears, including Oscarnominated and winningfilms and box office hitsinternationally. A newbook, Contemporary Irish Film: NewPerspectives on a National Cinema, co-edited bySeán Crosson of the Huston School of Film &Digital Media, NUI Galway with WernerHuber of the University of Austria, bringstogether scholars from Ireland and abroad toprovide insiders’ as well as outsiders’perspectives on the situation of Irish film in aperiod of a socio-economic sea change: theyears of the so-calledCeltic Tiger.

According to Seán Crosson: “Theunprecedented economic growth andimmigration that Ireland experienced between1995 and 2007 did not only challenge nationalbut also ethnic, social and gender identities.The contributions to this volume explore howfilms tackle these challenges and help to makesense of Ireland’s altered position in aglobalised world.”

Major New BookExamines CelticTiger Cinema Sentencing: Towards a

Coherent System by TomO’Malley, Senior Lecturerin Law has just beenpublished by leading lawpublishers, ThomsonReuters. As prisonpopulations in Ireland andelsewhere reach record levels, governments arebeing forced to rethink many of the policieswhich held sway in recent decades, especiallyin regard to the use of mandatory sentencesand rigid sentencing guidelines. This bookprovides a detailed analysis of the nature ofjudicial discretion and claims that a just andeffective sentencing system can be devised byretaining this discretion provided it isaccompanied by various judicial supportsystems. It includes a survey of measuresadopted internationally since the early 1980sto structure judicial sentencing discretion andargues that, in small jurisdictions in particular,a reasonable balance between flexibility andconsistency can be achieved without resort tosome of the more drastic measures introducedin the United States and elsewhere.

New Book onSentencing Policy

NUI Galway was recently named one of theworld’s top study abroad destinations by theinfluential student website studyabroad101.com.The IFSA Butler programme at NUI Galway wasranked number 4 in the world overall out of totalof international 10,000 programmes.

Speaking of the announcement, AnnaCunningham, Director of International Affairssaid: “We see this as a great endorsement of thelong established programme for visiting studentshere at NUI Galway. It reflects the commitmentshown by the University’s academic and supportstaff and our partner organisations includingIFSA Butler in providing a welcoming and

academically stimulating experience forinternational students. In recent years we havesignificantly expanded our course offering forvisiting students and also introduced a number ofbespoke courses in the areas of service learningand Irish indigenous arts to augment the overallexperience of international students at NUIGalway.

Studyabroad101.com is a study abroad reviewwebsite similar to sites such as TripAdvisor.comwhich compiles study abroad programmeevaluations from students themselves based onacademics, housing, safety and cultural activities.

NUI Galway Ranked in the Top 10Study Abroad Destinations in the World

Two decades of gatheringinformation on wolves byGeography lecturer KieranHickey has resulted in afascinating new book,Wolves in Ireland.

In this book, Kieranexamines a vast array of sources relating towolves in Ireland. He considers archaeologicalremains, name evidence (place and person,both in Irish and in English) and folklore. Healso provides a fascinating account of wolfattacks on livestock, and more rarely people,and describes how the extermination of wolvestook place. The last wolf was killed, most likelyin 1786.

New Book Tracksthe Wolf – Ireland’sLast Great Predator


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RTÉ Broadcaster Reaches Out toFellow Galway GradsRTÉ Broadcaster Seán O’Rourke and NUI Galwayhave joined forces for a new University initiative tore-establish contact with its graduates. Using anovel combination of web video and textmessaging to reach out to its alumni and highlightthe benefits of keeping in touch. O’Rourke has recorded a short web video appealwhich will feature on www.nuigalway.ie/alumni-friends/get-in-touch explaining how easy it is toget back in touch with the University, and askingthose who see it to pass on the message.Graduates, he explains, are simply being asked totext the word GRAD, followed by a space, and theyear of their graduation, to 51000. “The Alumnioffice in NUI Galway”, says O’Rourke, “will thenget in touch and re-establish contact.”

