Four outstanding individuals have been conferredwith honorary degrees from NUI Galway. Thosehonoured on 24 June were Margaret Atwood, SeánO’Rourke, Professor Gio Wiederhold and SeánCampbell. Speaking at the conferring ceremony,NUI Galway President, Dr James J. Browne said:“NUI Galway is fortunate to be associated withmany outstanding honorary graduates throughoutits history and those being honoured this year are avery distinguished group. Each has made anexceptional and distinctive contribution to thediverse fields of literature, youth affairs, journalismand computer science. NUI Galway is proud tohonour them.”

Margaret Atwood was conferred with a Degree ofDoctor of Literature (honoris causa). The Canadianauthor has published more than forty books offiction, poetry, and critical essays. Margaret has astrong connection with the West of Ireland and hascontributed poetry to a collection edited by DesLally in 2008 entitled Captivating Brightness:

Ballynahinch. Profits from the book were donatedto Cancer Care West. Margaret Atwood lives inToronto with writer Graeme Gibson.

Seán O’Rourke was conferred with a Degree ofDoctor of Laws (honoris causa). A native ofPortlaoise, Seán completed a BA in English, Historyand Legal Science at NUI Galway in 1977. He wasawarded the 2006 NUI Galway Alumni AIB Awardfor Literature, Communications and the Arts, and isthe founding chairperson of the AlumniAssociation’s Dublin Club.

Professor Gio Wiederhold was conferred with aDegree of Doctor of Science (honoris causa). GioWiederhold is a Professor Emeritus of ComputerScience, Electrical Engineering, and Medicine atStanford University, teaching part-time. During hiscareer he has pioneered the combination ofDatabase and Knowledge Bases. His researchcontributions are fundamental for the SemanticWeb, the main focus of the Digital Enterprise

Research Institute, (DERI) one of NUI Galway’sflagship research institutes.

Seán Campbell was conferred with a Degree ofDoctor of Laws (honoris causa). Seán Campbell isChief Executive Officer of Foróige, Ireland’s leadingyouth organisation and he has worked for the it forover 25 years. One of Seán’s most notableachievements is bringing the Big Brother Big Sisteryouth mentoring programme to Ireland. Seán was adriving force in the development of Foróige’srelationship with the Child and Family ResearchCentre at NUI Galway which, among other things,led to Foróige’s partner status in the UNESCOChair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement.

The graduands join the ranks of previous honoraryconferees, which include Nelson Mandela, HilaryClinton, Christy O Connor Snr and Christy OConnor Jnr, Enya, Sean Purcell, the late MervGriffin, Anjelica Huston and Fionnuala Flanagan.

University Honours Four Outstanding Individuals

Inside this Issue: Page 3 Prostate Cancer Institute OpenedPage 5 Student & Staff Awards Page 7 Focal ón Uachtarán... and more!

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LANuachtlitir Foirne | Staff Newsletter | Samhradh 2011

Pictured at the Honorary Conferring (l-r): President Browne, Margaret Atwood,Seán O’Rourke, Seán Campbell and Professor Gio Wiederhold.

OLLSCÉALA

Ollscéala is published bythe Marketing & Communications Office,NUI Galway.T: 091 493361 E: Ollsceala@nuigalway.ie

Focal ón EagarthóirIs cinnte go raibh neart ar siúl anseo san Ollscoil lecúpla mí anuas. Thug an tUachtarán Máire MhicGhiolla Íosa cuairt ar an Ollscoil chun an Institiúid umAilse Phróstatach a oscailt, agus tháinig Airí nua-cheaptha chomh fada leis an Ollscoil chun léargas afháil ar an taighde agus ar an obair atá ar bun snahinstitiúidí éagsúla ar fud na hOllscoile. Chomh maithleis sin, dea-scéala ba ea na comhpháirtíochtaístraitéiseacha a fógraíodh, ar fianaise iad go bhfuil anOllscoil ag comhlíonadh an ghealltanais a thug sí gobhfreastalódh sí ar riachtanais oideachais, shóisialtaagus gheilleagracha na mac léinn agus an phobail igcoitinne.

Our students and staff have scooped a record amountof awards in the last three months alone. So much sothat this issue of Ollscéala is a bumper edition! Checkout all our achievements on pages 8, 9, 10 and 24.

The Ryan Institute will continue to hit the headlineswith its Vents & Reefs Expedition. The Institute is partof a team that’s to sail to the mid - Atlantic to check outa newly discovered hydrothermal vent ecosystem. TheLead Marine Biologist is our own Patrick Collins at theBenthic Ecology Unit and he has organised acompetition for secondary school students to nameundiscovered animals the team will be collecting.National Geographic television will be documentingthis historic event.

The new Prostate Cancer Institute was officiallyopened by President Mary McAleese in April. TheInstitute, of which the President is a Patron, will focusprimarily on developing better therapies for patientswith prostate cancer. Read all about it on page 3.

Bainigí sult as agus go dtí an chéad eagrán eile, slántamall.

Sinéad Ní Neachtain

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Pictured (l to r), Irene Gibson, Programme Manager of Croí MyAction® and Michael Smith, Paramedic withthe HSE West Ambulance Service along with with Dr Gerard Flaherty, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medicineand Medical Education and Director of the Special Study Module programme at NUI Galway.

In recognition of their outstanding contribution to the undergraduate medical teaching programme atNUI Galway, two allied healthcare professionals from HSE West and Croí West of Ireland CardiacFoundation have been appointed as Honorary Clinical Fellows at NUI Galway. Irene Gibson has beeninstrumental in setting up a special study module in preventive cardiology at NUI Galway as well as co-supervising summer student research in preventive cardiology. Michael Smith organises and supervisesthe very popular special study module in Pre-hospital Emergency Care, which exposes 2nd year medicalstudents to the challenges of immediate care in the community.

Is é Dónall Ó Braonáin, Leascheannaire ar Raidió na Gaeltachta,atá ceaptha mar Phríomhfheidhmeannach ar Acadamh nahOllscolaíochta Gaeilge. Bhain Dónall bunchéim agusscoláireachtaí iarchéime sa Ghaeilge agus sa Laidin i gColáiste nahOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath, mar ar bhain sé MA sa Ghaeilgefreisin. I ndiaidh cúrsaí oiliúna iarchéime sa teangeolaíocht, sanfhileolaíocht agus sa phailéagrafaíocht, chaith sé tamall blianta agléachtóireacht i Roinn na Nua-Ghaeilge, UCD, agus ag obair arthograí foilsitheoireachta acadúla in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann:Foclóir na Nua-Ghaeilge (FNG) agus an Foclóir NáisiúntaBeathaisnéise (DIB). Fostaíodh mar iriseoir le RTÉ é sa bhliain1999. D’oibrigh sé mar thuairisceoir agus fo-eagarthóir teilifíseagus raidió le Nuacht RTÉ/TG4 agus mar Chlár Reachtaire leRaidió na Gaeltachta. Bhí sé ar dhuine den mheitheal a chuireadh Nuachtiris i láthair ar RTÉ Raidió ahAon agus is comhfhreagraí rialta de chuid BBC Radio nan Gàidheal é. Ceapadh ina Leascheannaire é arRaidió na Gaeltachta ar Lá Fhéile Bríde 2006.

Lecturer sits on editorial boardof top environmental journalDr .Chaosheng Zhang, Head of the newly established Geographic Information System (GIS) Centreat the Ryan Institute, has been invited to sit on the editorial board of the top environmental journal,Science of the Total Environment. Dr Zhang teaches GIS and statistics courses at School ofGeography and Archaeology.

Honorary Clinical Fellows Appointed

Príomhfheidhmeannach nua ar Acadamhna hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge Ceaptha

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President Mary McAleese OpensProstate Cancer Institute

Library Hosts GardaPhotographic Exhibition

The James Hardiman Library was the venue for anexhibition of 48 photographs that illustrate the earlyhistory of An Garda Síochána, including itsprecursors, The Royal Irish Constabulary and TheDublin Metropolitan Police. This fascinatingcollection of photographs was on loan from AnGarda Síochána Historical Society. There arescenes of Gardaí on duty in Dublin and onoccasions such as the funeral of Kevin O’Higgins in1927. There are several photographs showing thescenes of crimes, including the discovery of a ton ofsalmon in a derelict house in Blackrock in 1927.The salmon are laid out for all to see. Photographsof Gardaí from the Library’s Ritchie-PickowCollection also feature in a slide show. Dr MaryHarris, Senior Lecturer in History at NUI Galway,comments: “This intriguing exhibition providesinsights into police work and prompts interestingquestions about crime in early twentieth-centuryIreland.”

President Mary McAleese officially opened thenew Prostate Cancer Institute at NUI Galway inApril. The Institute, of which the President is aPatron, is directed by Professor Frank Sullivan,Consultant Radiation Oncologist. The newfacility, which is primarily focused on developingbetter therapies for patients with prostate cancer,will benefit from a close association with theextensive clinical services already offered to thesepatients at Galway University Hospitals andother regional hospitals. The Institute will alsocollaborate with the wide-ranging biomedicalresearch programmes of the National Centre forBiomedical Engineering Sciences (NCBES) atNUI Galway and with a number of researchinstitutes in Ireland and internationally. CancerBiology and Developmental Therapeutics arestrategic research priorities at NUI Galway. Overthe last number of years, NUI Galway and

Galway University Hospitals have built a strongteam of internationally recognised pre-clinical,translational, and clinical cancer scientists.Galway University Hospitals are the majoracademic-medical centre in the West of Ireland,and one of the eight specialist cancer centresestablished under the National Cancer ControlPlan. It offers the full range of prostate cancerdiagnostics and treatments, and is one of thecountry’s leading centres for treatment of thisform of cancer. Initial funding for the Institutehas been provided by Galway UniversityFoundation. This has enabled the appointmentof Dr Sharon Glynn as Director of LaboratoryResearch. Early work at the Institute will involvethe collection and bioprocurement of prostatetissue, which will provide the base for its primaryand collaborative research programme.

