2009 September E-zine

Welcome

Notices

2009 Reunion

Photographs from the 2009 Reunion are now available online at www.tcd.ie/alumni/events/photos

TILDA

TILDA – The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing – which is led by TCD, starts interviewing people over 50 across Ireland this October. If called to participate, please respond and encourage others. By carrying out this study we hope to improve life for all of us as we get older…so your participation really counts. For details please visit www.tilda.ie

‘Trinity Today’ photography competition

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 ‘Trinity Today’ photography competition. Details of the 2010 competition will be available in the upcoming Trinity Today magazine, which will include an alumni category. The winning photographs can be viewed at www.tcd.ie/alumni/news/competitions.

Trinity Today magazine - online survey

We’d like to thank all our alumni who recently participated in our Trinity Today magazine - online survey. There was a tremendous response and we hope to improve our communications based on the feedback we received. To view the survey results and prize winners please visit www.tcd.ie/alumni/news/survey09.php.

Calling Graduates from 1970s, 80s, 90s

A Trinity research graduate is seeking to speak with Trinity business graduates from 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Please contact Kathryn Breda Feehan, feehankb@tcd.ie.

Dublin Simon Community

In 1969 a small number of volunteers, including students from Trinity College, began providing food to people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Dublin. That marked the beginning of the Simon Community in Ireland. In September the Dublin Simon Community will be holding a commemoration event to mark its 40th anniversary. They would like to establish contact with anyone who has been a Dublin Simon Community volunteer anytime in the past 40 years. Please contact Lorna (01) 6715551, ext 208 lornacronnelly@dubsimon.ie.

Biosciences Development

For progress on Trinity's Biosciences Development, see www.tcd.ie/biosciences/webcams

School of Medicine Tercentenary

1711-2011 School of Medicine Tercentenary, visit www.medicine.tcd.ie

Events

On this page:

• Dublin Culture Night 25 September
• Trinity Takes To The Streets
• Dublin Theatre Festival at the Samuel Beckett Theatre
• Innovation Dublin Week 14 - 20 October
• TCD Dining Club in London
• Forthcoming lectures in the Library
• WHAT IF? 9 October - 15 December at Science Gallery
• 'Leaders', a photographic exhibition
• Christmas Homecoming

Dublin Culture Night 25 September 2009

Trinity will take part in the Dublin Culture Night 2009 on 25 September when the Old Library and the Book of Kells exhibition will be open free of charge from 5pm to 10pm. And don’t miss the closing night of Science Gallery’s record breaking show BUBBLE - an award winning show full of fizz, froth and foams with plenty of hands-on experience for all the family to enjoy. Science Gallery is open from 12pm to 11pm. Other Trinity highlights include Trinity's Zoological and Geological Museums.
For booking and more information visit www.culturenight.ie.

Trinity Takes To The Streets!

Trinity’s long-standing commitment to tackling educational disadvantage has provoked broad, imaginative and innovative responses – helping change lives and transform communities. In these challenging times, we need to do more...Trinity Takes To The Streets (TTTTS) is an initiative involving students, staff, alumni and friends of Trinity running (or walking) the Dublin City Marathon on 26th October or getting involved as supporters. You don’t have to run the marathon to be part of TTTTS! Check our website: www.trinitytakestothestreets.ie for details.  All funds raised will go towards supporting Trinity students and our educational access programmes.

Dublin Theatre Festival at the Samuel Beckett Theatre 24 Sept - 11 Oct

Cet Enfant runs from 24 to 27 September
Kamp runs from 29 September to 3 October
Radio Muezzin runs from 6 to 11 October
For more information visit www.tcd.ie/Drama/samuel-beckett-theatre/events/index.php.

Innovation Dublin Week 14 - 20 October

Innovation Dublin is a week-long festival of events highlighting and promoting innovation in the city. It’s an opportunity for Dubliners to promote and celebrate their new ideas and initiatives. A range of exciting events and activities will take place in various locations around the city, including Trinity College. Each event is themed around a key aspect of urban life: culture, enterprise, people, movement, the environment or the public realm. For a festival programme visit www.innovationdublin.ie.