Music WeekCampus was alive with music during the SocietiesOffice dedicated music week which ran from 14 to18 November. Music Week was a showcase of allthe musical talent on the University campus, alongwith special guests. There were a variety ofconcerts and sessions throughout the week as wellas many music based events. Highlights includedthe final of NUI Galway’s Got Talent with €1,000prize for the winner and an Arts in Action concertfeaturing Frankie Gavin, Máirtín Ó Connor andCarl Hession.

New Travel App, Ireland:Are We There Yet?NUI Galway graduate (MA in Publishing) AnnBrehony has just launched the essential familyholiday helper through her first digital mobile appin the App Store. The app Ireland: Are We ThereYet? was released through a publishing deal withan American digital travel publisher Sutro Media.Featuring over 130 places to visit in Ireland withkids, this app provides families with an invaluabletool that will keep everyone happy on daytrips orholidays.

Publishers Sutro Media say “This app is like thelocal cousin you never knew you had! It has sussedthe best ways to visit Ireland with kids so you don'thave to do the legwork. This app is written withgenuine insight, humour and charm and is packedwith places to go and things to do with kids onholiday in Ireland.” http://sutromedia.com/apps/Ireland_Are_We_There_Yet

Executive MBA InauguralInternational Study Tip to USThe Executive MBA class 2010-2012 recentlyparticipated in the inaugural international studytrip to Fordham University in the New York City.Twenty seven students and four academic staffmembers participated in the prestigious FordhamGlobal Gateway programme at FordhamUniversity’s Graduate School of Business. Theweek-long programme incorporated uniqueworkshops, lectures and corporate visits exposingstudents to cutting-edge thinking from thebusiness world in the US. Students went on fieldtrips to Bloomberg headquarters and Tiffany.During the programme, lectures were given byleading US business experts and academics oncontemporary business issues includinginternational finance, global sustainability,leadership and change management, internationalmarkets, and corporate social responsibility. Oneof the highlights of the event was an honoraryreception for the MBA class hosted by a formerNUI Galway alumnus, Adrian Jones, at GoldmanSachs in conjunction with Galway UniversityFoundation.

School of ChemistryPostgraduate ReunionThe contribution of research graduates of theSchool of Chemistry to Ireland and beyond wasmarked at a special reunion celebration in Galwayin October. The majority of the researchgraduates, including more than 300 PhDgraduates, from the School have made majorcontributions to Ireland’s highly successfulChemical, Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical andMedical Device Industry. The event, attended byover 125 graduates, was organised jointly by theAlumni Office and School of Chemistry.Sponsorship of the event was generously providedby Pfizer Ireland, Roche Ireland and NUI Galway.

International Gerontology NetworkThe Irish Centre for Social Gerontology has beenaccepted as a member of the IAGG’s GlobalAgeing Research Network (GARN). TheInternational Association of Gerontology andGeriatrics is creating a network of more than 500international centres of excellence on ageing tofoster the scientific development of gerontologyand geriatrics around the world. GARN willdevelop international research capacity in ageingresearch and provide a valuable means ofexchanging information. ICSG is proud to havebeen selected to join this prestigious network and

looks forward to helping the IAGG to meet itsobjectives. Read about GARN here(http://www.iagg.info/iagg-who/research-network

Legal MattersOn 19 October NUI Galway celebrated the 150thAnniversary of the Italian Unification by hostingan historical quiz for students in the OrbsenBuilding. Images relating to Italian history fromantiquity to the present adorned the atrium of theOrbsen Building, making it our very little Italy forone day. The celebration culminated with theaward of a series of prizes, comprising books Cdsand DVDs, to students. The awards werepresented by the Registrar, Professor NollaigMacCongáil, the Honorary Consul of Italy, DrFabio Bartolozzi, and the Professor of Italian,Paolo Bartoloni. Oisìn Mc Donagh, a first Yearstudent of Italian, was awarded the first prize.

