Earl of Rosse and Lord Alec Broers among Distinguished Recipients of Honorary Degrees at Trinity College Dublin
- Special Honorary Degree Ceremony marks British Association for the Advancement of Science Festival at TCD
Brendan Parsons, the seventh Earl of Rosse, is among five recipients to receive an honorary degree at Trinity College Dublin today (5 September). The special commencements ceremony marked the BA Festival of Science which is being hosted by the College.A former Chancellor of the University, Lord Parsons was conferred with a Doctor in Letters, LLD. He has nurtured a notable resurgence in public interest in astronomy in Ireland, particularly with regard to the giant telescope situated on the grounds of Birr Castle, Co. Offaly, which was designed by his great-great-grandfather, the third Earl of Rosse. Lord Parsons served with the United Nations from 1963 to 1980, including an appointment as UN Disaster Relief Co-ordinator in Bangladesh; he was also an advisor to the government on Development Co-operation.
Brendan Parsons, the seventh Earl of Rosse (left), and Professor Robert Winston (right), President of the BA Festival of Science were among five recipients to receive an honorary degree.
The other receipients of the honorary degrees are:
Lord Alec Broers, F.R.S.Sc.D.
Alec Broers is President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1996-2003. He spent 20 years in research with IBM in the US at the Thomas J Watson Research Centre in New York, the East Fishkill Development Laboratory and at Corporate headquarters. On his return to Cambridge he established a nanofabrication laboratory to extend the technology of miniaturisation to the atomic scale. He also developed his research on using electrons, X-Rays and ultra-violet light in microscopy and on making microelectronic components. He was knighted for services to education in 1998 and was created a life peer in 2004.
Professor Robert Maurice Lord Winston Sc.D.
Professor Winston is Head of the Department of Fertility Studies at Imperial College and Director NHS Research and Development at the Hammersmith Hospitals Trust. Professor Winston is the current President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science; he is a pioneer of pre-implantation genetics diagnosis which allows families with gene defects, i.e., cystic fibrosis and chromosomal abnormalities, to have children free from fatal illness. He holds six patents and has published about 300 papers. He has been awarded the Faraday Medal of the Royal Society (1991). Professor Winston has also presented several prize-winning BBC science programmes, Your life in their hands; Making babies; The Threads of Life.
Frances Cairncross Sc.D.
Frances Cairncross is Rector of Exeter College, Oxford; a former economics correspondent of the Guardian and Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (UK). Ms Cairncross is the author of Costing the Earth: the Challenges for Government, the Opportunities for Business; Green Inc and The Death of Distance, a study of the economic and social effects of the global communication revolution. Ms Cairncross is the President-elect of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Professor Dianne Edwards, C.B.E., F.R.S., F.R.S.E. Sc.D.
Dianne Edwards is the world leader in study of early land plants and terrestrialisation and a world leader in the field of palaeobotany. She has published over 125 papers in leading journals, 50 since 1995. Her research specialises in the morphological and anatomical descriptions of early fossil plants, using a wide range of techniques, particularly scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Her work has covered Wales, North and South America, Australia, China, Kazakhstan, Scotland and Ireland. She was awarded the Lyell Medal of the Geological Society of London in 2004. She is chief editor of the Botanical Journal of the Linnaean Society.
Trinity College Installs IBM’s Largest InfiniBand Cluster in Europe
Trinity College Dublin has installed IBM’s largest InfiniBand Cluster in Europe. The cluster is equivalent to approx 1000PCs with superfast communications between each processor.
The €1.4m supercomputer, funded through the Higher Education Authority’s (HEA) PRTLI, is part of the Institute for Information Technology and Advanced Computing at TCD - a €9m research project tackling some of the largest computational science challenges in the world.
“The impact of this programme on computational science in Ireland cannot be underestimated. The computing resource facilitates the development of larger and more complex simulations. Areas to benefit include cancer research, new drug design and development, anti-malaria vaccines, development of pollution controls and new electronic devices,” explained Dr. Graeme Watson, Director of the Trinity Centre for High Performance Computing.
The supercomputer will be listed in the next ‘Top 500’ list to be announced at the Supercomputing Conference in Seattle this November. The recent upgrade in Trinity’s hardware comprises a 712 processor Opteron cluster with 10 Gbps connectivity provided by and leveraging Voltaire’s 288 port switch for high-speed InfiniBand connectivity Voltaire, the world leader in InfiniBand interconnect.
“Trinity College Dublin needed extremely fast performance, low latency and a solution that could scale in order to accelerate important research and scientific discoveries,” said John Asher, vice president of European sales, Voltaire. “We are very pleased that the college selected Voltaire’s 288 port switch with the IBM cluster to tackle their complex computing challenges.”
This phase of the IITAC project has funded 35 PhD students, 12 Post Doctoral researchers and provides technical expertise and project management. It is the second HEA funded research programme, following an investment of €10m in 2000 into a purpose-built computational science environment in the newly opened Lloyd Institute on the campus.
“Using industry standard platforms and technologies, this powerful cluster is poised to help further the advancement of science and computer technology,” said Diana Grimmer, Worldwide Linux Product Marketing Manager, IBM Systems & Technology Group. "This new system places Trinity at the forefront of High Performance Computing and should go a long way towards helping solve some of the world's toughest problems, such as cancer research and helping scientists identify cures for diseases like tuberculosis and malaria."
Tánaiste opens Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience
Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, TD opened the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) on Monday 4 July. The TCIN, Ireland’s first purpose-built research institute to advance the frontiers of neuroscience, will lead to fundamental changes in the way brain disorders are understood and treated.
“The brain has more than 10 billion neurons in a tangled web with trillions of connections. Disorders of the brain are the most common cause of long-term disability in the western world. At TCIN, research is applied to the diagnosis and treatment of the range of neuropsychiatric, neurological and age related brain disorders. Many of these diseases currently do not respond to treatment. The challenge of tackling crippling neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases has made neuroscience one of the fastest growing and important areas of the biological sciences”, explained Prof. Ian Robertson, Director of the Institute.
Pictured at the opening of the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) are Prof. Ian Robertson, Director of the Institute (left) with the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, TCD during a demonstration by two of the Institute’s researchers Redmond O’Connell (right) and Michael Daly (seated)
The Institute is one of the few such centres in the world to be established from the start with a truly interdisciplinary programme where world-class scientists from such fields as genetics, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, neurology, psychiatry, psychology, microbiology and physics collaborate. The research knowledge resulting from this interdisciplinary approach will be applied immediately to patient care and improvement of the quality of life on an international level. Diseases affecting the brain such as schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and depression have particularly devastating consequences for patients, families and health and financial resources. Alzheimer’s disease affects over 20,000 people in Ireland, a figure which will double by 2025.
The Institute received anchor funding of EUR 28 million from the Department of Education and Science, through the HEA, under PRTLI Cycle 3. The infrastructure, imaging capital equipment and a research programme was funded through this grant. TCIN is at the core of the National Neuroscience Network, which includes, UCC, UCD and recently RCSI. The philosophy of collaborating nationally and competing internationally has built strength in neuroscience in Ireland.
To celebrate the opening of the institute, Trinity College is hosting a ‘Brain Week with the theme “The brain is the most mesmerizing organ – let's explore it”. A series of public lectures, academic meetings and children’s art exhibition on the brain will take place. The aim of Trinity Brain Week is to provide scientists and non-scientists with a fascinating adventure into the workings of the brain.
Public lectures will take place in the Burke Lecture Theatre, Arts Building, TCD at 7.00pm on July 5, 6 and 7th. “How the brain works” - Professor Ian Robertson (TCD), “Me, myself and I - and you: How the frontal lobes affect our daily behaviour”- Professor Don Stuss (Toronto) “Genes and the brain” Dr Kevin Mitchell (TCD)
Demand for Fresh Approach from Government to Ireland’s Development Cooperation Policy – IIIS Conference
The Irish government has come in for some strong criticism in recent months that it is not on course to meet its stated commitment of contributing 0.7% of Gross National Income to development aid by 2007 and that its present review of development cooperation is simply a delaying tactic. TCD’s Institute for International Integration Studies hosted a high-level conference on15 June to explore some of the contentious issues that must be dealt with in drawing up Ireland’s development cooperation strategy. The conference on ‘Meeting Global Development Challenges: Ireland’s White Paper on Development Cooperation’ included among its speakers the highly controversial Danish Speaker, Professor Bjorn Lomborg, author of The Copenhagen Consensus, who has been a strong public critic of the incoherence of many western countries development strategies, which are designed to “make people feel good, rather than do good”.
The contentious issues which must be faced include deciding on which countries and which types of activities should be supported; how to make sure that the aid is not wasted through spending on bad projects/programmes, excessive bureaucracy or misappropriation in recipient countries; whether to form alliances with other EU countries in giving aid or to keep a distinctive Irish Aid profile; and how much aid to channel through NGOs and which NGOs.
