report of the president - nui galway...page 1 report of the president 2012 /13 a message from the...

Report of the

President2012/13

The new Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Building was completed in April 2013

ContentsA Message from the President 1

NUI Galway in the News 2

Connecting Past and Present 6

Inspirational Research 8

Engaging with our Community 12

Student Success 16

Accolades and Achievements 20

NUI Galway at a Glance 24

Report of the President 2012 /13

A Message from the President

2012/13 has been a busy year for NUI Galway. Over the last 12 months we have enjoyed many successes across all areas of our activity. It has also been a time of change as the higher education sector began to develop a new roadmap for the future.

Ranked third in international rankingsIn the last year, NUI Galway’s growing international profile was recognised in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, when the University was ranked third of the Irish universities, jumping 31 places in the table overall.

This achievement was mirrored in the QS World University Rankings, with NUI Galway witnessing the greatest rise in position of all the Irish universities. Meanwhile, the 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subject, included NUI Galway as one of eight Irish institutions to have appeared on the list of the world’s top 200 universities in 30 individual disciplines. NUI Galway featured in the top 200 in five different subject categories.

This recognition for the quality of our research and teaching from academics and employers around the world is very significant as we compete for students and research support in a global market.

Reflections from across EuropeEarlier this year we had the pleasure of hosting the 29th Coimbra Group Annual Conference, bringing 200 European University leaders to campus.

The Coimbra Group is a network of 40 of Europe’s most respected universities who share a commitment to creating special academic and cultural ties in order to promote collaboration, excellence and service to society.

To coincide with the Irish Presidency of the European Union and the 25th anniversary of our last hosting the conference, this year’s symposium, held at NUI Galway, focused on the theme of ‘Creativity, Research and Innovation in Universities’, with an impressive panel of speakers led by Dr Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science.

Recognising exceptional teachingExcellence in teaching is central to the University’s mission. Every year the President’s Awards for Teaching Excellence recognise the commitment of academic staff to ensuring NUI Galway students receive the highest quality learning experience, and are inspired by the very latest research.

For 2013, it will be my privilege to present the following outstanding teachers with their Awards at the Autumn Conferring ceremonies:

• Dr Rebecca Barr, School of Humanities• Dr Mary Fleming, School of Education• Dr Séamus McGuire, School of Medicine/ Letterkenny Medical Academy • Team Award: French: Final Year Team (Dr Sylvie Lannegrand, Dr Philip Dine, Éamon Ó Cofaigh)

Research highlightsIt was a very exciting year for research as NUI Galway enjoyed success in a number of important projects which will define our research landscape into the future.

The University featured prominently in a new Government-funded research programme which saw €300 million awarded to seven new Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres.

NUI Galway is involved in three of the seven new science and technology centres with: INSIGHT, a ‘Big Data’ and analytics centre; MaREI, a centre for marine renewable energy; and a new Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre.

In a ground-breaking development for Arts and Humanities research, the University began a project to digitise the Abbey Theatre’s historic archive, to create the world’s largest ever digital theatre archive. With over 1.8 million items, the archive provides a wealth of extraordinary material giving unique insights into Irish theatre, history, culture and society.

Developing the campusThe transformation of the campus continued in the last year with the completion of the new Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Building in April. This stunning new building provides unrivalled research facilities for students and researchers, as well as providing the most modern of homes for our rich archival collection. An impressive atrium will also provide a unique gallery space for public exhibitions.

An extension to the Arts Millennium Building was also completed this Spring and will serve as a new home for the University’s School of Psychology. These two developments open onto an attractive courtyard and together create a new quadrangle at the very heart of the campus.

Construction is also nearing completion on a new building for biomedical research which will open in September, while work is underway on three further projects, a Human Biology building, a Lifecourse Institute and a Clinical and Translational Research Facility on the grounds of University Hospital Galway.

A new vision for the futureNUI Galway is an ambitious university with a strong international outlook and unique strengths which set us apart. We look forward to the challenge of shaping a new higher education landscape in the coming year.

We have enjoyed great success in the last 12 months and I look forward to building on those achievements in the next academic year.

Yours sincerely,

James J. Browne, PhD, DSc, MRIA, C.EngPresident

The new Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Building was completed in April 2013

NUI Galwayin the NewsMany major developments during 2012/2013 made the headlines.

€300 Million Investment in World-Class Research Centres

The €300 million investment was announced by Seán Sherlock TD, Minister for Research and Innovation, Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General Science Foun-dation Ireland, and Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

NUI Galway featured prominently in Government plans, announced in February 2013, for science and technology research. A total of €300 million is to be invested in seven new Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres, with NUI Galway participating in three of the new centres.The announcement was made by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD and the Minister for Research and Innovation Seán Sherlock, TD.

The new centres will link scientists and engineers in partnerships across academia and industry to address crucial research questions and foster the development of new and existing Irish-based technology companies. The aim is also to attract industry that could make an important contribution to Ireland’s economy and expand educational and career opportunities in science and engineering.

NUI Galway’s web science research centre, the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI), along with colleagues from the discipline of IT, will play a leading role in a new ‘Big Data’ and analytics centre, INSIGHT.