This summer, as part of the Vents & Reefs(VENTuRE) expedition, marine scientists fromNUI Galway and University College Cork(UCC), are part of a team heading out to themid-Atlantic to check out a newly discoveredhydrothermal vent ecosystem. There, on themid-Atlantic ridge, at a depth of almost 3000metres, the Marine Institute’s Holland I ROV(Remotely Operated Vehicle) will be sendingimages of a whole new world to scientists at the

surface. This pristine ecosystem is such anexciting discovery that National GeographicTelevision will be there to film the wholeexperience. Patrick Collins, a researcher with theBenthic Ecology Unit at NUI Galway’s RyanInstitute, is the lead Marine Biologist with theVents & Reefs campaign, and has organised avery exciting competition for second-levelstudents in Ireland to name these, as yet,undiscovered creatures.

NUI Galway Gives Students a Chance to Name Sea Creature

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NUI Galway Acquires Rare Archiveof Writer Thomas Kilroy

Highest AcademicHonour for NUI GalwayExperts

Pictured: (back, l-r) NUI Galway’s Professors ColinO’Dowd, Peter McHugh, and Donal O’Regan; (front)NUI Galway President, Dr James J. Browne, andPresident of the Royal Irish Academy, Professor LukeDrury.

The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has elected threeof NUI Galway’s top academics for admission.Professors Peter McHugh, Colin O’Dowd andDonal O’Regan are among 23 scholars from aroundIreland joining colleagues like Ernest Walton, ErwinSchrödinger, Seamus Heaney and Mary Robinson,who have previously attained Membership of theRIA through distinction in education and research.The NUI Galway Professors work in the fields ofBiomedical Engineering, Climate Physics andMathematics.

From the Ireland of the 1960s arose a generationof writers that created a cultural revival, whichcompares with, and perhaps exceeds, the ‘IrishRenaissance’ of the early 1900s. This secondflowering has contributed to Ireland’s reputationas a uniquely creative nation. The papers of thosethat did most to forge that reputation are inpublic archives, - except, until now, those ofThomas Kilroy. To mark the acquisition of thattreasure trove of papers by the James HardimanLibrary, a public interview with Thomas Kilroyhimself took place on campus in March. ThomasKilroy is world-renowned as a novelist anddramatist. His novel, The Big Chapel (1971),received a Booker Prize nomination, and hisplays include The Death and Resurrection of Mr.Roche (1968), Double Cross (1986), The SecretFall of Constance Wilde (1997) and Christ Deliver

Us! (2010). The Archive contains research notes,drafts and scripts of his novels and plays. Allcreative work is complemented bycorrespondence from agents, theatrepractitioners, publishers, and the public, as wellas production material from the stage plays. Italso includes a collection of correspondencefrom literary friends and associates, as well asThomas Kilroy’s private correspondence withmembers of The Field Day Theatre Company.There are papers relating to the Abbey Theatre,of which he is a long-standing board member.The Archive complements other purely literaryArchives at the Library, such as the JohnMcGahern and Eoghan Ó Tuairisc Collections,as well as theatre Archives pertaining to theDruid Theatre, the Lyric Players’ Theatre, andTaibhdhearc na Gaillimhe.

NUI Galway and Galway-Mayo Institute ofTechnology (GMIT) have announced a newstrategic partnership to serve the educational, socialand economic needs of their students and the widerregional, national and international communities.The agreement provides for collaborativeopportunities in teaching and learning, research,entrepreneurship, regional development,commercialisation, programme design, distanceeducation, and work-based learning. Bothinstitutions will work closely together in promotingflexible learning and programme delivery, studentplacements, internships, staff development anddevelopment of adjunct research positions. Bothwill also devise a joint Teaching, Learning and

Assessment strategy to provide programmes thatfocus on the needs of students, the workplace andthe world of professional practice in the region,nationally and internationally. The agreementmakes it a priority to ensure that researchprogrammes are of the highest quality and deliveredto best international practice. Recognising NUIGalway as the lead institution in research, andGMIT’s research excellence GMIT in critical areas,both will work to develop a collaborative strategyfor research, including ensuring access for researchstaff and students of each to the facilities of both.GMIT and NUI Galway will actively develop jointand dual research awards at Masters and Doctorallevels.

NUI Galway and GMIT Sign Strategic Partnership

President Browne, Dr Lionel Pilkington and Thomas Kilroy viewing the archive.

Rory O’Connor, GMIT Chairman, MichaelCarmody, GMIT President, Nollaig MacCongáil,Registrar & Deputy President, NUI Galway andGearoid O’Conluain, NUI Galway Secretary.

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PhD Conferring Seventy students have been conferred with aDoctor of Philosophy (PhD) by NUI GalwayPresident, Dr James J. Browne. All Colleges of theUniversity were represented, including Arts, SocialSciences and Celtic Studies; Business, PublicPolicy and Law; Engineering and Informatics;Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; andScience. To view the names of those pictured,please log ontohttp://www.nuigalway.ie/graduatestudies/

1,000 ResearchPapers in ARAN ARAN (Access to Research at NUI Galway) is therepository for research papers, which is maintainedby the James Hardiman Library. The service wasintroduced in 2008 to make research publicationsfrom the University available to all online. Thisalso helps increase the number of citations. ARANhas now passed another milestone: its 1,000thpublication, Ireland, peacekeeping and policingthe ‘new world order, by Dr Ray Murphy, IrishCentre for Human Rights, which had gone out ofprint, is now online.

Pictured: (l-r): Professor Terry Smith, Dr RayMurphy, John Cox and Fergus Fahey

NUI Galway Awards Over270 Junior CertificateStudents Over 270 second-level students from acrossConnaught who received an A in Junior CertificateHonours Business Studies have been presentedwith Certificates of Achievement from the J.E.Cairnes School of Business and Economics. Thepresentations, in association with the BusinessStudies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI),were made at a special ceremony at the University.This is the first year NUI Galway has presentedthese awards.

International Nursing andMidwifery ConferenceThe third international conference, Building andPromoting Excellence in Practice, held by theSchool of Nursing and Midwifery in April, broughttogether leaders in the field to share theirexperiences of clinical care and research. Theconference covered issues of chronic illness,mental health, older people, maternity care andwomen’s health, as well as teaching and learning inpractice. The keynote speaker was MargareteSandelowski, Distinguished Professor in theSchool of Nursing at the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill.

NUI Galway Hosts Lectureon Historical Sisters

The Centre for Irish Studies hosted a free publiclecture entitled ‘Hanna and Her Sisters: The livesof Hanna Sheehy Skeffington and MargaretSheehy Culhane Casey, as told by theirgranddaughters’. A joint presentation wasdelivered by NUI Galway Lecturer, Dr MichelineSheehy Skeffington, and Professor Dara Culhane,Simon Fraser University, Canada.

Teenagers Need PositiveThinking – Not NegativeStereotypingA new approach in the field of child and youthresearch, which involves working positively withteenagers, rather than focussing on negativeconnotations, was discussed during a publiclecture at NUI Galway in March. Guest speakerProfessor Richard Lerner, said we should rejectthe prevailing negative view of adolescents, whichfocuses on what they lack. Professor Lerner, who isBergstrom Chair and Director of the Institute forApplied Research in Youth Development at TuftsUniversity in the US, is a prolific researcher overfour decades and his latest book, The Good Teen,offers a programme of Positive YouthDevelopment.

NUI Galway Law GraduateBecomes Seychelles’ FirstFemale Judge An NUI Galway law graduate is to become thefirst-ever female judge in the Seychelles. MrsMathilda Twomey, who studied the LL.M. inPublic Law, has been appointed as a Justice of theCourt of Appeal by Seychelles President, JamesMichel, on the recommendation of the islandnation’s Constitutional Appointments Authority.Commenting, Marie McGonagle, Director of theLL.M. in Public Law, said: “I am delighted atMathilda’s appointment. She is a very skilledlawyer, who gave much to and gained much fromthe LL.M. at NUI Gaway. I wish her everysuccess.”

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Event QuestionsExecutive Accountabilityand ParliamentaryDemocracyThe School of Law, in association with MasonHayes+Curran solicitors, has hosted a conferenceentitled Executive Accountability andParliamentary Democracy. The conferencetheme was pursued in the context of theformation of a new Government and thebeginning of a potentially new era in Irish Politicsand Public Law. Emily O’Reilly, Ombudsman,delivered the keynote, and there were panelpresentations by Donncha O’Connell from NUIGalway’s School of Law, Catherine Allen, Partnerwith Mason Hayes+Curran solicitors; andpolitical analyst and TCD lecturer, Dr ElaineByrne. The half-day conference was introducedjointly by Marie McGonagle, Director of theLLM in Public Law, and Judge CatherineMcGuinness, Adjunct Professor of Law, both ofNUI Galway.

TrailblazingMathematician VisitsNUI GalwayOne of the world’s top mathematicians visitedNUI Galway for the 5th de Brún Workshop inApril. Professor Cheryl Praeger, from theUniversity of Western Australia, is in the top onepercent of the world’s highly citedmathematicians. She has made revolutionarycontributions to Algebra, Discrete Mathematics,and Statistics (Data Analysis). According to DrDane Flannery, of the de Brún Centre forComputational Algebra: “We were very fortunateto host Professor Praeger and to hear about herlatest research, and her insights aboutMathematics in the wider context of modernscience and society. Her visit here also highlightsthe many successes of women in Mathematics.”

Award WinningEntrepreneurshipEducator and PractitionerSpeaks at NUI GalwayThe Centre for Innovation and StructuralChange (CISC) has hosted Professor Peter Kellyof Aalto University in Finland, who delivered this

year’s InterTradeIreland Innovation Lecture onthe topic of ‘Rethinking Business Models:Creativity Inspired Innovation’. Professor Kelly’slecture challenged conventional wisdom aboutdeveloping a business, and provided practicalguidance on how to succeed in the recession.

Spring Open Day a Successfor Students and Families

Pictured: Rita Grant, 2nd Arts, and James Britton,3rd Science, at the Spring Open Day at theUniversity in April.This event is targeted at Leaving Certificate andmature students who are interested in studying atNUI Galway. Over 3,000 visitors attended theevent, which featured hands-on, interactiveScience Experience workshops and campus tours.