Professor Frances Ruane, Conference Organiser, believes that dealing properly with these issues will be very testing for Ireland. “The Irish Government needs to take a new approach to its development cooperation strategy, adopting what people now call a “whole of government” approach. This means the involvement of a whole range of government departments and agencies in drawing up the policy and not just the Department of Foreign Affairs. It means recognising that Ireland is one of the most globalised economies in the world, and as such our global development strategy should, for example, be at the centre and not the periphery of government policy and hence should be on the agendas of the National Economic and Social Council and the National Economic and Social Forum”.
Professor Ruane also believes that it is timely now, given Ireland’s economic progress over the last decade, to look at greater private-sector involvement in the process. “Should we be planning participate in the development process actively through private as well as public sector involvement, and what role if any has the government in stimulating such private sector involvement? Should our industrial strategy now involve our helping to build the productive investment in developing countries, just as the US has helped to build up our productive base in recent decades? Should our educational strategy involve forging links between institutions here and in the poorest countries – both schools and universities? Should our health strategy involve training of medical professionals for these countries? How should our agricultural and trade strategies recognise the importance of market access to developing countries? What approach are we willing to take in the EU and WTO on these difficult issues?”
The other speakers at the conference included Mr Myles Wickstead, a key author of Tony Blair’s “Commission on Africa” report, Mary McClymont, an NGO export from the US, and James Mackie, who has written extensively and critically on European Development Cooperation Strategies.
At the IIIS conference, from left, Margaret Doyle, Myles Wickstead and Frances Ruane.
Trinity College announces Ussher Scholars
The recipients of the Ussher International Fellowship Awards at Trinity College were announced on 14 June at a reception to mark the College’s inaugural Graduate Students’ Research Day. The six students were presented with iPAQs, donated by Decision Support Systems.
The group contains two students from overseas. Sixiang Zhou from China is completing a PhD in the functional and structural correlates in arterial stiffness, while Zhu Diao, also from China, is pursuing a PhD in biophysics, including biomagnetism and the application of nanomaterials in biology research.
Brian Lenihan of Decision Support Systems presents the Ussher Scholars with iPAQs
The other four students are from Ireland and their PhD studies cover a diverse range of topics: Richard Hamilton is studying the German philosopher, Martin Heidegger's philosophy of technology ; Gillian Jein is studying the r epresentation of cities in French travel writing of the 19 th and 20 th centuries; Daniel Kelleher is focusing on web-based contextual information Retrieval ; while Kathryn McGarry is researching f emale prostitution in Ireland.
“The Ussher International Fellowships are the most prestigious postgraduate awards that the College currently offers. They are awarded to exceptionally well-qualified candidates of outstanding promise and attract between 200–300 applicants each year. The choice of recipient is based on open competition from applicants from any discipline from all over the world. The lucky recipients of these studentships receive full fee remission and a maintenance contribution of €12,700 per year,” explained Prof. Patrick Prendergast, Dean of Graduate Studies.
TCD Researcher Awarded HRB Funding for Special Research
TCD researcher, Dr Joe Keane received one of the first awards of the Health Research Board’s (HRB) new research grants to support medical consultants to focus on world-class research in areas that will have direct benefits for patient care. The ‘Clinician Scientists Awards’, the first of their kind in Ireland and totalling nearly €3 million, were announced on Monday 30 May 2005 by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD. The research funded will address real health issues in Ireland.Dr Keane, a consultant in respiratory medicine in the Department of Clinical Medicine at St. James’s Hospital Dublin and Principal Investigator at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre, TCD, will focus on new ways to prevent and treat tuberculosis, a chronic lung disease, which claims the lives of two million people worldwide every year, the incidence of which has increased in Dublin over the past two years.
The award recipient, Dr Mary Cannon, a senior lecturer in psychiatry at the Royal College of Surgeons Dublin and consultant in Beaumont Hospital, will investigate the onset of schizophrenia in young adults.
‘Today’s health research is tomorrow’s health service’, said Professor Desmond Fitzgerald, Chairman of the HRB. ‘These awards are a critical step to bridge the gap between research and patient care, develop a world-class health service and increase Ireland’s contribution to international efforts to prevent disease’.
Both successful medical consultants passed a rigorous, international peer review process and survived stiff competition from the 11 other applicants with excellent track records in research to be the first Irish recipients of a clinician scientist award. They have first hand experience of patient care and the most recent information about emerging trends in their specialised field.
Trinity College Schools' Prize in History 2005 Awardees Announced
The 2005 Trinity College Schools' Prize in History Awards were presented at a recent ceremony. The competition is organised by the Departments of Modern and Medieval History and the Department of Education at TCD and sponsored by The Irish Times, Four Courts Press, and History Ireland.
The competition which is open to all full-time second-level students in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland has a junior category for students up to Junior Certificate/1st-3rd form, a middle category for Transition Year/GCSE level and a senior category for students up to Leaving Certificate/A Level. Specially commissioned medals, sponsored by Four Courts Press, are awarded to the 1 st and 2nd placed prizewinner in each category. The 1st placed prizewinner in each category also receives €200.
The Gold Medals in the senior, middle and junior sections went to Ai dan Carroll, St Columb's College, Derry, Curnán Reidy, Community College, Dunshaughlin and Neasa O'Callaghan, St Nathy's College, Ballaghaderreen respectively. The Silver medallists in the senior, middle and junior sections were, Blánaid Ní Chuinneagáin, Coláiste Ráthín, Bray, Johannes Ruckstuhl, St Fachtnas De La Salle, Skibbereen and Lisa Murphy, Drogheda Grammar School. Highly commended awards were given to Erinna Foley-Fisher of Wilsons Hospital School, Multyfarnham, Neil Warner of Coláiste Ráthín, Bray, Linda Ní Thuathaigh of Ennis Community School, Ennis and Sarah McDonagh of Newtown School, Waterford.
TCD Graduate is Most Cited Mathematician in the World
Adrian E. Raftery, a TCD graduate and elected Fellow was the most cited mathematician in the world for the period 1995-2005, according to the Institute for Scientific Information.
Professor of Statistics and Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences, and Director of the interdisciplinary Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences at the University of Washington, Prof. Raftery obtained a BA in Mathematics and a M Sc in Statistics from TCD in 1976 and 1977 respectively. He went on to be a Lecturer in Statistics in the College from 1980 to 1986 and was elected a Fellow of TCD in 1986.
A researcher's impact is often measured by counting the number of times his or her work is cited in scientific research articles by other scientists. As the world's most cited researcher during the past decade in mathematics, including statistics, biostatistics and applied mathematics, Prof. Raftery’s tremendous accomplishment is a tribute to his influence in the field, and to the esteem of his peers.
Dr. Mary Robinson Awarded Alexander Dubček Gold Medal at Trinity College
The former Irish President and Chancellor of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dr. Mary Robinson was awarded the Alexander Dubček Foundation Gold Medal at Trinity College on 25 May. The medal is presented in recognition of those who have helped to build and develop democracy and humanity in the world.
Past recipients of the medal, named after Alexander Dubček, the Slovak politician who, throughout the 1960s, became a symbol for both the Slovak and Czech people’s struggle against the communist regime’s totalitarian rule, include Mr. Hans Fischer, president of Austria, Mr. Romano Prodi, former president of the European Commission and Mr. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former Foreign Minister of Germany. The presentation of the medal to Dr. Robinson was made by the late Alexander Dubček’s son, Dr. Pavol Dubček.
Alexander Dubček was conferred with an Honorary Law Degree in Trinity College in 1991.
In conjunction with the Dubček Foundation Gold Medal presentation, an exhibition of photographs of Alexander Dubček’s life was also officially opened by the Slovak Ambassador, His Excellency Ján Gábor. The exhibition will remain at Trinity College’s Ussher Library until the end of June 2005.
Scholarship and Award Success for TCD’s Researchers
Congratulations to the College’s researchers who have recently been successful in achieving research funding and scholarship awards from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET)
SFI, the National Foundation for Excellence in Scientific Research announced funding to be awarded to 29 Trinity research proposals under the Research Frontiers Programme 2005. In total 128 research proposals from the universities and institutes of technology received awards, which support novel research in the biosciences, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, computing, physics and engineering. SFI has approved 128 projects overall under this scheme amounting to over €24 million over three years
The IRCHSS has granted 19 Trinity researchers Post-Graduate Scholarship awards for 2005/6 from the departments of Drama, Geography, Modern History, English, French, Economics, Sociology, Classics, Hispanic Studies, Health Policy and Management. The Post-Graduate Scholarships are granted to students undertaking post-graduate research degrees at third-level institutions in Ireland. These Scholarships are tenable for up to a maximum of three years and are worth €12,700 per annum.
The Post-Graduate Scholarship Scheme supports research in the humanities and social sciences, including law and business studies. Researchers funded this year are from a wide variety of areas including Political Science, Management Studies, Education, Economics, Social Policy, Sociology, Law, Psychology, Finance, Globalisation, Environmental Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies.
IRCSET had funded 19 Trinity Researchers under its Embark Initiative postgraduate research scholarship scheme. Overall it has offered €8.6 million in support of 147 candidates doing masters and PhD degrees in science, engineering and technology. Students pursuing scholarships must be beginning research for the first time at the start of the new academic year this October. The maximum award is for €19,500 per year, available over three years.