With the explosion of internet-based information, ‘Big Data’ represents a sector that is currently growing at up to 40% per annum. With 32 industry partners, including CISCO, Avaya and HP in Galway, INSIGHT will lead the development of breakthrough data analytics technologies to make Ireland a global leader in this rapidly expanding area.

Experts from the University’s College of Engineering and Informatics and the Ryan Institute will have prominent roles in the Centre for Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI). The group will carry out world-class research in the marine renewable energy sector, while also educating and training the next generation of engineers and scientists for the emerging industry.

With Ireland being one of the best locations in the world in terms of marine renewable energy resources, the centre will look to generate energy technologies for industry from wave, tidal and floating wind devices.

In addition, NUI Galway will be part of the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre, along with its Alliance Partner, the University of Limerick.

Plans for Mary Robinson CentreThe development will feature a visitor centre at Mary Robinson’s birthplace in Victoria House, on the banks of the River Moy, as well as a research and educational study centre.

The study centre will be supported by NUI Galway and focus on the fields of Human Rights and Women’s Leadership. Mary Robinson’s extensive archive will be the centrepiece of the educational facility.NUI Galway will bring researchers and students from all over the world to engage with its contents.

The University will advise on the cataloguing and making available of the archive which is valued at over €2.5 million.

As the former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights takes up her new role as UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa, the collection will provide a wealth of insights into her many national and international achievements.

In September 2012, planswere unveiled to establish a Mary Robinson Centre

in her home town of Ballina, Co. Mayo.

The new centre will honour the life and work of Mary Robinson.

Report of the President 2012 /13Page 3

A significant milestone in volunteering in Ireland was reached in 2013. NUI Galway’s student volunteering programme celebrated ten years of promoting civic engagement at third-level.

ALIVE - A Learning Initiative and the Volunteering Experience - was established in 2003 by the Community Knowledge Initiative (CKI) at NUI Galway to harness, acknowledge and support the contribution students make by volunteering.

The ALIVE programme was the first of its kind in Ireland and its success has been emulated by other third-level institutes across the country.

An estimated 6,000 NUI Galway students have given 240,000 hours of voluntary activity over the course of the decade, with a contribution to the local economy equivalent to €2 million. In addition, students have raised an estimated €2 million for a range of charitable causes and community organisations.

The Dr Tony Ryan Trust made a significant donation of over €1 million to support scholarship and innovation in environment, marine and energy. The philanthropic funds will also support the University’s Access Programme.

As part of the donation, the Dr Tony Ryan Research Scholarships will offer opportunities to pursue a postgraduate degree in the key research areas of environment, marine and energy. In addition to the Scholarships fund, a substantial Ryan Institute Award will feature annually, and allow the winner to commercialise or develop an innovative idea.

In a further generous gift to the University, Cancer Care West andGalway University Foundation donated €1 million to provide fully-funded scholarships for ten PhD students.

The Cancer Care West Hardiman Scholars will perform translational and clinical research in the area of cancer biology, therapeutics and all aspects of oncology at NUI Galway and the associated University Hospital Galway.

Total philanthropic funding received since Galway University Foundation was established in 1999 has now exceeded €150 million.

Ten Years of Student Volunteering Celebrated

Philanthropy Supports Scholarship

Lorraine Tansey, ALIVE Volunteer Programme Coordinator, with Rachel Kelly, a second year Speech and Language Therapy student and volunteer.

During the last year, the University gratefully received generous funding from philanthropic sources, which will serve to advance scholarship on campus.

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A series of international university rankings released over the last 12 months has confirmed NUI Galway as an internationally-recognised university with a distinguished reputation for teaching excellence and research.

In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, announced in October 2012, NUI Galway jumped 31 places to be ranked third of the Irish universities.

In September 2012, NUI Galway secured the biggest boost of the Irish universities in the well-respected QS World University Rankings, an annual

league table of the top 700 universities in the world. With only two Irish universities improving their position, NUI Galway witnessed the greatest rise, increasing 11 places.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject, announced later in the year, saw NUI Galway appear on the list of the world’s top 200 universities.

Meanwhile, NUI Galway remains one of only two Irish universities to hold the prestigious accolade of five stars in the QS Stars rating system. Five stars are awarded for exceptional developments in education, including teaching and research activity, as well as for top quality facilities.

This success in teaching excellence and research is reflected by the fact that the University continues to be one of the top universities in Ireland for student retention and graduate employment.

The eminent economist and former Secretary of the Department of Finance, Dr T.K. Whitaker, was warmly received at NUI Galway in October 2012 for the announcement of the establishment of the Whitaker Institute for Innovation and Societal Change.

Dr Whitaker played an instrumental role in devising the economic plan which set Ireland on the road to regeneration in the early 1960s. Drawing inspiration from his unparalleled service to Ireland, the newly-formed Whitaker Institute will act as the country’s largest research body focused on contemporary and relevant business, social and policy issues.

With over 200 members and subsuming the University’s Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC), the Whitaker Institute builds on a decade of research excellence and policy-focused contributions supported by over €11 million in competitive national and international research funding.

NUI Galway rises in International Rankings and Reputation

Dr T.K. Whitaker lends his name to New Institute

Dr T.K. Whitaker at the announcement of a new institute bearing his name.

