Inside this Issue: Page 3 New Engineering Building

Page 5 Marine Discovery Page 7 Focal ón Uachtarán... and more!

Nuachtlitir Foirne Staff Newsletter Deireadh Fómhair 2011

Michael D. has been associated with the University for almost 50 years,entering as a mature student in 1962; serving as President of the StudentCouncil; and going on to become a highly regarded lecturer in Sociology &Politics for many years.

He has served as Adjunct Professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rightssince 2006. His impressive record in defense of human rights made his rolewith the Irish Centre of Human Rights a natural enhancement of his longassociation with the University.

Speaking after the election results were announced, NUI Galway President,Dr Jim Browne said of Michael D.: “The Office of President has beenincreasingly to the fore in national life in recent years. Michael D.’s talent and

integrity, along with his commitment to service in public life, will ensure thathe will be an inspirational and visionary President, following those who haveheld that office with great distinction and honour.

On behalf of the University, I congratulate him on the unique leadership rolewhich he has played to date in shaping Ireland's future. I wish him everysuccess and fulfilment in writing the next chapter of Ireland’s history.”

Amongst his many distinctions, Michael D. Higgins was honoured in 2003 byhis alma mater with the NUI Galway AIB Award for Literature,Communication and the Arts. He graduated with a BA in 1965 and aBComm in 1966 from what was then UCG.

NUI Galway’s Michael D. Higginsis Ninth President of IrelandMichael D. Higgins, Adjunct Professor with the Irish Centre for Human Rights,has been elected the ninth president of Ireland.

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Ollscéala is published by theMarketing and Communications OfficeOllscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. Tel. 091 - 493361 E-mail: michelle.níchróinín@nuigalway.ie

Focal ón EagarthóirTá an-áthas orm a bheith ar ais agus an t-eagrán seo d’Ollscéala a chur ar fáil.

Is é Michael D. Higgins ó OÉ Gaillimh an NaoúUachtarán ar Éirinn!

Tá baint ag Michael D. leis an Ollscoil le beagnach 50bliain, ó tháinig sé chun na hOllscoile mar mhac léinnlánfhásta i 1962; bhí sé ina Uachtarán ar Chomhairle naMac Léinn; agus ina dhiaidh sin bhí sé ina léachtóir leSocheolaíocht agus Polaitíocht ar feadh na mblianta.

Michael D. was most recently on campus during animpromptu visit on the eve of the election, when staff andstudent well-wishers turned out to lend their support. I’msure this support will continue throughout hisPresidency. Tá OÉ Gaillimh an-bhródúil as na héachtaíatá déanta ag alumni na hOllscoile agus guím gach rath archlann Uí hUigín.

The official opening of the new Engineering Buildingtook place during the summer months and as thePresident remarked at the officially opening by AnTaoiseach Enda Kenny TD, ‘It’s a landmark day’, andindeed it was. Congrats to all involved.

The conference season ensured activity during thesummer months and this edition will again look at theawards and achievements of our staff and students.Research is highlighted in this edition by the recentparticipation of marine biologist Patrick Collins in amajor scientific discovery on the mid-Atlantic ridge andwith Sea2Sky where this University hosted the first everEuropean Researchers night.

Over 3,600 graduates were conferred at the autumnconferring and the same figure of new students startedtheir journey at NUI Galway in September. We wishthem all the very best in their careers and theiradventures here on campus.

Mo bhuíochas do chách a chur scéalta chugainn doneagrán seo - beidh mé ag súil le go leor scéalta eile uaibhroimh deireadh na bliana.

Michelle Ní ChróinínEditor

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Child Protection OfficerAppointedWhilst NUI Galway owes a duty of care to all itsstudents, it also has a particular responsibility tosafeguard the welfare of any individual under theage of eighteen, provide them with the highestpossible standard of care in order to promote theirwell-being and safeguard them from harm. Thisresponsibility applies whether that child is astudent of the University or is otherwise under thecare or supervision of University Members.In promoting best practice, NUI Galway has

drafted a ChildProtection Policy andappointed CarmelBrowne, DeputyDirector of HR, as the Child Protection Officer.Mr Dermot Flaherty, HR Office, has beennominated as Deputy Child Protection Officer.

The Child Protection Policy can be found atwww.nuigalway.ie/humanresources.

Conferrings 2011Over 3,600 students graduated during theAutumn Conferring Ceremonies which tookplace from 21-28 October. NUI Galway alsoconferred five Honorary Masters Degrees duringthe ceremonies on Peadar O’Dowd (Master ofArts, honoris causa), Stan Shields (Master of Arts,honoris causa), William Henry (Master of Arts,honoris causa), Kathleen Villiers Tuthill (Masterof Arts, honoris causa), and Martin Ward (Masterof Rural Development, honoris causa). Theannual Autumn Conferring Ceremonies beganwith the Adult and Continuing Educationceremonies, where awards were conferred onover 1,000 students who completed theircertificate, diploma and degree courses at manylocations across the country.

Kathleen Villiers Tuthill William Henry

Peadar O’Dowd

Stan Shields

Martin Ward

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Over 10,000 visitors descended on Salthill for Ireland’s first participation in EuropeanResearchers Night in September. Billed as ‘Sea2Sky’, the celebration of science andresearch ran in parallel with events across 320 cities in Europe. The Galway event wasvisited by European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, MáireGeoghegan-Quinn.

This was the first time Ireland participated in European Researchers Night and NUIGalway collaborated with the Marine Institute and Galway Atlantaquaria to deliver asuccessful event. Hundreds of researchers displayed their work in the fields of Marine,Atmospherics and Astronomy.

Chief organiser, NUI Galway’s Dr Andrew Shearer, said: “Around the world, Ireland’sreputation is growing as a hub of science, discovery and innovation. It was great to seesuch a great turnout for the first Irish participation in European Researchers Night.”