TCD Scientist elected to the US National Academy of Sciences
Prof. Michael Coey, Department of Physics, Trinity College Dublin has been elected to membership of the National Academy of Sciences as a foreign associate, in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Prof. Coey is the only Irish-based scientist to belong to the Academy. He is possibly only the second Irishman to be elected a member of this august American Academy, the first being another Trinity Professor and one of the world’s greatest mathematicians, Sir William Rowan Hamilton. Hamilton was elected in 1864, one year after the Academy was founded by Abraham Lincoln.
A Professor of Experimental Physics, Michael Coey is also Deputy Director of the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices. His research interests include magnetic, electronic, and structural properties of solids, spin electronics, amorphous materials, physical properties of minerals, and magnetoelectrochemistry.
This prestigious achievement was announced by the Provost of Trinity College, Dr. John Hegarty at the Trinity Week Symposium. “Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honours that can be accorded a scientist or engineer,” he said in warmly congratulating Prof. Coey.
Organised by the Hamilton Mathematics Institute, the Symposium entitled ‘Hamilton in Trinity: A Celebration’ included talks on the way Trinity was at the time of Hamilton, on some of the global experiments that Trinity was involved with, a talk on Creativity by Brendan Kennelly and a demonstration of Conical Refraction, a strange phenomenon predicted to exist by Hamilton and discovered in Trinity.
Trinity College Dublin today (Monday 16 May) heralded the beginning of the annual Trinity Week with the announcement of one Honorary Fellow, 24 new Fellows and 80 new Scholars of the College. The ceremony is one of the oldest and most colourful at Trinity College. *
The announcement was made by the Provost of Trinity, Dr. John Hegarty, surrounded by members of the Board of the College in full academic gowns and hoods on the steps of the Public Theatre. Students and staff celebrated the occasion with colleagues, friends and families in Front Square.
Scholars are elected annually in various subjects as the result of an examination held in Trinity term. Research achievement or scholarship of a high order is the primary qualification for Fellowship, along with evidence of the candidate’s contribution to the academic life of the College and effective record of teaching.
Other Trinity Week activities include an Academic Symposium on ‘Hamilton in Trinity: A Celebration’, hosted by the Hamilton Mathematics Institute; a Memorial Discourse on ‘Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865)’ by Prof. I.T. McGovern; and the Chariots of Fire race in Front Square.
Full list of Fellows & Scholars may be viewed at http://www.tcd.ie/Secretary/FellowsScholars/
2005 Provost’s Teaching Awards Recipients commended for their achievements in teaching
Recipients of the 2005 Provost’s Teaching Awards Trinity College Dublin were announced on Wednesday 11th May, 2005. Dr Ciaran Brady, Department of Modern History, Ms. Helen Coughlan, Department of Social Studies, Dr Neville Cox, School of Law and Ms Fiona Timmins, School of Nursing and Midwifery were all recognised for their dedication and commitment to teaching and learning excellence. In addition Ms Ellen Rowley, Department of History of Art and Architecture was presented with an Early Career Award for excellence in teaching.
Recipients of the 2005 Provost's Teaching Awards at the presentation ceremony in the Provost's House. (L-R) Ms Ellen Rowley, Ms. Helen Coughlan, Provost Dr John Hegarty, Ms Fiona Timmins, Dr Neville Cox and Dr Ciaran Brady.
Provost, Dr John Hegarty, presented the winners with their citations and awards at a ceremony in the Provost’s House. The candidates were selected through a rigorous process involving their nomination by their students or their peers in college, an examination of their teaching philosophy, practice and scholarship, an evaluation of their teaching portfolios, and consideration of feedback both from their academic peers and current students. This process was overseen by members of College’s sub-Committee on Academic Practice which had difficult task of selecting the winners.
As a teacher Ciaran Brady has been widely recognised, by his colleagues and students in College as well as his peers internationally, for his enthusiasm for his subject and his passion for teaching. Ms. Helen Coughlan is known to inspire commitment to personal and communal learning among the students on her course, and importantly, also, for aspiring professional practitioners to spark an interest in lifelong learning. Dr Neville Cox received the award for his philosophy of education which enables and supports students to learn to think at the highest possible level and to apply their knowledge properly to ‘real life’ situations. Ms Fiona Timmins is acknowledged for her classes which are informed by scholarship of teaching with planned activities that enthuse her students and provide opportunities for them to develop. Ellen Rowley was the recipient of the “Early Career” for her exemplary teaching achievements at an early stage in her academic career. In her two and a half years in College she has demonstrated a great depth of understanding about the teaching and learning process.
Launched during the 2000/01 academic year, the Provost’s Teaching Award Scheme rewards academic staff members who have made an outstanding contribution in the pursuit of teaching excellence in College and promotes teaching as a scholarly activity. The scheme is sponsored by the Higher Education Authority and funded under the National Development Plan 2000/2006.
Trinity College Invests Further in Research and Development
with Opening of New Bioengineering Facility
TCD Responds to Strategic Needs of Irish Industry with Course in Engineering & Management
The College continued its long term investment into the development of research facilities at the University with the opening of its new pioneering research centre, The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering on Tuesday 10 th May. The Centre, which will search for solutions to emerging bio-mechanics problems in medical device technologies is part of a major investment by the College, in partnership with the Government, into the arena of research and development. Funded under the HEA’s Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) Cycle 3, the Centre was officially opened by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, TD.
Postgraduate Research student Eric Farrell explains the method of using adult stem cells & bioreactors to create bone & cartilage for implantation into the human body to the Minister for Education & Science, Mary Hanafin, TD at the opening of Trinity College’s new pioneering research centre, The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering.
Another significant development in Mechanical Engineering, funded by the HEA, is the degree programme in Manufacturing Engineering and Management Science (MEMS). This was funded under the Special Skills Initiative and will also be housed in the new extension opened by the Minister. The MEMS degree produces graduates with expertise in both technical and the management areas. It was established after consultation with industry groups on how the third level sector might meet the strategic needs for Irish industry and meets many of the requirements recently identified in the Enterprise Strategy Group report “Ahead of the Curve-Ireland’s Place in the Global Economy”.
The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering is particularly important from a strategic perspective, as the highest concentration of the medical device industry is in Ireland, stated the Provost Dr. John Hegarty. Over 80 companies involved in the design, manufacture, and distribution of medical devices, including ten of the world’s top 15 medical devices companies are located here, exports worth €4 billion are exported annually. Employment in the bioengineering industry in Ireland has grown to the level where the industry now directly employs over 22,000 people in Ireland, of which up to 20% are graduate engineers and scientists.
These developments will play a crucial role in important sectors of the Irish economy, will add significantly to the academic infrastructure in College and will have a strategic impact in Ireland in the medium to longer term according to the Provost.
“Mechanical Engineering in Trinity has been pursuing an ambitious development plan, driven by a determination to consolidate and develop our international reputation for research, to maintain and strengthen our degree programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level and to underpin the needs of Irish industry ,” stated Prof. John Fitzpatrick, Head of the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
High cost if employment grievances not settled fairly and efficiently
- Policy Institute Study
A high cost is paid - in terms of days lost due to industrial action or high rates of sickness or absenteeism - if employment grievances are not settled fairly and efficiently. Although collective employment disputes/industrial disputes fell to their lowest ever recorded level in 2004, the number of people seeking to vindicate individual employment rights increased significantly, marking a switch from ‘collective’ to ‘individual’ employment disputes. A range of factors can explain this switch, the most important of which is the growth in the volume and complexity of employment law according to a study launched today at Trinity College Dublin’s Policy Institute by Mr. Maurice Cashell, Chair of the Labour Relations Commission.
The study, Towards Flexible Workplace Governance: Employment Rights, Dispute Resolution and Social Partnership in the Republic of Ireland, by Professor Paul Teague, a former Visiting Research Fellow at The Policy Institute and holder of the Martin Naughton Chair of Business Strategy at Queen's University Belfast, assesses the work of the Irish public agencies charged with settling employment disputes and investigates the implications for organisational level dispute resolution of new work practices and human resources management policies.
The paper argues that the Irish dispute resolution system must adopt the principles of flexible workplace governance if it is to remain effective at solving disputes in the context of a rapidly changing economy and labour market. It identifies a number of features central to the concept of flexible workplace governance including:
- Acceptance by all employment relations actors of the non-union sector as a feature of employment relations system and that the unionised sector may be able to learn from the dispute resolution practices followed by ‘advanced’ non-union companies
- Multiple channels (both internal and external) for the resolution of disputes within an organisation
- Arrangements that promote the resolution of disputes close to the point of origin
- Recognition by government that new legislation is required to address the relative absence of satisfactory procedures and practices to deal with employment grievances and disputes in some non-union firms.
The policy recommendations advanced by the study include:
- Better integration of the work of public employment resolution bodies such as the Rights Commissioners, the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court
- More initiatives designed to resolve workplace conflicts closer to the point of origin. Organisations should be encouraged by the public agencies to use new alternative dispute resolution procedures to resolve employment relations grievances themselves.
- Smarter forms of regulation that build non-judicial methods of resolving disputes into employment legislation so that employment grievances can be solved in a fair and efficient manner without recourse to quasi-legal procedures.
