SPIE, the international optics and photonics society, is to honour Thomas Glynn of the School of Physics, NUI Galway as Fellow of the Society for his achievements in laser materials processing and optics education. SPIE will honour 59 new Fellows of the Society this year. Fellows are members of distinction who have made significant scientific and technical contributions in the multidisciplinary fields of optics, photonics, and imaging. They are honoured for their technical achievement, for their service to the general optics community, and to SPIE in particular. More than 600 SPIE members have become Fellows since the Society's inception in 1955. "The annual recognition of Fellows provides an opportunity for us to acknowledge outstanding members for their service to the general optics community," says María Yzuel, SPIE President. Professor Glynn's research centres on the optical properties of materials, and throughout his career, he has made numerous contributions to studies of the optical properties of a wide range of materials, to the applications of laser systems in materials processing, and to optics education. Just as important is his work in optics education and its broader dissemination of the principles and applications of photonics. Glynn is an active member of SPIE. He was elected to the SPIE Board of Directors for the term 2005-2007. He also was an organizer and chair of the Lasers & Optical Engineering conference (1997), and of the SPIE OPTO-Ireland regional conference (2002), both held in Galway. President of NUI Galway, Dr James J Browne, said: "It is a well deserved honour which reflects on the work of Professor Glynn, on the success of the National Centre for Laser Application (NCLA), the School of Physics and indeed on NUI Galway". -ends-

(Leagan Gaeilge) RTÉ's television programme Nationwide, presented by Mary Kennedy, is to feature a special on NUI Galway. The show will broadcast on Monday, 20 April at 7.00pm. To view the Nationwide programme please visit www.rte.ie/news/nationwide NUI Galway graduates have played a pivotal role historically in all areas of the development of Galway, including the arts, industry and commerce. Established in 1845 as Queen s College Galway, NUI Galway is one of Ireland s foremost centres of academic excellence. With over 16,000 students, it has a long established reputation of teaching and research excellence in each of its colleges. Nationwide speaks to the current President, Dr James J. Browne, about the significance of the economic impact NUI Galway has both in the west of Ireland and nationally. Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, Professor of History at NUI Galway also speaks about the foundation of the University in Galway and how it has changed over the years. Professor Pat Dolan of the Child and Family Research Centre in the University's School of Political Science and Sociology talks about his recent appointment as the UNESCO Chair for Children, Youth and Civic Engagement, the first of its kind in Ireland. One of the areas which is already enhancing students and communities lives is NUI Galway's Community Knowledge Initiative (CKI) and second year Irish and Philosophy student Orla Murphy from County Clare speaks about her experiences of being involved in the popular student volunteer programme ALIVE. RTÉ's Marine correspondent Tom McSweeney visits the Martin Ryan Institute and discovers what we can learn from deep-sea species, while Mary Kennedy is joined by Professor Vincent O'Flaherty, Director of the newly established Energy Research Centre. Clár Speisialta Nationwide ar RTÉ le díriú ar OÉ Gaillimh (View in English) Beidh deis ag pobal na tíre léargas a fháil ar chuid den obair iontach atá ar bun in OÉ Gaillimh ar chlár speisialta Nationwide a chuirfidh Mary Kennedy i láthair ar RTÉ. Craolfar an clár speisialta seo Dé Luain, an 20 Aibreán ag 7.00pm. Is léir go bhfuil an-bhaint ag céimithe OÉ Gaillimh le forbairt na Gaillimhe le blianta fada anuas, forbairt i réimsí éagsúla cosúil leis na healaíona, tionscal agus tráchtáil. Tá OÉ Gaillimh, a bunaíodh mar Choláiste na Banríona