UNIVERSITY NEWSNUI MAYNOOTH

O l l s c o i l n a h É i r e a n n M á N u a d

S T A F F N E W S L E T T E R – N A T i o N A L u N i v E R S i T y o F i R E L A N d m A y N o o T h

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3 iNAuGuRAL ALumNi BALL

4 ANNuAL hiSToRic houSES coNFERENcE

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AGA KhAN hoNouREd AT Nui mAyNooTh

His Highness the Aga Khan and Professor John Hughes, President, NUI Maynooth.

June saw two separate Honorary Conferring ceremonies take place on campus. The most recent event on Monday, 30 June was the conferring of a Degree of Doctor of Laws on His Highness the Aga Khan. The Aga Khan received his honorary doctorate for his outstanding contributions to the elimination of global poverty, the advancement of women, the promotion of Islamic culture and the furthering of pluralistic values in society. His Highness the Aga Khan became Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims in 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan. He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. Today, the Ismailis live in

some 25 countries, mainly in West and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in North America and Western Europe. The Aga Khan has dedicated his life to addressing serious issues in the developing world. He is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the largest private development groups in the world. AKDN is made up of a group of institutions working to improve living conditions and opportunities in specific regions of the developing world. Their individual mandates range from architecture, education and health to the promotion of private sector enterprise, the enhancement of non-government organisations and rural development. continued on page 2

Team AcidRain from nUI Maynooth came second at the Imagine Cup 2008. This is the second year running that an NUI Maynooth team has featured in the prizewinners of this worldwide competition that allows students to unlock their creative genius and create technological solutions to address some of the world’s toughest social challenges.

Team AcidRain - comprised of Brian Byrne, Karl O’Dwyer (Computer Science Department) and Aodhan Coffey (Electronic Engineering Department) - built an optimised,

Team AcidRain: Aodhan Coffey; Brian Byrne; Karl O’Dwyer with their mentor Tom Lysaght.

Nuim STudENTS WiN AGAiN AT imAGiNE cuP

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Published five times a year by:the Communications office, nui maynooth.

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imAGiNE cuP continued from page 1

ivi: Winning With it EnablEd businEss innovation

hoNoRARy coNFERRiNG continued from page 1

On Thursday, 12 June four leaders in their respective fields who had shown vision and inspiration throughout their careers; Lee Mallaghan, Nuala O’Loan and Helen Ó Murchú received the Degree of Doctors of Law while Munira Hamud Mutran received the Degree of Doctor of Literature.Dame nuala o’Loan served as the first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland from 1999-2007. During her time in this role she led the investigation into the police handling of the Omagh bombing in 1998. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2007 for her pioneering role in providing an independent complaints service for the public about the conduct of the police.Carton House owner Lee Mallaghan also received the honour for his contribution to industry and sport as well as his service to Kildare. A prolific inventor, Lee has filed over 30 patents in his career. Having become one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland he went on to purchase Carton House at Maynooth with its 1,100 acre Demesne in 1977. Since then Lee has restored and

refurbished the house, the former ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster, securing its future for generations to come. Helen Ó Murchú received an honorary degree for her services to the Irish language. Helen has been involved in teaching at first, second and third level and was Director of Comhar na Múinteoirí Gaeilge for 17 years. She has published extensively in Irish and English in the areas of language education and language planning. She has chaired Bord na Gaeilge and has served as Irish and European Chair of the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages. For 25 years professor Munira Hamud Mutran has been a pioneer in developing Irish studies in an international arena and in particular initiating its development throughout South America. She has inaugurated Irish Studies as an academic discipline in the Brazilian university system and has been a highly influential cultural ambassador for Ireland in South America. Professor Mutran has published extensively in the field of Irish studies (fiction, drama and cultural history) and Irish-South American studies. ■

embedded conversion kit which offers a novel solution to the problem of reducing carbon emissions through enabling vegetable oil powered engines. They have created a “one size fits all” kit which will convert any diesel engine to run on any vegetable oil whether it be olive oil, rapeseed oil or sunflower oil. Along with their team mentor Tom Lysaght from the Department of Computer Science they actually drove to the finals in Paris in a diesel car that was fueled with sunflower oil using their own project.

Professor John Hughes, President NUI Maynooth congratulated AcidRain saying: “I am very proud to see NUI Maynooth students at the top of an elite group of students competing with the best in the world for the second year running. Such innovative ideas will impact the future of all our lives and I am grateful for the hard work put in by each team member and their mentor.” ■

This University News is the final one for this academic year and it is again full with many high profile events on campus such as the honorary conferring ceremonies and the Alumni Ball.

The Alumni Office published the Summer 2008 edition of The Bridge Magazine which was sent out to nearly 19,000 graduates. If you would like to get a copy of this magazine please email the alumni office at alumni.office@nuim.ie

Thanks to all who contributed to the University News over the year and I hope you all have an enjoyable summer break.

Lisa McVann, Senior Executive Assistant Phone: 01-7086160 email: lisa.mcvann@nuim.ie

General: communications@nuim.ie

f r o m t h e e d i t o r

Following the outstanding success of last year’s event NUI Maynooth hosted the Innovation Value Institute’s second annual Summer Session Open Day on Wednesday, 4 June. The event entitled ‘Winning with IT Enabled Business Innovation’ consisted of presentations offering key insights and strategies from leading IT business value practitioners and academics.