Inspiring the leaders of European universities in the areas of creativity, research and innovation was the aim of the annual Coimbra Group conference at NUI Galway in May 2013. The conference was addressed by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science. International rankings place NUI Galway among the elite universities in Europe and the world.

The digital archive partnership was launched on 22 October 2012, by President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, at the Abbey Theatre.

The archive contains over 1.8 million items gathered since the theatre’s establishment in 1904. Materials from hundreds of Irish writers are included, including the country’s four Nobel prize-winners for literature: Yeats, Shaw, Beckett and Heaney.

With the Abbey Theatre’s links to the foundation of the State, such a collection provides a wealth of unique material offering fascinating insights into Irish theatre, history, culture and society.

Benefits to students and researchers of having direct access to this rich national collection will be immense. There is also great interest in the digital archive abroad and it will draw researchers of international repute to NUI Galway.

The digitisation project highlights two of the most important features of contemporary Ireland: the richness of our cultural traditions and Ireland’s capacity for technological innovation. NUI Galway is ideally positioned to capitalise on those strengths, as it brings both international expertise in Irish theatre and digital humanities to the project.

Digital HumanitiesThrough projects such as the Abbey Archive, NUI Galway is part of the burgeoning research space known as digital humanities.

The Abbey project will see the most advanced digital technology brought to bear on one of the country’s most historic theatre archives.

Ever-evolving developments in computing and data analytics have brought about a quantum leap in arts and humanities research and practice, and NUI Galway research is at the cutting-edge of this.

The Moore Institute for the Humanities and Social Studies at NUI Galway is home to several major digital humanities projects, including the EU-funded TEXTE initiative. Meanwhile, the University’s Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) is the world’s largest research institute dedicated to internet technology-based research.

Researchers at both of these institutes, together with archivists and librarians from the James Hardiman Library, will work together to ensure the very latest technology is used to illuminate the past across a range of archives.

The world’s largest-ever digital theatre archive, that of the Abbey Theatre, is to be created at NUI Galway. It heralds a new era of scholarship for Irish theatre and is one of many developments in the University’s rich archival collections.

Connecting Past and Present

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Actress Geraldine Plunkett with Fiach Mac Conghail, Artistic Director of the Abbey Theatre, at the launch of its partnership with NUI Galway.


Éamon de BuitléarIn November 2012, a matter of months before his sad passing, renowned film-maker and environmentalist, Éamon de Buitléar, officially presented his exceptional personal archive to NUI Galway.

The multi-media archive collection spans some sixty years of creativity and reflects a broad range of Éamon de Buitléar’s professional and personal concerns. These include his wildlife materials, as well as original recordings and unique insights into the revival of Irish traditional music in the twentieth century with material relating to Seán Ó Riada, Ceoltóirí Chualann and Ceoltóirí Laighean.

Work on this multi-media project will be carried out by NUI Galway’s Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge and James Hardiman Library and will process materials on film, video, audio tape and paper. A unique aspect of the collection is the contextualisation which was provided by Éamon de Buitléar himself in the form of 20 hours of audio recordings describing the various facets of his work to project researcher, Micheál Holmes.

Music for GalwayAlso of note, Music for Galway’s archive has been catalogued at NUI Galway’s James Hardiman Library. Ranging in date from 1981 to 2011, the archive includes numerous series of original records documenting the Irish and international acts that played to audiences across Galway and the West of Ireland.

Music for Galway was established in 1981 when a group of people, led by founding member Erika Casey, came together with the aim of providing audiences in the West of Ireland with a range of opportunities to listen to world class musicians.

Since then the organisation has presented hundreds of inspiring and stimulating performances in Galway. The archive traces the relationship between Music for Galway and the University, as the group found a home for concerts and its grand piano in the Aula Maxima on campus.

Music for Galway’s archive will offer researchers a unique insight into the establishment and growth of one the West’s premier music groups while

documenting the creative and administrative processes of its numerous achievements.

Language Freedom Movement In further developments in the University’s archival works, the papers of the Language Freedom Movement were catalogued at the Hardiman Library earlier this year and are available to researchers. This collection spans the activities of the Language Freedom Movement from soon after its inception in 1966 until 1974 when its activities drew to a close.

A civil liberties advocacy group who campaigned for a change in state policy on the Irish language, the movement weighed in on a language debate that had been gaining momentum since 1961, from Fine Gael’s general election campaign in which they called for an end to the policy of compulsory Irish in state examinations, to the 1965 government White Paper on ‘The Restoration of the Irish Language’.

The Language Freedom Movement objected to the compulsory element of Irish language education and the archive provides an alternative view of the modern history of the Irish language, and offers another unique snapshot into an exciting decade of social change in Ireland.

Archival CollectionsThe Archive Collection at the University’s James Hardiman Library comprises over 350 collections, dating from 1485 to the present. Theatre collections include the papers of Thomas Kilroy and the Shields Family Collection, featuring the Abbey actor Arthur Shields, and there is a particular focus on the archives of companies such as the Druid Theatre, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe and the Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast.

The Éamon de Buitléar Archive will complement existing and newly- acquired collections in the James Hardiman Library such as the project to digitise the Abbey Theatre archive and the acquisition of the papers of Brendan Duddy, Thomas Kilroy and John McGahern.

The new Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Research Building at the heart of the campus will provide the perfect home for such significant collections.