Sea2Sky Hailed a Success

Seevl, a new spin-out company from DERI, is bringing a newexperience to music lovers. Seevl provides new ways to explore thecultural and musical universe of users’ favourite bands and artists,and lets them discover other connected ones, based on a rich set ofconnections that can exist. The service, free for its users, offers anonline discovery user-experience, whether it is by browsing artists,labels or genres, or by combining these features together to findnew ones. It also makes its data available to developers that wantto build new applications on top of the platform.

Dr Alexandre Passant, CEO and founder of Seevl, said: “We wantto recreate, online, the music discovery experience that peoplehave when reading records sleeves, trying to know every fact abouttheir favourite artists, or engaging in conversations about thebands they like.”

To enable its platform, Seevl brings together several years of R&Din Semantic Web and Linked Data technologies that have beenresearched at DERI. Seevl also partners with OpenLink softwareto deliver its infrastructure http://seevl.net/.

New DERI Spin-OutReinvents Music Discovery

This world-class teaching and research facilityushers in a new era for Engineering for theUniversity. The building has been designed to bea teaching tool in itself, with exposed constructiontechniques and an array of ecological buildingmethods.

According to An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, whostudied at the University in the mid-70s:“Engineering has a long and proud tradition atNUI Galway and this magnificent new building isa fine example of how the University isresponding to the changing needs in today’sworld. This new building begins a new era forengineering students here in Galway and will have

far reaching impacts at local, national andinternational level.”

The four-storey architectural gem and its 400rooms will now accommodate some 1,100students and 110 staff. The 14,250 sqm buildingwill support an emerging generation of engineers,engaged in a new wave of technologies, embracinginnovation and entrepreneurship.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, PresidentBrowne said: “This is a landmark day in theUniversity’s history. The opening of theEngineering Building brings to fruition the effortsof many individuals to bring the highest quality

facilities for engineering education and researchto NUI Galway. This facility will be a nationalasset, providing the best resources for Ireland’sengineers. Our engineering graduates andresearchers will shape Ireland’s future by buildingour national competitiveness, driving innovationand research and supporting indigenous andmultinational industry.”

To read more about the project team involved inthe new building; its green credentials and somemore interesting facts you can visitwww.nuigalway.ie/new-engineering-building/

A Landmark Dayfor EngineeringAn Taoiseach’s first official visit to NUI Galway was in mid-Julyto officially open the University’s new Engineering Building,the largest of its kind in Ireland.

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Conferences & Summer SchoolsCelebrating its 25th anniversary year, the IrishConference of Medievalists featured 43speakers from 11 countries. The programmeincluded lectures on medieval history,archaeology, literature and linguistics. Thekeynote lecture was delivered by Alfred P.Smyth, Emeritus Professor of Medieval Historyat the University of Kent.

A one-day Psychology workshop, entitled‘Mindfulness and Values in AcceptanceCommitment Therapy’, and hosted by theSchool of Psychology, focused on Acceptanceand Commitment Therapy (ACT), an approachto psychotherapy and sound living. Theworkshop was delivered by Dr Kelly Wilson,co-developer of ACT and Associate Professor ofPsychology with the University of Mississippi.

The Discipline of Botany and Plant Sciencehosted the first Galway meeting of the BotanicalSociety of the British Isles. Aimed at academicand amateur botanists from throughout Britainand Ireland, the meeting included a series oflectures and excursions to Burren, Connemaraand the Aran Islands. Keynotes speakers includedDr Karen Molloy, NUI Galway SeniorResearcher, Dr Sharon Parr, Burren Farming forConservation Programme, John Conaghan,Ecological Consultant and Dr Matthew Jebb,Director of the National Botanic Gardens.

The School of Geography and Archaeologyhosted the 19th Annual, and first Irish,Colloquium of the Commission on theSustainability of Rural Systems (CSRS) of theInternational Geographical Union. ‘TheSustainability of Rural Systems: Local andGlobal Challenges and Opportunities’conference saw delegates from 16 countries topresent over 40 papers on the themes ofAgriculture; Tourism; Population; LocalGovernance and Rural Development;Innovative forms of Employment; Rural Societyand Alternative Energy.

The Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald,T.D., officially opened the fifth biennialconference of the UNESCO Child and FamilyResearch Centre. The two-day conference,entitled ‘Protecting Children Through Family

Support’, addressed the challenges andopportunities in effectively realising childrenand young people’s right to be cared for safelywithin their families.

Internationally renowned surgeon, ProfessorR.J. Heald, OBE, delivered the 36th Sir PeterFreyer Memorial Lecture, the largest surgicalsymposium in Ireland. Professor of Surgery atthe North Hampshire Hospital and SurgicalDirector of the Pelican Cancer Centre,Basingstoke, Professor Heald’s lecture focusedon Colorectal Cancer Surgery. Other speakersincluded Professor Eilis McGovern, President ofthe Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland andConsultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at St.James's Hospital.

Three Summer Schools for second-levelstudents, across the disciplines of Computing,Engineering and Science, took place on campusthis summer. Students participating in theEngineering Summer School were the firststudents ever to use the University’s newEngineering Building and took part in activitiessuch as remotely controlling a wastewatertreatment plant, building an eco-house anddesigning a go-kart. The Science ExperienceSummer workshops featured activities from alldisciplines of the College of Science includingBiology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. Whilethe Computing Summer Camp introducedcomputing in a novel, fun and interactive wayusing leading-edge technologies, fromconstructing and controlling robots that caninteract with their environment, to directing avirtual ‘mini-movie’.

The Irish Centre for Human Rights continuedits annual summer schools this year hosting twoevents. The first, Minority Rights andIndigenous Peoples, gave an overview of thelegal, political and philosophical issuespertaining to international human rights law andits relationship to minority rights and the rightsof indigenous peoples. Delivered by leadingspecialists, the second summer school,International Criminal Court, consisted ofintensive lectures on issues in internationalcriminal law, including universal jurisdiction,immunities and the role of the victim.