The keynote topics centred around how to achieve sustainable economic value from IT and quantify and understand the true business value of strategic IT investments. Among the keynote speakers were Professor Piero Formica, Dean of the International Entrepreneurship Academy and Professor of Economics at the International Business School, Jönköping University; Gregg Wyant, Intel’s Chief

Architect and General Manager of Strategy, Architecture and Innovation and Laurent Allard, Chief Information Officer, AXA Technology Services. The event was attended by executives and senior IT managers from both the public sector and a broad range of Irish and global multinational companies. ■

Helen Ó Murchú, Professor Munira Hamud Mutran, Lee Mallaghan, Dame Nuala O’Loan.

Martin Curley, Co-Director of IVI; Dr Jimmy Devins, Minister of State for Science and Innovation; Frank Fitzmaurice, Director of Corporate Services and Dr Stephen Brown, Co-Director of IVI.

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iNAuGuRAL mAyNooTh ALumNi BALL

Nui mAyNooTh APPoiNTS FiRST vicE-PRESidENT oF RESEARch

on mid-summer’s night – 21st June pugin Hall played host to the first ever Maynooth Alumni Ball with over 180 guests enjoying a spectacular night of fine dining and entertainment. The evening began with a champagne reception in the Cloisters before guests adjourned to the famous refectory (magnificently decorated for the night) for a five course meal.

Deirdre Watters, Head of Marketing and Communications was delighted with the success of the night saying “it was a wonderful opportunity to see Pugin Hall glow with the glamour, excitement and fun of the night and see alumni enjoying themselves and renewing old friendships.”

The Ball which will be a yearly event was opened by Monsignor Hugh Connolly, President, St Patricks College. Professor John Hughes, President, NUI Maynooth warmly welcomed the graduates back and awarded the President’s Alumni Award to Paul Mullally and Gary Hoctor

on behalf of the Maynooth Students for Charity, who for the past 21 years have organized the annual cycle from Maynooth to Galway return for charity (see photo on front page). ■

nUI Maynooth has appointed Ray o’neill of the Department of Experimental Physics as its first Vice-President of Research. Ray O’Neill, a native of Belfast completed a BSc and PhD in experimental atomic physics at Queen’s University Belfast. He joined the Department of Experimental Physics at Maynooth in 1993 first as a postdoctoral researcher and later as lecturer. In 2004 he was appointed as Dean of the Faculty of Science, and then in 2005 he moved to the position of Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.

NUI Maynooth has a stated strategic plan to become ‘an internationally recognised research-led institution’. The creation of the role of VP of Research is a pivotal step in achieving this ambition. The new Vice-

President is a scientist, and he regards research in science and engineering as centrally important in developing an innovation culture in Ireland. At the same time, he says he has developed a strong appreciation and respect for the leading research in humanities and social science that is a central part of the fabric of NUI Maynooth, and the contribution that these areas make to irish society. ■

Dr Terry Dooley and Noelle Campbell Sharp.

Catherine Flannagan, Garry Abrahamian, Anne Cullen and Jolene Mellon.

Professor Ray O’Neill.

iRELANd’S FiRST moBiLE WimAX NETWoRK LAuNchEd AT Nuim

professor Ray o’neill, vice-president of Research, and Tim Wiltshire, Alcatel Lucent, Head of Wireless Products for UK and Ireland formally launched Ireland’s first mobile WiMAX network. This network, installed and operated by the Institute of Microelectronics and wireless systems (IMws), uses state-of-the-art wireless technologies to deliver broadband data and voice services throughout the campus and the town of Maynooth. The launch of the network was welcomed by a large number of attendees, including Mike Byrne, ComReg Commissioner and senior members of the Irish telecommunication industry.Mobile WiMAX is considered to be the first of the new Next Generation Networking (NGN) technologies, capable of streaming voice delivery, video and data services to users on the move over wide areas. Mobile WiMAX is at the forefront of wireless communications and NUI Maynooth is the only university in the world to have access to full network for research and education. Dr Ronan Farrell, Director of the Institute stated “this unique infrastructure will be used to support collaborative research for irish and international academics and companies and to support the vision of a virtual campus delivering services to our students beyond the historic walls of the university.” For further information please see http://www.imws.nuim.ie/wimax/ ■

Pictured at the launch (l-r): Dr Ronan Farrell, Director IMWS; Tim Wilthshire, Head of Wireless Products, UK & Ireland, Alcatel Lucent; Simon Loe, Technical Project Manager for WiMAX, Alcatel Lucent and Professor Ray O’Neill, Vice-President of Research.

on Friday, 16 May, professor John Hughes attended a celebration, hosted by the Irish Universities Association (IUA), to launch the IReL-Open project. The Project builds online, open access institutional repositories in all seven Irish universities and links these together through a National Research Portal. The Library at NUI Maynooth hosted the first Irish institutional repository, making publications of the university staff available electronically worldwide. Commenting on the initiative President Hughes said “I warmly welcome the launch of the IReL-Open project. Research at NUI Maynooth has achieved world-class standing in many areas. This initiative will provide a world-wide gateway to that research and build on our own institutional repository for publications”. ■

Ned Costello, Chief Executive, IUA; Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD; Professor John Hughes, President of NUI Maynooth; Professor Frank Gannon, Director General, SFI and Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, President of DCU.

