Release date: 8 July, 2002 Third Inter Celtic Hydrology Colloquium at NUI Galway The Third Annual Inter-Celtic Colloquium on Hydrology and Management of Water Resources, will take place from today (8 July) to Wednesday (10 July) in NUI, Galway. Entitled 'Celtic Water in a European Framework – Pointing the Way to Quality', the Colloquium will be addressed by hydrology experts from Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Britain, South Africa and Poland. The event is organised by Professor Conleth Cunnane of NUI, Galway's Department of Engineering Hydrology. During the past year, publication and enactment of the European Union Water Framework Directive, has set challenging targets for member states with regard to the long-term management of European water resources. By the year 2016, quality of all surface and ground waters in member states must, through a combination of planning, treatment and remediation, be returned to their original pristine state. One of the most important principles of the EU Directive is the emphasis on a holistic and integrated approach towards maintaining water quality. A cooperative strategy in the management of this valuable natural resource is called for, which includes the extracting, purifying and distribution of water, as well as the efficient treatment of waste water. Topics which will be addressed at the Colloquium include, Water Quality – Pressures and Responses; Integrated River Basin Management; The Scientific Support for Management; Risk Assessment, Perception and Management; and Social history of Water use in Celtic Lands. NUI, Galway's Department of Hydrology has a distinguished international reputation for teaching and research. Hydrology is studied at the University by students of the undergraduate programmes of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Earth & Environmental Science. Ends For further information:Maire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. 091-750418

Release date: 27 August, 2002 Designing Tomorrow s School: OECD Programme on Educational Building Conference at NUI Galway Education is considered as one of the most important social and political priorities, to which much effort is dedicated in financial terms. As the size of the educational sector grows, governments throughout Europe and elsewhere are mobilising resources to build educational facilities that respond to new demands. Within that context, architects and educators in many countries have set out to design the school of the future and policy makers have tried to make the best choices in terms of school planning and management. An international seminar organised by the OECD Programme on Educational Building (PEB); the Ministry of Education and Science, Ireland; and the National University of Ireland, Galway will take place in NUI, Galway from the 1-4 September, 2002. The seminar will be officially opened by Mr. Noel Dempsey. T.D., Minister for Education and Science, at 9.00 a.m. on Monday 2 September in the Ó Tnúthail Theatre, Arts Millennium Building, NUI, Galway. The quality of the delivery of education and training in the knowledge society depends to some extent on the appropriate design of educational buildings. Facilities must be of good quality, flexible, and must meet the needs of their users. The purpose of the seminar is to look at some recent attempts to conceive the school of tomorrow and to give an idea of what has been concretely achieved and what evolutions can be expected in the near future. The event will concentrate on existing examples of innovative institutions in various countries and will attempt to define some of the basic concepts that will affect the future of school buildings. Participants will have the opportunity to study current and potential future international developments, to exchange experience and to draw conclusions for their own work. Issues which will be addressed at the seminar include the following: What are the major current trends in school design that can be identified at international level? How do situations vary from one country to another and why? What are the major developments that will affect the design of school buildings in the future? How will school building design concretely respond to those challenges? To which extent do information and communication technologies impact on the design of educational facilities? How does school building design reflect the priorities of sustainable development? What recommendations can be formulated regarding the configuration of the school of the future? Which actions should or could be taken on the national/international level? How should some important questions about financing be articulated with the question of the design of educational facilities? What evolutions can be expected? An exhibition presenting educational institutions featured in the OECD Programme on Educational Building compendium of exemplary educational facilities, Designs for Learning, published in 2001, will take place in conjunction with the seminar. Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091-750418; Mobile 087-2986592.

Release date: 13 September, 2002 NUI Galway named 'Sunday Times' Irish University of the Year The Sunday Times University Guide has named NUI Galway as Irish University of the Year 2002. This is the newspaper s inaugural award in Ireland and recognises excellence in Irish third level education. NUI Galway, came out on top over twenty-one other universities and institutes of technology in the Republic, following analysis of a range of criteria including grades, retention, research, student services, access for students who are socio-economically disadvantaged, and contribution to development at local and national levels. NUI Galway did exceptionally well in all of these areas. The Sunday Times identified NUI Galway as having the best graduate and post-graduate employment record of all the universities. It has the lowest dropout rate in Ireland, while almost half of its graduates get a first or 2:1 degree. Excellence in research has resulted in a consolidation of world-class expertise in areas such as biomedical engineering science, marine science and environmental science. According to the Sunday Times, NUI Galway's access programme is one of the most extensive of any third-level institution in Ireland. Dr. Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, President of NUI Galway said: "As a university we are delighted and proud that the Sunday Times has recognised the hard work and outstanding achievements of our students and staff. NUI Galway has a long and distinguished record of scholarship and research. This designation of NUI Galway as University of the Year is an accolade which we welcome and an acknowledgement, based on clearly enunciated criteria, of the quality of education provided by NUI Galway." For more information please visit: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3501-412629,00.html or Click here to see press clipping 1 Click here to see press clipping 2 Ends Information from: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel. 091 750418