An international group of 50 postgraduatestudents attended the Web Science DoctoralSummer School. Organised by DERI, attendeeslearned analytical techniques to study thecomplex social and economic forces driving theevolution of the Web.

Speakers from Ireland, France and the UKdescribed their experiences in the creation,management and use of shared skills andinfrastructures in the life sciences sector at aone-day conference focused on EuropeanMarine biotechnology and organized bySEMRU and Marine Biotechnology Ireland.Networks as Knowledge – BiotechnologyNetworks in the Atlantic Area Conference sawdiscussion on Ireland’s position in the widerAtlantic area. The results of a recent surveywhich examined the needs and barriers in thebiotechnology R&D sector in Ireland were alsopresented.

Judge Catherine McGuinness chaired anEquality Seminar examining key gender equalityissues from birth to old age. The ‘EqualityThrough the Ages’ seminar was part of the NUIGalway – University of Limerick StrategicAlliance, and was convened by Dr Lucy-AnnBuckley, School of Law, and Dr Patricia Conlan,UL, and stressed the continuing significance ofgender equality issues for women, young andold, and also for men.

Over 70 delegates attended the ninth annualRECOMB (Research in ComputationalMolecular Biology) Satellite Workshop onComparative Genomics. Bringingmathematicians and computer scientiststogether with biologists to share ideas andapproaches for the comparison of genomes, thiswas the first time that the meeting took place inGalway. Keynote speakers included ProfessorEd Green, UC Santa Cruz, USA, ProfessorKateryna Makova, Penn State University, USA,Professor Julian Parkhill, Sanger Institute, UK,Professor Nicolaus Rajewsky, Max-DelbrückCenter for Molecular Medicine, Germany andDr Chris Greenman, Sanger Institute, UK.

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BioInnovate Ireland, a specialist trainingprogramme in medical device innovation,modeled on Stanford University’sprestigious Biodesign Programme, wasofficially launched in August. TheBioInnovate Ireland FellowshipProgramme has been jointly developedand delivered by a consortium of fivehigher education institutions whichinclude NUI Galway, UL, Royal Collegeof Surgeons in Ireland, DCU and UCC.

The impetus for the development of thisspecialist training programme emergedfrom the 2010 Innovation TaskforceReport. The new programme aims to hot-house, in the space of 10 months, talentedindividuals with multidisciplinary

backgrounds to explore and develop inteams, opportunities for innovativemedical devices.

Speaking about the programme, the newlyappointed Fellowship Director, NUIGalway’s Dr Mark Bruzzi, said: “Ourmission is to educate the next generationof leaders in innovation and to support thefuture of the medical device technologiessector in Ireland. The academic partnersdriving the development of theBioInnovate Fellowship Programme arecommitted to support innovation andentrepreneurship and to evolve theacademic component of the Irish MedicalTechnologies ecosystem to ensure that theneeds of the industry are met.”

€3 million Award toLead EU ResearchProjectDr Anne MacFarlane, lecturer in PrimaryCare in the Discipline of GeneralPractice, School of Medicine, has beenawarded an EU-FP7 grant worth€3 million to lead a large collaborativeresearch project known as RESTORE(REsearch into implementationSTrategies to support patients ofdifferent ORigins and languagebackground in a variety of Europeanprimary care settings).

Researchers Lead€2.7 million Project forHernia Treatment Dr Dimitrios Zeugolis and ProfessorAbhay Pandit of NFB are to lead aEuropean project to develop a newproduct for use in hernia operations. TheNFB-led consortium has been awardedan EU-FP7 grant worth €2.7 million for aproposal entitled Targeting HerniaOperation Using Sustainable Resourcesand Green Nanotechnologies. Theoverall objective of the research project isto develop a novel mesh for use in herniaoperations.

Biomedical Training Begins,Stanford University Style

Back Row (L-R): Marie Travers, Wayne Allen, Colin Forde, Dr Waqar Aziz, Dr JamesMcGarry, Kevin Moore, Dr Liam Mullins, Vicky McGrath, Bioinnovate Fellows withMr Ian Quinn, Creganna Tactx; BioInnovate Advisory Board Chair.

NUI Galway’s Patrick Collins, of the Ryan Institute, was partof the Irish-led VENTuRE scientific expedition aboard thenational research vessel RV Celtic Explorer who discovered apreviously uncharted field of hydrothermal vents along theMid-Atlantic Ridge – the first to be explored north of theAzores. The mission, which took place this summer,investigated 3,000 metres below the surface of the sea usingthe Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Holland 1.

Hydrothermal vents, which spew mineral-rich seawaterheated to boiling point by volcanic rock in the Earth’s crust,are home to a rich variety of marine life that thrives incomplete darkness on bacteria fed by chemicals. Theinvestigation was supported by the Marine Institute underthe 2011 Ship-Time Programme of the NationalDevelopment Plan and by the National Geographic Society,who filmed the work for inclusion in an upcoming NationalGeographic Channel series, ‘Alien Deep,’ premiering globallyin 2012.

Patrick Collins, who led the marine biological teaminvestigating this unique ecosystem, worked in collaborationwith Jon Copley of the University of Southampton tocatalogue and characterise the species found at the vents.

“Everyone on board is proud of this Irish discovery, whichwe have called the ‘Moytirra Vent Field,’ said Collins.“Moytirra is the name of a battlefield in Irish mythology, andappropriately means ‘Plain of the Pillars.’ The largestchimney we have found is huge – more than ten metres tall –and we have named it ‘Balor’ after a legendary giant. Incomparison with other vent fields, Moytirra contains somemonstrous chimneys and is in an unusual setting at thebottom of a cliff – a real beauty.”

Marine Biologist Partof Major ScientificDiscovery

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Positive findings have been released on the jobs front for NUI Galway graduates withsome 96.8% of graduates currently are not seeking employment, the best figure in thehigher education sector in Ireland. With national unemployment figures at 14.5%,only 3.2% of the NUI Galway class of 2009/2010 are actively seeking employment.