LAuNch oF ThE iNSTiTuTioNAL REPoSiToRiES PRojEcT

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Almost 100 delegates attended the powCAR (Place of Work Complete Anonymised Records) Conference which was co-hosted by the AIRO (All Island Research Observatory) project of the NIRSA and the NCG, along with the CSO. The conference showcased the work of AIRO and examined worker origin, destination, mode of travel, demographic and socio-economic characteristics of these workers, and the implications of travel patterns for the National Spatial Strategy, the National Development Plan and Transport 21. Further information and presentations can be downloaded from www.airo.ie ■

The sixth Annual Historic Houses of Ireland Conference was held at NUI Maynooth on 19-20 June 2008, organised by the CSHIHE. It was attended by over 500 participants over the two days from Ireland, Britain and Europe. The conference was officially opened by John Gormley TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (pictured on front page) and closed by Martin Mansergh, Minister of State at the Department of Finance (with special responsibility for the OPW) at a banquet held in the recently restored Castletown House, Celbridge. ■

professor Michael Goodchild from University of California, Santa Barbara and holder of the SFI Walton Fellowship acted as external examiner for the first PhD in Geocomputation from the NCG, awarded to Dr Seamus Coveney.

Dr Coveney studied Geography at undergraduate level (UCC), and holds an MPhil in Climatology (UCC), an MSc in Environmental Resource Management / Remote Sensing (UCD), and a HDip in Geographic Information Systems (NUIM). His PhD work explored the potential of Global Positioning Systems and Terrestrial Laser Scanning for the validation of existing Digital Elevation

Models (DEMs) and the generation of new high-accuracy DEMs for sea-level rise modelling on the Irish coast. He has recently joined the StratAG research group at the NCG as a postdoctoral research fellow under the Sensor Integration stream of StratAG.

The National Centre for Geocomputation (NCG) was established at NUI Maynooth in 2004 through the award of a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Professorship to Professor Stewart Fotheringham. Research at the NCG focuses upon the capture, storage, integration, management, retrieval, display, analysis and modelling of spatial data. A recent award of €10m research funding from SFI for an NCG-led Strategic Research Cluster in Advanced Geotechnologies (StratAG) extended SFI funding to NCG for continued Geocomputational research over the next five years. ■

May marked the conclusion of the four year spAn (Strategic Action Planning Network) project, an initiative funded under the EU Programme, INTERREG IIIB. SPAN was a transnational action research and learning network involving a unique partnership of academic and local development practitioner partners from France, Belgium and Ireland; the Irish partners being NIRSA, NUI Maynooth and Southside Partnership. The core themes of the project were Multi-level Governance, Strategic Territorial Planning and Civic Participation – which translated, essentially means how people from different levels of community organisations, county institutions, and national government departments interact or participate together on strategic area based plans, including urban planning and the provision of community infrastructure.

Operating from 2004-2008, this transnational programme encouraged new ways of working between the academic and practitioner partners. During its lifetime, the project undertook three research studies, two of which were undertaken by NIRSA: Local Governance – The Case of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown by Dr Brendan O’Keeffe and Planning and Participation in the Republic of Ireland: Review of Public Participation in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development plan 2004-2010 by Brendan Bartley, Jeanne Meldon and Caroline Creamer. The third

study, commissioned by Southside Partnership focused on the challenges and opportunities associated with the provision of community infrastructure.

The case study on public participation in the current Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan has identified interesting facts on citizens’ participation in their local decision making, planning and development. The research findings reveal the importance of community participation in local decision-making and

planning and promotes a collaborative approach between community organisations, county institutions and national government departments. ■

Bruce McCormack, Central Statistics Office (CSO); Justin Gleeson, All Island Research Observatory (AIRO) and Professor Rob Kitchin, Director, NIRSA.

Dr Seamus Coveney.

The NIRSA SPAN team (l-r): Brendan Bartley, Caroline Creamer, Jeanne Meldon and Dr Brendan O’Keeffe.

NiRSA PLAcE oF WoRK coNFERENcE

FiRST Phd iN GEocomPuTATioN FoR Nuim

SPAN FiNdiNGS PuBLiShEd

ANNuAL hiSToRic houSES coNFERENcE

FACULTY OF ARTS, CELTIC STUDIES & PHILOSOPHY

at 16.00 hours

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

at 16.00 hours

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

at 16.00 hours

ACADEMIC COUNCIL*

at 15.00 hours

GOVERNING AUTHORITY at 16.00 hours

1 September 2008 Boardroom JHB

2 September 2008 (12.00) Boardroom JHB

1 September 2008 (11.00)Boardroom JHB

15 September 2008Boardroom JHB

22 September 2008

13 October 2008 (11.00) Boardroom JHB

14 October 2008 Boardroom JHB

13 October 2008Boardroom JHB

20 October 2008Boardroom JHB

3 November 2008

10 November 2008 Boardroom JHB

18 November 2008Boardroom JHB

24 November 2008Boardroom JHB

8 December 2008Boardroom JHB

15 December 2008

12 January 2009 Boardroom JHB

13 January 2009 (12.00)Boardroom JHB

19 January 2009Boardroom JHB

2 February 2009Boardroom JHB

16 February 2009

2 March 2009 Boardroom JHB

3 March 2009Boardroom JHB

9 March 2009Boardroom JHB

23 March 2009Boardroom JHB

6 April 2009

27 April 2009 Boardroom JHB

28 April 2009Boardroom JHB

11 May 2009Boardroom JHB

25 May 2009Boardroom JHB

8 June 2009

SchEduLE oF dATES FoR mEETiNGS iN 2008-2009

* All business for Academic Council should be submitted at least 12 days prior to the meeting.