The late Éamon de Buitléar, at his home, with project researcher Micheál Holmes.

InspirationalResearch

Tackling Diabetes with Stem CellsThe new €6 million project hopes to help some of the 60 million patients with diabetes mellitus in the EU.

In November 2012, NUI Galway was awarded a €6 million European project designed to address complications associated with diabetes. The ‘REDDSTAR’ research project will examine the ability of adult stem cells to safely control glucose levels and alleviate the damage caused by diabetic complications.

Diabetes is now the most common metabolic illness in the world. In Europe, 60 million patients with diabetes mellitus use prescription drugs to control their blood glucose levels.

Professor Timothy O’Brien, Director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway, who is also a Consultant in Endocrinology at Galway University Hospitals, will co-ordinate the project.

Clinical trials will take place in Ireland and Denmark using stem cells discovered by Orbsen Therapeutics Limited, an NUI Galway spin-out company and the lead SME on the REDDSTAR project.

Galway Diabetes Research Centre

An estimated 9.6% of the Irish population now have diabetes mellitus. With a particularly high prevalence in the western region of the country, NUI Galway and Galway and Roscommon University Hospitals Group have joined forces to create the Galway Diabetes Research Centre.The Galway Diabetes Research Centre (GDRC) will bring together an interdisciplinary research consortium of active researchers and clinicians. The centre is ideally placed as a hub for collaborative efforts among top researchers and clinicians, with the aim of providing a greater understanding of the disease, developing new and better therapies and assessing healthcare interventions and delivery.

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Dr Patrick Collins, lead researcher on the project, with Druid’s Garry Hynes.

European air space was seriously impacted by the eruption in 2010 of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.

NUI Galway has secured funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) for a new ash cloud research project. Seán Sherlock TD, Ministerfor Research and Innovation, made the announcement in December 2012.

A total of €2.1 million was invested by the ESA in an ash cloud detection and forecasting system led by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and involving NUI Galway and the Irish Aviation Authority’s Volcanic Ash Detection and Forecasting Initiative. The funding was secured with the aid of Enterprise Ireland, which is the co-ordinating body for ESA in Ireland.

The project, which uses satellites and forecast models to detect ash clouds and forecast their movements, came about following the 2010 Icelandic volcano eruption. The eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull resulted in more than 100,000 flights being cancelled, affecting over 10 million passenger journeys.

Professor Colin O’Dowd, the Director of the Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, based in the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, is leading the University’s involvement.

In October 2012, Professor O’Dowd was awarded the prestigious Appleton Medal, by the Institute of Physics in London, for his ‘distinguished research in environmental and atmospheric physics’.

The Whitaker Institute for Innovation and Societal Change is leading a new project which will help creative businesses in Europe’s Northern Periphery to export to new markets and nurture emerging creative talent.

Small and medium enterprises with creative offerings are encouraged to participate in the project which was launched in November 2012 by Druid’s award-winning director, Garry Hynes.

The project received €1.1 million in funding through the European Union’s Interreg Initiative under the Northern Periphery Programme (NPP) and brings together universities, development agencies and industry bodies from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Finland and Sweden.

The cultural and creative sector is one of the fastest-growing, with its value estimated at 7% of the world’s GDP and forecast to grow by 10% per year. The Creative Edge project aims to tap into this growing sector by increasing the participation of local creative organisations and businesses in global markets.

Predicting Ash Clouds

Cultivating theCreative Economy

Page 9 Report of the President 2012 /13

The unique ASIP device measures salinity levels in the upper ocean.

Accessing a Wealth of Medical InformationA new €4.4 million EU project is using the latest web technologies to make the most of the wealth of medical information contained in electronic medical records. The project aims to aid decision-making for medical practitioners and improve safety in clinical research.

The Linked2Safety project will build a medical and clinical data management infrastructure, using privacy-aware, semantic technology.

At the forefront of technologies being deployed by the project are researchers from the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) at NUI Galway. Their task is to imbue meaning into the data contained within the European healthcare information space, which is fragmented and disparate, and to connect that data. To do so, the project will use ‘linked-data’ and other sematic technologies developed by DERI.

NUI Galway scientists were part of a research expedition to the North Atlantic in April 2013. The objective was to study the salt concentration (salinity) of the upper ocean. Scientists aboard a Spanish research vessel, including NUI Galway’s Dr Brian Ward, explored the essential role of the ocean in the global water cycle.

This oceanographic research campaign was aimed at understanding the salinity of the upper ocean, which is a much more reliable indicator of the water cycle than any land-based measurement. How the water cycle evolves in response to global warming is one of the most important climate change issues.

Studying the processes at the ocean surface requires specialised instrumentation, as most measurements ‘miss’ the upper few metres.

NUI Galway’s AirSea Group measured the salinity, temperature, and turbulence of the upper 10 metres of the ocean with very fine detail using their Air-Sea Interaction Profiler (ASIP). The torpedo-shaped device, which is deployed into the water to gather data autonomously, is the only one of its kind in the world.

Exploring the Saltiness of the Ocean to Study Climate Change


Camouflage forCardiovascular Stents

Financial, housing and childcare supports are being provided by grandparents.

