NUI Galway will hold its second Spring Open Day for students considering applying or those who have already applied to the University, and for their parents or guardians. The event will be held on Saturday, 24 April, from 10am to 3pm at the NUI Galway Campus. The inaugural Spring Open Day took place last year and over 3,000 students and their parents registered on the day. Lecturers and students will be on hand to provide information on a full range of programmes offered, as well as practical issues such as university accommodation, scholarships, and general support services available to students. Student ambassadors will also be on hand to answer all queries about student life at NUI Galway. A programme of taster sessions will also run throughout the day, designed to give a real insight in to university life including demos with the latest gadgets including X-boxes and Lego Mindstorm kits to interactive Science Experience workshops. Also highly recommended is the 'Student Life Talk' and the 'Focus on your Career Talk'. Caroline Loughnane, organiser of NUI Galway's Spring Open Day, emphasised the crucial role played by parents in helping students choose what to study at third-level: "Choosing a university is one of the most important decisions a student will ever make. Parents play a key role in supporting students as they take this important next step. Open Day is the perfect opportunity for parents to ensure they have access to all of the information they need to support sons and daughters through their university career. We are encouraging anyone with an interest in studying at NUI Galway to come along, talk to our lecturers and current students, find out about the courses, check out the facilities and decide for yourself whether NUI Galway feels right for you". The range of courses available at NUI Galway is vast and varied and many are unique to the University. A new B.E. in Energy Systems Engineering started last September, in response to the identification of Ireland's future energy needs as a national priority. The four-year honours degree will produce professional accredited engineers, qualified to drive the emerging energy related industries. Engineering Innovation - Electronic is another new Engineering degree and provides graduates with specialised multi-disciplinary skills to start their own business, centered on the development of innovative, niche, market-led, electronic products. The Sports and Exercise Engineering degree is in its third year of accepting applicants and is the first course of its kind available in Ireland. With a radical departure from traditional Arts degrees, BA CONNECT offers eight four-year degrees designed to increase the employability of graduates by developing distinctive skills and creating connections with life beyond the campus. A new BA CONNECT degree in Latin American Studies is being offered for 2010. The traditional Commerce degree has also undergone a make over with an exciting new module on Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise introduced. Led by Aer Arann entrepreneur, Pádraig O'Céidigh, 22 local business and community leaders mentor Commerce students in business and enterprise skills, with the aim of developing a creative and innovative approach to business. At present, NUI Galway is the only Irish university offering a denominated degree in marine science and it now has the highest concentration of marine scientists of any institution in Ireland. This degree also offers training on board national training vessels in the third year of study. Podiatry is a healthcare profession that specialises in the management of disease and disorder of the foot, angle, knee, leg and hip. The only such course available in the Republic of Ireland, Podiatry as a career can be extremely rewarding and fulfilling and can give immense job satisfaction. Tours of the campus on the day will give an insight in to university life, and the top class facilities offered at NUI Galway, including the € 22 million Sports Complex. The Centre's facilities include an international standard swimming pool, a national league basketball arena, 100 piece cardiovascular gym, an elite training gym for professional athletes and a climbing wall. Tours of student accommodation will also be available to visitors on the day. If you would like to learn more, visitors can book a place at the Open Day and receive a programme in advance by logging on to www.nuigalway.ie/opendays. For further information contact 091 494 145 or email visit@nuigalway.ie. -Ends-

NUI Galway men's basketball team won their first intervarsity in twenty three years on Sunday with a dramatic last minute win over University of UIster Jordanstown (UUJ) in front of a packed house in the Kingfisher gym at the University. The NUI Galway side cruised to the semi-final with easy wins over UCC, CIT and DIT respectively, leaving them with a highly anticipated semi-final match-up against perennial powerhouses UCD, winners of three of the last four titles. It was in that contest that the home side truly emerged as legitimate contenders, winning with almost thirty points to spare and sending a warning to the clear favourites UUJ who emerged from their semi against DCU. The two teams served up a true classic in the final with NUI Galway shocking the odds and pulling off a memorable victory 61 points to 60, much to the delight of a raucous home support. With twenty eight seconds to go, Dylan Cunningham became the hero, hitting the all important free-throw to put the tribesmen ahead for the first time in the game. "To win it here in Galway is absolutely amazing, especially the way we did it. To be sixteen points down in the fourth quarter and then go on a run