October 2010 NUI Galway Student Thesis to be Published By European Institute

A student at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway, Sarah Bassiouni, was one of five students whose thesis was selected for publication by the European Inter-University Institute for Human Rights and Democratisation recently. The award was announced on 26 September at a ceremony in Venice attended by NUI Galway President James J Browne and Professor William Schabas, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway. The thesis was entitled 'Our Progressive Nature: The Environment & the Right to Enjoy the Benefits of Scientific Progress and its Applications'. It deals with the long-neglected human right to the benefits of scientific progress, taken from the perspective of the protection of the environment. The thesis was supervised by Professor William Schabas. "Sarah's thesis is really cutting edge, and it was selected not only for its overall quality but also for its great originality and its contemporary importance", said Professor Schabas. "We hosted an international seminar on the subject two years ago in Galway, and we are thrilled to see that students are now picking up the issue and developing research in new areas." The European Inter-University Institute for Human Rights and Democratisation operates a Master's Degree programme in Human Rights and Democratisation for students throughout the European Union, as well as a limited number from elsewhere in the world. It is based in Venice, where students take a semester of courses. During the second semester, beginning in February, students are assigned to participating Universities throughout Europe. The National University of Ireland, Galway has been involved in the programme since 2001. Typically, it receives four or five students from the 90-student cohort each year. "The Venice Human Rights programme is an important initiative, and I am delighted both by the involvement of our University and by the performance of our students", said President Browne. 'Both in Europe, and elsewhere, one of the trademarks of our University is its excellence in Human Rights teaching and research,' he said, adding that the Irish Centre for Human Rights is one of the largest University-based Human Rights units in the world. ENDS