Pictured at the banquet are Dr Terence Dooley, Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates; Dr Martin Mansergh TD, Minister of State at the Department of Finance; Mary Heffernan, Project Manager, Castletown House; Professor Jim Walsh, Deputy President.

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professor Jacqueline Hill of the Department of History was admitted as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in May. Election to the Royal Irish Academy is the highest academic honour in Ireland. Professor Nicholas Canny, President of the Royal Irish Academy, said “It is a testament to Ireland’s formidable position in the academic world that the Royal Irish Academy is today able to honour such a variety of exceptional scholars in the Sciences and Humanities. Ireland can be proud of these brilliant women and men who are universally recognised as leaders in the world of learning.”

Professor Hill has published extensively on eighteenth- and nineteenth- century Ireland, and her publications have been welcomed as major contributions to British and Irish History. She is a member of the editorial board of the New History of Ireland, having edited the seventh volume in the series, and she is principal investigator for Irish History Online.

The criterion for election to membership is a significant contribution to scholarly or scientific research as shown in the candidate’s published academic work. Membership of the Academy, which is by peer nomination and election, is limited to those scientists and scholars normally resident in Ireland. ■

on Thursday, 1 May the national Centre for Geocomputation hosted a seminar on The Future of Geographic Information Science. The invited speakers are world experts in the field; Professor David Rhind, City University, London; Professor Paul Longley, University College, London; Professor Michael Goodchild, University of California, Santa Barbara and Dr David Maguire, Environmental Research Systems Institute. The speakers described the implications of new technologies for GIScience and explored related issues such as privacy and the democratisation of spatial data through web interfaces.

The seminar was a unique opportunity for staff and students of NUI Maynooth to meet these distinguished professionals and learn about the cutting edge research and developments in the area of GIScience. ■

Presenters at ‘The Future of Geographic Information Science’ seminar (l-r): Dr David Maguire, ESRI; Professor David Rhind, City University, London; Professor Stewart Fotheringham, Director of NCG; Professor Michael Goodchild, University of California, Santa Barbara; Professor Paul Longley, University College London.

Professor Jacqueline Hill, Department of History.

PRoFESSoR hiLL NEW RiA mEmBERThE FuTuRE oF GEoGRAPhic iNFoRmATioN SciENcE

The opAALs network of excellence (Open Philosophies for Associative Autopoietic Digital Ecosystems), involving NIRSA, has been awarded €3.9m research funding by the EU Framework Programme, Priority 2 - Information Society Technologies. The project, led by Paolo Dini at the London School of Economics, involves 22 European partners. The aim of the project is to build a sustainable interdisciplinary research community in the emerging area of Digital Business Ecosystems and to develop a theoretical foundation for Digital Ecosystems research in social, natural and computer science. Digital Ecosystems are emerging as a novel approach for the catalysis of regional growth driven by small and medium sized enterprises.

The NIRSA team - Professor Seán Ó Riain and Dr Aphra Kerr of the Department of Sociology and Dr Chris van Egeraat of NIRSA/Department of Geography - has been awarded €100,000 to study the social and spatial structures of collaboration and innovation among SMEs in the biotechnology and digital media sectors in Ireland. Additional funding has been awarded by Forfás.

As part of the research further collaborative research links have been established with Professor Bjorn Asheim at the Department of Geography and the Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE) at Lund University, Sweden. ■

RESEARch AWARd FoR NiRSA To STudy diGiTAL BuSiNESS EcoSySTEmS

Professor Bjorn Asheim, Dr Chris van Egeraat, Dr Aphra Kerr and Professor Seán Ó Riain.

peking University, China and nUI Maynooth are to establish a Sino-Irish Joint Research and Education Centre with the support of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, PR (SAFEA), in China and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in Ireland. The Centre will organise joint applications on international scientific research projects, joint education and training programmes, staff exchange and training and international conferences. The Centre will initially focus on research collaborations in the area of Spatial Information Science and will explore other

areas such as IT, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science.

Speaking at the signing of the collaboration agreement, Professor John Hughes, President of NUI Maynooth said that “it is an honour to be associated with such a prestigious and world-class institution as Peking University. The agreement will do much to further strengthen the ties that already exist between the two universities.” ■

President John Hughes, NUI Maynooth and President Zhihong XU, Peking University.