- Greater emphasis on dispute prevention (as opposed to dispute resolution) in the Irish employment relations. Action in this area will involve social partnership arrangements to be more actively involved in developing workplace initiatives on bullying, sexual harassment and stress -the new employment relations grievances.
The report also argues that key existing public dispute resolution bodies, such as the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court, could relatively easily introduce the proposed reforms as they are staffed by highly professional and diligent officials who have displayed an ability to embrace innovations in the past. The benefit of the reform package would be to make labour market institutions more closely attuned to the manner in which employees are managed in the modern workplace.
The study is the 18th in the series 'Studies in Public Policy' published by Trinity's Policy Institute. The series aims to bridge the gap between the academic and professional policy communities and to make a real difference to public policy debate in Ireland. Copies of the report can be obtained from The Policy Institute (www.policyinstitute.tcd.ie).
Government needs to step up awareness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Irish Society Must Address Binge Drinking to Avoid Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Researcher at TCD
The Irish Government needs to increase its efforts in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, according to a researcher in the field. Speaking on Friday 29 April, Prof. Susan Ryan, Fulbright Scholar at TCD stated that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the biggest cause of non-genetic intellectual disability in the western world and the only one that is 100% preventable.
Statistics show that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome occurs in 3 to 6 of every 1,000 live births, according to research conducted by the Center for Disease Control in the USA. Applying this research to Ireland, there could be 177 to 354 babies born each year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. These figures could be as high as 1,770 if all the alcohol related neurological disorders were included. The effects of maternal consumption of alcohol on the baby can include physical abnormalities, behavioural and learning disabilities. Prevention efforts by society and the Government would change these statistics, stated Prof. Ryan.
“There is a critical need for society in Ireland to address the growing culture of binge drinking among young women,” stressed Prof. Ryan. “Binge drinking can cause risks to the unborn child. No amount of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The children in Ireland effected by alcohol need services and supports”.
Prof. Ryan was speaking on the occasion of Dr. Kieran O’Malley of the University of Washington, Seattle giving a presentation in Trinity. Dr. O’Malley is a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist from Belfast. He has worked with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder patients for 15 years in Canada and the USA. His presentation ‘Multimodal Management Strategies for Families of Children & Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders’ was organised by the National Institute for the Study of Learning Difficulties, TCD in collaboration with FAS Ireland.
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland joins Trinity and UCD in ownership of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre
The Minister for Education and Science, Ms Mary Hanafin, TD, attended the signing of a new agreement between the three leading medical schools in Ireland which forms a single entity for high level medical research and teaching in Dublin on 25 April.
At the DMMC signing were, front row, from left: Dr. John Hegarty, Provost, TCD; Mr. Michael Horgan, CEO & Registrar, RCSI; Dr. Michael Kamarck, Chair, DMMC Board and Senior Vice President, Wyeth BioPharma; Dr. Hugh Brady, President, UCD; Standing, from left, Professor Niall O’Higgins, UCD and President, RCSI; Ms Mary Hanafin, TD, Minister for Education and Science; and Dr. Pierre Meulien, CEO, DMMC
The agreement extends the ownership of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre (DMMC) from its founding universities - Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin – to include the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland as an equal partner.
The primary aim of the DMMC is to undertake biomedical research, which can ultimately translate into patient treatments in a range of illnesses including prostate and other cancers, psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory and infectious diseases. Through the DMMC, almost 200 academic principal investigators, clinicians and clinical scientists will work together to a degree that is unparalleled in Ireland.
The inclusion of RCSI in the DMMC forms a single pool of medical expertise in Dublin. International experience shows that in order to make significant breakthroughs, clinical researchers need to be working in a population in excess of one million people. By combining the patient populations of their affiliated teaching hospitals and sharing their varied and complementary research expertise, the DMMC creates a critical mass in Dublin that will facilitate international research breakthroughs.
The DMMC is a limited company with charity status, the formation of which was made possible with funding from the Higher Education Authority through PRTLI Cycle 2 and further developed in Cycle 3 through The Programme for Human Genomics in partnership with RCSI.
The clinical scientists in the DMMC also play an important teaching role through their affiliation with the major Dublin teaching hospitals of Adelaide & Meath incorporating the National Children’s Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, St James’s Hospital and St Vincent’s University Hospital.
The DMMC also provides a mechanism to invest and share high cost, large-scale equipment. In the past three years the DMMC has been able to develop complementary high technology platforms costing millions of Euro across the city, which are shared by the research community. An added benefit of the DMMC is the potential to attract the research investment support of major biopharmaceutical companies who will ultimately develop the drugs and therapies to treat patients.
TCD Student wins Enterprise Ireland Student Award
Olaf O’Moore, a final year student in the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering won a runners-up prize in The Enterprise Ireland Student Awards.
Olaf’s winning development is a Radio Frequency Access Control System (RFID), a “hands-free” system, which can check a person in or out of a building without having to swipe a card or enter a pin code. The system is targeted at Crèches, Montessori Schools and Banks or other organizations in the private sector where security is of the highest importance but where people need the freedom to move quickly between different locations.
This year nearly every college in Ireland entered the Awards, which aim to develop and promote entrepreneurship among third level students in colleges and institutions throughout the island of Ireland. The competition rewards innovative and enterprising business ideas aimed at the establishment of a manufacturing industry or internationally traded service, backed up by a financially sound business plan.
Sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, Invest NI and Ulster Bank the awards carry the richest prize fund for any third level student competition in Ireland. As a runner up Olaf received a prize of €3,250.00
Speaking at the presentation of the Awards, Minister Micheál Martin T.D., Minister for Enterprise trade & Employment, said “The emergence of a genuine culture of entrepreneurship in Ireland has been one of the most satisfying elements of the economic success of the past decade. The continuation and strengthening of this culture is crucial to the positioning of Ireland as an advanced developed economy. These awards are part of a process of fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship at an early stage with third level students.”
TCD launches Inaugural College Health Week
Trinity College Dublin will hold its inaugural Health Week from Monday 18 – 22 April. Organized by the College Health Service, in association with the Departments of Sport, Catering, Counselling Service, Students’ Union and the Peer Support Group, the Health Week aims to educate staff and students on how to manage stress by the effective use of energy while maintaining a balanced healthy and fun lifestyle. This is the first such week to be run by a university in the Republic.
“This initiative is especially important this month, as April is a busy time in College with all of us gearing up to exams, with an obvious rise in stress balanced by an anticipation of post examination revelry,” stated Dr David Thomas, Director of the Student Health Service. “Stress is often thought of in a negative way as something best avoided, something harmful, but at exam time stress can not be avoided and is harmful only when handled badly. The proper handling of stress improves performance.”
TCD Provost Dr. John Hegarty will lead out staff and students in the first scheduled walk of College Health Week on Monday 18 th April, under starting orders by Senior Dean, Prof. Cyril Smyth who will officiate with a starter’s gun.
Under starter’s orders, the Provost leads out staff and students for the first walk of the Inaugural Trinity College Health Week. Also taking part were Mrs Neassa Hegarty (front right), Dr. David Thomas, Director of TCD’s Student Health Service (front centre) and Senior Dean, Prof Cyril Smyth (starter).
Events taking place over the week include Yoga, Tai Chi, stress busting and relaxation exercises and power walking for all levels of fitness; Healthy Eating Week including advice in all the college catering outlets; Information Stands with advice on travel health, contraception, smoking cessation/asthma, healthy hearts, and posture and relaxation; The Marie Keating Foundation mobile unit will visit TCD on Wednesday 20 th April and there will be competitions and spot prizes for those who participate in the week’s events
A full programme of events may be seen at www.tcd.ie/collegehealthweek
TCD sports performance research to benefit IRFU
A new TCD advanced research programme focussing on the development of specially formulated sports drinks and the manner in which well-trained players respond to their intake has been established in association with Irish Rugby Football Union and Energia. Commissioned by the IRFU and financed by Energia the purpose of the research is to gain a greater understanding of how various aspects of nutrition can affect the rate of recovery among rugby players at club, provincial and national level.
Mr. Bernard Donne, Director of Human Performance Laboratory and fellow scientists at Trinity College Dublin’s Department of Physiology and Anatomy are working with Dr. Liam Hennessy (IRFU National Fitness Director) to advance the research into Irish rugby development programmes.
“Trinity College is renowned for its work in this and the field of sports science, so it is a welcome development that we have joined with them in this venture.” stated Dr Liam Hennessy, National Fitness Director of the IRFU. “It is vital that the IRFU have the support of them in researching ways and means of improving our player’s performances on the field. Trinity is known as one of the leading universities in performance research.”
Professor Con Feighery, Vice Dean, School of Physic, Trinity College said: “Having a scientifically based knowledge of the recovery effects to be obtained by nutrition, following strenuous sports activity, and its contribution to subsequently improved performance will form a key element of athletic endeavour in the years ahead. This research will bring the early benefits of such scientific knowledge to Ireland’s future rugby development initiatives and we are delighted to collaborate with IRFU and Energia in this regard.”
Nobel Laureate visits the Institute for International Integration Studies
Professor John Nash, Nobel Laureate in Economics in 1994, visited the Institute for International Integration Studies on Friday, April 8 th, where he read a paper on “Ideal Money”. Professor Nash, who is based in the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University, was in Dublin to deliver one of the Royal Irish Academy / Hamilton lectures. This lecture was delivered to a crowded Burke Theatre on Wednesday evening on the topic: An Interesting Equation.