Social MarketingConferenceThe Centre for Innovation and StructuralChange (CISC) hosted the 3rd Annual SocialMarketing Conference entitled ‘EnablingSustainable Behaviour: The Environment,Communities, Health & Well Being’. TheConference brought together two world-renowned sustainable behavioural changeexperts, Dr Doug McKenzie-Mohr and Dr CraigLefebvre. Other practitioners and leaders in thepublic and voluntary sector were also on hand toanswer questions.

Psychology ConferenceThe School of Psychology hosted the 8th AnnualPsychology, Health and Medicine Conference atthe University in April. The aim was to promotehigh quality research at the interface ofpsychology, health and medicine, and to facilitatesocial and professional networks among peopleworking in this area. This year’s event featured

presentations on all aspects of health psychology,from laboratory studies of cardiovascular healthto cognitive behavioural interventions to improvehealth outcomes in clinical settings. Keynotespeakers included Professor Derek Johnston,University of Aberdeen, Scotland; Dr CatherineWoods, Dublin City University; and Dr ValMorrison, Bangor University, Wales.

Wily Students Turns€10 into €200Students from all disciplines were given thechallenge of taking €10 and using their wits tomake as much money as possible over three days.The SEEN €10 competition’s aim was to showthat any student could create an enterprise froma tiny initial investment. The winner was PhilipRyan, a Commerce student from Donnybrook,Co Dublin, who turned a profit of €202 by sellingconfectionery and soft drinks door-to-door in theNUI Galway student villages. SEEN is theStudent Enterprise Exchange Network, theUniversity’s student-run and focused enterprisesupport service.

Job Opportunities forGraduates in the West

Pictured at the Graduate Recruitment &Opportunities in the West (GROW) Fair, ProfessorChris Curtin (Vice-President for Innovation andPerformance), John Hannon (Head of CareerDevelopment Centre), and representatives fromBioWare, a division of EA Games.

Some 15 companies, all actively recruiting third-level graduates, visited in March as part of theGraduate Recruitment and Opportunities in theWest Careers Fair (GROW). Exhibitors wereparticularly keen to meet and recruit NUIGalway graduates from a wide range ofdisciplines including business, science,engineering, languages and IT. The event wasorganised jointly by the Career DevelopmentCentre and Alumni Association.

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A Chairde,

With Leaving Certificate exams over, I'm delightedto report another boost in the CAO figures forapplications to NUI Galway! For the thirdconsecutive year, first preference applications forour undergraduate degrees have increasedsignificantly as the University’s popularitycontinues to soar.

Since March we have seen a further almost 10%increase in the number of students selecting NUIGalway as their first choice institution through theChange of Mind and late application process. NUIGalway is now in the top two universities forgrowth in first preference applications through theChange of Mind. This is a great achievement!

The most popular courses for students to date arein Biomedical Science; Marine Science and thenew BA CONNECT degrees, especially theTheatre and Performance, Creative Writing,Human Rights, and Film Studies options. Scienceand Engineering courses have also seen a jump inpopularity this year with NUI Galway outperforming the national trend in both, butespecially in Engineering where the opening of anew Engineering Building in July is a big draw forCAO applicants.

Students Matter!This interest in and popularity for our courses isvery heartening. It is a tribute to all our colleagues- academics and support staff - who havedeveloped programmes and who regularly travelall over Ireland to promote these course offeringsto prospective students.

Such interest by students means they must berewarded by giving them the very best experiencewhile attending NUI Galway. We must prioritisethe 'first-year learning experience'. First-yearstudents must be given every support in making

that often challenging transition from secondaryschool to university. I know that CELT areworking hard on this and I would encourage allstaff to contribute, in whatever way they can, tomaking each first-year student's experience aspositive as it can be. Níl dabht faoi ná go bhfuiltáithí na chéad bhliana fíor-thábhachtach - túsmaith leath na hoibre.

Following on from the first-year experience, wemust strive to ensure that our teaching andlearning resources offer all students the bestpossible learning environment. CELT is making areal difference here -with the upgrade ofBlackboard which will be available in September;the roll out of new tools to improve interactionwithin the classroom; and the increasing rates ofservice-learning and volunteerism on campus.Such steps will ensure that NUI Galway studentshave a rich and positive learning experience.

Research Matters!Another very gratifying development is the growthin PhD students. This year already we haveawarded over 125 PhDs at conferrings in Marchand June (see Ollscéala p. 5). We have more thandoubled our PhD output in recent years to almost150 in the calendar year 2010. And with this year'sAutumn and Winter conferrings we are poised toexceed this figure and are well on target to achievethe goal of 200 per year by the end of 2011.

As our research centres continue to develop andgrow, so too our PhD programmes become moreattractive to students from Ireland and beyond. Tofurther support this, we have set up a new PhDScholarship programme - the Hardiman ResearchScholarships (see Ollscéala p.20). These fully-funded four-year PhD scholarships are focused onfive key areas of research in which the Universityoffers leading expertise. The value of the ResearchScholarship is a stipend of €16,000 plus fees. ThisScholarship programme will attract the beststudents to NUI Galway and support theirdevelopment as innovative individuals who willcontribute globally to economic, cultural andsocial development. Well done to Dr Pat Morgan,

Dean of Graduate Studies, and her team for theirwork with the Colleges in this area! Tá éachtdéanta ag foireann an Staidéir Iarchéime.

The Library's recent archive acquisitions will alsosupport these research endeavours. Archivaltreasures such as those recently received fromThomas Kilroy (see Ollscéala p.4) and existingholdings such as the McGahern, Ó Tuarisc andShields Family Collections, as well as theatrearchives relating to Druid Theatre, Lyric Players'Theatre, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, will all furtherenhance NUI Galway's location as a centre fordoctoral research in the arts and humanities.

New AlliancesIn the spirit of strategic collaboration which we'vedeveloped over the last few years I'm very pleasedwith the new partnerships which we haveannounced recently with GMIT (see Ollscéala p.4) and Galway Arts Festival. These partnershipsgive further expression to our commitment towork with the strengths and needs of our region toaddress national objectives, all the while strivingfor the highest international standards. Already thebenefits of such alliances are clear and a number ofnew initiatives have emerged from our strategicpartnerships with University of Limerick, GeorgiaTech and Druid Theatre which are enriching ourresearch activities as well as the teaching andlearning experience at NUI Galway.

This final edition of Ollscéala for the academicyear highlights the tremendous range of activity atNUI Galway. From world-class conferences toresearch breakthroughs, from volunteerism topublic advocacy - our university is at the heart ofnational life. In challenging times we are workingto continuously improve what we do as acommunity of teachers, scholars, researchers andsupport staff. I thank you for your contributionand wish you an enjoyable summer.

Beir bua agus beannacht, James J. Browne Ph.D.,D.Sc.,MRIA,C.Eng. Uachtarán - President

Tá Focal ón Uachtarán le fáil ar line agus go dátheangach: www.nuigalway.ie/president/reports

Focal ón Uachtarán

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Student & Staff AwardsRTÉ’s Tommie GormanPresents Journalism Awards

RTÉ news correspondent Tommie Gorman haspresented awards to two graduates of the NUIGalway MA in Journalism class of 2010. LorraineO’Hanlon received the fourth annual DonnaFerguson Award for the highest mark in thebroadcasting module. The Connacht TribuneMedal was presented to Antoinette Giblin for thehighest overall mark in the course.

Pictured (top to bottom): Winners of theInnovation, Creativity and Enterprise (ICE)Programme: James Kenny, Mullingar, CoWestmeath; Patrick Flanagan, Sligo and MarkRuane, Sligo for their project ‘Pipe Protect’ – anew product that uses mobile phone technologyto monitor and control pipes during freezingweather. The ICE module, a competitive part ofthe B.Comm. and the B.Sc. in BusinessInformation Systems, involves groups of studentspresenting their innovations to mentors andgoing through a number of stages of judging. Thefive finalist groups compete for a prize of €6,000,sponsored by the Chartered Institute ofManagement Accountants (CIMA).

Engineering StudentsWin Prestigious TransportAwardsSix NUI Galway students are among the winnersof the transport industry’s national Student Idea ofthe Year Awards. The awards are presented

annually to the originators of innovative ideas thatcould make a real contribution to an aspect oftransport in Ireland. The students, from theCollege of Engineering and Informatics, werepresented with their awards by RTÉ's DuncanStewart. Olgierd Gosztowtt from Poland, PeterIstenes from Riverside, Galway, and Paul Jacobsenfrom Castlegar, Co Galway, won the SafetyCategory. The prize in the Marine Category wasawarded to Cathal McCormack from Oranmore,Co Galway, Jason McDonagh from Moyola Park,Galway, and Kieran McDonnell, from Mullingar,Co Westmeath. This is the 15th year in whichNUI Galway students have scooped CILT awards,reflecting the University’s strong reputation inengineering education.

Marine Category: Pictured at the presentation of theStudent Idea of the Year Awards, Marine Category,were (l-r): Seamus Cleere, Award Sponsor fromHazChem Training Ltd.; Monica Murphy, EasternSection Chairperson of CILT; Mary Dempsey of theCollege of Engineering and Informatics at NUIGalway; NUI Galway students Jason McDonagh,Cathal McCormack, and Kieran McDonnell; andRTÉ's Duncan Stewart.

New NUI Galway SocietiesBursaries AnnouncedThe winners of the newly launched UCG Spirit of78/80 Socs Bursary have announced at a specialceremony. The Societies Office, in conjunctionwith the Graduates of 1978 – 1980, have awardedbursaries, each worth €1,000, in six differentcategories. Funds for five are provided by NUIGalway graduates from the class of 1978 – 1980,with the Societies Office funding the sixth. Therecipients are:Soloist Category:Isaac Burke, Castlebar, Co Mayo;Groups Category: Orna Ní Bhroin, Foxrock,Dublin and Diarmuid Scahill, Coolough Road,Galway;

Performance Category: Dave Rock, Kinvara, CoGalway; Civic Engagement/Charity Volunteering:Julie D'lima, Tirellan Heights, Galway;Audience Choice: Adam Guinane, Limerick City;Borja Catellan-Valladolid, Spain; Joe Junker,Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare, James Frawley,Mervue, Galway; and Meaghan LaGrandeur,Ottawa, Canada;Judges Choice: joint winners: Aron Hegarty,Inniscaragh, Co Cork and Teresa Brennan,Barrow House, Co Laois.