PEKiNG uNivERSiTy ANd Nui mAyNooTh joiNT RESEARch ANd EducATioN cENTRE

At a ceremony held in the French embassy in Dublin on Tuesday, 27 May Anne Gallagher, Director of the Language Centre, was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques by his Excellency, the French Ambassador to Ireland, M Yvon Roe d’Albert. The award, which is one of the world’s oldest civil awards, was established by Napoleon to honour eminent academics and educators involved in the promotion of French language and culture. Anne Gallagher received the award in recognition of her work on the promotion of plurilingualism and language education. ■

AWARd FoR diREcToR oF ThE LANGuAGE cENTRE

Anne Gallagher, Director of the Language Centre.

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The 21st Irish Mathematical olympiad was held on 10 May in centres in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Maynooth and Limerick, and the results have been recently announced. The top six performers are invited to form the Irish team to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad, which is to be held in Spain in July. Their names and schools are as follows:

Two of these top performers trained in NUIM: Jack McKenna, from Kill (Newbridge College) and Nick Byrne, from Wicklow town (Coláiste Ráithín, Bray). One other person who trained in Maynooth gained a place in the Roll of Honour as one of the top 14 performers: Anastasia Ignatyeva, from Blanchardstown, attending Castleknock Community College, Co Dublin.■

iRiSh mAThEmATicAL oLymPiAd 2008

humAN RESouRcES NoTESpResIDenTIAL LUnCHThe inaugural Presidential Lunch, hosted by Professor John Hughes, President, National University of Ireland, Maynooth and Monsignor Hugh Connolly, President, St. Patrick’s College Maynooth was held in Pugin Hall on Thursday, 29 May 2008.

The lunch marked the recent retirements of the following from the staff of the University/College:Dr Jim Callan, formerly of the Education Department;Professor Gerard Gillen, formerly of the Department of Music;Ms Connie Moran, formerly of the Catering Department;Mr Dan O’Shea, formerly of the Computer Centre;Ms Agnes Neligan, formerly of the Library.

The lunch was also to celebrate colleagues with 25 years service in the University/College:Ms Anastasia Crickley, Department of Applied Social Studies;Ms Mary Heneghan, Development Office;Ms Bridie Kilkenny, Catering Department;Ms Kay Lynch, Counselling Service;Dr Deirdre Ní Cheallaigh, Roinn na Nua Ghaeilge;Ms Mary B. Ryan, Department of Adult and Community Education.

new AppoInTMenTsWe are pleased to announce that the following have accepted appointment to posts in the University:Dr Andreanne Cochrane, Assistant Lecturer, Department of Psychology (Two-Year Contract Post);Dr Sheila Donnelly, Lecturer in Biology, Department of Biology;Mr Anthony Waldron, Technical Officer, Department of Mathematics;Dr Adrian Scahill, Lecturer in Ethnomusicology, Department of Music;Dr Alison Fitzgerald, Lecturer in Art History, Department of History;Dr Marion Butler, Lecturer in Biology, Department of Biology;Ms Niamh Lynch, Director of Student Services;Dr Niamh O’Sullivan, Lecturer in Equine Business, Department of Business and Law;Mr Graham Heaslip, Lecturer, Department of Business and Law (Three-Year Contract Post);Mr John Lato, Technical Officer, Department of Music (Three-Year Contract Post);Dr Johannes Klaas Slingerland, Lecturer, Department of Mathematical Physics;Dr Robin Kavanagh, Post-Doctoral Researcher, An Foras Feasa (Two-Year Contract Post);Dr Carol Murphy, Lecturer in Psychology, Department of Psychology.

posTs ADveRTIseD

Academic PostsAssistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Accounting, Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting (Three Permanent Posts);Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Macroeconomics, Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting (Three-Year Contract Post);Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Social Policy Studies, Department of Applied Social Studies (Permanent Post);Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Youth and Community Work, Department of Applied Social Studies (Three-Year Contract Post);Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Product Design, Department of Electronic Engineering (Three-Year Contract Post);Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Experimental Physics, Department of Experimental Physics (Three-Year Contract Post)(Two Posts);Assistant Lecturer/Lecturer in Biology, Department of Biology (Three-Year Contract Post);Assistant Lecturer in Chemistry (Three-Year Contract Post).

Research PostsResearcher in Youth Work and Youth Studies Research Programme, Department of Applied Social Studies (One-Year Contract Post);

Research Assistant in Youth Work and Youth Studies Research Programme, Department of Applied Social Studies (One-Year Contract Post).

Other PostsAssistant Health and Safety Officer, Health and Safety Office (Permanent Post);Executive Assistant; Office of Research and Graduate Studies, (Three-Year Contract Post) (Two Posts);Athletic Trainer, University Sports Office (One-Year Contract Post).

InTeRvIews HeLD

Academic Posts01 June 2008 Léachtóir/Léachtóir Cúnta le Gaeilge, Scoil an Léinn Cheiltigh;04 June 2008 Lectureship in Immunology/Global Health (Contract Post); 05 June 2008 Lectureship in Immunology, Department of Biology & Institute of Immunology;13 June 2008 Lectureship in Biology;24 June 2008 Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer in Music (Performance Studies), Department of Music;26 June 2008 Professor/Head of Philosophy;20 June 2008 Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer in Statistics, Department of Mathematics;30 June 2008 Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Department of Anthropology;30 June 2008 Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Department of Anthropology (Three-Year Contract Post);09 July 2008 Lecturer in Irish Cinema, Department of English (Three-Year Contract Post);09 July 2008 Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer in Educational Psychology, Department of Education;10 July 2008 Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer in Climate Change, Department of Geography.