Gaillimh in 1845, ar cheann de phríomhionaid feabhais acadúil na hÉireann. Tá os cionn 16,000 mac léinn ag freastal ar an ollscoil agus cáil uirthi le fada an lá mar gheall ar a feabhas teagaisc agus taighde i ngach coláiste laistigh den ollscoil. Beidh Uachtarán na hOllscoile, an Dr James J. Browne, le feiceáil ar an gclár agus é ag trácht ar an tionchar eacnamaíoch atá ag OÉ Gaillimh ar iarthar na hÉireann agus ar an tír trí chéile ar an gclár speisialta seo de Nationwide. Labhróidh Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, Ollamh le Stair in OÉ Gaillimh faoi bhunú na hOllscoile i nGaillimh agus an t-athrú atá tagtha ar an ollscoil in imeacht na mblianta. Labhróidh an tOllamh Pat Dolan ón Ionad Taighde um Leanaí agus Teaghlaigh, a bunaíodh mar chuid de Scoil na hEolaíochta Polaitiúla agus Socheolaíochta san Ollscoil, faoina cheapachán nua mar Chathaoir UNESCO le Leanaí, Óige agus Comhpháirteachas Poiblí, an chéad cheapachán dá leithéid in Éirinn. Tionscnamh amháin atá ag cur go mór le saol na mac léinn agus le saol an phobail é Tionscnamh Eolais Phobail (CKI) OÉ Gaillimh agus labhróidh Orla Murphy, mac léinn Gaeilge agus Fealsúnachta dara bliana ó Chontae an Chláir faoina taithí féin ar ALIVE – clár obair dheonach na mac léinn. Tabharfaidh comhfhreagraí mara RTÉ, Tom McSweeney, cuairt ar Institiúid Mháirtín Uí Riain chun léargas a fháil ar an méid atá le foghlaim againn ó speicis domhainfharraige. Déanfaidh Mary Kennedy dreas cainte leis an Ollamh Vincent O'Flaherty, Stiúrthóir an Ionaid Taighde um Fhuinneamh a bunaíodh le déanaí. Críoch

NUI Galway lecturer, Dr Patrick Lonergan has won the STR Theatre Book Prize for Theatre and Globalisation – Irish Drama in the Celtic Tiger Era published by Palgrave Macmillan. The winner was announced yesterday by the actor, dramatist and director Steven Berkoff in Drury Lane Theatre, London. Speaking at the announcement, Kate Newey, a member of the judging panel, said: "We were all quite surprised at our nomination of Patrick Lonergan s Theatre and Globalisation for the short list. Each of us recounted how we picked it up, expecting difficult concepts, expressed in the highly technical language of economics and political theory, and with not much to speak to us as working theatre practitioners or scholars, only to find that each of us was gripped by the book. For me, it spoke to so much of what is current in theatre as an industry; and indeed, reinforces what I say as a theatre historian - that the theatre always has been a globalised international industry. Lonergan discusses the ways in which Irish theatre is a text-book example of an apparently unique national culture, marketed internationally. He introduces sophisticated ideas, with clarity and humour, and identifies the ways in which all of us think about the global and the local at the same time". Dr Lonergan's book will be launched formally on Friday, 17 April when NUI Galway will host the sixth annual conference of the Irish Theatrical Diaspora Project. Entitled 'Irish Drama: Local and Global Contexts', the conference will consider many important questions, from how Irish writers have responded to the challenges of globalisation, to what kinds of images of Ireland are being promoted abroad by our theatre companies - and how those images shape international attitudes to real Irish people. Speakers from Ireland, the UK, the US, France, and Austria will present papers on Irish theatre companies such as Druid, Charabanc, and Blue Raincoat – and on writers like Brian Friel and Samuel Beckett. Speakers will also explore Irish theatre in Britain, the status of theatre from Northern Ireland internationally, the production of plays by Martin McDonagh in Germany, community theatre in Belfast, the recent Roddy Doyle/Bisi Adigun adaptation of The Playboy of the Western World, and many other topics. Playwrights Ursula Rani Sarma and Elizabeth Kuti will also be present, to discuss their experiences of producing work in Ireland and abroad. Organiser and author of the winning STR Theatre Book Prize, Dr Patrick Lonergan, said: "I am truly honoured to be named the STR