like we did, with the crowd getting behind us like that was just incredible" said team captain Cían Nihill. "It's great to be rewarded for all the hard work that has gone on this year, from the players, coaches and the sports staff at NUI Galway. It sounds a little stereotypical, but I really think we simply wanted it more than any other team down here". The win is a reflection of the current strength of Galway basketball with the panel for the final made up entirely of local players. Moycullen player James Loughnane won the final Most Valuable Player (MVP) with an inspirational 22 points. He also secured the overall tournament MVP, joining Garnett Griffin and Cían Nihill on the tournament All-Star team. Team Captain Cian Nihill also gave a special mention to the coach Puff Summers, who managed his team perfectly all weekend. "The UUJ outfit was comprised of five recruited post-graduates, including a professional American collegiate star in Dave Neal and Summers' game plan and rotation managed to neutralise their offence to a near halt. Those shrewd rotations meant that NUI Galway had the necessary reserves to hold UUJ scoreless in the last five minutes which gave them the opportunity to stage the miraculous comeback". -Ends-

- Minister Announces Funding Scheme for Youth Cafés and Launches Youth Café Guide and Toolkit - Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews TD has announced details of a youth café funding scheme of €1.5m from dormant accounts funds and launched two publications: Youth Cafés in Ireland: A best practice guide and Youth Café Toolkit: how to set up and run a youth café in Ireland. The research on Youth Cafés in Ireland was commissioned by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA) on behalf of the National Children's Advisory Council and conducted by the Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway. The aim of the research and publications is to contribute to the formation of a solid policy foundation for the support and development of the youth café model of intervention with children and young people in Ireland. Speaking at the launch Cormac Forkan of the Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway and a co-author of both publications, said: "These two documents should assist those at various stages of involvement with youth cafés. The purpose of the work was to contribute to the formation of solid policy foundation for the support and development of youth cafés and to provide practical assistance to those who are running existing facilities or about to set up a new ones. Many common issues of concern can be identified from the shared experiences of all those who have already moved forward which can assist those who are about to become involved. The Child and Family Research Centre is indebted to the many young people nationwide who assisted us in our work". Speaking at the launch, Minister Andrews said: "In the National Recreation Policy for Young People, published by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in 2007, youth cafés were named as a key need by and for young people. The Government is now committed to the expanded provision of youth cafés on a phased basis around the country and to the support where possible of existing cafés". Minister Andrews added: "These developments respond to the repeated emphasis young people have placed on the need for such recreational spaces. They recognise the achievements already made by many groups in establishing youth cafés around the country and ensure a solid policy foundation for youth café development and the expansion of safe quality recreational spaces for young people". "I am delighted to announce this scheme and publish these practical guides, which will help young people and local communities in setting up and running youth cafés throughout the country,' continued the Minister. The Minister noted that many organisations have an interest and involvement in youth cafés and there are approximately 30 such cafés already up and running. 'Existing youth cafés have strong common features in that they provide a dedicated, quality meeting place which is determined by young people, for young people, in partnership with adults in the community. The guidance provided in the evidenced-based Best Practice Guide and Toolkit promotes and supports the importance of these features," added Minister Andrews. The Minister noted that the scheme will consist of a total of €1.5m dormant accounts funding to be allocated to both new and existing facilities. "The majority of the funding will be awarded to the setting up of new youth cafés, with approximately 22% of the funds going to the support of existing youth cafés that wish to improve or expand existing services or facilities," continued the Minister. Vicky Wall, a teenager who was a regular user of a youth café said: 'Squashy Couch to me was not just a youth café but was a great part of being a teen. Being able to just go into the café, chill out, have a good chat with friends and staff and have a cuppa tea was a huge escape from school and study. The events were always top class and the services were a great help. Being a volunteer now means I can give my time back to the café and help keep it going for teens today' concluded Vicky. -Ends-