TCD Dining Club in London

The London Branch and the TCD Dining Club in London will host a joint dinner on 18 November 2009. The speakers will be Dr John Hegarty, Provost TCD and Professor Dermot Kelleher, Head of School and Vice-Provost of Medical Affairs, TCD. The TCD Dining Club in London will also host a Michaelmas Term Dinner on 15 October with guest speaker Lady Harriet Bridgeman (nee Harriet Turton), M.A. (1964) founder of the Bridgeman Art Library. For further information please see www.tcddiningclublondon.co.uk.

Forthcoming lectures in the Library:

Character in Costume: Lady Lavery – Nora Connolly
7pm, 24 September in the J.M. Synge Theatre, Arts Building, TCD
Nora Connolly will trace the glamorous life of Hazel Lavery from her birth in Chicago in 1880 to her death in London in 1935. All Welcome, Friends of the Library €2.50, non-members €5.
Napoleon - Dr Hubert O’Connor
7.30pm, 15 October in the Thomas Davis Theatre, Arts Building, TCD
An enthusiast for Napoleon, Dr O’Connor will share his insights into not only Napoleon's years of exile on St Helena but also his years of power. All Welcome, Friends of the Library €2.50, non-members €5.
For information on both lectures visit www.tcd.ie/Library/about/exhibitions.php.

WHAT IF? 9 October - 15 December at Science Gallery

What if living animals could provide kidney function for people on dialysis? What if instead of burying our dead we fossilized them? What if you had to grow homes for bacteria on your body in order to survive future environments? What if? will explore how designers can marry art and science to pose provocative questions about the future of society. For more information visit www.sciencegallery.com.

'Leaders', a photographic exhibition

A photographic exhibition by the Trinity Immigration Initiative (TII) Migrant Networks project which aims to showcase the contribution made by leaders of migrant networks is touring various Dublin City Council venues until October, 2009. All venues are free and open to the public. For more information visit www.tcd.ie/immigration/networks/exhibition.php

Christmas Homecoming

This year’s Homecoming takes place on Tuesday, 22 December 2009 from 6 - 8pm in the Dining Hall. Don’t forget to book early! See www.tcd.ie/alumni/events/tcd/homecoming.php

For a full schedule of events in TCD please see: www.tcd.ie/alumni/events/tcd/

For a full schedule of Branch events please see: www.tcd.ie/alumni/events/branch.php

Campus News

President Obama Presents University Chancellor Mary Robinson Medal Of Freedom

US President Barack Obama presented Mary Robinson, Chancellor of the University the Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour, at a ceremony in the White House on 12 August last.
The President described Mary Robinson as “an advocate for the hungry and haunted, the forgotten and ignored” and said she “has not only shone a light on human suffering, but illuminated a better future for our world”. More

New Trinity Long Room Hub Building Underway

The Trinity Long Room Hub building is now under construction and is expected to be completed by April 2010.  This new facility will be a four storey, granite clad building and will be located on Fellows Square inbetween the 1937 Reading Room and the Arts Building.
To monitor the progress of the building, view the construction site via our webcam on   www.tcd.ie/longroomhub.

Discovery Of Novel Genes Could Unlock Mystery Of What Makes Us Uniquely Human

Six million years since we shared a common ancestor with the chimpanzee, researchers at Trinity have made the first discovery of original human-specific genes. The DNA of human and chimpanzee is 99% identical. The small genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees have profound consequences and a major role in determining what it is to be human. More

TCD & UCD Sign Agreement With Silicon Valley Irish Tech Leaders To Drive Innovation, New Business Creation and Funding, Augment Student Experience At 4th Level

Ireland’s Innovation Alliance – Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Dublin (UCD) – has signed a transatlantic collaboration agreement with the Silicon Valley-based Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG)  to drive innovation and create new business on the island of Ireland. More

New Findings Shed Light On Cause Of Cerebral Malaria

A novel pathway that may contribute to the high mortality associated with severe malaria, responsible for an estimated one million deaths each year in sub-Saharan African children, has been identified by researchers from an international collaborative study led by Dr James O’ Donnell, Director of the Haemostasis Research Group at Trinity College and St James’s Hospital, Dublin. More

Glucksman Symposium And Library Exhibition On Napoleon

‘Napoleon, Empire and Europe’ was the theme of the Lewis Glucksman Memorial Symposium hosted by  the Trinity Long Room Hub at Trinity College Dublin on 18 June where three internationally renowned scholars came  together on the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo to discuss Napoleon’s life and debate his contribution to the creation of modern Europe. An exhibition ‘Napoleon, Emperor of the French’ in the Long Room runs till 1 November 2009. More