Professor Nash’s contribution to the development of game theory in his PhD thesis written in the 1950s has had a fundamental influence on many areas of economics, particularly in the past two decades. His life has been the subject of an award-winning biography by Sylvia Nasar entitled: A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash , which in turn was the basis for the Oscar- winning film A Beautiful Mind.
Prof John Nash speaking at the Institute for International Integration Studies
Students complete Peer Support Skills course
18 students were recently acknowledged for completing the College's 30-hour course in Peer Support Skills. Professor T. Brian H. McMurry (Ret.), Trustee of the Trinity College Dublin Association & Trust, presided over the 4 th Peer Support Programme Recognition Ceremony held in the College Chapel.
The training, which was sponsored by the TCD Association & Trust, teaches Trinity students to help their peers manage the challenges of college life through listening, questioning, and referral skills. Since its conception by the Student Counselling Service in 2000, over 400 students have participated in the training at TCD. Professor McMurry awarded each student a certificate of completion, commending them on their commitment to helping their fellow students.
Caption: Professor T.Brian H. McMurry (Ret.) and Mr. Robert Otway-Norwood, of the TCD Assocation & Trust, with students who complete the Peer Support Skills course
All graduates of the course are now eligible to volunteer in the College's Peer Support Network (PSN), a group of student volunteers who are available for giving listening support and advice to other TCD students. Graduates of the course and PSN volunteers come from a range of areas in College, including all six faculties, postgraduates, affiliated colleges, and students from the Trinity Access Programme Foundation Course.
You can learn more about the Peer Support Programme by visiting the website at
Rare historical publications in TCD’s Old Library to be digitised
A collaboration between Trinity College Dublin and a new company, Archive CD Books Ireland Ltd., will see the digitisation and publication on CD of significant parts of the College’s older collection of books, journals, and historical directories.
Archive CD Books Ireland is part of a world-wide project to make available rare books and publications in digital format. The company began digitising major Irish national and county directories held in the College library in January. So far 25 historical directories are available on CD. A further 150 will be available by 2006.
The company believes that making documents and books that are of direct interest to historical researchers and genealogists available now will generate widespread interest and awareness in the new service. Once on CD, records, books and directories will be fully searchable on computer and, hence, a major new tool for professional, amateur and academic researchers.
Trinity College Library is the largest library in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe. Founded in 1592 it is both an Irish and a British copyright library, and consequently houses the majority of works published regarding Ireland and Irish history.
The company intends to extend its range to historic collections held by other libraries and repositories.
An important benefit of the project will be the preservation of many important printed historical documents. Archive CD Books will co-operate with libraries and archives to create preservation images of their holdings, thus safeguarding them for future generations.
Robin Adams, Librarian of Trinity College, commented “We are excited by this project as it will improve access to our unique collection of historic books for researchers not only in Ireland but also throughout the world. It also has major significance for the preservation of the collection, as the College receives copies of all the digitised versions, meaning our readers have less reason to use the originals. The process being used also causes no damage to the original books. By making the books searchable it will greatly enhance the type of research possible on this material and we expect it will be a welcome resource for the scholarly community”.
Robin Adams, Librarian, TCD, John Hegarty, Provost, TCD and Brian Donovan Eneclann & Archive CD Books Ltd. at the launch at Archive CD Books Ireland Ltd.
Five TCD Academics Honoured by Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy elected five TCD academics as Members of the Royal Irish Academy on Wednesday 16th March 2005. Election to membership of the Academy is the highest academic honour in Ireland.
Those honoured were: Charles Dorman, Professor of Microbiology; John Fitzpatrick, Professor of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering ; John Horne, Associate Professor of Modern History ; Dennis Kennedy, Samuel Beckett Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies; and Malcolm MacLachlan, Associate Professor of Psychology. Those elected are entitled to use the designation 'MRIA' (Member of the Royal Irish Academy) after their name.
The Royal Irish Academy is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. It is the principal learned society in Ireland and has approximately 412 Members elected in recognition of their academic achievement.
Well-known Academy members include: Dr Garret FitzGerald; Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney; Mr Dermot Gleeson ; Mr Peter Sutherland; Professor Joe Lee; Professor Ronan Fanning; Mrs Mary Robinson, Professor David McConnell (TCD Geneticist), Professor Richard Kearney; and President Mary McAleese.
“FÁS is both under-appreciated and over-used by the Irish State”
TCD Policy Institute Study
FÁS’s role in contributing to the current positive economic climate has been underestimated, according to a report launched on 14 March. Since its inception, FÁS has developed into a highly flexible, multi-functional instrument used by the Irish state to address a myriad of policy problems from hi-tech skill shortages to functional illiteracy. So states the study ‘FAS and Active Labour Market Policy 1985-2004’ by Professor Nigel Boyle, launched by Senator Mary O’Rourke at Trinity College’s Policy Institute.
The study argues that FÁS has fundamentally reshaped the architecture of the Irish welfare state. In the absence of alternative mechanisms, FÁS remains the key instrument used by the state to tackle policy problems ranging from under-investment in training by Irish employers to social exclusion. However, the study also suggests that the state’s reliance on ‘quick-fix’ solutions generated by FÁS may have inhibited efforts at more fundamental policy reform of education and social policy in other government departments.
The report notes criticisms of FÁS from the education, employers and community sectors. It argues that such criticism is often justified insofar as, for example, employers have been manipulated into paying for an apprenticeship system that FÁS controls while under the framework of the Community Employment scheme, and community organisations have been manipulated into becoming employment/training organisations, increasingly detaching them from their original purposes. Nevertheless, the study notes that FÁS and its activities enjoy widespread support amongst elected politicians. FÁS is supremely well adapted to the highly responsive nature of Irish electoral politics, the report argues.
Whilst institutional analysis such as that presented in this paper cannot provide specific policy recommendations, two key issues are highlighted for consideration by policymakers:
1. In the absence of radical institutional change within the Irish public sector, institutions such as FÁS provide an effective, if not optimal, means of addressing policy problems.
2. FÁS is well adapted to the ideological, fiscal, and clientelistic realities of Irish politics. In the absence of other mechanisms to address policy problems ranging from labour market to education and social exclusion issues, it appears that FÁS will continue to play an important role in addressing these policy issues.
The study is the 17th in the series 'Studies in Public Policy' published by Trinity's Policy Institute. The series aims to bridge the gap between the academic and professional policy communities and to make a real difference to public policy debate in Ireland. Copies of the report can be obtained from The Policy Institute (www.policyinstitute.tcd.ie).
No Need for Continued Irish Government Venture Capital Investments
- TCD Policy Institute Study
Enterprise Ireland has invested over €300 million in Irish small businesses and venture capital funds since its creation, making it one of the largest equity investors in the country. But there is no clear rationale for it to continue making such investments, according to a study launched on 10 March at Trinity College’s Policy Institute. Mr. Phil Hogan T.D., Fine Gael Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment launched the new publication, Angels and IPOs: Policies for Sustainable Equity Financing of Irish Small Businesses by Diane Mulcahy, a former Visiting Research Fellow at The Policy Institute.
The report argues that there is no compelling rationale for continuing Government support given the lack of evidence that an ‘equity gap’ of early stage risk capital exists in Ireland, in addition to the tremendous growth in venture capital (VC) funds, with nearly €150 million of VC funds currently available for new projects.
Irish VCs and Enterprise Ireland (EI) should focus on closing the ‘exit gap’ that is evident from the very low rate of IPOs (flotations) among Irish companies, stresses the report. The strong average returns generated by IPO exits are critical to attract investors in young companies and venture funds. VCs and EI can help companies target and prepare for IPOs, and steer them to the most appropriate exchange, such as the Nasdaq, AIM or OFEX, for listing. The paper also recommends that the Irish Stock Exchange considers demutualization and strategic alliances to improve its competitive position as the relatively poor capital raising performance of the ISE for small businesses contributes to the exit gap.
“Returns drive the entire equity financing cycle for young companies,” noted author Diane Mulcahy, “Strong returns are critical to attract pension funds, VCs and angel investors to make private equity investments in the early stage companies that are so essential to Ireland’s economic growth. The evidence is clear that IPO exits realize the highest average returns, so a focus on closing the exit gap in Ireland is a key component of any long term enterprise policy.”
Irish businesses would benefit from an increase in the supply of angel capital according to the report, to help foster growth during the early critical stages of a start-up company. Most of the Irish Government’s fiscal policies, such as tax reliefs, subsidies and incentives disproportionately encourage individuals to invest in property assets rather than equity. These fiscal policies are at odds with Ireland’s industrial policy goal of fostering the growth of domestic start-ups. The paper recommends that the Department of Enterprise and Department of Finance “join-up” fiscal and industrial policies to more equally treat equity investments and consistently support enterprise development.