Technical Posts03 June 2008 Technical Officer, Department of Music (Three-Year Contract);30 June 2008 Technical Officer in Biology, Department of Biology;04 July 2008 Technical Officer, Department of Chemistry (Three-Year Contract Post).

Other Posts06 June 2008 Human Resources Manager; Human Resource Office;11 June 2008 Vice President for Research;13 June 2008 Site Architect, Corporate Services Office;23 June 2008 Boiler person, Corporate Services Office;24 June 2008 Schools Liaison Officer, Admissions Office26 June 2008 Executive Assistant, Research Administration Office (Contract Post);26 June 2008 Accountant, Research Administration Office (Contract Post);03 July 2008 Executive Assistant, Examinations Office (Contract Post);10 July 2008 Head of Security;10 July 2008 Executive Assistant, Media Studies.

InTeRvIews ARRAnGeD17 July 2008 Lecturer in Politics, Department of Sociology (One-Year Contract Post);17 July 2008 Building Services/Project Engineer, Corporate Services Office;17 July 2008 Librarian (Second Round of Interviews);18 July 2008 Lecturer in Sociology, Department of Sociology (One-Year Contract Post);21 July 2008 Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer, Department of Computer Science (Three-Year Contract Post);22 July 2008 Lecturer/Assistant Lecturer, Department of Sociology;Mid/end July Lecturer, Department of Electronic Engineering (Three-Year Contract Post).

eMpLoYee AssIsTAnCe pRoGRAMMe The Employee Assistance Programme is a support programme provided by the University for staff members. The Programme provides a confidential counselling service, designed to assist staff members in dealing with any issue that adversely affects their health, wellbeing, personal or professional life.

If you have a problem that is troubling you, then you can get help and support.You can avail of the service by calling the following free phone number: 1800 201 346

on wednesday, 8 July the Minister for education and science, Batt o’Keeffe, TD launched the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education. The Plan published by the HEA is a five year strategy to significantly improve opportunities in higher education among groups that are traditionally under-represented – those from backgrounds of socio-economic disadvantage, those with a disability, mature students. The Plan outlines rates of participation in higher education by various groups and the challenges that we face to overcome them and sets clear targets to end the personal, social and economic loss of underachievement in education.

Ann O’Brien, Director of Access at NUI Maynooth welcomed the Plan saying “we look forward to working with the HEA in achieving the targets. Currently NUI Maynooth is meeting the targets set in the NUI Maynooth Strategic Plan 2006-2011. Access students comprise 4% of the undergraduate population, a further 3% of undergraduates are registered with a disability and NUI Maynooth continues to lead the way with 11% mature student enrollment.” ■

AccESS To EducATioN PLAN LAuNchEd

FAcuLTy oF ARTS, cELTic STudiES ANd PhiLoSoPhy

professor Kim McCone of the Department of Old Irish delivered the Myles Dillon Memorial Lecture at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. His topic was ‘The Celtic question: modern constructs and ancient realities’. Professor Vincent Comerford of the Department of History was the keynote speaker at a lecture entitled ‘The Fenians and the question of Irish exceptionalism’ at the University of Ulster. Dr JoAnne Mancini, also of the Department of History, has been awarded the Charles C Eldredge Prize for outstanding scholarship in American art and will deliver a lecture on ‘Art Worlds, World Arts’ at the Smithsonian American Arts Museum, Washington DC in September.

Dr Emer Nolan of the Department of English was a speaker on the RTE radio programme What If on 15 June, discussing the works of James Joyce.

The Associational Culture in Ireland project, funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) hosted an international conference in May on ‘Associational culture in Ireland and the wider world, 1750-1940’. Dr Eamon O Ciosain of the Department of French and Dr Kieran McGroarty of the Department of Ancient Classics have been awarded Senior Research Fellowships for 2008-09 by the IRCHSS.

The Faculty is planning a number of Generic Skills Modules for its doctoral research students and the first of these will be offered in the coming academic year. The module consists of a two-day session in both the first and second semester. The module will concentrate on ‘Organising and Managing Doctoral Research and Digital Humanities’. Further modules will be added in subsequent years.

Faculty meetings for 2008/9 are scheduled for 1 September, 13 October, 10 November, 12 January, 2 March and 27 April 2009. The October meeting will take place at 11am and not 4pm. Dr Michael Dunne is coming to the end of his term as Secretary of the Faculty and will step down at the September meeting. ■

Professor Vincent Comerford, Head of Department of History.

