Alumni E-zine January 2012
Welcome to our January e-zine with all the latest college news and events.
It’s only January but we’re already planning a busy schedule of events and communications for 2012. In this e-zine see our first video interview with the Provost, book your place for our 2012 Career Network Event or view some photos from our Christmas gatherings. We also have the latest news and events for your diary and an interview with alumnus Fionn Murtagh of Science Foundation Ireland.
What's New?
Career Network - Get Ahead in 2012
The Trinity Alumni Career Network is pleased to announce details of a one day event, featuring a series of expert speakers on managing, changing or finding your career of choice. The event will take place on Saturday, 11 February in the Long Room Hub, TCD. Whether you are looking for a job, thinking of making a change or just want to brush up on your job-seeking skills, the Career Network Event is for you, regardless of experience or industry sector. Find out more...
Provost’s Video Interview
We sat down with the Provost to ask him a few questions about his Trinity experience and plans for his term in office - find out what he had to say. We’re planning some more Q & A sessions with the Provost in the coming year, if you have any questions you’d like answered let us know.
Photos from our Christmas Events
December was an eventful month on campus with everything from the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Front Square to Homecoming, Commons and more. Take a look at the photos from our Christmas events online or watch highlights from the Christmas Homecoming.
Events
Career Network Event – Get Ahead in 2012
The Trinity Alumni Career Network is pleased to announce details of a one day event, featuring a series of expert speakers on managing, changing or finding your career of choice. The event will take place on Saturday, 11 February in the Long Room Hub, TCD. Whether you are looking for a job, thinking of making a change or just want to brush up on your job-seeking skills, the Career Network Event is for you, regardless of experience or industry sector. Find out more...
Irish Alumni New Year Party in London
Join alumni from universities across the island of Ireland at The Porterhouse, Covent Garden, to celebrate the New Year. The event is free but booking is essential. Find out more...
R.B. McDowell London Memorial
A Memorial Service will be held in London to celebrate the life of Dr Robert Brendan McDowell at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge on Friday, 27 January, at 3pm. Find out more...
Henry Grattan Lecture Series
The Policy Institute, School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, will host two public lectures in January under the theme “The Debt Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Controls”.
The first with Karel Williams, Professor of Accounting and Political Economy at Manchester Business School will deliver a talk titled “Elites and Crisis: the Case of the Econocrats” on Thursday, 19 January at 6pm.
The second lecture “The End of the European Project?” will take place on Monday, 23 January with Joschka Fischer, former German Vice-Chancellor and Paul Gillespie, School alumnus and columnist at The Irish Times.
School of Histories & Humanities Lecture Series
The School of Histories and Humanities will hold a series of nine lectures on the subject of “Atrocities” taking place on Monday evenings from 7-8:30pm in the Robert Emmet Theatre, commencing on Monday 23 January. Find out more…
DU Rifle Jubilee Dinner
2012 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Dublin University Rifle Club's reconstitution in 1962. In February the club will host a Jubilee weekend and Gala Dinner open to all club members, alumni and friends to help celebrate this momentous occasion. Find out more or book your place online.
For a full schedule of events in TCD, please see www.tcd.ie/alumni/events
News
Campus News
Google Donates €1million to Science Gallery
First Students Graduate from Disability Studies Degree
Innovation Academy Pitch Solutions to Real World Challenges
Trinity Professor Receives Stroke Champion Award
Over 400 Students Receive Entrance Exhibitioners Awards
Discovery of New Vaccine approach for Cancer
Neurology Professor receives Award for Motor Neurone Research
Sports News
Trinity Triathlon Club Annual Mini Triathlon
The Trinity Triathlon Club annual Mini Triathlon in aid of the Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) takes place at the Trinity Sports Centre on Sunday 29 January from 12-3pm.
Trinity’s GAA Teams Prevail at All Ireland Finals
DU Ladies Boat Club News Letter
Branch Updates
Greater New York TCD Alumni Association – Spotlight Series
Continuing the alumni spotlight speakers series, Trinity lecturer Dr. Daniel Geary, will give a lecture "Johnny Cash, Political Conflict and Rebellion in the 1960's" about the live prison recordings of Johnny Cash on 26 January in Glucksman Ireland House, New York University, 1 Washington Mews, New York, NY 10003 at 7pm. Please RSVP to the branch by Tuesday, 24 January.
Dr. Geary is the Mark Pigott Assistant Professor of U.S. History at Trinity, where he specializes in twentieth-century U.S. history with a particular focus on political movements and ideas since World War II.
Other speakers in the series this coming year include Philip Lane, TCD Professor of International Macroeconomics on 11 April and John Connolly, TCD Alumnus and Crime Novelist, date to be confirmed.
Spain - Pan Alumni Events
The Irish Embassy in Madrid and the Spanish Irish Business Network are pleased to announce that Pan Alumni networking events will take place simultaneously on Thursday, 19 January in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Marbella and Valencia. All events start at 8:30pm.
Graduates of all Irish universities are invited to get together to meet like-minded people and bring along friends who also have an affinity for Ireland. The profile will be mixed: people who have lived in Spain for years and are very settled, as well as newer arrivals and also others temporarily passing through. For venue details and to book a place at any of these events see below.