Release date: 23 September, 2002 NEW PROGRAMME TARGETS NEXT GENERATION OF MANAGERS First on-line Masters programme in Technology Management launched. To meet the challenges facing Irish industry in increasingly competitive global markets, a new postgraduate programme has been designed specifically to equip managers with the expertise to develop the innovative capacity of their organisations. The first on-line programme of its kind, the M.Sc. in Technology Management is also the first collaborative university postgraduate degree in Ireland. Funded by Enterprise Ireland, through the National Development Plan, the two-year, part-time programme is under the auspices of the Atlantic University Alliance (AUA), which includes NUI, Galway, the University of Limerick and University College Cork. The M.Sc. in Technology Management will be launched in the Aula Maxima, NUI Galway on Friday 27th September, at 2.30 p.m. The programme is directed to professionals and managers in all businesses, but particularly those in new businesses and those expanding or introducing new technology or developing new product and processes. "This programme which is designed to enable participating companies to gain competitive advantage through technology innovation and R&D, lays the foundation for economic recovery which will be based on high value added products and processes so that the structural changes within the Irish economy can be consolidated and developed in the future", says Professor Roy Green, NUI, Galway, Academic Director of the programme. The programme is designed and developed in a distance-education format, allowing participants to access it remotely, by conventional means and via the Internet. Access is therefore greatly improved and the interruption to a participant's work and the corporate workplace will be minimised. "Research has shown that a course offered entirely on-line is not the most effective learning tool", says Professor Eamonn Murphy, University of Limerick, Associate Academic Director of the programme. " We therefore intend to use a blended model of on-line material together with class contact at regular intervals". Dr. Barry O'Connor, University College Cork, Associate Academic Director of the programme supports this innovative mode of course delivery stating that "the programme provides students with an opportunity to apply course content in a practical context through work-based assignments and an in-company research project. Indigenous companies and SME innovative applications will be of special focus in the programme." The M.Sc. in Technology Management will bring together lecture material on strategy, policy (both national and international), recognised methodologies, skills and processes which will enable the participants and their companies to make fully-informed decisions relating to all aspects of technology innovation. Students on this exciting programme will have full access to the expertise, libraries and research facilities of the three Universities collaborating in this unique venture. Graduates of the programme will be in a position to guide their companies to exploit technology effectively in the short, medium and long term. The Atlantic University Alliance was established in 1999 with the objective of making the collective expertise and resources of NUI, Galway, University College Cork and the University of Limerick available to industry. The formation of the AUA demonstrates the commitment of the three participating universities to playing a full and dynamic role in the development of the Irish economy, especially along the Atlantic seaboard. Ends Information: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press and Information Officer, NUI, Galway. Tel: 091 750418

Release date: Tuesday, 17 September, 2002 Racial Awareness and Ethnicity Meeting at NUI Galway Ethnic diversity and racial tolerance, at a time when such issues are prevalent in the national consciousness, will be the subject of a meeting at NUI Galway organised by CLIOH (Creating Links and Innovative Overviews to enhance Historical Perspective in European Culture). The meeting, which takes place on Saturday 21st September, is the national meeting of CLIOH, a European wide network aimed at bringing the study of history and a critically formed historical perspective to bear on the challenges facing European society and education today. Entitled 'Racial Discrimination and Ethnicity', the meeting is being organised by Professor Steven Ellis of the Centre for the Study of Human Settlement and Historical Change at NUI, Galway and will feature talks by historians from throughout Europe including experts from Iceland, Austria, Italy and the UK. Topics under discussion include 'Language, Ethnicity and Nationalism in Europe', 'Discrimination in late Medieval Ireland' the 'The Lost Ethnical Variety: Poland during and after World War II' and 'The integration of the Russian-speaking minority in Estonia'. CLIOH is a large-scale EU project, involving 55 universities, aimed at developing innovative methods in the way history is taught and studied in Europe at all levels. The network, with the support of the Socrates and the Culture 2000 programmes of the European Union, aims at highlighting the role teaching of history plays in forging attitudes. Ends Information: Máire Mhic Uidhir, Press and Information Officer. Tel: 091 750418