Mr. Phil Hogan Fine Gael T.D. noted “The recent decision by the European Commission to suspend grant aid in respect of the expansion of Intel at Lexilip in Co. Kildare is an appropriate wake up call for Irish industrial strategy. It clearly shows that the EU Commission will be engaged in more detailed and critical evaluations of grant aid as inward investment to developing economies like Ireland in the context of future industrial strategy. It is therefore appropriate that this study gives us a new focus on the development of indigenous industry and the funding of new ventures from within our own jurisdiction. A new entrepreneurial drive is essential with the appropriate financial supports to implement the Enterprise Strategy Report and to sustain and promote the growth of the Irish small business sector and employment within this sector.”
The study is the 16th in the series 'Studies in Public Policy' published by Trinity's Policy Institute. The series aims to bridge the gap between the academic and professional policy communities and to make a real difference to public policy debate in Ireland. Copies of the report can be obtained from The Policy Institute (www.policyinstitute.tcd.ie).
Donegal Students Win Final of Ireland’s First Team Maths Quiz
Students from St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar are the winners of Ireland’s first Team Mathematics Competition held in Trinity College on Saturday 5 March 2005.
Organised by the Hamilton Mathematics Institute TCD and the Irish Mathematics Teachers Association, the finals saw ten regional champion teams facing stiff competition as they competed for the Hamilton Trophy.
Students Catherine Curran, Georgina Duignan, Colette Gallagher, Noel Lafferty and Dáibhéid McHugh traveled to Trinity College with their Maths teacher, Bridie Heeney.
Winners of the 2005 Team Maths Competition from St. Columba’s College, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal, from left, teacher Bridie Heeney, Dáibhéid McHugh, Georgina Duignan, Colette Gallagher, Catherine Curran, Noel Lafferty with Prof. Samson Shatashvili, Director of the Hamilton Mathematics Institute TCD.
249 teams nationwide signed up to the competition which was based on the Leaving Certificate Higher Maths syllabus. The format was a table quiz with eight rounds.
In addition to being presented with the Hamilton Trophy, the winning team was offered one week’s work experience in Trinity College’s SFI Nanoscience Laboratory. The laboratory, the first of its type in the country, carries out world-class research in the areas of nanoscience, encompassing physics, chemistry, biology and materials science.
The Hamilton Mathematics Institute TCD is an institute dedicated to fostering mathematics and related disciplines. Named after William Rowan Hamilton, the Institute also aims to improve the public understanding of mathematics. Hamilton was one of Ireland's most famous scientists and one of the world’s great mathematicians. 2005 marks the bicentenary of his birth.
TCD Scientist Receives Royal Irish Academy’s Premier Award
Prof. Denis Weaire, Head of TCD’s Physics Department has been awarded the premier award of the Royal Irish Academy, the Cunningham Medal. The highlight of his research was the discovery of the Weaire-Phelan structure: an ideal structure of equal-sized foam bubbles with the least possible surface area.
This research was published in 1994, supplanting the 1887 conjecture of Lord Kelvin. That it has the lowest possible energy (or surface area) remains to be proved, but all attempts to beat it have failed in the last decade and the two Irish scientists, Denis Weaire and Robert Phelan, still hold the world record for the most efficient structure of this kind.
Awarded every three years for “outstanding contribution to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy”, the Cunningham Medal was first presented in 1796. Ireland's finest scientists and scholars have been amongst its recipients, including Sir William Rowan Hamilton, the greatest scientist Ireland has ever produced; Sir William Wilde, polymath and father of Oscar Wilde; and Frank Mitchell.
Throwing Shapes, a large stainless steel sculpture representing the Weaire-Phelan structure, was unveiled by Senator Mary Henry today on 23 February in Trinity College. Physics Department staff member Dr. Wiebke Drenckhan developed the detailed design, based on that of Weaire and Phelan, and it was executed by colleague David Grouse in the Department’s workshops. It can be viewed in the entrance hall of the SNIAM Building.
The Weaire-Phelan structure is the inspiration for the architectural design of the structural framework of the Water Cube, the national swimming centre for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Mr. David Grouse, Dr. Wiebke Drenckhan & Prof. Denis Weaire with the Throwing Shapes sculpture which represents the Weaire-Phelan structure
Trinity College begins construction of Ireland’s first purpose-built Nanoscience Research Institute
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr. Micheál Martin, TD announced the commencement of construction of Ireland’s first purpose-built nanoscience research institute, The Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) on 10 February. The planned 6,000 m 2 research institute, will be known as The Naughton Institute in recognition of a €5m donation from Dr Martin Naughton, who is Chairman of the Glen Dimplex Group and a member of the Board of Trinity Foundation.
The Centre will house 150 scientists, technicians and graduate students in a state of the art facility and provide them with the tools required to explore the world of nanoscience. Science Foundation Ireland has committed €21m to CRANN to date, with almost €10m being used to fund research activity and €11m for the construction of specialised vibration-free laboratory facilities.
Projected to cost €29m and to be completed by the end of 2006, the Institute will be situated at the corner of Pearse Street and Westland Row. Researchers and scientists at the Institute will be able to develop apparatus and techniques to build new structures and devices atom by atom, which has endless possibilities for biotechnology, information and communications technologies.
Dr John Hegarty, Provost of Trinity College stated, “CRANNwas established in 2003 in advance of completion of the new building. Over the last few years Trinity has attracted and built up a critical mass of world-class expertise in nanoscience and we have a number of excellent people in the area who have been externally assessed as one of the best groups in the world. The College is determined to confirm its position as one of the world's leading universities and the Naughton Institute and its work will go along way to enhance that.”
The Institute will have ultra-low vibration, temperature and humidity controlled laboratories to allow highly sensitive measurements of nanoscale structures, state-of-the-art clean rooms where even the finest particles of dust are carefully filtered out to allow high-purity fabrication of nanotechnology devices. There will be specialist laboratories for nanoscale and biomolecular mechanics, magnetics, optics, chemistry and computation. It will also house a Science Gallery which will spearhead an innovative outreach programme.
The SFI funded first phase of CRANN's research focuses on the physics and chemistry of materials, including biomolecules, which may be structured at the nanoscale with the aim of achieving novel device functionality.
From nanoscience, technologies are already emerging that will change our lives in the coming decades, and the range of possible future products and applications is constantly growing. Nanotechnologies are set to yield the next generation of microelectronics to meet the ever-growing demand for smaller and faster electronic devices. Novel drug delivery systems are anticipated, which can deliver medication directly to the source of pain or illness. Other potential applications range from medical imaging techniques and prosthetics to computer memory and fuel cells.
CRANN’s four major research areas are:
1. Membrane-Fluid Interface - will investigate transport across cell membranes, membrane-surface adhesion, and membrane fusion.
2. Self-Assembled Nanostructures-research on the self-assembly of chemical building blocks into nanostructured arrays and nanodevices.
3. Nanoscale Contacts-will investigate various aspects of the transport of electrons at the contacts between nanoscale objects.
4. Spin Electronics-will examine how spin-polarized currents in nanoscale structures can be manipulated for device design.
Provost Hegarty continued, “CRANN is founded on an interplay of the research strengths of its seven senior scientists or Principal Investigators, each a highly respected world-expert in their field. Combining this scientific excellence with the support of Science Foundation Ireland and TCD, the expertise of Intel Ireland and our other industrial partners, and the most generous private philanthropic interest of Dr. Martin Naughton, CRANN will attract outstanding scientists and partners to the country, train research students for Ireland, be a major centre of excellence and an international leader in parts of nanoscience and is set to put Ireland on the map as a global player in this revolutionary new field.”
Germanic Studies Teachathon a Great Success for Tsunami Fund
A 24 hour “Teachathon” in aid of the Tsunami Disaster Fund in the Department of Germanic Studies raised over €6,115. Staff and students participated in lectures, seminars, tutorials, language classes (including two hours of beginners' dutch at 3am on Saturday!), films, drama rehearsals and performances ran throughout the night and day in the department.
Much of the work focused on themes and issues relating to natural disasters such as the tsunami. Over 80 students lasted to the final session on Saturday evening which finished up at 6pm. Lecturers Katrin Eberbach and Thomas Müeller, who came up with the idea of the teachathon, organized the event and also persuaded local caterers to donate food and soft drinks to sustain those taking part.
New Environmental Initiatives Launched for Green Week
Two new environmentally friendly schemes came into practice on campus with the launch of the third annual TCD Green Week on Monday 7 February 2005. The first is the introduction on a pilot basis of a new facility for recycling plastic drinks bottles. This will begin with two collection locations in the Buttery and the Hamilton Building and should it prove successful it is hoped to run the scheme throughout the College. The second initiative is the use of Trinity’s home grown compost on the campus grounds.
Senator David Norris launched Green Week with a ‘ceremonial spreading’ of the College’s first delivery of home grown compost on Library Square. The compost production is a new element of TCD’s vast environmental campaign. Each week the organic waste generated in the College’s kitchens and from the maintenance of the grounds is collected by ONYX and treated in a plant in Co. Waterford, producing a compost suitable for horticultural on campus.
Spreading the first delivery of TCD's home grown compost on Library Square during the launch of Greek Week are Senator David Norris (left) and Mr John Daly, Managing Director of Onyx Ireland Ltd, principal sponsors of Green Week.