- Madrid:
James Joyce Irish Pub, Alcalá 59 (Metro Banco de España). Contact: Emma Naismith. - Barcelona:
Scobie's Irish Pub, Ronda de la Universidad, 8. Contact: Patrick Bohan. - Bilbao:
The Dubliners, Plaza Moyua, 6. Contact: David Fogarty. - Marbella:
The Claddagh Bar, Avda. Arias Maldonado, (Skoll Apartments). Contact: Finola Sloyan. - Valencia:
Finnegan’s, Plaza de la Reina. Contact: Mairead O'Coineen Huurman.
TCD London Dining Club - Hilary Term Dinner
The London TCD Dining Club is hosting a dinner in The Saville Club at 7pm on Thursday, 23 February with guest speaker the Hon Mr Justice Deeny B.A., M.A. (1973), High Court judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature in Northern Ireland. Find out more or book the event online.
Vancouver Island Branch – Report
A group of 15 Vancouver Island alumni got together for lunch on 3 December with partners and friends for the last event of 2011. The meeting allowed new and old members the chance to meet, talk and plan for 2012. The next event will be in late spring, early summer 2012.
For a full schedule of TCD events visit www.tcd.ie/alumni/events
Alumni Interview
Fionn Murtagh - Director Information, Communications and Emergent Technologies, Science Foundation Ireland
Name: Fionn Murtagh
Degree: B.A.I., M.Sc. (1976)
What are you doing with yourself these days?
I am currently doing service for the State, at Science Foundation Ireland, an agency in the Department of Enterprise. Doing research by other means, from my point of view. SFI gives research funding grants to universities. We work very closely in this with Enterprise Ireland and with IDA colleagues.
Why did you choose your current career?
I was very much drawn to mathematics and, resulting from that, engineering. I would put this down to teachers at primary and secondary level, and parents at home, who gave me a life-long love of learning and of scholarly accomplishment. Their dedication and work that was sometimes way beyond the call of duty – that’s what did it.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Lectures, talks, debates – that sort of activity. I am active in the RDS, the Royal Irish Academy and the Royal Society of Arts. Also in Engineers Ireland and An Roth, the Irish language section. Otherwise – music, at performances.
What are your strongest memories of Trinity?
I remember lots of things that started off in those times and that continue to be as relevant for life as ever. Friendships and ways of thinking. The latter is related to the formal side; – course content, which in general aspects remains hugely relevant. I am thinking there of the close dovetailing of academic scholarship and social and business relevance. Apart from the formal side, there was a great deal of political activity in those days. There was a lot of learning in that too. I was elected as class representative to the Students’ Union at one point. At the time, I remember it as a high point!
Are you still in touch with other alumni?
Yes, very much so, and this past summer we had our Anniversary Reunion Dinner of the B.A., B.A.I. class of ’76. For most of the class, it was great to catch up again after so long. Oh, I took the question to mean my class mates. I should mention that Gladys O ‘Flanagan, who did English, History and Classical Studies, and I met up in those years and married later. I am pretty certain that started in the Buttery.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
The present time actually has a lot in common with when I first graduated as B.A., B.A.I., the 1970s and then into the 1980s were very tough economic times. But those times were really inspiring times too. So what of five years from now? – having vision and new sense of purpose, in Ireland and in Europe, against the global backdrop. And I want to contribute to that in every way I can.
Have you any advice for students or fellow alumni?
Starting off with Mathematics and Engineering – you can’t go wrong. That is me looking back. More generally though, irrespective of area of study and of later work, the institution of university is a great one. So I would say – just go for it, follow your aspirations always.
Notices & Class Notes
Hack the City Open Call
Calling all hackers, makers, doers, data nerds, hobbyists, artists, citizen scientists, tech geeks, activists, edgy engineers and DIY urban planners… Science Gallery is seeking proposals for its 2012 flagship exhibition HACK THE CITY launching in June 2012. Find out more...
School of Botany 2012 Calendar
To celebrate 300 years of Botany in TCD the school recently launched a calendar for 2012 to mark the occasion. The calendar can be bought online for €5 from the library shop.
School of Medicine Tercentenary Photo Gallery Updated
New photos have now been added to the School of Medicine photo gallery from the Tercentenary Weekend. Why not take a look?
Class Notes
Niall Power B.S.S. (1973)
Niall lives in Manchester where is married with three children. He is Head of Regeneration for a housing association in south Manchester and would love to meet up with Social Studies graduates from 1970/73. Email Niall...
Stephen Murray M.Litt. (1993)
In December 2011 Stephen entered the Mexican National Legion of Honour. He is the youngest non-Mexican to enter the Legion in is history, an honour bestowed on him in recognition of his to work developing universities and research centres in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Emmet Dalton B.A.I. (1996)
Emmet is living in Dublin and works with Three, he can be contacted via LinkedIn.
Judith Schweppe B.A. (1999)
Trinity Graduates Judith and Stephanie O'Brien will be returning to Trinity this summer with their recently launched Just Theatre Company. Their Trinity debut will be a production of Anne Devlin’s Award winning Ourselves Alone. Visit the website for dates and tickets in the coming months.
Website Watch
The Mid-Atlantic Alumni branch has set up Facebook and LinkedIn pages for all its members and alumni in the area, why not take a look.
For previous issues of this newsletter please see: www.tcd.ie/alumni/news/archive/ezine/