Older Generations Keeping Families AfloatFamily networks and a strong bond between young and old are keeping many Irish people afloat during the recession, according to new research on the relationship between the generations launched in April 2013.

The Changing Generations study was carried out by the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology at NUI Galway, in conjunction with Trinity College Dublin.

The research sheds light on how people of all ages are coping at a time of great challenges for the Irish economy and society. In many instances older generations are providing extensive financial, housing and childcare supports to younger generations.

Research underway at NUI Galway is looking at the new phenomenon of ‘digital remains’. With so much of a person’s life now residing online, through Facebook pages, email accounts and online banking – what happens when we pass away?

PhD candidate from the School of Law at NUI Galway, Damien McCallig, is addressing such questions.

Social network services are gradually being turned into digital memorial sites. Heirs and family members of the deceased increasingly seek access to or control over internet-based accounts. Some service providers deny access, citing concerns for the privacy of the deceased; others hand overthe digital remains upon request.

Damien McCallig’s research will provide clear policy foundations for internet-based service providers to define their obligations regarding the accounts of the deceased. As the first extensive examination of the rationale underpinning the regulation and control of the digital/virtual-self following death, this research will also prove invaluable for policy makers, legislators and regulators generally.

What becomes of ourDigital Remains?

A new type of cardiovascular stent, coated in antibodies to improve biocompatibility and effectiveness, is now under development in Ireland and Poland. Scientists at NUI Galway are leading a €1.2 million EU project which aims to reduce re-narrowing of arteries and the need for further interventions, through the development of novel cardiovascular stent materials.

NUI Galway microbiologist Dr Gerard Wall is heading up the project, in conjunction with the University’s Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials (NFB).

The aim is to develop a new type of coating on the stents using human antibody fragments which will attract a layer of the patient’s own epithelial cells.

This should effectively camouflage the stent as far as the body is concerned, and it will no longer be such a foreign object. The theory being that this will reduce the potential for rejection, the level of clot build-up, and also significantly improve the long-term outcome of surgical interventions.

Not all stents continue to perform perfectly over time.


Engaging withour Community

20,000 Visit Science and Technology Exhibition

Students from Educate Together National School at the official launch of the 15th Galway Science and Technology Festival at NUI Galway.

The 15th Galway Science and Technology Festival, part of National Science Week, saw over 20,000 visitors attend the final Exhibition Day at NUI Galway on Sunday,25 November, 2012.

Thousands of families and children enjoyed over 80 interactive stands representing areas including research, education, industry and the environment at the Bailey Allen Hall and Orbsen Building.

Visitors took tours of the new Engineering Building and the Zoology and Marine Biology Museum, while 20 fun shows for families took place in the IT Building, Aula Maxima and the Arts and Science Concourse building.

Brendan Smith, Community Education and Outreach Officer for the Digital Enterprise Research Institute at NUI Galway, was presented with the Science Person of the Year Award at the Festival Exhibition for his outstanding contribution in the field of Science and Technology.

Sea2Sky, a European-wide festival celebrating research, was organised by NUI Galway on 28 September 2012. Over 10,000 visitors attended exhibitions in three different locations in Galway and in CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork.

Sea2Sky was part of European Researchers’ Night, which took place across 800 venues in 320 cities. In Galway, visitors had access to CERN’s ‘Accelerating Science’ exhibition, over 40 stands in the Galway Bay Hotel showcasing research, and the Galway Atlantaquaria.

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, officially opened the Irish segment of European Researchers’ Night.

Celebrating the Natural World - from Sea to Sky

PoorTeddy

Celebrating the natural world from the seas to the sky, the free family event saw hundreds of researchers share their work with the public.

Over 1,500 sick teddy bears were admitted to the Annual Teddy Bear Hospital in January 2013. The sickly bears were accompanied by their owners - local primary school children ranging in age from 3-8 years. A team of 200 medical and science students volunteered to diagnose and treat the teddy bears, helping the children feel more comfortable around doctors and hospitals.


The creative and artistic forces of the student population were unleashed during the 13th annual NUI Galway Arts Festival, Múscailt. The Festival, which ran from 4-8 February 2013, contained a packed programme of art, music, performance, dance, literature and film, revolving around the themeof ‘Merriment and What Not’.

Merriment and What Not

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Students from across Connacht who received an A in Junior Certificate Honours Business Studies, were presented with

Certificates of Achievement from the College of Business, Public Policy and Law at NUI Galway in January 2013. The

presentations, in association with the Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland, were made at a special ceremony which

included teachers and parents.

A total of 260 students from 55 individual schools received recognition for their achievement at the ceremony. This was the

third year NUI Galway presented these awards.

A for Business StudiesNUI Galway’s Youth Academy works with primary school children in the local community to support their learning and academic development.

The Youth Academy runs for a six-week period and works with high-ability fourth and fifth class children to support their learning and academic development, in partnership with their primary schools.

The most recent graduation ceremony took place on 15 June 2013, bringing to over 400 the number of young people who have participated since its inception in 2012.

Primary School Students Graduate

Caption goes here

In January 2013, due to demand, NUI Galway announced the re-opening of a computer training initiative, ‘Click and Connect’.

The free programme was aimed at people categorised as digitally excluded, including older people. Experienced tutors introduced learners to the very basics of computers in small, informal settings.