The number of NUI Galway graduates going directly into employment during thisperiod was 47.5%, up 4% on the previous year, with a significant percentage going onto further studies. The data comes from an annual survey of almost 4,000 graduateson full-time programmes, conducted nine months after graduation. John Hannon,Head of the Careers Development Centre said: “This survey gives an invaluableinsight into employment opportunities. The Standardised Unemployment Rate ismore than four times that of NUI Galway. We are delighted to have such positivenews and to see that NUI Galway graduates are valued and sought after byemployers. Graduates are our future leaders and their ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude, skillsand knowledge can generate the enterprise and innovation required to boost Ireland’seconomic recovery.”

The challenging economic climate in recent years has led to increased numbersembarking on postgraduate study. Again the statistics for NUI Galway are positive,with just over 3% of graduates from postgraduate programmes seeking employment.

This university was one of the first in the country to have a set ofprofessional, postgraduate qualifications in teaching and learningfor lecturing staff. To date, over 120 academic staff have completedthe Postgraduate Certificate course, which is based in CELT, andothers have progressed to years two and three to conclude with aPgDip or MA in Academic Practice. Participants engage inworkshops augmented with online resources and must undertake aseries of evaluations of their own teaching, a redesign of theirmodules and the compilation of a Teaching Portfolio.

Feedback from participants is highly positive and most commenton the value of having the opportunity to engage with colleaguesfrom across the whole spectrum of academic disciplines.The cohorts are also mixed in terms of levels of experience, rangingfrom new-start lecturers finding their feet, to seasoned veteranswith much practical wisdom to contribute as well as a willingnessto refresh their approaches.

For those of us who teach on the course it is an incrediblyrewarding experience and reveals the extent to which there isgenuine commitment amongst staff to support student learningand develop academic programmes of which we can be proud.Further information available at www.nuigalway.ie/celt

NUI Galway Unemployment Figures Lowest in Higher Education Sector

Fograíodh le déanaí go bhfuil leabharAn tOllamh Gearóid Denvir ar anngearrliosta do Ghradam UíShuilleabháin. Tá Sé an Saol anMáistir: Filíocht Learaí PhádraicLearaí Uí Fhínneadha, atá in eagar agAn tOllamh Denvir, san iomaíocht leceithre leabhar eile don teidealLeabhar na Bliana. Bhain an leabharseo an duais amach i gComórtais anOireachtais (Saothar Próis) sabhliain 2010.

Dr Gerard Turley and Maureen Maloney of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, have just completed thefourth edition of the successful textbook Principles of Economics: An Irish Text, with co-author Dr Francis O'Toole of TrinityCollege Dublin.

Principles of Economics: An Irish Text introduces the theory and practice of economics within an Irish and European context.There is reference to both recent and current economic conditions, including reflections on the post Celtic Tiger years, theeconomic downturn caused by the international recession, the banking crisis and the property crash, and the latest on theeurozone and sovereign debt crisis.

Adjunct Lecturer in Law Paul Lambert is soon to publishCourting Publicity: Twitter and Television Cameras in Courtwith Bloomsbury UK. The book is scheduled forpublication in early November and will deal with theimpact of new technology on the conduct of legal trials.

Filíocht Uí Fhínneadha arghearrliosta Ghradam Leabharna Bliana

New Edition of Economics Textbook

New publication onSocial Media and the Court

CELT trainingNUI Galway Staff by Dr Iain Mac Labhrainn

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A Chairde,

Agus tús a chur againn lebliain acadúil nua, tá áthasorm a fhógairt go bhfuiléileamh leanúnach ar nacúrsaí san Ollscoil. CAOfigures show NUI Galway

consolidating its growth of recent years - broadly inline with trends across the sector. Science andEngineering courses have jumped in popularity withNUI Galway out-performing the national trend inboth, especially in Engineering where the opening ofthe new Engineering Building in July was a big drawfor applicants.

Our success is also due to the University's focusedand effective marketing strategies. Open Days ofrecent months are central to this activity. Those heldrecently were very successful with high levels ofattendance from all over Ireland, and representationfrom 30 of the 32 counties. Given the University’sincreased efforts to recruit from outside thetraditional catchment area, it was encouraging to see13.5% of visitors came from the East; 17% from theSouth; 43% from Galway city and county; 19% fromthe rest of Connacht; and the remaining 7.5% fromthe North. I would like to thank colleagues for theirefforts in making the Autumn Open Days sosuccessful and I look forward to your support for thenext Open Day on April 28, 2012.

President's Awardsfor Teaching ExcellenceThe Awardees for Teaching Excellence wereannounced recently. The winners are:

• Dr Jamie Goggins,School of Engineering & Informatics

• Dr Vinodh Jaichand, School of Law

• Dr John Kelly, School of Medicine

• Dr John Morrissey,School of Geography & Archaeology

• Ms Siobhán Smyth,School of Nursing & Midwifery

The Review Panel commented that the standard wasextremely high and improving year on year. Theexternal reviewer (Professor Aine Hyland, UCC) wasimpressed by many of the candidates and pleased tosee the increasing focus on a scholarly/research-oriented approach to teaching. The winners will bepresented with their Awards at the conferringceremonies in October and November. In a relateddevelopment, one of last year's winners, Dr FrancesMcCormack of the School of Humanities, will receiveher NAIRTL award in early November in Dublin.Congratulations to Frances on national recognitionfor the quality of her teaching and to the 2010-11Award winners for their creativity and commitment!

Accreditation for the Business SchoolI would also like to congratulate Dr Emer Mulliganand her team in the Business School on receiving fullexternal accreditation of their Business InformationSystems programme. External accreditationrepresents an important hallmark of quality forBusiness Schools and this achievement is a significantstep on the road to achieving full accreditation for thewhole Schoool.