The College recently achieved a 40% recycling threshold in the College, a 100% increase in the amount of recycling done by the College in just under a year. Through its recycling efforts Trinity has reduced its non-recyclable production by 33 tonnes since January 2004.
Each year the Green Week symposium is held in the memory of Prof. Simon Perry who was the inspiration behind the College Environment and Recycling Committee. This year a new trophy, The Simon Perry Memorial Trophy, is being presented for the first time to the student who devised the best project aimed at improving the environment on campus. The trophy has been designed by Simon’s former colleagues, manufactured in the College’s workshops and is made completely from recycled materials.
A full programme of Trinity Green Week events is available at http://www.tcd.ie/GreenPages.
TCD Links with CDVEC to Deliver Course for Disadvantaged Students
Three City of Dublin Vocational Education Colleges have joined a partnership with Trinity College to develop a course that will prepare socio-economic disadvantaged mature students and young adults for access to third level education. The partnership was launched on Tuesday 25 January by Tom Boland, CEO of the Higher Education Authority.
The CDVEC colleges involved in the initiative are Pearse, Plunket and Liberties, all with a strong track record in preparing students not only for higher education, but also for training and employment.
The partnership is enabled by the drive over the past number of years by the Department of Education and Science to create a structure through the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) to allow for progression across and within the second, further and higher Irish education systems. The initiative is also in response to the HEA’s Action Plan 2005-07 “Achieving Equity of Access to Higher Education in Ireland”, which calls for “increased collaboration between the higher education, further education and second level sectors on entry arrangements for access and successful participation in higher education".
Academic and administrative staff from Trinity and the CDVEC colleges are working closely with the Further Education and Training Council (FETAC), the HEA and the Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) on the development of the course.
The course is under development and running as a pilot in the academic year 2004-05. It will prepare students for access to a wide range of higher education courses, especially within the social sciences and humanities. If successfully accredited within the NQAI, the course can be delivered locally across Ireland thus providing the opportunity for disadvantaged students across Ireland to compete on par with all other students for a place in Trinity College.
“Trinity is committed to increasing its proportion of first year undergraduate students from non-traditional backgrounds to 15 percent. At present this proportion is nearly 11 percent. The new partnership launched today to facilitate access will help redress the existing imbalance in the socio-economic balance profile of the student body” `, explained the Provost, Dr. John Hegarty at the launch.
TCD is only Irish university in the THES world’s top 100 science, engineering and IT universities
Trinity College Dublin is the only Irish university to feature in the world’s top 100 science, engineering and information technology institutions in the recently published Times Higher Education Supplement’s new league tables.
The latest league tables rank universities world-wide by (i) Engineering and IT faculty and (ii) Science faculty. Under Engineering and IT, Trinity was placed 91 st in the world and under Science, the College ranks 94 th. Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard Universities were the highest ranking Science Universities while the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University were the leading institutions in the Top 100 Engineering and Information Technology Universities.
The tables follow the publication of The Times Higher World University Rankings measuring overall institutional excellence in which Trinity was the only university in the State to feature in the top 200 universities. The most recent tables extend the analysis to faculty level. The principal criteria used were peer review and a measure of the influence of the research done at the top-rated institutions.
The Dean of Engineering and Systems Science, Dr. Brian Foley said that the fact that Trinity is the only university in the country to appear in these league tables emphasized the high esteem in which the College is regarded internationally and the quality of our research and course provision. The faculty continues to pursue a policy of promoting its teaching programmes in engineering and computing as being strongly research-informed, he said.
The fact that an Irish university features in these rankings is a tribute to the staff of the science faculty and reflects well on the greatly improved funding in science and the high quality of scientific research in the country commented Dr Joe Carroll, Dean of Science.
Michael Ignatieff, Professor of Human Rights Practice and Director of the Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, USA is guest speaker at the inaugural Amnesty Lecture at TCD on Thursday 13 January at 7.30pm in the Burke Theatre, Arts Building. Chaired by journalist and author, Olivia O'Leary, the lecture which is entitled "War on Terror" is sponsored by Newstalk 106.
A regular broadcaster and critic on television and radio, Michael Ignatieff has revised his initial support for the invasion of Iraq. He has hosted many programmes including Channel 4's Voices, the BBC's arts programme The Late Show. Titles of Ignatieff's recent newspaper and magazine articles include "Why Are We In Iraq? And Liberia? And Afghanistan?" New York Times Magazine 7 September 2003; "Second, Sober Thoughts" Toronto Star 26 March 2004; "Evil under interrogation. Is torture ever permissible? and "Can a democratic state - even one engaged in a war on terror and under threat of imminent attack be justified in violating a basic commitment to human dignity?" Financial Times, 15 May 2004.
Provost Launches New Children's Research Centre Website
On December 20th 2004 the Provost launched the Children’s Research Centre’s new interactive web site. The web site forms an important part of the Centre's communication strategy, which has a strong interest in the effective dissemination of its work, not only through academic publications, but through reports and other mechanisms that communicate the results of research directly to policy makers and practitioners.
Sadhbh Whelan, a researcher in the Children's Research Centre and The Provost at the launch of the Centre's new interactive web site.
The Children's Research Centre, a specialist centre focusing on areas of research and evaluation in the lives of children and young people , recently relocated to new premises at Anglesea Street. Established as a joint venture between the Department of Psychology and the Department of Social Studies in 1995, today there are approximately 20 staff, including honorary Senior Research Fellows.
For more information on the Centre and its work please visit
http://www.tcd.ie/childrensresearchcentre
Christina Noble, Nobel Prize Winner among distinguished recipients of Honorary Degrees
Christina Noble was among six recipients to receive honorary degrees at Trinity College Dublin at its Winter Commencements on 17 December. Liberties native and OBE holder, Christina Noble was conferred with a Doctor in Laws (LL.D.) in recognition of her outstanding work with impoverished children in Mongolia and Vietnam through the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation. The Foundation has given help and support to more than 200,000 homeless and destitute children in the past 15 years.
The other recipients of honorary degrees were:
Ms Evelyn Glennie Mus.D. (Doctor in Music) renowned solo percussionist. Although profoundly deaf from the age of 12, she has received over fifty awards, including a Grammy for her debut recording.
Michael Viney Litt.D. (Doctor in Letters) accomplished author and Nature Columnist for The Irish Times. Two of his books, A Years Turning and Ireland, A Smithsonian Natural History, have been described as classics of their genre.
Ahmed H Zewail Sc.D (Doctor in Science) was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering developments in the field of femtoscience, making it possible to observe the movement of the individual atoms in a femtosecond, a split second that is a millionth of a billionth of a second.
Judith Chavasse LL.D. (Doctor in Laws) former Director of Nursing Services at UCD, she is a pioneer in her field, who has had an enormous impact on the development of nursing training in Ireland, establishing a range of nursing programmes and introducing an element of research into the nursing curriculum.
Professor John Sutton LL.D (Doctor in Laws)is Sir John Hicks Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and a leading authority in industrial organisation. The distinctive characteristic of his work is the mapping of ‘inferences of complex game theoretic models into simply articulated predictions’, the latter tested using standard industrial data sets.
Minister announces Vice Provost’s appointment as Chairperson of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology
The Vice Provost of Trinity College, Prof. Jane Grimson, has been appointed Chairperson of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET). The announcement was made today (Wednesday 15 December) by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin T.D.
Prof. Grimson replaces Prof. Thomas Mitchell as chairperson of IRCSET. The Council was established in June, 2001 and its role includes overseeing expenditure on Third-Level Research Programmes and the promotion of excellence and the highest standards of research in the three broad disciplines of science, engineering and technology.
Prof. Grimson’s principal area of research is health informatics and in particular the development of electronic health records. She has published widely and has been involved in several major research projects. As an engineer she is interested in encouraging the recruitment and retention of women in careers in engineering. Through her membership of a number of research funding agencies in Ireland and Europe she is actively involved in the development of research policy.
“Action required to modernise pharmacy” –
Trinity College Dublin Policy Institute Study
A 19th Century apothecary would not recognise today’s retail pharmacy showroom, but he would certainly recognise the regulatory environment, which has remained virtually unchanged since 1875, according to a new study launched today (13th December 2004) by Dr. John Fingleton, Chair of The Competition Authority in Trinity College Dublin’s Policy Institute. The report shows that Ireland has the highest retail margins on medicines in Europe (at 33%) and a poor deal for consumers and the economy.
The comprehensive study entitled, Competition and Regulation in the Retail Pharmacy Market, finds that much could be done to open up the market, in terms of access to the pharmacy profession, and the price, supply and sale of medicines. It suggests a large number of pro-competition reforms that are both desirable and possible, without prejudicing the underlying public interest objective of public health protection. The most urgent of these are:
1. A new Pharmacy Act is needed to provide an appropriate and modern statutory and regulatory framework for the pharmacy sector, and to replace the current Victorian-era legislation.
2. The Minister for Health and Children should move swiftly to remove the ‘three-year rule’ prohibiting overseas-trained pharmacists from opening their own pharmacy in Ireland. This should be accompanied by an expansion in the number of University Pharmacy Degree places, to facilitate greater entry to the pharmacy profession.