In a separate initiative, led by the discipline of IT and the Digital Enterprise Research Institute, NUI Galway saw huge numbers attending the first ever Galway CoderDojo event held on campus in February 2013.

CoderDojo is an Irish-led global network of computer clubs where young people come to learn to code, develop websites, apps, games and more.

Continuing to engage the local community in IT, ‘Rails Girls’ came to campus in May 2013. The worldwide movement aims to bridge the gender divide in technology and teach women how to code. In Galway, the event consisted of workshops which provided basic training in online and software development to over 130 women from across Ireland.

Click and Connect

Pictured with his certificate of participation at the Youth Academy graduation ceremony was Éanna Wood.


StudentSuccess

Third-year medical student Tariq Esmail was instrumental in bringing to campus a major international conference addressing healthcare issues of global significance.

Students and staff at NUI Galway’s School of Medicine collaborated with Tariq Esmail in making NUI Galway one of the first institutions outside the United States to receive permission from TEDMED to stage a local conference.

TEDMED Live was held on 19 April 2013, as a satellite event of the annual conference taking place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

The NUI Galway TEDMED Live event attracted over 250 delegates, comprising medical students and academic staff, who contributed to the pre-conference discussions using social media.Dr Gerard Flaherty, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medicine and Medical Education at NUI Galway, was academic adviser for the conference.

Niamh Duffy, an MSc in Clinical Research student, scooped the top prize of €10,000 at the NUI Galway Students’ Union Enterprise Awards.

Her winning project StudySmart is a software application for secondary school students, which acts as a time management and motivational tool for study.

The Enterprise Awards, a Students’ Union initiative supported by the University, fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship among students. In its three years, the competition has attracted entries from students studying a variety of subjects.

The two runner-up prizes of €5,000 were awarded to Tim Groome for GaelicLinks, a networking website for people involved in the GAA, and Jenny Groarke for Sing Bang Music Workshops which provides workshops for older adults.

TEDMED Live comes to Galway

Lecturer Dr Gerard Flaherty with medical student Tariq Esmail at TEDMED.

Enterprise Award winner Niamh Duffy.

Enterprise Rewarded

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Report of the President 2012 /13Page 17

The enthusiasm, generosity and talent of NUI Galway students was highlighted at a national awards ceremony in April 2013. NUI Galway societies were presented with three awards at the Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) National Society Awards.

NUI Galway’s Draíocht Society won the Best Civic Contribution Award for their outstanding work with underprivileged children in the village of Talamarang in Nepal. To date, the Draíocht Society has raised over €50,000 and built an orphanage and school.

The society has also worked with the local community on educational, medical and entrepreneurial projects in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable way. Its founder, Melanie Hennessy, won the accolade of an Outstanding Young Person in the World in 2010.

Most Improved Society went to the Medical Society, and the Best Poster Award went to the Film Society.

Students of the Irish Language Communications Unit of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge at NUI Galway, based in An Cheathrú Rua, took home three major awards from the SMEDIAs, in April 2013. The SMEDIA Awards - or National Student Media Awards - are targeted at third-level students from institutions all around the country.

Best TV Production was awarded to an Irish language programme produced last year in the Connemara Gaeltacht. Aodhán Ó Maoileoin both wrote and directed the script, while Mairéad Ní Chonghaile, Cian Ó Lorcáin and Colleen Ní Bhaistir formed the production team. The students are completing their final year of their BA in Communications.

Fellow students Kirsty An Chnoic and Daithí Ó Cinnéide won further prizes in radio and TV.

Societies Sweep the Boards

National Student Media Awards

Members of NUI Galway’s Draíocht Society include (back row) Siobhan Sumption, Melanie Hennessey, Darren Clarke, Elizabeth Hurley and Kevin Davoren. (Front row) Aoife Kelleher, Aoibheann Browne and Aoife McElligott.

SMEDIAS

In October 2012, mature student Mona Wise won the top award at the first ever Blog Awards Ireland. In addition to winning the Best Blog Award for wisewords.ie, a blog on food, family and lifestyle, she also won awards in three other categories.

Mona, who is completing her final year of a creative writing BA Connect Degree in NUI Galway, has attracted a growing following through her blog. This brought her to the notice of The Sunday Times which offered her a weekly column. Together with her husband Ron, and as part of her degree, she has also published her first book, The Chef and I.

NUI Galway offers comprehensive sports scholarships to students each year to support and develop their sporting and academic careers. In January 2013, an additional 25 athletes became recipients of Sports Scholarships, bringing the total number to 60.

This year’s recipients reflect the growing strength of sport in the region and the wide variety of talent that NUI Galway attracts.

Angela O’Connor is one of Ireland’s most promising young swimmers. She will train in the new Connacht High Performance centre based at the University, while Lauren Murray will play with the newly-formed NUI Galway Mystics in Division One of the National Basketball League.

Robert O’Callaghan was part of the NUI Galway/ Gráinne Mhaol crew that won the Senior Eight at the Irish Rowing Championships in 2012, and Conor Egan and Dan Hindle were part of the successful Intermediate Four at the championships.

Aaron Cunningham and Conor McGrath were part of the Clare team that won the All-Ireland U21 Hurling Championship in 2012 and Conor O’Shea, while still a teenager, was part of the Mayo panel as they reached the All-Ireland Football Final.