Visiting Professor in SocialGerontologyThe Irish Centre for Social Gerontology welcomesProfessor Vanessa Burholt, Swansea University, asa visiting fellow to its Rural Ageing Observatory.Professor Burholt, a distinguished socialgerontologist with a background in sociology andpsychology, will be at ICSG until February 2012.Professor Burholt has published widely on suchtopics as rural ageing; attachment to place in laterlife; housing and migration of older people(including ethnic minority elders);intergenerational relationships; and support andsocial relationships of ageing adults. She isparticularly interested in participatory researchwith older people. During her time at the IrishCentre for Social Gerontology, Professor Burholtwill work with the Centre’s research team todevelop its rural ageing research agenda.

A GEM!Dr Alessandra Costanzo, a Postdoctoral researcherat the Earth and Ocean Sciences, School ofNatural Sciences, currently teaching at Diploma inScientific studies (Gemmology) recently attendedan event in London at the Goldsmiths’ Hall whereshe was awarded with the prestigious Diploma inGemmology and became Fellow of theGemmological Association of Great Britain. DrConstanzo is currently carrying out the GEMDiamond Diploma, which, on completion, willgive the additional title of Diamond Members ofThe Gemmological Association.

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Marketing and Communications Office, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh.

Tel. 091-493361 E-mail: [email protected]

The Nobel laureate poet Seamus Heaney hasmade a generous donation of books in Italianabout the history of ancient civilisations andChristianity, contemporary Italian poetry, anda selection of his own texts translated intoItalian and signed by the author, to theDiscipline of Italian Studies. The donation wasmade in recognition of the mutual friendshipwith the Kavanagh family, and in memory ofRory Kavanagh, former student of Italian.

The books have been placed in the office ofItalian, Room 310, Arts Millennium Building.While they will not be available for borrowing,the texts can be viewed and consulted on thepremises by appointment. For moreinformation please [email protected].

Italian Studies would like to express itsgratitude to Seamus Heaney and the Kavanaghfamily for their ongoing support and friendship.

Mr Peter Faherty retired from the University inJuly of this year after 38 years service. Peterworked in the Buildings Office primarily as HeadPorter and in latter years as Facilities ServicesSupervisor but his association with the Universityspans 50 years, back to the time he and his familyresided in the Archway of the Quadrangle. Peter’sfather was Head Porter before him and he grew upwith the University expanding around him. Peteris and always will be an enormously popular

personality on campus and his family, friends andcolleagues gathered at the Students Union Bar onWednesday 30 November to celebrate hiswonderful contribution to the University. Petershared many warm and humorous memories ofUniversity life with all who attended and afantastic evening was had by all.

Peter is pictured (centre) with John Gibney, Directorof Physical Resources and President Browne.

Nobel LaureateDonation of Books

On a Mature Note!The Mature Students Office held an InformationEvening in November for members of the publicthinking of returning to formal education whereover 70 attendees found out more about degreesoffered by NUI Galway and the criteria to enterand apply as a mature applicant. The mainprogrammes that were of interest were Law, thenew Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Performanceand Health Science degrees.

Each year NUI Galway takes in approximately350 mature students that make up at least 10% of

the student population. Currently the AccessOffice in association with the Mature StudentsOffice and collaboration with GMIT have 100part-time mature students enrolled in theSpringboard Funded Diploma in Engineering,Science and Technology, who upon completionwill go into full-time/part-time degrees in theseareas in 2012. There are 43 enrolled in the part-time Commerce Foundation Course who arelooking forward to studying full-time or part-timedegrees in Business upon completion.

These foundation courses are beneficial to themature person considering degrees in these areaswho may not have had the opportunity of evencompleting a Leaving Certificate in the past orwho may have started third level in the past butcould not complete due to personal reasons.NUI Galway welcomes and supports non-traditional mature learners and offers advice onhow they can achieve their academic goalsthroughout their time with the University.

Pictured is Frances O’ Malley with her girls Ciara (pink dress) and Aisling (navy dress), a recent Mature Graduatein Sociology and Psychology.


Date post:	08-Jan-2017
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