Pictured at the presentation of prizes at NUI Maynooth are (l-r): Professor A G O’Farrell, Maths Department; Sean Ashe, CEO Kildare VEC, Jack McKenna; Dr Stephen Buckley, Head of the Maths Department; Dr Richard Watson.

o l l s C o i l n a h é i r e a n n m á n u a d

U n I v e R s I T Y n e w s – J U L Y 2 0 0 8 – v o L . 1 1 – n o . 5 – p . 7

Texts and Culture in Late Antiquity: Inheritance, Authority, and Change, a volume edited by Professor David Scourfield of the Department of Ancient Classics was launched on 12 March. Its roots go back to an international conference held at NUI Maynooth in 2000 which focuses on the intellectual and literary world of the period from the mid-third to the mid-fifth century AD. It investigates the relationships between a wide range of late-Antique authors and texts which they had inherited through the Classical and Christian traditions. Particular emphasis is placed on works that carried special authority: Homer, Virgil, Plato, and the Bible. Published by the Classical Press of Wales, the book has a strong irish flavour, with contributions from classicists at TCD, UCD and NUI Galway as well as the editor himself and his former Maynooth colleague Mark Humphries, now at Swansea University. Other contributors come from England, Scotland, the Netherlands, and the USA. ■

The Irish sociological Chronicles series was founded by Michel Peillon and Eamonn Slater of the Department of Sociology, NUI Maynooth in 1998. The series aims to engage with the wider public by publishing sociological essays that are topical and accessible and which relate to developments in Ireland over a specified two-year time period. The current volume Belongings, the sixth in the series was launched in May. Dr Mary Corcoran, co-editor since 2002 said “the Sociology Department at NUI Maynooth is committed to advancing public sociology, and the Irish Sociological Chronicles continues to play an important part in achieving that end.” ■

Dr Deaglán Ó Donghaile, IRCHSS Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of English has been awarded a prestigious Clark Library Short-Term Fellowship to conduct research at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles. The Clark Library

is renowned for holding the principal archival collection relating to the Irish writer, Oscar Wilde. Dr Ó Donghaile will visit the Clark Library to consult the collection, Oscar Wilde and the 1890s as part of his research for a book monograph on late Victorian and modernist literature.This award represents a tremendous advance in Dr Ó Donghaile’s research and is further international recognition of the research carried out in Irish Studies at the Department of English. Dr Ó Donghaile will begin his eight-week fellowship in April 2009. ■

The nUI Maynooth Access programme hosted three summer camps in June for students from primary and secondary schools across the country. Students were invited on campus for an inside look at the opportunities available at university.

Take 5 Transition Year Experience (4-11 June); Maths is Fun (16-20 June) and Access Clondalkin Community Camp (30 June to 4 July). During the ‘Maths is Fun’ week Outreach Project Officer Martha Brandes worked with the Chemistry and Maths Departments to highlight the exciting sides of Science and Maths. Students also had the chance to enter a Chemisty lab where Dr Ken Maddock, Barbara Woods and Orla Fenelon demonstrated the power of catalysts and helped students create their own lava lamps. With help from Mathematics postgraduates Conor Smyth, Niamh Margalit, Floyd Jackson and Mike Walsh, students examined the Golden Ratio, studied Pythagoras, and explored mathematics in music. Access Clondalkin Community Camp was designed for 6th class students from all primary schools in Clondalkin. Further information on the above camps is available from Martha Brandes at 01-7086614. ■

cLASSicS BooK LAuNch

iRiSh SocioLoGicAL chRoNicLES

FELLoWShiP AWARdEd To STudy WiLdE

AccESS oFFicE hoSTS SummER cAmPS

Dr Ann Mohr, NUI Galway; Professor John Dillon, TCD; Professor David Scourfield, Department of Ancient Classics and Professor John Cleary of the Department of Philosophy at the launch.

PRESidENTiAL LuNch

Pictured at the Presidential Lunch held in Pugin Hall on 29 May in honour of recent retirees and staff with 25 years service are (back row, l-r): Dan O’Shea, formerly of the Computer Centre; Professor John Hughes, President, NUI Maynooth; Monsignor Hugh Connolly, President, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth; Dr Jim Callan, formerly of the Education Department; Professor Gerard Gillen, formerly of the Department of Music. Front Row, (l-r): Connie Moran, formerly of the Catering Department; Kay Lynch, Counselling Service; Mary Heneghan, Development Office, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth; Mary Kelly, Human Resources Office.

Dr Deaglán Ó Donghaile

Take 5 - Transition Year Experience students who were on campus on 9th June. The Take 5 participants come from secondary schools throughout the Leinster region.

GAA LoNG SERvicE AWARdPictured is Tom Maher, GAA Officer presenting Pat Cosgrove with a Long Service Award to NUI Maynooth hurling team at the GAA awards night which took place in April. Pat has studied at Maynooth since 2000 and has received a BA (2003), HDip (2004) and is currently studying for a PhD. For several years he captained the NUIM hurlers who earlier this year won the Ryan Cup.

n a t i o n a l u n i v e r s i t y o f i r e l a n d m a y n o o t h

U n I v e R s I T Y n e w s – J U L Y 2 0 0 8 – v o L . 1 1 – n o . 5 – p . 8

on 20 May, Frank Fitzmaurice, Director of Corporate Services introduced a new organisational structure within the area of Estates Management and Development.

This new structure is required in order to enable NUI Maynooth to meet the growing challenges of implementing an ambitious capital investment programme while at the same time ensuring that the existing campus environment and facilities continue to be managed and maintained to a high standard. The former structure of the Buildings Office and the General Services Office has been re-organised into two new teams, the Campus Planning and Development Office and the Campus Services Office. Managed by Finbarr Horrigan, Campus

Planning and Development Office’s key role will be to lead the implementation of the Campus Development Plan over the coming years. This Plan will be communicated to all staff in September. Contact details: ext 6675, email cpd.office@nuim.ie.