Man Booker International Prize Winner Accepts Award At Trinity

Alice Munro, Canadian short story writer and winner of the third Man Booker International Prize, was presented with a trophy and a cheque for £60,000 at an award ceremony in Trinity College Dublin in June.  At a panel discussion held in the Public Theatre in Trinity College, and chaired by Colm Tóibín, Irish writer and judge for the 2007 Man Booker International Prize, the judges for the 2009 award discussed, before members of the public, how they reached their decision. More

Top Irish Universities And NGOs Awarded $900,000 In Bid To Tackle Challenges In Global Sustainable Development

Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, in partnership with the University of Rwanda, Trócaire, the Ethical Globalisation Initiative, and Kimmage Development Centre, have been awarded $900,000 (€640,000) by the MacArthur Foundation, one of the largest independent foundations in the United States, to establish Ireland as the European Hub for the provision of Development Practice Education and Training. More

For more Trinity College news please see www.tcd.ie/Communications

Interviews

Marie Greene B.B.S. (1991)

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOURSELF THESE DAYS?
After graduating from Trinity in 1991 with a Bachelor of Social Studies, I worked as a Social Worker in a variety of organizations from hospitals to Community Care, finally taking up a position with St. Michael’s House one of the largest providers of services to children and adults with an intellectual disability and their families in the Dublin area. 

I worked within a multi disciplinary team supporting families.  Our aim was to achieve the best quality of life for the young person and to ease the pressures within the family as living with a family member with a disability imposes tremendous demands on a family.  Here I broadened my experience as a Social Worker and was extremely happy working there.

In 1996 my youngest child Peter died at the age of 15 from a condition known as Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).  This tragedy was to have a profound effect on my life and that of my family.

In 2003 I resigned my position in St. Michael’s House and have since devoted my time to developing a support system for families affected by this condition.  Myself and my husband Michael set up a charity called “Cardiac Risk in the Young” known as C.R.Y. in 2002 and we set ourselves three objectives.

• To create a greater awareness of this condition;
• To develop support services for families and persons affected by this condition;
• To develop a National Screening and Evaluation Centre for young persons at risk.

The Charity now has a network of volunteers working with me to support families. We also provide information to sports organizations, parents, medical personnel etc., through distribution of a DVD.

Our most significant development was the opening of the Centre for Cardiovascular Risk in Younger Persons at The Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Tallaght, Dublin in November 2008.  The services of the Centre are free to patient irrespective of where they live and of their financial circumstances.  There is virtually no State support and the operation of the Centre is heavily reliant on private donations.

The Centre is unique in Ireland in that it is under the direction of a full-time Cardiologist who is also a Trinity graduate.   The Centre has a full compliment of medical personnel and CRY’s office is also located there.  It has the capacity to screen nearly 2,000 persons per annum.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR CURRENT CAREER?
I was always interested in social issues and the caring profession.  I attended Trinity as a Mature Student and my academic pursuit always seemed a natural extension of my role as mother of four children.

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR FREE TIME?
My work load with C.R.Y. allows for very limited free time but I enjoy playing golf and I am a member of a golf club.  I walk twice a week with a small group of friends.  I have taken bridge lessons and I am struggling with the game!  I also spend as much time as I can with my husband and family in our holiday home in County Kerry.

WHAT ARE YOUR STRONGEST MEMORIES OF TRINITY?
I remember walking through the gates of Trinity on my first day.  For me it was a wonderful sense of achievement but academically I knew there would be difficulties as it was twenty years since I sat the Leaving Certificate and again on Graduation Days the “yes I did it” factor. 

Other memories include the friends I made, the endless cups of coffee in the coffee dock, discussing life and projects and sitting having lunch with my bright five year old son and he saying that one day he would be a student there too. Sadly he did not live to see the day.

The final fling was going to the Trinity Ball on a beautiful summer night and dancing the night away, breakfast in the Buttery and home by 9.30a.m. Wonderful!

ARE YOU STILL IN TOUCH WITH OTHER ALUMNI?
Yes, our Social Studies Class of 20 was very close. In the early days we met up regularly, especially four of us mature students who studied together – three mothers and one single. We thought we would never be separated but nowadays two live outside Dublin and sadly one has died. We have met for the odd 40th birthday.

WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS TIME?
Hopefully with more free time and a golf handicap of 20! and with reduced involvement with the Charity but still an active Trustee.

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Branch News

Trinity College Alumni Association in Northern California

Since our last submission a year ago or so we have had one successful gathering of Alumni in San Francisco at which 20 or more people showed up at the Palomino restaurant at the Bay Bridge on San Francisco bay.  The event was a thoroughly enjoyable one with people still commenting on the fun they had and the feeling of being connected with others who have shared a unique educational experience.  The range of interests of this group was remarkable and was from brain research utilizing high resolution MRI, Law, Psychology, Literature and more. The conversations were delightful and enriching.
Since then, we have successfully set up our website in March 2009 that has linked with a total of 60 Alumni membership. The URL for the Northern California, San Francisco site is:  www.tcd-ussf.com. Our goal is to reach beyond San Francisco to cities like Sacramento the State’s capitol and into Seattle in Washington State. Please check it out and feel free to contact me at Thomas.browne@tcd-ussf.com if you know of graduates who are not connected. 
Finally for 2009 the TCD Alumni group here will enjoy a social gathering at the invitation of the Consul General, Hon. Gerry Staunton in San Francisco. These events are always very special and we hope for a good attendance and with your personality to share. Some graduates were involved in the Bloomsday event in Berkeley with “Wilde Irish Theatre Group” and this was a big success.
So, our membership is growing and our events are increasing in number and they are part of the goals of the Association with more to go. We are looking forward to a successful Fall 2009 and believe that 2010 will bring more growth.

Thomas Browne M.A. (1982)
President of Trinity College Alumni Association in Northern California
San Francisco

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Class Notes

• Cathal Brady B.A. (1993)
• Eoin Mc Donnell  B.B.S. (1994)
• Dara Calleary  B.A. (1996)
• Eoin Bates B.A.I. M.Sc. (1998)
• Paul Connaughton B.A. (2001)
• (Paul) Ranjith Lewis B.A., Ph.D. (2001)

Cathal Brady B.A. (1993)

After years in Software Development and Business Development roles with various companies, I started Ultan Technologies (www.ultantechnologies.com ) in Dublin in 2009. We specialise in Business Intelligence Solutions (which can automatically measure and analyse any aspect of a company's performance) and Business Software Solutions - see website for more details.

Eoin Mc Donnell  B.B.S. (1994)

This year Eoin opened a new design studio in Trinity’s Technology and Enterprise Campus to launch GiveGold an ethical gold brand creating wedding rings and gold jewellery made from gold from small south American mining communities.  The studio, in the Design Tower is open to the public by appointment.

Dara Calleary  B.A. (1996)

Dara was appointed as Minister for State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment (with responsibility for Labour Affairs) on the 22 April 2009. Dara was first elected to the Dáil for Fianna Fáil in May 2007, representing the Mayo Constituency. In February 2008, Dan was appointed chairman of Ógra Fianna Fáil and in 2007 he chaired one of the first ever Fianna Fáil cumann meetings in Northern Ireland at Queen's University Belfast.
He is an honarary member of the College Historical Society ( where he served as Treasurer and Librarian) and is a former secretary of the Fianna Fáil cumann in College as well as a former finance officer of the SU and a committee member of the CSC.

Eoin Bates B.A.I. M.Sc. (1998)

Eoin is acting as a BioLab Scientist on the planet of Pandora in the James Cameron movie, Avatar, which will be released in December 09. He is currently doing some work on the tv series The Tudors.

Paul Connaughton B.A. (2001)

Paul just got engaged to Sharon Conheady. They met each other at Trinity - Sharon studied CSLL and Paul studied CS. They got engaged while on holiday at a Cowboy Ranch in Wyoming. Despite some friends' suggestions they don't plan to call any future children Hamilton, Berkeley and Lecky!!

(Paul) Ranjith Lewis B.A., Ph.D. (2001)

Since graduating with a Ph.D. from Trinity College in 2006, I have been living in Aarhus in Denmark. I am currently employed as Situation Manager for a large customer by IBM. My role is to manage problem escalation, lead the problem resolution team, report and communicate with leadership, and conduct lessons learned sessions. 