The 2010 Debating Science Issues (DSI) All- Ireland Finals will be held Thursday, 15 April, at the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. The Finals, co-ordinated by the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway, will see four teams of secondary school students representing the provinces of Connaught, Ulster, Leinster and Munster. The schools in the Final are St. Attracta's Community School, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, South Belfast, St. Mary's College, Rathmines, Co. Dublin, and Clonakilty Community School, Co. Cork. St. Attracta's Community School successfully competed in three provincial rounds to reach the final. The school's speakers, John Kelly and Erin Fahey, were aided in their research by the rest of their Transition Year class and coached by science teacher, Ciara O'Shea. Ciara was a Secondary Teacher Assistant Researcher (STAR) teacher at REMEDI. The STARs initiative of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) gives secondary teachers the opportunity to conduct research with an SFI funded research team. The Connacht runners-up were from Scoil Mhuire in Strokestown, Co. Roscommon. Fifty-six schools were involved the 2010 DSI competition, which encourages young people to engage in debate on the cultural, societal and ethical implications of advances in biomedical science. Competition organiser and Outreach Officer at REMEDI, Danielle Nicholson, remarked: "The initial DSI workshops provided an open and impartial environment and challenged the students to think deeply about the ethical impact of biomedical research. This debate series reflects the interest and insight among 15-18 year olds in the field of biomedicine". This schools' biomedical science debate competition, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust for three consecutive years, was initiated by NUI Galway's REMEDI based on the success of local debates centring on stem cell research. As research, medical and science centres in Ireland research a wide range of topical sciences with associated ethical considerations, the DSI competition is the ideal way to educate young people on what is happening in their local university laboratories. Aside from stem cells, other topics debated include nanotechnology, genetically-modified (GM) foods, vaccinations, and health and self-testing kits. Other collaborators for the competition include the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute (BDI), CLARITY, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Tyndall National Institute, the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, W5 and Queen's University Belfast. Provincial trophies and prizes are sponsored by the College of Science at NUI Galway and Boston Scientific. The REMEDI is a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and industry funded research centre located at NUI Galway. Scientists and doctors at REMEDI are working together to combine the technologies of gene therapy and adult stem cell therapy to repair and replace damaged tissue. REMEDI research teams are looking at heart disease, arthritis, and neurological diseases, to research and develop medical therapies that enable repair of damaged and diseased tissue using living cells and genes. For further information on the Debating Science Issues competition visit www.remedi.ie. -Ends-

ALIVE Certificate Awards Ceremony Celebrates Student's Commitment to Community A record breaking 880 NUI Galway Student volunteers have been awarded the ALIVE Certificate for Volunteering in a ceremony at the University. President of NUI Galway, Dr James J. Browne and Galway City Mayor, Declan McDonnell attended the event, as well as community members, students and NUI Galway staff. Over 880 students received the ALIVE Certificate for Volunteering, congratulating each of them for their time spent volunteering within NUI Galway, the wider Galway community, and with national and international non-governmental organisations. Students have volunteered on campus within societies, clubs and student mentoring, and off campus with local youth and homework clubs, Ability West, the Gaf Youth Café, Amnesty International and Childline to name a few. "We are most grateful for diligent NUI Galway student volunteers who are always ready to help us out. They are fantastic," said Mary McGrath, Mercy Secondary School Homework Club coordinator. ALIVE - A Learning Initiative and the Volunteering Experience – was established by the Community Knowledge Initiative at NUI Galway to harness, acknowledge and support the contribution that NUI Galway students make to Galway by volunteering. To date over 2500 students have been recognised for their volunteering commitment within a variety of pathways, enabling NUI Galway to become a role model in promoting skills related to democratic participation and civic engagement amongst the student body. "Student volunteering has grown significantly each year since NUI Galway established a dedicated innovative volunteer programme to enable and encourage student and community engagement. We now have over 1300 students volunteering annually in a variety of organisations and organised events, most notable was the tremendous voluntary effort for the Volvo Ocean Race, Galway Stopover. "The ALIVE Certificate Awards Ceremony is an important opportunity to recognise students for their volunteering, instilling in them a sense civic responsibility, while acknowledging NUI Galway's community partners" said Lorraine Tansey, Student Volunteer Coordinator at NUI Galway. Special guests at the ceremony this year were 6th Class Galway Educate Together. The pupils attended a series of Computer Skills Workshops hosted by student volunteers in the JE Cairnes School of Business and Economics. "As a final year student facilitating the workshops for the pupils has been a great opportunity to enhance my experience, while the pupils learn important skills like creating presentations and posters," said student volunteer Owen Barrett, "We had loads of fun in the classroom as the facilities are interactive and I think the young people enjoyed meeting the volunteers". -Ends-