Winners of 2011 SportsAwards Announced

The NUI Galway 2011 Sports Awards, presentedat a special ceremony in the Ardilaun Hotel,celebrate the broad diversity of success on and offthe field that is the strength of sport at theUniversity. This year’s recipients are - Archery:Aisling Finn, Ballimacourty, Clarinbridge, CoGalway; Boxing: John Ridge, Rusheenamanagh,Carna, Co Galway; Darts: Stiofán De Lundres ÓDálaigh, Dangerville, Tuam, Co Galway; LadiesGaelic Football: Eilish Ward, Ballybrillaghan,Mountcharles, Co Donegal; Men’s GaelicFootball: Ciaran McDonald, Newtown, Aherlow,Co Tipperary; Camogie: Michaela Morkan,Shinrone, Birr, Co Offaly; Handball: DiarmaidNash, Tobarnagoth, Scarrif, Co Clare; Hockey:Aoife Smyth, Upper Salthill, Galway; Judo: FionaKeating, Lower Salthill, Galway; Mountaineering:Joan Mulloy, The Quay, Westport, Co Mayo;Women’s Rugby: Heather Cary, Toronto,Canada; Ladies Soccer: Nuala Marshall, London,Ontario, Canada; Men’s Soccer: Evan PrestonKelly, Dr Mannix Road, Galway; Team Award:Men’s Senior Basketball Team 2010 – 2011;Team Award: Men’s Senior Rowing 2010 – 2011;Most Improved Club: Women’s Rugby 2010 -2011; Club Captains Award: Dee O’Dwyer,Athletics Club; Special Achievement Award:Nithin Bindal, Cricket Club; Participation Award:Fun Run Committee, Athletics Club;Recreational Award: Futsal - Men on Bikes;Alumni Leadership Award: Boxing Club.

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Students win HSA ThirdLevel ‘Safety in Design’National CompetitionA team of students from NUI Galway has won aHealth and Safety Authority-run competitionaimed at undergraduates from construction-related degree programmes in third-levelinstitutions. The winning team was made up byKevin Carney, Frenchpark, Co Roscommon,Grant Deeney, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon,and Shane McHale, Ballina, Co Mayo. The NUIGalway three worked together giving expert adviceon remedial repairs, traffic management and long-term maintenance of a bridge that sufferedstructural damage as result of a strike.

NUI GalwaySocieties AwardsThe NUI Galway Societies Awards have takenplace on campus with 17 awards presented at agala event. These awards celebrate thecontribution which over 100 societies make tothe University and wider community. Thecoveted Best Society of the Year award went tothe Drama Society for the professionalism andcreativity they brought to their numerous andvaried events during the year. Most ImprovedSociety went to the GiG (Gay in Galway) Soc fortheir determination and effort to improve andexpand the society. Best New Society went to theComic Book Society, which exploded on to thesocieties scene this year with colourful andoriginal events. Best Society Individual went toDrama Society’s Neasa O’Callaghan, whose hardwork and dedication during the Irish StudentDrama Awards was exemplary. Neasa is alsoauditor of Classics Soc and an active member ofLit & Deb. Best Fresher went to RonanGallagher, who was venue manager of the Bankof Ireland theatre during the ISDA Festival andwho has been involved in lighting for manyDramsoc productions. Best Event went to theISDA festival, organised by the Drama Society.

International Award forGraduate Student NUI Galway PhD student, David Byrne, hasbeen awarded second place for his posterpresentation at the Institute of StructuralEngineers Young Researchers Conference, heldin London. The conference, now in its 13th year,provides a platform for research students topresent their work and exchange ideas with peersand industry leaders. David, from Wicklow town,was presented with the award for his poster, ‘Theanalysis of shear transfer in void formed flat slabs,including in-situ measurements from a building’.His entry was shortlisted from over 60 abstractssubmitted from PhD students in the UK andIreland, and was judged by a panel of Institutemembers.

School of Medicine TeamWins Jack Flanagan MedalThe Dublin Ageing Research Network-sponsored 2011 Jack Flanagan IntervarsityCompetition has been won by the NUI GalwaySchool of Medicine team of Larissa Higgins, TaraMcDonnell, Tara Tarmey and Teresa O’Dowd.The winners receive the Jack Flanagan Medal inGerontology and a cash bursary. Thecompetition is named after Ireland’s first doctorto specialise in modern-day geriatric medicine. Itbegan as an intervarsity competition between thepenultimate year students of Dublin medicalschools and has expanded to include Galway andCork. The event challenges teams on theirknowledge of medicine and psychiatricprogrammes and how they interrelate with anageing population.

Pictured (l to r): Larissa Higgins, Tara McDonnell,Professor Martin O’Donnell (Director, HRBClinical Research Facility), Tara Tarmey, TeresaO’Dowd and Professor Fidelma Dunne (Head ofMedical School)

Student AwardedPrestigiousInternational PrizeA doctoral fellow at the Centre for Innovationand Structural Change (CISC), Ciara Fitzgerald,has been presented with second prize in theAssociation of University Technology Managers(AUTM) Graduate Student Literature ReviewPrize. Ciara’s studies at NUI Galway are fundedunder the Programme for Research in ThirdLevel Institutions (PRTLI 4) as part of the IrishSocial Sciences Platform. She is researchingstrategic planning and formulation practices inIrish Technology Transfer Offices and her prize-winning paper focuses on Legitimacy, Missionand Management: Key Challenges forTechnology Transfer Offices. The criteria for thisglobal competition include topic saliency toAUTM members, richness of discussion forapplication to practice, and strength ofconceptual framework in organising the review.As a prize winner, Ciara attended the AUTMAnnual Meeting in Las Vegas, where she receivedher plaque and presented her work.

Pictured: Ciara Fitzgerald, CISC, NUI Galwayreceiving her prize from Ashley Stevens, immediatePast President of the Association of UniversityTechnology Managers (AUTM), in Las Vegas.

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OLLSCÉALAComic Book SocietyScoops National Award

The NUI Galway Comic Book Society won theBest New Society Award at the Board of IrishCollege Societies (BICS) Awards ceremony inMay. BICS provides a national forum for societiesacross Ireland's Universities, Colleges andInstitutes of Education to promote their interestsand work towards best practice. The NationalAwards are the highlight of the BICS year.

D.Eng AwardNUI has awarded the D.Eng to Professor GerHurley, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, forhis published work. This higher doctorate is thehighest qualification that can be awarded by theNUI and is given to scholars who have published asubstantial body of ground-breaking andinfluential work and have achieved outstandingdistinction internationally in their field.

Fifteen SummerScholarshipsFifteen NUI Galway School of Medicine researchstudents have been awarded Summer StudentScholarships by the Health Research Board(HRB). The aim is to encourage an interest inhealth research and to give students anopportunity to become familiar with the researchprocess, techniques and methodologies throughconducting a summer project. The students will besupervised by academic and clinical staff at NUIGalway and Galway University Hospitals. The 15 recipients are: Cliona Small,Knocknacarra, Galway; Maria Duignan, Boyle, CoRoscommon; Catherine Crowe, Ballaghaderreen,Co Roscommon; Máirtín Ó Maoláin, Dangan,Galway; Sorcha Kearney Wolnik, Shantalla,Galway; Fiachra O Deasmhunaigh, Bishoptown,Co Cork; Sarah Cormican, Oranmore, CoGalway; Domhnall O’Connor, Tullamore, CoOffaly; Tariq Esmail, Burlington, Canada;Dympna O’Dwyer, Mullagh, Co Clare; MarkGurney, Grange, Co Sligo; Kate Dinneen, Barna,

Co Galway; Robert McGrath, Loughrea, CoGalway; Urszula Donigiewicz, Carigtwohill, CoSligo, Darren Kilmartin, Rosses Point, Co Sligo;and Alan Jacobsen, Castlegar, Co Galway.

Research CouncilFellowshipsSix NUI Galway researchers have been awardedFellowships by the Irish Research Council forScience, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET).Over €3.3 million is being made available underthe Empower scheme to support 37 people whowill carry out a research and professionaldevelopment programme over the next two years.The NUI Galway recipients include Dr FionaBrennan, Dr Olivier LeRoux, Biology; Dr RoryCoffey, Dr James Murphy, Earth/EnvironmentalSciences; Dr Alexander Rahm, Mathematics; andDr Micheal Scanlon, Chemistry. Congratulatingthe six, Vice-President for Research, ProfessorTerry Smith, said; “The IRCSET Empowerscheme gives our researchers the opportunity tobuild and broaden their research and professionalskills at an early stage.”

£190,000 for breast cancerresearch at NUI GalwayA three-year research project by Dr Afshin Samalihas been awarded £190,000 by the Breast CancerCampaign charity to look specifically at findingnew ways of overcoming breast cancer treatmentresistance. Most patients receive anti-hormonetreatments, such as tamoxifen, to prevent breastcancer coming back, but over time onethird ofpeople develop resistance to them. Dr Samalibelieves that when two molecules called HSP72and IRE-_ join together, they produce othermolecules that prevent breast cancer cells beingdestroyed by these treatments.

Graduate Develops TopApple Mac AppNUI Galway graduate Vinny Coyne’s Eirtext apphas reached number one in the Mac App store. Italso features in the top 10 apps in the store forsocial networking. Eirtext enables users to avail offree and cheap web-based text messaging throughiMac, iBook, iPhone and iPod Touch. Vinny, whograduated with a B.E. in Electronic and ComputerEngineering in 2006, has developed a number ofiPhone apps. Eirtext was previously number one inthe free apps download chart in the App Store.

Researchers AwardedFunding for IrishBiomedical ResearchProjects

Two NUI Galway researchers, Professor AbhayPandit of the Network of Excellence forFunctional Biomaterials (NFB) and ProfessorRhodri Ceredig of the Regenerative MedicineInstitute (REMEDI) are among five awardeesfunded under an innovative new researchprogramme funded by the Johnson & JohnsonCorporate Office of Science and Technology(COSAT) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).The research projects, all biomedical, werelaunched by the Minister for Research andInnovation, Mr Sean Sherlock TD. ProfessorPandit, in collaboration with Professor JohnLaffey, Department of Anaesthesia, NUI Galwaywill conduct a study on a novel treatment for acutelung injury. Professor Ceredig in collaborationwith Professor Benjamin Bradley of the Institute ofTechnology, Tralee will conduct a drug discoveryprogramme using by-products obtained fromprocessing of natural materials.

