Trinity College Dublin Announces New Fellows and Scholars

Posted on: 16 April 2012

Record Number of New Fellows and Scholars Announced During Annual Event

Trinity College Dublin today celebrated the beginning of the annual Trinity Week with the announcement of two Honorary Fellows, 16 new Fellows and 103 new Scholars of the College, a record number for the College.  The awardees included President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, who received an Honorary Fellowship from the College for his commitment to education throughout the course of his career.  The ceremony is one of the oldest and most colourful at Trinity College Dublin, dating back to the foundation of the College in 1592, and marks the beginning of the annual Trinity Week, a long established celebration of College life.

The announcement was made by the Provost of Trinity, Dr Patrick Prendergast, 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.

Natural Sciences scholar Lydia Flynn being congratulated by her mum, Brid.

Scholars are students who have demonstrated exceptional knowledge and understanding of their subjects and are elected annually in various subjects as the result of an examination held in the week before the start of Hilary term, the second term in the academic year.

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. 

Trinity alumnus and Professor of Anatomy in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and in the Royal Hibernian Academy, Professor Thomas Clive Lee, also received an honorary fellowship from the College.  A world leading authority on the biology of bone tissue, Professor Lee has maintained a strong connection with Trinity as a researcher, lecturer and sportsman.

This year to celebrate Trinity Week, the Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science has put together a week of exciting events including talks, lectures, presentations and an academic symposium around the theme, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Society.  The week will cover themes such as earthquakes, geology, energy, mineral exploration and pyrite.  Trinity Week will run from April 16th-20th and events are free and open to the public.  A full programme of events can be found at http://www.tcd.ie/trinityweek/.