Schools MeetingsOver the month of September, Professor Chris Curtin(Vice-President for Innovation and Performance) andI met with colleagues in all Schools across the fiveColleges. At these meetings we discussed eachSchool's operational planning and performance at thecollective and individual level and how this willcontribute to delivering the University's StrategicPlan. Each School was asked to benchmark itselfagainst best practice models and to identifyperformance targets and requirements to achievethese. In the coming months, we plan to meet withthe support units to encourage a similar engagementwith best practice. This is vital. If we are to continueto develop and improve we need to look at ouractivities, and compare these with others in the sectorto get a sense of how we are measuring up and wherewe can improve. I hope to share a sense of thesediscussions at the next All Staff Address on 8November next.

RankingsThe QS World University Rankings ranked NUIGalway 298th in the world, a drop of 66 places on lastyear’s ranking. The Time Higher Education (THES)World University Ranking scored NUI Galway in the350-400 bracket - a fall on our position on last year.While these results are disappointing, it is importantto be aware of the criteria which make up the variousrankings and the impact they can have on aUniversity’s overall performance. The heavy relianceof both rankings on opinion-based analysis, gatheredthrough academic surveys, has had a negative impacton all of the Irish universities. The increasingglobalisation of both surveys has also resulted in a lossof prominence for Ireland’s universities.

Both of these results point to some clear actions to betaken to enhance our performance:

• I have appointed a project group to review ourrelationships with employers with a view toenhancing those relationships by developing morefrequent and targeted communications with thisimportant group.

• I have also initiated a major, national survey ofemployers to gain a better understanding of howour graduates are viewed, relative to graduates ofother universities.

• I have asked the Registrar’s Office to work with theColleges to ensure learning outcomes arecommunicated clearly to students, so that theyhave a better understanding of the broadertransferable skills they acquire in the course of theirstudies.

• I will also bring together a group of the University’sprominent researchers to explore ways of growingour research output and enhancing our researchprofile on an international stage.

• We also need to ensure we continue to developflagship programmes, particularly in our areas ofexpertise, so that we can continue to improve thequality of the students we attract to theUniversity.

For more on my views on rankings see link to reportsbelow.

Our AlliancesRecent years have seen the University forge importantnew alliances with higher education institutionsnationally, internationally and locally; as well as withartistic bodies. Some recent new initiatives emergingfrom these alliances include:

• SELECTED, a new artist development strand ofthe Galway Arts Festival partnership which saw fivestudents and graduates join five other artists in aunique initiative which allowed them full access toevery aspect of the festival. This ‘two-weekacademy’ offered students the opportunity to seehow a festival of this magnitude is put togetherwhile also attending shows, post-show talks andgetting a hands-on experience from performers andorganisers.

• The NUI Galway - University of Limerick Alliancesaw the establishment two new joint MScprogrammes: MSc Finance and InformationSystems and MSc Sustainable ResourceManagement: Policy and Practice. These are thefirst joint programmes to emerge from an Irishuniversity alliance.

I look forward to further tangible outcomes of thesealliances, which I believe will signal a trend for thefuture of Irish higher education. For more on myviews on how strategic collaboration is central to Irisheducation see my opinion piece in The Irish Times athttp://www.nuigalway.ie/president/reports.html

Tá mé ag súil le bliain ghnóthach agus bliain thorthúilamach romhainn agus muid ag obair le chéile chunmórán tionscadail a thabhairt chun críche. I continueto be inspired by colleagues who consistently showtheir passion and commitment to enhancingNUI Galway's reputation and performance.

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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Outstanding Brazilian Student

A Brazilian student is the first recipient of a newNUI Galway scholarship for students from a non-EU country to study at the University. HeictorGonzaga, now living in Gort, Co. Galway, hastaken up a place in the Bachelor of Engineeringdegree course.

Heictor Gonzaga and his family came to Irelandthree years ago where, after a couple of monthswith the English Language Support system, heentered the Leaving Certificate class in GortCommunity School. The scholarship, funded byGalway University Foundation, is for a studentfrom a non-EU country who has completed atleast the final two years of their secondary schoolstudies in Ireland, but who are not eligible for feesat EU rates.

Award at Major USBioengineering ConferenceWilliam Ronan, PhD student in Mechanical andBiomedical Engineering, under the supervision ofDr Patrick McGarry has won first prize in the PhDStudent Paper Competition at the AmericanSociety of Mechanical Engineering BiomedicalEngineering Conference, a leading US conferencein the field of biomedical engineering andbiomechanics. William was shortlisted as one ofsix finalists in the category of cell mechanics fromover 150 international applicants and based on hissubmitted paper and podium presentation he wasawarded first prize.

Air Quality and Climate AwardJames McGrath, a PhD student in the School ofPhysics, won a best student paper award for hispresentation entitled ‘Simulation Of Solid FuelBurning Events In Irish Fireplaces Under Varying AirExchange Rates’ while attending Indoor Air 2011,the International Conference on Indoor Air Qualityand Climate, held in Austin, Texas in June 2011. Theconference was attended by over 1000 delegates, andfor his efforts, James received a flag from the State of

Texas that had been flown over the Capitol Building.James’ research is supervised by Dr Miriam Byrne, isfunded by the EPA STRIVE programme, andinvolves the development of a computational modelfor estimating exposure to air pollution while residingindoors.

Travelling ScholarshipCiara Kyne has been awarded a prestigious NUITravelling Studentship which will enable her toperform part of her PhD studies in Professor GaryPielak's lab at Chapel Hill. Ciara who is a studentin Dr Peter Crowley's lab in the School ofChemistry also holds a Hardiman ResearchScholarship awarded by NUI Galway.

The Aerosol SocietyDr Miriam Byrne, in the School of Physics and theRyan Institute, has become President of theAerosol Society of the UK and Ireland for a two-year term. The Aerosol Society aims to supportthe science of airborne particles, and is 25 years inexistence. Its 270 members are drawn fromindustry and academia, covering a wide range ofdisciplines from environmental health andclimatology, to pharmaceutical devices andnanotechnology. The Society supports graduateresearch in the UK and Ireland through provisionof student research grants and travel awards.