Digital Media ExhibitionShowcases TalentA digital media exhibition has been held toshowcase projects from NUI Galway’s MA inDigital Media programme. The programme wasshortlisted for the ‘gradireland postgraduatecourse of the year’ in 2010. It attracts bright,creative students with a strong sense of identityand individuality from a variety of undergraduatedisciplines. In recent years, a number of projectshave gone on to win national Digital Mediaawards. The exhibition was part of the NUIGalway Arts in Action 2010-2011 initiative, whichaims to cultivate awareness of the creative artsacross campus.

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Seoladh tionscnamh nua in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, a thugann deis do mhúinteoirí áiseannadigiteacha a úsáid sa seomra ranga. Chruthaigh mic léinn an Dioplóma Iarchéime san Oideachas (DIO) iScoil an Oideachais OÉ Gaillimh, ceachtanna idirghníomhacha ilmheánacha as Gaeilge ag baint úsáid asMatchware Mediator. Teicneolaíocht ar leith atá anseo, urraithe ag COGG (Comhairle um OideachasGaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta), agus beidh na háiseanna ar fáil do mhúinteoirí agus do dhaltaí ar fud natíre. Tugann sé seo deis do mhúinteoirí acmhainní digiteacha a úsáid ar bhealach cruthaitheach, núálach.

Research ProvidesCommunicationGuidelines inCross-Cultural GPConsultationsAn NUI Galway researcher is part of the team thathas won a prestigious award for its work onguidelines to support communication in cross-cultural general practice consultations. Dr AnneMacFarlane, Lecturer in Primary Care, Disciplineof General Practice, School of Medicine, has ledthe Health Research Board Partnership Awardwith colleagues Mary O’Reilly-de Brún and Tomasde Brún, Directors of the Centre for ParticipatoryStrategies (CPS), Galway and Alice O’Flynn andDiane Nurse of the HSE Social Inclusion Unit.This research has used innovative participatoryresearch methods to enable the meaningfulinvolvement of health service users from themigrant community and health service providers inthe development of a guideline to supportcommunication in cross-cultural general practiceconsultations. This research has been awarded theProfessor James McCormack medal for bestresearch presentation, at the Association ofUniversity Departments of General PracticeAnnual Scientific Meeting.

Professor Speaks at United Nations Expert GroupMeeting on YouthProfessor Pat Dolan has participated in the UnitedNations Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on‘Dialogue and Mutual Understanding acrossGenerations’ in Doha, Qatar. The purpose of themeeting was to provide UN Member States and theUN Secretariat with expert opinion on dialogue andmutual understanding as it relates to generations. Indoing so, it seeks to explore the family structure as aframework for enhancing intergenerational dialoguebetween younger and older people and exploring itsimpact in a broader context including community,education and the workplace. Professor Dolan,holds the UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth andCivic Engagement and is Director of the Centre forChild and Family Research at NUI Galway.

Cruthaíonn Mic Léinn ModhannaDigiteacha Teagaisc don Todhchaí

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OLLSCÉALAMusical Note forMonsignor Pádraig deBrún Memorial LectureThe 2011 Monsignor Pádraig de Brún MemorialLecture, entitled Your Inner Muse: Heart, Ears,Mind, and Chipsets, has been delivered by thedistinguished American concert pianist andMuseAmi CEO, Robert Taub. The lectureaddressed the relationship between music andtechnology, and placed leading-edge technologicalinnovation within the context of musicalinnovation over the ages. Robert Taub has beenacclaimed internationally as a concert pianist andrecording artist. Having achieved much in theperforming arts, Robert founded MuseAmi in2007. He is familiar to Galway audiences as hisperformances have featured frequently in theMusic for Galway concert programmes.

Irish Student DramaFestival Comes to GalwayThe next generation of theatrical talent came toGalway for the Irish Student Drama AssociationFestival in March. This is the largest event ever inthe festival’s 63-year history, with NUI Galway’sDramsoc hosting 45 events over 9 days. Thefestival productions were a combination of thework of emerging student writers, as well as worksby t Brian Friel, William Shakespeare, TomMurphy, Conor McPherson, Martin McDonaghand Harold Pinter. The Irish Student DramaAssociation (ISDA) is the umbrella organisation ofIreland’s third-level drama societies. Featuring 25plays from 13 colleges around the country, theevent had daily performances in the DruidTheatre, Nun’s Island Theatre, and the Bank ofIreland Theatre on campus.

Hidden Histories ofWomen in TechnologyExhibit OpensAn exhibit entitled ‘Hidden Histories of Womenin Computing’ went on display at the University’sDigital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) inMay. The exhibit highlighted how, in spite ofmany obstacles, women have made an enormouscontribution to advances in communications andcomputer technologies. The event follows theprovision by DERI of information workshops tosecond-level students on the historical role of

women in science and technology. The DigitalEnterprise Research Institute an internationallyrenowned centre of web science research, has justcompleted a season of outreach activities basedaround the broader theme of ‘Digital Inclusion’.

Students VolunteerOverseas

Pictured: Students from NUI Galway and theUniversity of Limerick, who travelled to SouthAmerica as part of NUI Galway’s annual overseasvolunteering programme, with NUI GalwayPresident Dr James J. Browne, and University ofLimerick President Professor Don Barry. TheChaplaincy at NUI Galway has organised asummer overseas volunteering opportunity forstudents for many years. This year, the project is inNorth-Western Brazil and involves work incommunity development and the provision ofwater and sanitation. The students are travelingunder the auspices of the Irish charity SERVE.

New Report IdentifiesImportance of Life CoursePerspective to PolicyPlanningA report into the developmental welfare state hasbeen launched by Minister for Social ProtectionJoan Burton TD, at the Royal Irish Academy inDublin. The report, entitled CommunityEngagement in Ireland’s Developmental WelfareState: A Study of the Life Cycle Approach, was

funded by the Irish Research Council for theHumanities and Social Sciences, and carried outby a team from the Irish Centre for SocialGerontology and School of Business andEconomics at NUI Galway. The result is a highlyrelevant and timely insight to current and futurepolicy priorities for vulnerable groups. “The ideathat ‘people matter’ in policy planning isrecognised by international organisations such asthe UN,” said lead author Dr Gemma Carney. “InIreland, we are fortunate to have an engaged andresourceful community sector willing to speak upfor less fortunate groups. The test now is how weuse that resource in challenging economic times,”she added.

2nd International DanceFestival Launched

Pictured: President Browne officially launchesGalway's 2nd International Dance Festival in Aidof Special Olympics. The festival was held in theRadisson Blu Hotel in May and organised by NUIGalway staff members Gloria Avalos, AnnMonahan, Breda Kelleher, Micheál Newell andLorraine Tansey, together with Susana Campos ofthe Sisters of La Retraite. All proceeds go to theSpecial Olympics to help support clubs andorganisations in Connaught. Pictured are NUIGalway staff and students (from left) Woo YuenYing, 2nd year medical student, Singapore,Yoldana Reyes, PhD student, Mexico, ReshmiRoy, 2nd year medical student (traditional Indiandance), Gloria Avalos, School of Medicine,Mexico, and Abirami Manian, 1st year medicalstudent, (traditional Indian dance).Photo Andrew Downes.

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Campus Company andTechnology Publisher toSet Up Second Office inSilicon ValleyAfter just a year on the NUI Galway campus, theNew Tech Post – a daily digest of articles oninnovative and emerging technologies – hasannounced it is opening a second office, in SiliconValley, in partnership with the Irish InnovationCenter (IIC) in San Jose. New Tech Post’scoverage of innovative and emerging technologiesis reflected in its five main newsfeeds: Video;Mobile; Business; Technology; and Social Media.According to founder John Breslin, a lecturer inelectronic engineering at NUI Galway: “The mainaim of the New Tech Post is to cover emergenttechnologies and share new, innovative ideas withan audience interested in learning what futuretrends to think about and how they might beaffected by them. We’re very excited to be workingwith the Irish Innovation Center in San Jose oncreating a ‘news bridge’ between Galway and theUS, since they are ideally placed in Silicon Valleyand connected to the heart of the tech world.”

Botanist PublishesNew BookBotany students and scientists have a definitivenew book that explores plant cell walls. The book,edited by Dr Zoë Popper, lecturer in Botany andPlant Science, School of Natural Sciences, NUIGalway is entitled The Plant Cell Wall: Methodsand Protocols.It has been written by experts in thefield, who detail current and state-of-the-artmethods applied to investigate the many aspects ofthe plant cell wall. These include its structure,biochemical composition, and metabolism.

Students Compete withTexans in Virtual BusinessWorldAn online business simulation tool is allowingNUI Galway students compete against their peersin the University of Texas in learning about thetrials and tribulations of running a business. Aspart of the Bachelor of Commerce withAccounting degree, an interactive game calledGlobalsym involves students managing a virtualcompany producing and selling products, and

competing against other virtual firms in an etherealbusiness world. Through collaboration withUniversity of Texas, the NUI Galwayundergraduates have extended the competitionbeyond their classmates, to vie for supremacy overtheir postgraduate US peers.

Book ConfirmsMultinationals’ Talent areKey to Economic RecoveryA new book, Global Talent Management, byProfessor Hugh Scullion and Dr David Collings atthe J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economicshas been launched by Jack Golden, Group HRDirector of building materials group CRH..Commenting on the publication, Professor JohnSlocum, Editor of the Journal of World Business,said, “Professor Scullion and Dr Collings havewritten the definitive book on global talentmanagement. Their experience and selection ofcompelling articles written by renowned scholars,create a delightful journey.”

New Book ExaminesHow Evolution Works

A new book by an NUI Galway Professor ofZoology examines how evolution works bychanging the course of embryonic and post-embryonic development. In Evolution: ADevelopmental Approach, Wallace Arthur asksquestions like, what separates humans fromchimpanzees? Is it the genetics of our populations,or our different structures and behaviouralcapabilities? The book tackles themes such asdevelopmental repatterning, adaptation andcoadaptation, the origins of evolutionary novelties,and evolutionary changes in the complexity oforganisms. Together, these themes explain howevolution works by changing the course of

embryonic and post-embryonic development,providing a title influenced by the new approach ofevolutionary developmental biology, ‘evo-devo’.