3 . The reference list of EU benchmark countries against which Irish wholesale medicine prices are fixed should be revised to reflect a more realistic set of comparators.
4. As recommended by the Brennan Commission, the 50% mark-up paid to pharmacists under the Drug Payment and Long Term Illness Schemes should be abolished.
“There are many things wrong with the way this business is regulated”, states Declan Purcell, the study’s author and Director of Advocacy, The Competition Authority. “First of all, the law is over a hundred years old, creaking at the seams, and is completely unsuited to today’s needs. Secondly, at a personal level, it’s extremely hard to qualify as a pharmacist because of an historic monopoly on pharmacy education, and unnecessary obstacles are put in your way when you do qualify. If you do manage to get a foot on the bottom rung of the business, though, the rewards are great – including restrictions designed to keep other people out, and guaranteed high margins on the medicines you sell. All this results in assets more valuable than most other kinds of retail outlet, and the consumer suffers in the end.”
For example, under the heading of ‘Fees and mark-up’, pharmacies earned an average of €172,800 per contracted outlet in 2002 across all State Community Drug Schemes. Under the Drug Payments Scheme specifically, the average income per contracted outlet was €47,000 from the 50% mark-up component alone.
The study draws together data on the operation of the Pharmaceutical sector in Ireland, and highlights the unnecessarily restrictive nature of the regulatory environment in which it operates. It also presents a comprehensive new comparison with regulatory environments in other countries showing that the same forces, both market and non-market, also operate elsewhere. Regulation levels are even heavier in many other countries, for example controlling pharmacy ownership. Nonetheless, heavily regulated environments elsewhere still manage to produce medicine price levels that are, in general, significantly lower than in Ireland.
“ The Government and the pharmaceutical industry have a long-standing agreement setting the maximum wholesale prices of the vast bulk of prescription medicines in Ireland, ” says Mr Purcell. “Retail pharmacies charge a 50% mark-up on medicines supplied to most consumers; this practice has existed for about a hundred years, and does not appear ever to been explicitly agreed, altered or challenged. The effect is that Irish pharmacies benefit from the highest overall retail margin on medicines in Europe, averaging 33%. ”
This report is the 14 th Blue Paper in the Series, ‘Studies in Public Policy’ published by Trinity’s Policy Institute, (known informally as the Blue Papers). The series aims to bridge the gap between the academic and professional policy communities and to make a real difference to pubic policy debate in Ireland.
TCD Genetics Student Wins 2004 Irish Times/RIA Biochemistry Writing Competition
Laoise Moore, a PhD student in the Department of Genetics was awarded first prize in the 2004 Science Writing Competition run by The Irish Times and the Royal Irish Academy on 22 nd November 2004.
Laoise’s winning essay, entitled ‘Y-Chromosome Variation and Human Evolution’, emphasizes the important role the Y chromosome plays in the study of human evolution as male lineage can now be traced by studying mutations in the male Y-chromosome, which is a part of the genetic code passed down from father to son. Second prize went to Melanie Späth, also from the Department of Genetics, whose essay focused on the search for the causes of and a cure for Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disease that causes progressive loss of vision and eventual blindness.
Sponsored by Yamanouchi, the competition’s first prize is €1,000, a specially commissioned John Coen sculpture and publication of the article on the Irish Times science page, with a second prize of €400.
536 students representing 32 counties receive Trinity College High Achievers Awards
A total of 536 first-year students have been awarded special 'Entrance Exhibition Awards' at Trinity College. The students receiving awards each achieved 545 points or higher (more than 6 A2 grades) in their Leaving Certificate examination (or equivalent second level examination). The students represent 280 schools from 32 counties as well as from schools in England, Scotland, Wales, France and Sweden.
Congratulating the students on their achievement at a ceremony to mark the occasion, the Provost of Trinity College, Dr John Hegarty stated that “545 points in the Leaving Certificate or equivalent indicates great talent and hard work. Approximately four per cent of over 57,000 CAO applicants for degree courses attained this achievement, and 25% of this talented group of students have chosen Trinity College to pursue their third level education”.
Pomodoro Sculpture Unveiled in Trinity Centre
Pomodoro, one of Italy’s leading sculptors, attended the unveiling of his sculpture ‘Scudo II’ at the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences , St James’s Hospital by the Provost, Dr. John Hegarty on Tuesday 23 rd November. Sponsored by The John Durkan Memorial Trust, this is the third piece of Pomodoro’s work to be displayed in TCD along with his 'Sphere with Sphere' sculpture outside the Berkley Library and paintings in the Genetics Department .
Scudo II is one of a series of Pomodoro’s ‘shield’ sculptures from the 1980s. Designed from a cuttle-bone, the sculpture is enhanced by the changing reflections of light as well as by traces of movement generated by the passing spectator. Pomodoro, who received an Honorary Degree from Trinity in 1992 has won numerous awards for his art since the 1960s. His work is exhibited all over the world including Milan, Copenhagen, Brisbane, the Vatican in Rome and outside the United Nations in New York.
Prof. Shaun McCann, Head of the Department of Haematology and Provost. Dr John Hegarty with Italian artist Pomodoro at the unveiling of his sculpture 'Scudo II' in the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James's Hospital.
Research Shows Modern Language Graduates Have Skills Employers Need
A report, “The hidden value of higher education learning: transferable skills and their importance for graduates of modern language programmes”, published today by Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and Waterford Institute of Technology shows that the study of “non-vocational” programmes, such as modern languages, naturally leads to the development of a wide range of more general “transferable” skills that many employers consider essential for effective performance in their workforce today.
Research for the report was conducted with four key groups in higher education – students, academic staff, graduates and employers. The findings show that oral communication is considered one of the most important transferable skills for a graduate to possess, followed by time management, team work and presentation skills. It also shows that oral communication is the transferable skill which is most highly developed by language programmes. Other skills well developed include research skills, written communication and presentation skills.
Celebrating the launch of "The hidden value of higher education learning: transferable skills and their importance for graduates of modern language programmes", were from left, Muireann Ni Dhuigneain, Head of Careers Service, DCU, Olwyn Enright, TD, Fine Gael Spokesperson for Education and Science, who officially launched the report, Rhona Sherry, Project Officer, TCD, Orlaith Tunney, Project Manager, Careers Advisory Service, TCD and Angela Collins, Head of Careers Centre, WIT
Transferable skills should form an integral part of the teaching and learning strategies of all higher education institutions and the development of such skills should be embedded into all higher education programmes, according to the report’s recommendations. Additionally, in the opinion of both employers and academic staff, there are a substantial number of students who are not aware of the importance of such skills to their careers after third-level.
A recent OECD Report on Higher Education in Ireland speaks of the “critical importance” to the Irish economy of producing a qualified workforce. “The hidden value of higher education learning” shows that transferable skills are given a higher importance rating for graduates seeking employment than are either a good academic record or specialist subject knowledge. This being the case then programmes such as modern languages are well positioned to meet the needs of a range of employers.
The project, for which the research was conducted, is being funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) under the Strategic Initiatives Scheme and is being jointly carried out by the Careers Services in the three institutions involved. Based on the research, a pilot programme is now underway in the current academic term in modern language courses in each of the institutions. The pilot is investigating ways of raising the students’ awareness of, and competence in, a range of transferable skills, through the courses’ regular teaching content. Results of the pilot will be reported in 2005.
The report, which was launched by Olwyn Enright, Fine Gael Spokesperson for Education and Science, can be found at http://www.skillsproject.tcd.ie
TCD St Vincent de Paul Mobilize Members for Fundraising Day
Wednesday 17th of November is the TCD St Vincent de Paul fundraising day. The society aims to have most of their 5,000 St Vincent de Paul members join in the giant fundraiser. This year’s efforts will go to support the Irish Hospice Foundation, Barretstown, the Students' National 10K Walk in aid of the children of post-Chernobyl Belarus as well as the St Vincent de Paul.
The day’s fundraising events include the all day Street Collection; 'The Hour of Power' in Front Square, comprising of an iron stomach competition, buskers around campus, and a fire show; 'Bounce' is the chance to knock your best friends' socks off (or beat the clock) in our inflatable gladiator and bucking bronco competitions; A tug of war between the Arts and Hamilton buildings and a soccer tournament with a mystery guest referee. Students wanting to take part in these fundraising events or to purchase tickets for the day’s finale event, the Bond Ball, can do so at stands located in the Arts and Hamilton Building.
For the full timetable of the day’s events visit http://www.tcdvdp.org
Trinity College Dublin is the highest ranking Irish university to feature in the top 200 universities in the recently published Times Higher Education Supplement’s world university rankings. The College was ranked 87th in the world.
The THES world university rankings lists the world’s top 200 universities measured on peer review; number of citations per faculty member; ratio of students to staff; and the number of international students and staff. Harvard University was the highest ranking institution, while Oxford and Cambridge Universities were ranked fifth and sixth respectively.
The Dean of Research, Prof. Ian Robertson, said that this ranking endorses the fact that Trinity is Ireland's leading research university and there should be a strong sense of pride that the College has achieved this place in the context of the historically and internationally low levels of resourcing. It is a tribute to the talent, scholarship and hard work of all staff and students, he added.
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09-Sep-2005
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