IRCHSS AwardProfessor Daniel Carey has been awarded aGovernment of Ireland Senior ResearchFellowship by the IRCHSS for a project to preparean edition of Richard Hakluyt's landmarkcollection of early modern travel: The PrincipalNavigations...of the English Nation (1598-1600).Professor Carey is the co-general editor for theedition. The edition is under contract with OxfordUniversity Press in 14 volumes and the fellowshipwill enable him to coordinate editing of the firstfour volumes in the series and to edit keydocuments in it.

Future Leaders Programme Award Ann Mitchell, Head of Staff Development andService Environment in the James HardimanLibrary, has won an award of €2000 from theConsortium of National and University Libraries(CONUL) in support of her participation in theFuture Leaders Programme. This programme hasbeen created by the UK Leadership Foundationfor Higher Education in order to develop theleadership potential of professional informationservices staff and Ann is the third member of theLibrary senior management team to undertake it.

EU LLP funding for languagelearning project NUI Galway is part of a consortium of 10European third level institutions that has beenawarded a total of €399,433 from the EU LifelongLearning Programme – Languages (KA2). DrLaura McLoughlin (School of Languages,Literatures & Cultures), Dr Dorothy Ní Uigín andMs Rose Ní Dhubhda (Acadamh nahOllscolaíochta Gaeilge) participate in this newproject entitled: ClipFlair. Foreign LanguageLearning through interactive revoicing andcaptioning of clips. The project proposes anadvanced social networking platform for ForeignLanguage Learning through captioning andrevoicing. The consortium will develop innovativeactivities for 15 languages, including lesser usedand taught ones as well as third country languages.

CISC Researcher wins Best PaperAward at Management ConferenceDr Paul O’Connor recently won the best trackpaper award at the Annual Irish Academy ofManagement Conference. The paper was entitled‘Identifying and addressing the limitations ofsafety climate surveys: Lessons for organisationalresearchers’. The authors were Dr Paul O’Connor(CISC), Sam Buttrey (Naval Postgraduate School,Monterey, California, USA), Angela O’Dea, andQuinn Kennedy (Naval Postgraduate School,Monterey, California, USA). Dr O’Connor is aSenior Research Fellow at CISC and his researchis funded under the Programme for Research inThird Level Institutions (PRTLI 4) as part of theIrish Social Sciences Platform.

Best Session Paper Award at theTransport Research ConferenceDr Amaya Vega, a postdoctoral research fellow inthe J.E. Cairnes School of Business andEconomics, received the Best Session PaperAward at the recent Irish Transport ResearchNetwork Annual Conference for her paper‘A Multimodal Approach to SustainableAccessibility: A case study for the city of Galway,Ireland’. This paper suggests a methodologicalframework to determine the basis for local-leveltransport prioritisation in small urban areas.Dr Vega’s research is funded under theProgramme for Research in Third LevelInstitutions (PRTLI 4) as part of the Irish SocialSciences Platform.

Student & Staff Awards

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University Partners withGalway Arts Festival This summer Galway Arts Festival and NUI Galway announceddetails of a new partnership where the 34th Galway Arts Festival wassupported by the University through development of the Festival’sVolunteer Programme and SELECTED, a new artist developmentstrand of the Festival for emerging artists and producers.

Culture NightThis September, the James Hardiman Library joined with hundredsof other venues around the country in celebrating Culture Night2011. The Archives and Special Collections service participated inCulture Night for the first time and in doing so staged a series ofspecial events to highlight the richness of their literary, local historyand theatre archives. Special Collections Librarian Marie Boran andArchivist Brigid Clesham opened the night with a talk on the IrishLanded Estates database, a resource launched this year in partnershipbetween the Moore Institute and the James Hardiman Library.Following this, Fergus Fahey, Institutional Repository andDigitisation Librarian, presented an introduction and overview of thepersonal and literary archive of celebrated writer John McGahern.

The final event of the night included screenings from the DruidTheatre Archive. These works were Riders to the Sea and TheShadow of the Glen, part of the 2005 DruidSynge series.

Volunteering Fair Connemara SymposiumNUI Galway recently hosted the Connemara Symposium, a two-day series ofevents in celebration of the work of Tim Robinson, the internationally acclaimedwriter, map-maker and thinker based in Roundstone, Co. Galway.

Highlights included a ‘full house’ screening of Pat Collins’s film ‘Tim Robinson:Connemara' in Roundstone Community Hall; lectures and talks in the GalwayCity Museum by an international assembly of writers including John Elder,Eamonn Wall, Briona Nic Dhiarmidha and Kelly Sullivan; and readings in theDruid Theatre by Andrew McNeillie, Manchán Mangan, Moya Cannon, EamonGrennan and Tim Robinson.

The Symposium was hosted by the Atlantic Archipelagos Research Project, acollaboration between the Moore Institute for Research in the Humanities andSocial Studies, Folding Landscapes and the University of Exeter, with fundingfrom the British Academy.

Super-sized HeartValve Provides Cluesto Blood Flow

NUI Galway researchers have developed a super-sized model of a heart valvewhich may lead to a new generation of cardiovsacular devices.

Every year, mechanical valves are inserted into approximately 125,000 patientswith heart valve disease around the world. However, the valves can lead tounnatural blood flows, which can trigger a clotting reaction. Because of this,patients with prosthetic heart valves must take medication daily, which can lead toside effects.

The work carried out by Dr Nathan Quinlan and Dr Alessandro Bellofiore of theBiofluid Dynamics group at the NCBES is trying to better understand how bloodflows through prosthetic valves and in particular through the valve hinges, so thatthe clotting reaction can be ameliorated. Researchers have developed a workingmodel valve which is six times the size of a normal valve and runs 100 times slower.They use laser light and digital imaging to measure flow accurately and calculatethe stresses experienced by blood cells as they move through the valve.