Family Notices

• Elizabeth Machlan Sharp M.Sc. (1990)
• J.C. Johnston M.A.I., F.ZWE.I.E., F.I.C.E., C.ENG. (1947)

Elizabeth Machlan Sharp M.Sc. (1990)

Elizabeth "Beth" Machlan Sharp was born on May 14, 1953, in Newark, Ohio, the daughter of the late Dr. George R. Machlan and Margaret N. Machlan. She attended public schools in Newark before receiving her high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Traverse City, Michigan.
Beth later graduated from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, with a baccalaureate in Theater. Beth loved the stage and music, but she was one of those rare people with talent and passion for both the arts and the sciences. That versatility was reflected in the two distinct phases of her professional life. 
Her first career was in the professional theatre, where she toured with repertory companies and spent six years in New York City doing a variety of acting jobs. In 1981, she left the stage behind and enrolled at Michigan State University to study biochemistry. After being awarded her B.Sc., she worked in Houston, Texas, for the Baylor College of Medicine's Department of Cell Biology and for the M.D. Anderson Hospital's Department of Medical Oncology. While in Houston, Beth met and married her former husband, Paul Sharp. Relocating to Ireland after her marriage, she pursued graduate studies at Trinity College, Dublin, taking her M.Sc. in genetics in 1989. Between 1987 and 1993, Beth worked in the Department of Genetics at TCD, participating in research on the molecular genetics of retinitus pigmentosa and co-authoring several papers on the subject. Later, she managed the DNA sequencing facility at the University of Nottingham, UK.  After 1996, when she returned to the US, she worked as
a research scientist in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

Elizabeth "Beth" Machlan Sharp of Shoreline, Washington, passed away in Olympia, Washington, on 22 June 2009, after a courageous five-month battle with gliosarcoma. 

J.C. Johnston M.A.I., F.ZWE.I.E., F.I.C.E., C.ENG. (1947)

John Campbell Johnston graduated as a Civil Engineer at the age of 20 yrs at Trinity College, Dublin in Ireland.  After a few years of work in Northern Ireland he joined the consultants, Scott and Wilson, and moved to Nyasaland (now Malawi) in 1949.  Over the years that followed he worked as a Civil Engineer in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  His engineering career was impressive in its diversity.  He was involved with town water and sewerage systems, major road, bridge and dam construction projects, and extensive hydrology research into the flow of rivers in the Eastern Districts of Zimbabwe along the Mozambique border.  His work resulted in the foundation for the legal water rights granted to farmers in the east of the country and he was often called to assist in the courts as an expert witness.

He then went on to take up the new post of Energy Advisor in the office of the Prime Minister in 1976;  during this time he became the leading authority on solar energy in the country and convened the first International Solar Energy conference held in Central Africa.  John was a founder member of the Solar Energy Society of Zimbabwe and launched and edited the Journal for that society for a number of years.  He was asked to come back to the Ministry of Water Affairs as Chief Hydrological Engineer, as water engineering has been one of his greater interests he was happy to do so.   On his retirement from government service in 1983 he entered the academic world, lecturing at the dept. of Civil Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe in 1984.  When he retired for the second time in 1995 he took up the post of CEO of the Institution of Engineers of Zimbabwe where he remained until we left the country to move to Scotland in 2003.

John was very proud of the immense contribution, mostly unrecognised by the general public, that the engineering profession, in all its disciplines, has made to the well being of man and society over hundreds of years.  In 1999 he received a commendation from the then President of ICE and the Council for his membership of the Roll for 50 years.

John leaves a wife and three children, two of whom are civil engineers, in Sweden and Canada, though Stuart, the elder son, transferred to medicine after earning his M.A. in engineering.

June Johnston.

Sport

Indian XI Win 1st Annual Ranji Trophy Cricket Match

The first cricket match for the Ranji Trophy took place at Trinity between an Irish and Indian XI in Trinity’s cricket grounds on Sunday July 26th last. The Indian XI, made up of the Indian community resident in Ireland, beat the Irish side with 163 runs for 10 wickets in a match that was supported by the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency P.S. Raghavan. More

Summer Camps held in the Sports Department - 2009

The first ever sports Summer Camps were held in the Department of Sport catering for children from 6 - 12 years. Two camps were held in July and August and were action packed with activities from orienteering to trampolining.
Due to this positive response the Department of Sport intends to continue running more children's activities including camps, swim lessons, climbing courses and family pool sessions.

For more information visit www.tcd.ie/sport