Campus Services Office, managed by Colm Nelson covers both the maintenance role of the former Buildings Office with the roles carried out by the former General Services office. A new Helpdesk Service (ext 3930, email maintenance@nuim.ie) has been created and is based in Riverstown Annex. Further details are available on http://campusservices.nuim.ie. ■

on Tuesday, 10 June a reception and public lecture were held in the Education House, North Campus to mark the retirement of Dr Jim Callan. Jim was a member of the Education Department for 25 years and lectured in Curriculum Studies. The lecture entitled The Politics of Markets and Standards in Education was attended by many of Jim’s past students and senior figures from education in Ireland. The lecture was given by Professor Michael Apple, World Scholar at the Institute of Education in London and Professor Jim Walsh, Deputy President outlined the highlights of Jim’s career.

Jim started in Maynooth as an MEd student in 1972 and in October 1974 he joined the staff of the Education Department. Jim joined Maynooth at an exciting time for the college as it opened up to lay students and recruited lay staff members.

In 1979 the Education Department in Maynooth was invited to be the external evaluator on what was referred to as the School to Work Initiative by the European Commission. Jim acted as external examiner on this initiative from 1979-1983. This was the beginning of a pattern which would characterise Jim’s and the Education Department’s work agenda for the following decades i.e. a direct engagement with schools and teachers. Jim was involved with several major research projects during his career, including the School for Active Learning Initiative (SAL) and Developing Schools; Enriching Learning - the SCD Experience. ■

NEW STRucTuRE FoR cAmPuS dEvELoPmENT ANd ESTATES mANAGEmENT

on Monday, 16 June Mary o’ Rourke TD - a graduate of Maynooth - launched the Maynooth Life History Archive of the College in the Russell Library, a project which belongs to the Retired Staff Association. This Archive captures university life in Maynooth extending back as far as the early 1940s. Professor Jim Walsh, Deputy President of NUI Maynooth and Fr Michael Mullaney, Vice-President, St Patrick’s College and many of the contributors, were among the attendees. The contributors to the Archive are an interesting mix of staff and students from both NUI Maynooth and St Patrick’s College Maynooth, as well as members from the local community.

Dr Alison Farrell of the Quality Promotion Office, who spoke on behalf of the project committee, said “we are delighted that we have successfully taken the project this far, with 30 interviews now available on audio CD, there is an eclectic mix of fascinating stories that captures campus life”. The Chairperson of the Retired Staff Association, Joan Buckley, thanked everyone for all their hard work in bringing the Archive successfully through its first phase. The project is ongoing and hopefully with the availability of further funding, more interviews will be conducted in the near future. For details on the project please contact Mary Weld, Geography Department (mary.weld@nuim.ie). ■

The Department of portuguese and Brazilian studies at Brown University hosted the launch of Professor John M Kinsella’s book Voices from the Islands: a new anthology of Azorean Poetry in April. The anthology by the Head of the Spanish Department at NUI Maynooth showcases two centuries of poetry by 47 poets. Professor Kinsella also delivered a paper at a conference organized on behalf of the Atlantic Project at the Department of Hispanic Studies at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. The conference celebrated the bicentenary of Latin American Independence from European rule. ■

Pictured at the event are (l-r): Professor Jim Walsh, Deputy President, NUI Maynooth; Jane O’Keeffe, Irish Life and Lore; Rev Michael Mullaney, Vice-President, St Patrick’s College, Maynooth; Mary O’Rourke, TD; Maurice O’Keeffe, Irish Life and Lore; Joan Buckley, Retired Staff Association and Mary Weld, Maynooth Life History Archive project.

Professor Tom Collins, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Professor Jim Walsh, Deputy President; Dr Rose Malone, Education Department; Dr Jim Callan and Professor Michael Apple, Institute of Education at the University of London.

oRAL ARchivE LAuNchEd

NEW ANThoLoGy LAuNchEd EducAToR RETiRES

nUI Maynooth and University of newcastle, Australia’s joint robotic soccer team ‘Numanoids’ won this year’s Standard Platform League (2-Legged Robot) RoboCup World Championship which was held in Suzhou, China from 14-20 July. In the final Numanoids defeated GTCMUnited’08 – a team from Georgia Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University in a penalty shootout. It was the first time for NUI Maynooth to enter the competition which involves some 440 teams from 35 countries.

Headed up by Professor Rick Middleton from the Hamilton Institute, Numanoids is a collaborative effort between the Hamilton Institute and the Departments of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering here at NUI Maynooth and the University of Newcastle. The team in Suzhou comprised of four students - two from NUI Maynooth - Alexander Buckley and Shekman Tang and two students from the University of Newcastle. The competition uses four-a-side fully autonomous humanoid robots competing on a reduced size field. The competing teams have equal hardware (all robots have identical capabilities) but different software. The robots play for ten minutes each half with referee rules for illegal defending, pushing, leaving the field etc.

Professor Rick Middleton said of the Robocup “the serious reasons for getting involved are to make new research contributions in robotics (machine learning, legged locomotion dynamics and control, real-time vision systems, perception and inference, etc.) and to promote the study of computing, engineering and mathematics. Technology aside we are thrilled with our victory!” ■

Nuim TEAm WiN RoBocuP comPETiTioN

Humanoid robot on the ball.