At the tenth annualNUI Galway VolunteeringFair, officially opened byMayor of Galway HildegardeNaughton, were members ofthe Galway CommunityCircus. Also pictured (frontrow, l-r) NUI Galwaystudent volunteers Enda

Clarke, Sinead Jordan and Sean McHugh with NUI Galway staff (backrow, l-r): Mary O'Riordan, Vice-President for the Student Experience;Lorraine Tansey, Student Volunteer Coordinator; Lorraine McIlrath,Academic Staff Developer with the Centre for Excellence in Learning andTeaching; and Nollaig Mac Congail, Registrar and Deputy President.

Pictured is Dr Nathan Quinlan.

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Over 950 delegates attended the 24th European Conference on Biomaterials inDublin. The conference was hosted by the Network for Excellence in FunctionalBiomaterials (NFB) and the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, and focused onhow biomaterials may prove key to healing chronic wounds in Diabetic patients.

Discussions at the conference included how researchers at NFB hope thattechnology being developed may reduce the rate of limb amputation andmorbidity in diabetic patients and how delivering therapeutic genes using a newbiomaterial-based delivery system to the site of chronic wounds in diabetespatients may enhance wound healing. In advance of the conference NFB alsohosted an Industry Day focusing on ‘Translating Biomaterials and CombinationProducts’. The event was specifically designed to bring together the leadingorganisations in the medical device sector, multi-national corporations, small andmedium enterprises and entrepreneurial academics who will share theirexperiences in taking innovative biomaterials concepts to both the clinic and tomarket.

Biomaterials Conference

Bailiúchán BéaloidisGhaeltacht Thír ChonaillRinne an tAire Stáit Donnchadh Mac Fhionnghaile TD suíomhGréasáin nua ar bhéaloideas Ghaeltacht Thír Chonaill asheoladh go hoifigiúil in Ionad an Acadaimh, Gaoth Dobhair arna mallaibh. Le roinnt blianta anuas, bhí taighdeoirí faoi scáthAcadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge i nGaoth Dobhair i mbunoibre ar thionscadal béaloidis a raibh baint aige leis nahagallaimh a cuireadh ar fhaisnéiseoirí éagsúla as beagnachgach ceantar Gaeltachta i dTír Chonaill.

Tugann na hagallaimh seo an-léiriú ar shaol na ndaoine lecorradh agus céad bliain anuas. Faightear spléachadh iontu arbeagnach gach gné de shaol an duine – ar shaol na feirme agusna farraige, ar chúrsaí fostaíochta agus imirce, arsheanleigheasanna agus piseoga, ar chúrsaí spóirt aguscaitheamh aimsire. Lena chois sin, tugtar léirstean maith dúinnar chaint bheo na ndaoine, faoi mar a mhaireann sí san am iláthair agus an saibhreas canúna atá le sonrú fud fad naGaeltachta.

Mar pháirt den tionscadal, ní hamháin gur bailíodh tuairim is380 uair an chloig de thaifeadtaí ó 230 faisnéiseoir achrinneadh digitiú, mionscagadh agus rangú ar an ábhar go léir.Mar thoradh ar an obair seo uile, bhíothas in ann suíomhgréasáin a dhearadh ionas go mbeadh deis ag an phobal teachtgo héasca ar an ábhar ar fad. Is féidir teacht ar an bhailiúchániomlán seo anois ag www.bealoideas.com.

The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a college and universityadmissions scheme which offers places on reduced points and extra collegesupport to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.HEAR has been set up by a number of colleges and universities as evidence showsthat socio-economic disadvantage can have a negative effect on how well a studentdoes at school and whether they go on to college. There are currently16 highereducation institutes collaborating on the scheme. HEAR Applicants must meet arange of financial, social and cultural indicators to be considered for a reducedpoints place and extra college support. The NUI Galway Access Programmehosted a residential Orientation for 170 first year HEAR students this Augustwhere over 400 students and parents attended the welcome session. Studentsparticipated in introductory lectures, workshops and a number of social activitiesthroughout the Orientation. This is the third year that NUI Galway has beeninvolved in the scheme and there are currently 400 HEAR entrants studying atundergraduate level in all colleges and programmes. www.accesscollege.ie

Organised by the Career Development Centre and the disciplineof Microbiology, students from the Postgraduate Diploma inApplied Microbiology recently received expert CV Advice andInterview Preparation from Abbott Ireland – the double awardwinner at the recent Gradireland Graduate Recruiter Awards forBest Graduate Training and Development Programme for thesecond year running and Graduate Employer of the Year, 2011.

Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)

Pictured are Ger Fleming and Cyril Carroll, Microbiology, DeirdreSheridan, Career Development Centre, Elaine Hennessy, Abbott Irelandand PgDip Applied Microbiology students.

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In BriefRTÉ News2day

Carla O’Brien, a graduate of the MA in Journalismhas taken up the role as presenter of RTÉnews2day, which is the RTÉ News servicedesigned specifically for children. The programmeis aimed at young people between the ages ofseven and 12 and contains Irish and internationalnews of interest to a young audience.

Grad AwardNUI Galway graduate Conall Ó Fátharta (BA inHistory & Sociology and Politics in 2004 and MAJournalism in 2007) and journalist with The IrishExaminer recently won the Justice Media Awardfor 2011.

Galway University Foundationlaunch new websiteGalway University Foundation has launched itsnew website www.guf.ie. The website is a usefulresource which allows the Foundation to share theimpact which philanthropy has had on the campusof NUI Galway. The website explains how thegenerosity of donors and friends of the Universityhas helped develop capital projects, fund newresearch, endow scholarships and create a world-class campus for the next generation of NUIGalway students and researchers. The website alsoinvites users to engage with the University andbecome part of a network of donors and

philanthropists who have made a major impact onour campus. Graduates, staff and friends can alsoapply for the NUI Galway Affinity Card via thenew website. Director of Galway University Foundation, TomJoyce, said: “We hope that University staff will visitthe website to learn more about Galway UniversityFoundation and promote it to students, graduatesand research partners.”