As well as financial support, scholarship holders get access to NUI Galway facilities as well as physio and medical care, coaching and academic support and a range of services designed to help athletes reach the top of their sport.

In other sporting news, September 2012 saw Professor Eamon O’Shearatified as the new Tipperary Senior Hurling Manager. The Tipperary legend combines his passion for hurling with his role in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics and as researcher with the NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Social Gerontology.

Blog AwardsIreland

Sports Scholarships presented to 25 studentsSports scholarship student Angela O’Connor.

Mona Wise.

Page 18

Best FootForward

Recognition from the President of Ireland

Over the last year, 5,832 students have graduated from the University. During the winter conferring in 2012, the first cohort from the discipline of Podiatry in the School of Health Sciences graduated.

A total of 13 students graduated, qualifying after four years of study as healthcare professionals specialising in the management of disease and disorders of the lower limb and foot. NUI Galway’s programme is the first and only in the country leading to a BSc (Hons) in Podiatry.

Four NUI Galway graduates received gold medals from the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, having won various categories in the 2012 Undergraduate Awards. The NUI Galway winners were Isaac Burke, Neasa O’Callaghan, Marek Bohacek, and Cathal Kelly.

The awards programme identifies top students across the island of Ireland for their innovative undergraduate research. A further nine NUI Galway students were highly commended at the ceremony in November 2012.

Donna Rackard and Siobhan Hanley were among the country’s first graduates in Podiatry.


Accolades andAchievements

The Honours List

Honorary Doctoral Degrees conferred on 14 June 2013

Leonard Moran, Dr Rita Colwell and Enda Walsh, with a member of the Patrician Brass Band.

Enda Walsh, Doctor of Literature, multi-award winning Irish playwright. His work has been translated into over 20 languages and has been performed internationally since 1998.

Dr Rita Colwell, Doctor of Science, Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland. She is also Chairperson of Canon US Life Sciences, Inc and served as Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1998-2004.

Leonard Moran, Doctor of Science, biomedical industry entrepreneur and founder and CEO of Ovagen, the world’s first economically-sustainable producers of germ-free eggs and antibodies, based in Co. Mayo.

Every year, a few outstanding individuals join an illustrious list of honorary conferees. This year was no exception, with nine new namesjoining the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Hilary Clinton, Christy O’Connor Snr and Jnr, Fionnuala Flanagan, Anjelica Huston and Enya.

Page 20

Honorary Master Degrees conferred in October 2012

Honorary Master Degree conferred in November 2012

1. Seán Beattie, Master of Arts. Member of Donegal Historical Society and the Ulster Local History Trust, Seán has published several books on Donegal local history and contributed articles to journals and newspapers.2. Helen Meehan, Master of Arts. From Donegal, Helen is a retired primary school teacher and recognised as an expert in folklore, genealogy and local history in County Donegal.3. Josie Sheáin Jeaic Mac Donncha Master of Arts. Sean-nós singer from Aird Thiar in Carna, Josie has won Corn Uí Riada three times and was the University singer-in-residence in 2002.4. Tom MacSweeney, Master of Science. RTÉ’s first Marine Correspondent, Tom - Marine Correspondent, Tom now runs now runs Seascapes Maritime Media and is Special Correspondent with The Marine Times.5. Jim Murren, Master of Commerce. Former Regional Manager for the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) western region and Committee member of Galway Science and Technology Forum.

George Cunningham, Master of Arts. From Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, George founded Ireland’s first heritage centre, Damer House, together with the Roscrea Heritage Society.

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At the NUI Galway Alumni Awards Gala Banquet 2013 were Hugh O’Donnell, Adrian Jones, Dr Jim Browne, Dr Seamus Kavanagh, Dr Seán O’Rourke (front l-r) Joyce McGreevy, Dr Mary E. D’Alton and Gráinne Seoige.

The MC for the night was GráinneSeoige, a member of the 90,000 strongalumni worldwide.

The main feature of the night was the presentation of the annual Alumni Awards to:

Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciencessponsored by Medtronic • Dr Mary E. D’Alton, MD, Willard C. Rappleye Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Columbia University.

Award for Business, Public Policy and Law sponsored by Bank of Ireland• Adrian Jones, Managing Director, Principal Investment Area, Merchant Banking Division, Goldman Sachs.

Award for Science sponsored by Aramark• Dr Seamus Kavanagh, Vice-President Global Innovation and Technology Development, Hollister Incorporated.

Award for Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies sponsored by AIB• Joyce McGreevy, Author and Supervising Editor for the Academic Division of National Geographic.

Award for Engineering and Informatics sponsored by Bank of Ireland• Hugh O’Donnell, Saipem S.p.A Deputy CEO and COO Drilling.

Alumni Awards

NUI Honours President of Ireland

A celebration of the achievements ofNUI Galway’s alumni took place in the Bailey Allen Hall on 9 March 2013. Special guest An Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore T.D. joined 450 alumni, staff, students and friends of the University for the 13th Annual Gala Banquet.

Dr Jim Browne, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, and Dr Maurice Manning.

At a ceremony in Dublin Castle on 25 January 2012, the Chancellor of the National University of Ireland, Dr Maurice Manning, conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) on the President of Ireland, His Excellency, Dr Michael D. Higgins.