Theatre Book Prize winner and I look forward to its launch at the Irish Theatre conference in NUI Galway next week. I hope that this conference will be wide-ranging, provocative, and stimulating - and that it will help us to shed new light on the relationship of Irish theatre to the world stage". The conference is being held as part of a joint Trinity College Dublin/NUI Galway research project on Irish Theatre since 1975. The project is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), and runs until 2010. It is operated under the joint direction of Professor Nicholas Grene of TCD and Dr Patrick Lonergan NUI Galway. The event is free and open to the public; however, registration is required online at www.irishtheatricaldiaspora.org/ For further information, please contact Patrick Lonergan, 091 495609 Patrick.lonergan@nuigalway.ie -ends-

(Leagan Gaeilge) NUI Galway is to offer a new B.E. in Energy Systems Engineering in response to the identification of Ireland's future energy needs as a national priority. The new four-year honours degree will have its first intake in September and will produce professional accredited engineers, qualified to drive the emerging energy related industries. Graduates of the programme will be multidisciplinary engineers equipped to solve problems across the whole spectrum of energy systems. The new degree programme can be applied for in the coming months through the CAO as change of mind option. The current National Development Plan and Programme for Government have placed a strong focus addressing energy issues. Additionally, the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation listed energy as a research priority. Most recently, draft building regulations for new homes have been published, which include a mandatory minimum renewable energy requirement. Professor Padraic O Donoghue, Dean of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway, commented on the new course: "A major expansion of energy related industries is emerging in Ireland to meet market demand and respond to national agendas. If Ireland is really to progress on energy issues, it needs many more graduates than are currently being produced who are trained specifically in energy related disciplines. This is crucial so that renewable energy technologies and industries can be optimised for domestic and international markets". Dr James J. Browne, President of NUI Galway and President of Engineers Ireland, commented on the new course: "NUI Galway is well positioned to deliver such an engineering programme in energy, as it has a strong range of all relevant engineering disciplines within its College of Engineering and Informatics. The new Engineering Building on campus, due for completion in 2011, incorporates many sustainable energy and environmentally friendly features. In itself, the building will provide a real-life experimental environment for students of the new programme". The Energy Systems Engineering programme will incorporate aspects of traditional civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, with emphasis on energy policy, economics, environmental issues and a strong focus on informatics. The programme will include a range of additional optional modules which will provide students with maximum flexibility to choose from diverse career paths. The multidisciplinary programme will culminate in integrated design projects that address the sourcing, conversion and utilisation of energy. -ends- (View in English) Beidh B.E. nua in Innealtóireacht Córas Fuinnimh á chur ar fáil ag OÉ Gaillimh de thairbhe go n-aithnítear gur tosaíocht náisiúnta riachtanais fuinnimh na hÉireann san am atá le teacht. Glacfar leis na chéad mhic léinn ar an gcéim onóracha ceithre bliana i mí Mheán Fómhair agus cuirfidh an cúrsa innealtóirí creidiúnaithe gairmiúla ar fáil a bheidh cáilithe le tionscail fuinnimh atá ag teacht chun cinn a dhreasú. Is innealtóirí ildisciplíneacha a bheidh i gcéimithe an chláir a mbeidh na scileanna cuí acu le fadhbanna a bhaineann leis na córais fuinnimh ar fad a réiteach. Is féidir iarratas a dhéanamh ar an gcéim nua as seo