Galway HospiceA coffee morning in aid of Galway Hospice washeld recently in the College Bar. The eventorganised by Dr Karen Duffy of the RegenerativeMedicine Institute raised over €530. Dr Duffywould like to extend thanks to everyone who camealong to help or support the event as well as theevent sponsors College Bar, Debenhams, Boots,Eason's bookstore, The River Inn, Spudhouse, TheG Hotel, ACD systems Ireland Ltd., The GalwayArms, Dunnes Stores, Centra Newcastle Rd., andTesco Express.

Accreditation for PsychologyProgrammeThe MSc in Health Psychology Programme hasreceived professional accreditation from thePsychological Society of Ireland. This is significantas it is the first accredited programme in theRepublic of Ireland. Accreditation is important asit acknowledges the high quality of the programmeand also paves the way for establishing aprofessional pathway for Health Psychologistspracticing in Ireland. There are currently around20 MSc in Health Psychology programmes in theUnited Kingdom accredited by the BritishPsychological Society, however, this is the firstprogramme to be accredited in Ireland. TheSchool of Psychology currently provides a hub forHealth Psychology training and research in theRepublic of Ireland and has recently developed aStructured PhD Programme in Psychology andHealth.

Chemistry OutreachThis summer over 100 school children from theCounty Galway area descended on the School ofChemistry to showcase their Capturing Chemistryart entries. All winners in each class were awardedprizes and every entrant received a certificate. As

well as the prize giving the children were shownsome fun and simple Chemistry experimentsthrough the Kitchen Chemistry initiative.

Léacht ar Iar-UachtaránThug Séamus Ó Flaithimhín, Ollamh Emeritus leFisic Mhatamaiticiúil, léacht ar iar-uachtaránMonsignor Pádraig de Brún(1945-1959) dárgcuid, in áras Chonradh na Gaeilge, An tAonach,Co. Thiobraid Árann, i mí Meán Fómhair. Ba éteideal na léachta ná "An Monsignor Pádraig deBrún:Scoláire Ildánach, Gael agus Eorpach".

NUI Galway Alumni AssociationLaunch European Alumni ClubEuropean Commissioner for Research, Innovationand Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn officiallylaunched NUI Galway’s European Alumni Club inBrussels this summer.

This is the first NUI Galway Alumni Clubestablished in Europe by the University’s AlumniAssociation and NUI Galway alumni based inBrussels and throughout Europe will be given anopportunity to reconnect with fellow graduatesand their alma mater. Future alumni events areplanned for other cities across Europe.

The launch reception was hosted by IrishAmbassador Tom Hanney at The Embassy ofIreland in Brussels, who said: "I’m delighted tohost the launch of the Belgium Chapter of NUIGalway. Ireland’s graduates are known asinnovators in their fields and leaders in theircommunities. Alumni Associations provide theopportunity not merely to revisit fond memorieswith fellow graduates, but importantly, are sourcesof support and exchange of knowledge andexperience, forums for engagement with oneanother to build and strengthen professional andsocial futures while showcasing Ireland andNUI Galway in particular as a leader in education.”

HAVE YOUR SAY?If you are interested in futureeditions of Ollscéala featuring asocial and personal column pleaseemail ollsceala@nuigalway.ie

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Marketing and Communications Office, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh.

Tel. 091-493361 E-mail: michelle.nichroinin@nuigalway.ie

NUI Galway has announced the establishment of a RugbyYouth Academy to cater for teenagers in Galway. TheYouth Academy is an integral part of the existing UniversityRugby club which was formed in 1874 and is a foundermember of the IRFU.

Notable rugby graduates of NUI Galway Rugby Clubinclude Ciaran Fitzgerald who captained both Ireland andthe British and Irish Lions. The development of the YouthAcademy, coupled with the University’s Sports Scholarship,is aimed primarily at strengthening the University’s AILU20 squad in the medium-term.

Pictured at the launch with U13s from Na Bairneachaí club are Connacht Rugby'sEric Elwood and Johnny O'Connor.

An NUI Galway student, scholar and lecturerwere announced as recipients of the FulbrightAwards 2011. The Fulbright Awards are presentedon an annual basis to Irish students, scholars andprofessionals to undertake postgraduate study andresearch at higher education, cultural and relatedinstitutions in the United States.

Máire Ní Chuaig, a native Irish speaker graduatedwith a BA in Irish and Translation at NUI Galway.She plans on returning to College to complete aHigher Diploma in Education in 2012. Máire willbe a Fulbright Foreign Language TeachingAssistant at the University of Montana. Dr NoamLubell is a Lecturer at the Irish Centre for HumanRights, School of Law. Dr Lubell will undertakehis research into the area of future challenges inthe law of armed conflict, at New York University.Daniel Regan is a PhD candidate in Psychology atNUI Galway. Daniel will pursue his research at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, specialising inthe area of health psychology with a specific focuson alcohol research. His sister Nell Regan was alsoawarded a scholarship.

RugbyAcademyLaunched

Pictured at NUI Galway’s Open Days, which were held on 30 September and 1 October and attended by anamazing 8,000 visitors, were Katie Dunleavy, Rebecca Lenehan and Abaigeal Doherty from Saint Joseph’sSecondary School, Charlestown, Co. Mayo.

Open Days NUI GalwayReceives ThreeFulbright Awards

Dr James Reilly, Minister for Health, opened the15th Annual Health Promotion conference on‘Mainstreaming Health Promotion: PromotingHealth Across Sectors at NUI Galway’. This year’sconference addressed strategies for placing healthpromotion at the centre of public health policy andstrengthening work across sectors to promote thehealth and wellbeing of all population groups insociety. Minister Reilly is pictured with ProfessorMargaret Barry of the World Health OrganisationCollaborating Centre for Health Promotion ResearchCentre at NUI Galway, and President Browne.

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