Law of the Sea Launched

Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns (President of the HighCourt), Dr Ronán Long (NUI Galway), Mr EoinFannon (Office of the Attorney General),Commodore Marke Mellett PhD (Flag Officer,Naval Service) pictured at the launch of a newbook on the Law of the Sea by Mahon Hayes,former Ambassador and PermanentRepresentative of Ireland to the United Nations.The book is published by the RIA with the supportof Marine Law and Ocean Policy Centre. It offersa remarkable insight in the role of the Irishdelegation at the third United Nations Conferenceon the Law of the Sea. This has been described byformer US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as"one of the most remarkable negotiations indiplomatic history".

Journal Throws Spotlighton Virology ResearchAn article written by researchers at the Cell CycleControl Lab and Centre for Chromosome Biologyin the School of Natural Sciences has beenselected by the editors of the ‘Journal of Virology’as their ‘Spotlight’ area of expertise. In their articlein the Journal, Tikhanovich et al. found a novelclass of small noncoding RNAs, which directlyinhibits human polyomavirus replication byinterfering with the duplication of the geneticinformation of these viruses. Their findingsprovide a new chapter in the function of thesesmall noncoding RNAs beyond the previous fieldsof investigation such as transcription control.Moreover, the results of Tikhanovich et al. mayhelp the design of novel synthetic agents forinhibiting replication of polyomaviruses and otherviruses.

Books and On-Line Matters

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Student Named National Winner inEU Language Competition

Casey McDonagh, a second-year student ofSpanish and French, has just returned from anaward ceremony in Brussels, where he representedIreland as national winner in a new competitionorganised by the European Commission. TongueStories is part of the celebrations of the EuropeanDay of Languages and is designed to highlighthow speaking foreign languages can make adifference in people's private and professionallives. Participants were invited to tell theirfavourite stories about their own experience withforeign languages. Casey’s entry describes theimpact of studying Gabriel García Márquez’sshort story ‘Isabel viendo llover en Macondo’ inthe Spanish American Short Stories course taughtby Dr Lorraine Kelly. Casey’s story can be foundat: www.tonguestories.eu/contestant/casey-667

NUI GalwayAcademic Is NewHonorary Consul ofthe Federal Republicof Germany

Professor Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa has beenappointed Honorary Consul of Germany toIreland. He succeeds the late Mr Hergett, whopassed away in 2009. Professor Schmidt-Hannisa,who is Professor (Chair) of German at the Schoolof Languages, Literatures and Culture, is verycommitted to foster the excellent German-Irishcooperation in the field of education and scienceand to further strengthen the traditionally strongties between both the German and the Irish peoplein all different fields of society.

NUI Galway ConferenceHonours InternationalHuman Rights Lawyer

In cooperation with Queen’s University Belfastand the University of Essex, the Irish Centre forHuman Rights has hosted an internationaltripartite video-conference dedicated to the lifeand work of the renowned human rights lawyer,Professor Kevin Boyle. The conference was jointlyorganised by the three Universities where Kevinspent his career. It focused on themes in humanrights with which he was most engaged. Keynotespeakers included Professor William Schabas,Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights atNUI Galway, and Professor Sir Nigel Rodley,Professor of Law and Chair of the Human RightsCentre, University of Essex.

New Book SaysMarketing is King

In 2005, Harvard Business Review reported that of30,000 products launched in the USA, 90 percentfailed because of poor marketing. The other 10percent went on to become successful brands.This stark fact introduces the new edition of thebestselling text Creating Powerful Brands by brand

gurus Professor Leslie de Chernatony ofUniversità della Svizzera italiana, Lugano andAston Business School UK, Professor MalcolmMcDonald, Emeritus Professor at CranfieldUniversity and Honorary Professor at WarwickBusiness School, and Dr Elaine Wallace of the J. E.Cairnes School of Business & Economics, NUIGalway.

NUI Galway Spin-OutCompany Featured inSOGETI

A spin-out from DERI, Peracton, features in a newbook by SOGETI offering guidelines to successfulcloud computing. The book Seize the Cloudintroduces finance personnel to cloud basedtechnologies and illustrates how firms use them.As a start-up, Peracton provides a unique insightto the challenges and angles to address thefinancial services needs of a customer companyand forthcoming market and legal requirements.The MAARS technology used by Peracton to meetthese needs has been developed by in DERI atNUI Galway is now offered commercially throughPeracton.

Professor Nicholas CannyHonoured at Book Launch

Pictured at the launch of Reshaping Ireland, 1550-1700, Colonization and its Consequences, a newbook on the colonial paradigm in early modernIreland, were NUI Galway President, Dr James J.Browne and Professor Nicholas Canny. Edited byBrian Cuarta SJ, the book was launched by AntOllamh Michéal Mac Craith, Roinn na Gaeilge, tocelebrate the contribution and mark theretirement of historian Nicholas Canny, AcademicDirector of the Moore Institute for Research in theHumanities and Social Studies at NUI Galway andPresident of the Royal Irish Academy.

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President Says Poor SystemsCompromising Necessary Changewithin Public Sector

Mary Carpenter’sContribution in IndiaThe Global Women’s Studies Programme, in the School ofPolitical Science and Sociology, hosted a public lecture inApril entitled ‘Imperial feminist or transnational socialreformer? Mary Carpenter and India’, which was deliveredby Professor Clare Midgley, Research Professor in Historyat Sheffield Hallam University and President of theInternational Federation for Research in Women’s History.

“Poor systems within the civil service and the public sector will further dis-empowertheir leaderships and compromise the change needed to correct the public finances”,said President Dr James J. Browne in a speech at the launch, in April, of the Leadershipin the Irish Civil Service: A 360° Review of Senior Management Capability report. Thetwo-year study by the University’s Centre for Innovation and Structural Change(CISC), led by Dr Alma McCarthy, was funded by the Irish Research Council for theHumanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS). Speakers at the launch included Dr MariaMaguire, OECD and Independent Consultant; Philip Kelly, Assistant SecretaryGeneral, Department of An Taoiseach responsible for Transforming Public Services;and Brian Cawley, Director General of the Institute of Public Administration. Thereport is available online at www.nuigalway.ie/cisc

4th Annual Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture

Pictured: (from L-R) Dr Brian Cawley, IPA; Dr James J. Browne, President, NUI Galway;Dr Alma McCarthy, Conference Organiser, CISC & J.E. Cairnes School of Business andEconomics, NUI Galway; Dr Maria Maguire, Independent Consultant & OECD; Mr PhilipKelly, Department of An Taoiseach; Dr James Cunningham, Director of CISC, NUI Galway.

Duais €1,000 buaite agCumann Sóisialta anAcadaimhTá duais náisiúnta €1,000 buaite ag an gCumann Sóisialta inAcadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, An Cheathrú Rua.Tháinig an Cumann sa tríú háit i gcomórtas Ghlór na nGaeldo Chumainn Ghaelacha i gColáistí tríú leibhéal nahÉireann. Fógraíodh na torthaí beo ar chlár Rónán MhicAodh Bhuí, RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Dé Céadaoin, 5Aibreáin 2011.

Bronntar na duaiseanna seo ar choistí mac léinn i gColáistítríú leibhéal, a bhfuil forbairt agus caomhnú teanga aguscultúr na Gaeilge mar spriocanna lárnacha acu. Bhí 14Cumann Gaelach ar an ngearrliosta agus ba mhór an t-éachtdo mhic léinn an Acadaimh an gradam seo a ghnóthú ibhfianaise nach bhfuil ach 120 mac léinn lánaimseartha ar angcampas. Is iad an dá champas is mó sa tír, Coláiste nahOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath agus Coláiste na Tríonóide atháinig sa chéad agus sa dara háit.

This year’s Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture an initiative byGalway Chamber, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology(GMIT) and NUI Galway, has been addressed by MrMatthew Elderfield, Head of Financial Regulation at theCentral Bank of Ireland, who spoke on the theme,‘Assessing Risks – the New Model for Ireland’. PresidentBrowne added: “NUI Galway is very proud to be associatedwith The Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture, which honours hislifetime of public service. In a time of upheaval, this issue isdeeply relevant and meaningful for Irish public policy."

Pictured l-r: Carmel Brennan, President of Galway Chamber;Jim Fennell, Acting President of GMIT; Dr Emer Mulligan,

Head of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics;and Breda Ryan.

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The folklore and philosophy of the West ofIreland was explored by NUI Galway’s Dr TomDuddy in Castlebar in March. In a free publiclecture, Dr Duddy spoke about ‘From Folklore toPhilosophy: the life and work of William Larminieof Castlebar’. The lecture was part of the‘Humanities in the West’ series of talks, sponsoredby the School of Humanities. Other lecturesincluded one entitled, ‘Representing the Nationthrough Sport: The National Film Institute’sGaelic Games Films, 1948 – 1968’, by Dr SeánCrosson of the Huston School of Film & DigitalMedia; and another by Dr Nessa Cronin of theCentre for Irish Studies, who spoke about‘Haunted Landscapes: Place, Space and Mobilityin 21st Century Ireland’. Throughout this series,University lecturers visit different regional centres(Castlebar, Roscommon and Sligo) to lecture on arange of topics.

Musical Medical StudentsHit Right Note

Humanitiesin the West

Music and medicine at NUI Galway have cometogether once again with a performance by theMedical Orchestra at the Arts in ActionTraditional Concert. The 25-piece orchestraopened the concert, which was headlined byrenowned traditional musician Mairtin O’Connorand his band. This is the second year that buddingyoung doctors at the School of Medicine havebeen able to take a semester-long course inperformance, visual arts and literature. GrammyAward-winner Susan McKeown also sang at theAula Maxima, as part of the Medicine and the Artsmodule, in March.