go ceann cúpla mí trí rogha an CAO do dhaltaí a athraíonn a n-intinn. Tá béim ar leith curtha sa Phlean Forbartha Náisiúnta agus sa Chlár Comhaontaithe don Rialtas ar aghaidh a thabhairt ar cheisteanna fuinnimh. Chomh maith leis sin tá fuinneamh ar cheann de na tosaíochtaí taighde atá luaite sa Straitéis Eolaíochta, Teicneolaíochta agus Nuálaíochta. Le fíordhéanaí chomh maith foilsíodh dréachtrialacháin foirgníochta do thithe nua ina bhfuil ceanglas éigeantach a bhaineann le híosmhéid fuinnimh in-athnuaite. Mheabhraigh an tOllamh Padraic O'Donoghue, Déan na hInnealtóireachta agus na Faisnéisíochta in OÉ Gaillimh an méid seo faoin gcúrsa nua: "Tá méadú mór ag teacht ar an líon tionscal fuinnimh atá ag teacht chun cinn in Éirinn le freastal ar an éileamh ón margadh agus mar fhreagra ar chláir náisiúnta oibre. Chun go n-éireoidh le hÉirinn fíordhul chun cinn a dhéanamh maidir le ceisteanna fuinnimh, tá i bhfad níos mó céimithe de dhíth a bhfuil sainoiliúint orthu i ndisciplíní fuinnimh ná mar atá á gcáiliú faoi láthair. Tá seo ríthábhachtach chun go bhféadfar an leas is fearr a bhaint as teicneolaíochtaí agus as tionscail fuinnimh in-athnuaite do mhargaí náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta." Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag an Dr James J. Browne, Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh agus Uachtarán Innealtóirí Éireann faoin gcúrsa nua: "Tá OÉ Gaillimh breá ábalta clár innealtóireachta fuinnimh den sórt seo a sholáthar, mar tá réimse leathan de na disciplíní ábhartha innealtóireachta le fáil laistigh den Choláiste Innealtóireachta agus Faisnéisíochta. Tá go leor gnéithe a bhaineann le fuinneamh inmharthana agus atá neamhdhíobhálach don timpeallacht ag baint leis an bhFoirgneamh Innealtóireachta nua ar an gcampas atá le críochnú in 2011. Cuirfidh an foirgneamh féin timpeallacht thurgnamhach fhíorúil ar fáil do mhic léinn an chláir nua." Beidh tréithe traidisiúnta de chuid na hinnealtóireachta sibhialta, leictrí agus meicniúla ina gcuid den chlár Innealtóireachta Córas Fuinnimh; cuirfear béim chomh maith ar bheartas fuinnimh, ar an eacnamaíocht agus ar cheisteanna comhshaoil agus díreofar go háirithe ar an bhfaisnéisíocht. Beidh modúil roghnacha bhreise le fáil ar an gclár a thabharfaidh deis do mhic léinn an tslí bheatha is mian leo a roghnú. Beidh tionscadail chomhtháite dearaidh a thabharfaidh faoi fhuinneamh a aimsiú, a aistriú agus a úsáid mar thoradh ar an gclár ildisciplíneach. -críoch-

Some 95 primary school children who received introductory Italian language classes taught by NUI Galway students were awarded certificates at a recent 'Italian Day' on campus. The six-week Italian course was delivered in schools in Galway city by a group final year Arts students as part of a 'service-learning' programme under the umbrella of the University's Community Knowledge Initiative (CKI). In excess of 25 degree programmers offer service-learning modules at the University and aim to enhance partnership with the wider community. Service-learning allows students practical learning opportunities which also benefit the community. The primary schools involved in the programme were: St Nicholas National School, Claddagh; Scoil an Linbh Íosa, St Francis Street; and Galway Educate Together National School, Newcastle. None of the children had any previous knowledge of Italian and for many it was their first experience learning a continental European language, so the aim was on language teaching through fun and games. Dr Anne O'Connor of the Italian Department at NUI Galway, who coordinated the project, commented on the success of the service-learning programme, "This is an innovative way of providing exposure to modern languages in primary schools at no extra cost to the school involved with benefits for all parties. The University students benefit by getting involved in community and gaining practical teaching experience. Primary school children benefit from increased exposure to modern languages so that when they progress to second level, they will not be daunted by the prospect of learning a new language". -ends-