The introductory citation at the event was delivered by President Browne, who is also Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Ireland.

President Higgins is a former student and member of staff at NUI Galway.

Page 22

Over 200 NUI Galway MBA graduates returned to the University in February 2013 to mark the 40th anniversary of the first intake to its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme. Organised by the University’s J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, the milestone was marked with a conference and gala dinner.

Another landmark for the MBA was reached when it attained AMBA accreditation. The Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation is internationally recognised as the global standard.

A third celebration came in May 2013, when the NUI Galway MBA in conjunction with the University’s BioInnovate Programme, won an MBA World Trophy award.

Meanwhile, NUI Galway received three major awards in the gradireland Postgraduate Course of the Year Awards 2013, in the categories of Business, Engineering and Science.

The annual Postgraduate Course of the Year Awards, sponsored by the Higher Education Authority, recognises excellence amongst Irish postgraduate course providers.

In April 2013 NUI Galway officially launched the New Language Scheme (2012-2015) with the support of RTÉ’s Evanne Ní Chuilinn. Its main feature is to ensure there is an active offer of Irish in a range of services on campus. A new G symbol was created to make it clear to Irish speakers where they can avail of services through the language. In November 2012, the Foundation’s US Board hosted its 6th Annual Gala Banquet to

raise funds for the University’s programmes and activities. The Gala, which honoured alumni, Michael Higgins and Anjelica Huston, was a great success and raised over $200,000 to support the Huston School of Film and Digital Media.

Charles F. “Chuck” Feeney, founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies.

The universities of Ireland, North and South, conferred an honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD) on Charles F. “Chuck” Feeney, founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies, on 6 September 2012.

The degree was conferred to give recognition and thanks to Chuck Feeney for his incredible support of the Irish universities over the past twenty years. It was also conferred to convey to the people of Ireland just how radical and transformative this continued support has been.

Since 1989, The Atlantic Philanthropies have donated almost €800 million to Irish universities, North and South.

In January 2013, NUI Galway announced the appointment of Professor Lokesh Joshi as the new Vice-President for Research. The role will see Professor Joshi lead the research mission for NUI Galway

and firmly place NUI Galway among the top research-led universities globally.

Professor Joshi joined the University in 2007 as a Science Foundation Ireland Stokes Professor of Glycoscience and is the Director of the Alimentary Glycoscience Research Cluster, a SFI-funded Strategic Research Cluster.

Before joining NUI Galway, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Director of the Center for Glycoscience and Technologies in the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, USA.

Universities Honour Chuck Feeney

New Vice-President for Research

Building on 40 Yearsof Excellence

G for Gaeilge

Actress Anjelica Huston and Tom Joyce, Galway University Foundation.

Professor Lokesh Joshi.


NUI Galway at a GlanceStudents International Students StaffIn 2012/13 there were 17,483students at NUI Galway.

About NUI Galway• Established in 1845• Over 90,000 alumni in over 100 countries around the world• 5,832 graduates in 2012/13• 186 PhD graduates in 2012/13

EstateThe riverside campus has over 90 buildings on 105 hectares.

2012/13 IncomeThe University has an annual income of €218 million and a capital spend of circa €70 million.

Student Fees €99mState Grant €52mResearch Income €57mOther Income €10mTotal €218m

Technology Transfer and Commercialisation

The Ignite Technology Transfer Office at NUI Galway continued to excel in delivering commercial outcomes for research activities. Technologies developed, and taken up by industry, span areas such as animal health, biopharma, medical devices, tissue engineering, biorefining and bio-energy and ICT.

Achievements in 2012 are summarised as follows:

• 42 new invention disclosures.

• 15 technologies licensed to companies.

• 3 new start-up companies.

• 31 new R&D collaborations.

In 2012/13 there were 2,366 international students from 110 different countries.

NUI Galway is the second largest employer in Galway City. In 2012/13 there were 2,561 staff working at NUI Galway.

Undergraduate 12,685

Postgraduate Taught 2,345

Postgraduate Research 1,203

Exchange/Visiting Students 1,011

Other Students 239

Total 17,483

Undergraduate 680

Postgraduate Taught 286

Postgraduate Research 269

Erasmus, Visiting and International

Summer School 1,131

Total 2,366

Academic Staff 1,076

Research Staff 490

Administrative/Support Staff 995

Total 2,561

Údarás na hOllscoile/Governing Authority The Hon Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness Chair

University Management TeamDr James J. Browne President Professor Nollaig Mac Congáil Registrar and Deputy-PresidentMr Keith Warnock Vice-President for Capital ProjectsMs Mary Dooley BursarMr Gearóid Ó Conluain University SecretaryDr Kieran Loftus Executive Director of OperationsProfessor Chris Curtin Vice-President for Innovation and Performance

Údarás na hOllscoile/Governing Authority Fees and Expenses External Governing Internal Governing Authority Members Authority MembersFees payable nil nil

Expenses payable €5,526 nil

(figures for the year ended 30 September 2012)


Other Incomec10m

Research Income c57m

Student Feesc99m

State Grantc52m

report of the president - nui galway...page 1 report of the president 2012 /13 a message from the...

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