NUI Galway’s MooreInstitute to HostWorkshop onModernismAs part of the research project ‘1916 and After’,the Moore Institute and the School of Languages,Literatures, and Cultures have held a one-dayworkshop entitled The Shadows of Modernism.The workshops, led by Margaret Higonnet(University of Connecticut) and Mario Perniola(University of Rome, Tor Vergata), questionedand discussed aspects and issues of modernismwhich have been neglected or are still unsought inthe context of the rapid transformation ofaesthetic and social phenomena.

NUI GalwayStudy FindsClues to HumanIntelligenceResearch suggests that human intelligence iscontrolled by the part of the brain known as the‘cortex’, and most theories of age-relatedcognitive decline focus on cortical dysfunction.However, a new study carried out by Dr MichaelHogan from the School of Psychology witholder Scottish adults suggests grey mattervolume in the ‘cerebellum’ at the back of thebrain predicts cognitive ability, and that keepingthose cerebellar networks active may be the keyto keeping cognitive decline at bay. The mostinteresting finding from this study is that greymatter volume in the cerebellum predictsgeneral intelligence. However, results differ formen and women, with men showing a strongerrelationship between brain volume in thecerebellum and general intelligence. It has longbeen recognised that the cerebellum is involvedin sensory-motor functions, including balanceand timing of movements, but it is now believedthe cerebellum also plays an important part inhigher-level cognitive abilities.

19th Annual Colloquiumof the InternationalGeographical Commissionon the Sustainability ofRural Systems The School of Geography and Archaeology hoststhe 19th Annual Colloquium of the InternationalGeographical Union Commission on theSustainability of Rural Systems, from 1 to 7 August2011. The theme of this year’s colloquium is TheSustainability of Rural Systems: Local and GlobalChallenges and Opportunities. Dr Mary Cawley, amember of the Commission, and colleagues inGeography are responsible for the event. This isthe first time the Commission has met in Ireland.Delegates from 20 countries are attending.

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A new documentary film, Bridging the Gap, inwhich leading academics in Irish higher educationdiscuss contemporary social and economic issuesin an engaging and accessible way, was launchedrecently. Two of the NUI Galway contributors tothe film, Dr Su-Ming Khoo, School of PoliticalScience and Sociology, and Dr Vinodh Jaichand,Irish Centre for Human Rights, also spoke at thelaunch. The aim of the film is to ‘bridge the gap’between higher education and adult andcommunity education, by making available theknowledge, expertise and perspectives ofacademics to students learning in community-based settings. The film consists of two DVDs,which contain a number of short programmes ontopics such as human rights, globalisation,education, democracy, gender and racism.

Launch of New Adult and Community Education Resource DVD

NUI Galway StudentsBring Maths to LifeIn June, NUI Galway’s Figure Fun hostedMATHS: Making Awesome Things Happen inSummer, a camp with maths in mind forsecondary school students. This course was aimedat first-years pupilswho wish to improve theirmaths skills in a fun environment. Mathematics isundergoing many changes in post-primary. Thiscamp focused on providing students with a strongfoundation in number systems, geometry andprobability.

Dr Catherine Paolucci, lecturer and programmedirector of the BA in Mathematics and Education,said: “This is an exciting programme which offeredstudents an opportunity to reinforce theirclassroom learning in an alternative setting with afocus on real-life applications.”

Strategic ResearchAgreement into RoadSafety TechnologyAnnounced The Connaught Automotive Research (CAR)Group at NUI Galway has announced a strategicresearch agreement with Valeo Vision Systems,one of the world’s leading manufacturers ofautomotive vision systems. The CAR Groupresearches systems to help improve road safety byallowing drivers to see blind spots around vehicles.

The aim is to develop intelligent cars with agreater ‘awareness’ of their environment andability to avoid crashes. Under the directorship ofDr Martin Glavin and Dr Edward Jones, the CARGroup is based in the discipline of Electrical andElectronic Engineering. It comprises of a team ofresearchers who work in close collaboration withindustry on the development of the imageprocessing systems.

Students Fighting Fitfor EntrepreneurshipA two-day ‘Entrepreneurship Boot Camp’ has beenheld at NUI Galway, to widen and deepen theentrepreneurial know-how and employability ofstudents. The camp presented a challenging anddynamic experience with games, activities, lectures,competitions and mentoring by academic staff,industry practitioners, knowledge experts andrepresentatives of state agencies. Some 25 students,from all disciplines, left their inhibitions at the doorand came in with an open mind. Student PaulCurley described the camp as “a completely freshand life-changing experience”. The event wasorganised by the Student Enterprise ExchangeNetwork (SEEN), NUI Galway’s student-run andfocused enterprise support service.

Brain Imaging TechniquesTopic of MeetingNUI Galway has hosted an international meetingentitled Combining Human Brain Imaging

Techniques. International experts reviewed thelatest advances in brain imaging techniques andthe challenges and opportunities that lie incombining them.

The meeting was organised by Dr Michael Hogan,NUI Galway, in collaboration with JoshuaBalsters, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience,Dublin; Jacinta O'Shea, Oxford University; andSteven Jackson, Nottingham University. It issupported by the European Science Foundation(ESF) and the Health Research Board (HRB).

Bronnadh seic €5,000 arChoiste TuismitheoiríScoil ChuimsitheachChiaráinBhronn mic léinn Acadamh na hOllscolaíochtaGaeilge, An Cheathrú Rua seic €5,000 ar ChoisteTuismitheoirí Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiaráin legairid. Bailíodh an t-airgead seo i rith Sheachtainna Mac Léinn (14-17 Márta 2011) san Acadamhar an gCeathrú Rua. Tá feachtas bailiúchán airgidar bun faoi láthair ag Coiste na dTuismitheoiríagus cabhróidh an t-airgead le háiseanna spóirt afheabhsú agus a fhorbairt sa scoil. Bhí mic léinnagus foireann an Acadaimh le feiceáil tharttimpeall na Ceathrún Rua le linn Sheachtain naMac Léinn ag bailiú airgid, go háirithe ar an Máirt,15 Márta mar a rinne siad brú leapa ó TG4 anoirgo dtí An Cheathrú Rua.

Pictured at the launch were Ann Lyons, Community Knowledge Initiative, NUI Galway; Dónal Walsh,Galway City VEC; Yuvi Basanth, Roots and Reels Films; and Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, Irish Centre forHuman Rights., NUI Galway.

Sheol láithreoir cáiliúil TG4, Eimear NíChonaola, céim nua pháirtaimseartha saGhaeilge Fheidhmeach in Ollscoil na hÉireann,Gaillimh le gairid. Tá an chéim á tairiscint igcomhpháirt ag Acadamh na hOllscolaíochtaGaeilge agus ag Roinn na Gaeilge. Is é seo an t-aon chlár dá leithéid in Éirinn ina bhfuil céim saGhaeilge á tairiscint trí mheán na foghlamacumaiscthe. Tá an chéim nua seo dírithe arfhoghlaimeoirí lánfhásta atá ag obair golánaimseartha agus atá ag iarraidh céim ollscoile abhaint amach. Bainfear leas as teicneolaíochtaínuálacha leis an gcéim a sheachadadh. Déanfaran chéim a sheachadadh ar an idirlíon den chuidis mó; agus dá réir sin beidh deis ag na mic léinna gclár ama staidéir féin a leagan amach agus achur in oiriúint dá stíl mhaireachtála. Ní bheidhscileanna ríomhaireachta riachtanach le tabhairtfaoin gcéim mar go dtabharfar an oiliúintríomhaireachta chuí do na rannpháirtithe ag túsan chúrsa.

Seolann láithreoir TG4 céim nua sa Ghaeilge in OÉ Gaillimh

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Ocean Energy Focus ofPublic Lecture Professor Tony Lewis, Director of the Hydraulics& Maritime Research Centre, UCC, delivered alecture entitled The Status of Ocean EnergyDevelopment in Ireland, at NUI Galway in May.Professor Lewis summarised the latest nationaland international developments in ocean energyand government strategies to meet the challengesahead. “Energy supply and sustainability are keychallenges for the future,” says Professor GerryLyons, Dean of College of Engineering &Informatics at NUI Galway. “While Ireland is veryheavily dependent upon energy imports, we haveunique advantages in terms of climate and locationfor the development of renewable energy sources.Professor Lewis is ideally positioned to help us allunderstand the challenges and opportunities.”

Eighth InternationalEconomics ColloquiumHeldThe Eighth International Colloquium onEconomic Growth, Structural Change andInstitutions has been held in NUI Galway.

Organised jointly by the J.E. Cairnes School ofBusiness & Economics and the Department ofEconomics, University of Brasília, the Colloquiumbrought together a group of international scholarsfrom North and South America, Europe, India andJapan to discuss the global economic crisis fromthe point of view of growth, structural change andinstitutions.

Experts Convene toExplore Molecules’Influence on DiseaseInternational experts have gathered at NUIGalway to further the scientific knowledge-basesurrounding microRNA profiling. MicroRNAs arenewly discovered molecules within our cells thatcontrol the activity of genes. The EuropeanMolecular Biology Organization (EMBO)practical course entitled ‘MicroRNA-profiling,from in-situ hybridization to next-generationsequencing’ was the title of the course that tookplace at the University. MicroRNA research atNUI Galway has been a growing area since 2006,supported in part by a Transfer of KnowledgeGrant from the EU (under Marie CurieFramework 6). NUI Galway researchers supportedthe team of international experts who came to

Galway to train a group of 22 scientists from allover the world in the latest techniques forinvestigating microRNAs, as part of the EMBOcourse.

Parents and ChildrenNeeded for Blood PressureStudy The Centre for Research on Occupational and LifeStress at NUI Galway is recruiting people to takepart in their Family Research Project. This studywill examine the influence of family factors andsocial networks on blood pressure, and is beingfunded by the Irish Research Council for theSocial Sciences and Humanities. The team arelooking for parents, and children aged 6 to 10years, to take part. Ann-Marie Creaven, leadresearcher, said: “Social factors are stronglyassociated with blood pressure responses to stressand are relevant to public health. There is littlespecific research examining blood pressure inchildren and parents. This project will showparents and children how their blood pressurefluctuates in response to everyday events.”

The James Hardiman Library has hostedphotographer Tarquin Blake’s AbandonedMansions of Ireland exhibition. Blake’s three-yearphotographic project documents the end of thelanded aristocracy and the demise of theirmansion houses. His beautiful, haunting imagesof crumbling ruins, over 40 of which were ondisplay, convey an indefinable beauty in the decay– in the abandonment. Accompanied by historyand folklore, they tell of troubled times andprivate hardship. The exhibition also featured twoaudio visual presentations.

Library Hosts Abandoned Mansions Photo Expo

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Medical School OrchestraThe NUI Galway Medical School Orchestra hasperformed at the 52nd Annual meeting of theCorrigan Club, the cross-border association thatforges closer links between doctors North andSouth. through scientific discourse and socialactivities. Ahead of the recital, Dr RisteardMulcahy, a founding member of the CorriganClub, explained its origins to the medical studentmusicians. The performance was a social highlightof the two-day meeting.

Distinguished Lecture onInequalities,Interculturalism andDiversity The Lifecourse Institute (LCI) at NUI Galway hasheld its annual Honorary Public Lecture entitledInequality and Diversity across the Lifecourse:Intercultural Perspectives. The main speaker,UNESCO Chair, Professor Jagdish Gundara,spoke about interculturalism, diversity, inequalityand how groups of children and families, olderpeople and people with disabilities are affected.The lessons learnt from interculturalism in the UKand elsewhere were considered, as was the Irishperspective on how best to respond to theparticular challenges of the economic recession.Professor Pat Dolan, UNESCO Chair andDirector of the LCI, commented: “We aredelighted to host such distinguished speakers andto open up the debate to the floor on such animportant topic for many groups in Irish society.”

NUI Galway SponsorsInaugural U.S./IrelandLegal Symposium

Gillian Buckley, WDC with President Browne.

NUI Galway was the main sponsor of the inauguralU.S./Ireland Legal Symposium, which took place inCo Mayo in May. The Symposium offered anoutstanding line-up of speakers, including MrJustice Peter Kelly of the Commercial Court andChief Justice Maureen O’Connor of the OhioSupreme Court. It was hosted by the Brehon LawSociety of Philadelphia and supported by theWestern Development Commission (WDC), MayoCounty Council and Temple University BeasleySchool of Law in Philadelphia.

Data Analysis Focus ofEconomics ConferenceThe J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economicshosts a three-day intensive course entitled Topicsin Microeconometrics in June. The keynotespeaker is William Greene, Toyota Motor CorpProfessor of Economics, Stern School of Business,New York University. . The aim of the conferenceis to provide intensive instruction on frontiertechniques in econometrics used in the analysis ofcross section and panel data.

Centre for Disability Lawand Policy Hold ThirdInternational SummerSchoolThe Centre for Disability Law and Policy holds itsthird International Summer School in June..Co-hosted with the Harvard Law School Project onDisability, the six-day summer school equipsparticipants with the insights and skills to translatethe generalities of the UN Convention on the Rightsof Persons with Disabilities into tangible reform forpeople with disabilities. The event is directed byProfessor Gerard Quinn, Director of the Centre forDisability Law and Policy at NUI Galway, and byProfessor Michael Stein, Professor of Law, HarvardLaw School and Executive Director, Harvard LawSchool Project on Disability.

Pictured receiving the Hewlett-Packard Prize (MSc,Information Systems Management, J.E. CairnesSchool of Business & Economics), at the University’sAwards Day in February, is Kevin Hynes, SeniorTechnical Officer at the CELT/Audio VisualDepartment. Also pictured are Dean Willie Golden,President Browne and Professor Nollaig MacCongáil.

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Students Produce Leaflet onHigh Altitude Illness

A new study undertaken by the Centre for Healthfrom Environment at the Ryan Institute, finds mostunwanted or leftover prescription medicines aredisposed of incorrectly. Disposing of medicines byflushing down sinks and toilets, or including ingeneral household waste, is a common occurrenceand may result in environmental contamination.The research was conducted by second-yearmedical students, Sarah Cormican and MichelleFurey. Of 207 people surveyed for the Public

Awareness Regarding the Safe Disposal ofUnwanted Medicines in Galway City study, mosthad leftover medicines in their home but only one-third regularly returned them to a pharmacy.Professor Martin Cormican, Director of theCentre, said: “The project highlights the need toput in place a national system for safe disposal ofunwanted medicines similar to the batteryrecycling scheme. There is also a need for action tolet people know about the need for safe disposal.”

Call for Action to Improve Safe Disposalof Unwanted Medicines in Ireland

A group of second-year medical students atNUI Galway have collaborated in the design andproduction of an information leaflet on highaltitude illness, as part of their 10-week longspecial study module in high altitude medicine.Developed in conjunction with MountaineeringIreland, the leaflet is aimed at trekkers,mountaineers, guides and others who travel tohigh altitude regions. It provides accessibleinformation on the changes that occur in the body

at altitude, as well as acclimatisation to altitude,and recognising, managing and preventing highaltitude illness. The leaflet is available online atwww.highaltitudemedicine.ie, a website developedespecially for the study module, and at theMountaineering Ireland website atwww.mountaineering.ie. Copies have also beendistributed to outdoor and sports equipmentoutlets in Galway City, Castlebar and Sligo.

30 PhD Scholarships in FiveResearch Areas AnnouncedThirty fully-funded PhD Hardiman ResearchScholarships have been announced. The four-yearscholarships are focused on five areas of research inwhich NUI Galway offers world-leading expertise:Biomedical Science and Engineering; Informatics,Physical, and Computational Sciences;Environment, Marine, and Energy; Applied SocialSciences and Public Policy; and Humanities inContext. These scholarships offer opportunities forsuitably qualified people to pursue a structuredpostgraduate degree by research. Structured PhDprogrammes, while retaining the focus on advancingknowledge through original research, also provideprofessional development modules in subject-specific and transferable skills.

Gender and Child WelfareNetwork Hold First IrishConferenceThe Gender and Child Welfare Network, aninternational group of researchers and practitioners,held its fourth interdisciplinary conference, and itsfirst Irish conference, at NUI Galway in June.The network has held three previous conferences onthe relationship between gender and child welfare.This event focused specifically on the relationshipbetween gender, child protection and familysupport. The keynote speaker was Norah Gibbons,Director of Advocacy with Barnardos. Organiser andProfessor with the School of Political Science andSociology, Bríd Featherstone, said: “I am delightedthat this event took place at NUI Galway and thatsuch a distinguished group of speakers from so manycountries contributed their insights on such animportant topic.”

Pictured at the launch of the high altitude illness leaflet, at the NUI Galway climbing wall, are the 2nd yearmedical students who produced it (left-right): Christina Melon, Oakville, Ontario, Canada; SimonGordon, Sligo; Kate Dinneen, Barna, Galway; Dermot Nolan, Broadford, Co Clare; David Flynn,Ballymote, Co Sligo; Hale Loofbourrow, Juneau, Alaska; and (climbing) Shannon Kelly, Camloops,British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Andrew Downes.

The research was conducted by second-year medicalstudents at NUI Galway, Sarah Cormican (left) and

Michelle Furey. Photo by Andrew Downes.

The fifth International Seminar on JohnMcGahern, commemorating the work of therenowned Irish writer, takes place from 2-23 Julyin Co Leitrim. Last year’s event attracted morethan 150 participants from home and abroad. Thisyear’s theme is McGahern and Creativity, and thekeynote is being given by Colm Tóibín, whosenovel Brooklyn made the shortlist for this year’sInternational IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award. Inaddition to the public seminar, NUI Galway hasorganised the fourth International Summer Schoolon McGahern’s work and its contexts; this will

form part of the University’s 28th InternationalSummer School in Irish Studies. The SummerSchool is designed for experts who are interestedin the writings of John McGahern, his life andtimes in 20th-century Ireland, and related areas ofcreative writing. The Summer School incorporatesthe International Seminar and continues at theCounty Library, Ballinamore, CoLeitrim the weekafter the Seminar. For further details, contact 091495442 or visit www.nuigalway.ie/iss

NUI Galway and Leitrim County Council AnnounceJohn McGahern Seminar

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Photos of Actor ArthurShields on Display atNUI GalwayPeople were recently able to take a trip downtheatrical memory lane at NUI Galway, as imagesfrom the archive of the Abbey Theatre actorArthur Shields (1896-1970) went on show. Somephotographs from the Shields Family Archive wereput on display in the foyer of the James HardimanLibrary while many more images featured in acomputerised display. The Shields Family Archivecollection is held at the James Hardiman Libraryand includes posters, programmes and playscripts.

Neuroscience Researchershost Brain AwarenessWeek EventNeuroscience researchers at NUI Galway hosted apublic event during Brain Awareness Week inMarch. The event gave people a chance to learnabout the workings of the human brain and aboutneuroscience research underway in NUI Galway.The Galway Neuroscience Group is made up of apool of researchers from NCBES, Pharmacology,Anatomy, Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurology, andPhysiology.

Law, Technology andGovernance ConferenceThe Law School has hosted the Law, Technologyand Governance Conference, at which this year'sLL.M. class in these subjects presented their thesistopic. The keynote speaker was Professor Robert

Clark of UCD and issues dealt with includedgenetic discrimination in employment, the dataprotection rights of the deceased, and self-produced child pornography. Staff and studentsfrom the Law School and elsewhere attended. Theday was a great success, with very positivefeedback from the audience.

Photographic ExhibitionCelebrates StudentVolunteeringNUI Galway has hosted aphotographic exhibition entitledWe Volunteer! to celebrate andrecognise third-level studentvolunteering across Ireland.Colleges north and south cametogether for this special initiative tomark the European Year ofVolunteering and to recognise thetremendous contribution studentvolunteers make to the lives oftheir communities. Speakingabout the exhibition, LorraineTansey, Student VolunteerCoordinator at NUI Galway, said: “If a picture isworth a thousand words, then this expo speaksvolumes about the commitment of studentvolunteers and the impact they have on theircommunities.”

Prsident Commended byIUQB Review Team The Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB) haspublished a third report from its Institutional

Review of Irish Universities (IRIU) process, thistime focusing on NUI Galway. Dr Padraig Walsh,IUQB Chief Executive, said: “This evidence-basedreview provides independent confirmation ofNUI Galway’s commitment to quality in line withnational and European standards.” The ReviewTeam, com