NUI Galway today (Wednesday, 12 October) announced very positive findings on the jobs front for its graduates with some 96.8% of graduates currently are not seeking employment, the best figure in the higher education sector in Ireland. With national unemployment figures at 14.5%, only 3.2% of the NUI Galway class of 2009/2010 are actively seeking employment. The number of NUI Galway graduates going directly into employment during this period was 47.5%, up 4% on the previous year, with a significant percentage going on to further studies. The data comes from an annual survey of almost 4,000 graduates on NUI Galway full-time programmes, conducted nine months after graduation. John Hannon, Head of the Careers Development Centre at NUI Galway, commented: “This survey gives an invaluable insight into employment opportunities. The Standardised Unemployment Rate is more than four times that of NUI Galway. We are delighted to have such positive news and to see that NUI Galway graduates are valued and sought after by employers. Graduates are our future leaders and their ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude, skills and knowledge can generate the enterprise and innovation required to boost Ireland’s economic recovery.” The challenging economic climate in recent years has led to increased numbers embarking on postgraduate study. Again the statistics for NUI Galway are positive, with just over 3% of graduates from postgraduate programmes seeking employment. Mr Hannon added: "NUI Galway statistics are very positive when compared to the national average. However, we cannot forget how challenging the current economic climate actually is for graduates who are looking for employment. It is gratifying to see that graduates who have invested in postgraduate diplomas, masters and PhDs not only enhance their learning but increased their employability. At NUI Galway we place a lot of emphasis on developing employability skills. Many of our newest courses were developed in partnership with industry and specifically to fill a skills gap in the market. We also provide students with additional opportunities for learning in a real world context through work placment, volunteering and community outreach, giving our graduates additional evidence that they have the personal and academic attributes sought by employers.” Sancha Mulcahy, HR Manager with Deloitte, said: “Deloitte is looking for people who feel energised working in a team, who are innovative thinkers and who set high standards for themselves. Graduates of NUI Galway possess the knowledge and skills required to succeed in a firm like Deloitte. We are delighted to be able to offer over 200 graduate positions this year, which is a significant increase on last year. As a result, we expect to see an increase in the number of NUI Galway graduates joining Deloitte.  The positions will be available to graduates from a range of disciplines, including business, accounting, engineering, science, IT and legal backgrounds amongst others.”   -ENDS-

Galway-based, mother-of-two and NUI Galway graduate Ann Brehony has just launched the essential family holiday helper through her first digital mobile app in the App Store. The app Ireland: Are We There Yet?was released through a publishing deal with an American digital travel publisher Sutro Media. Featuring over 130 places to visit in Ireland with kids, this app provides families with an invaluable tool that will keep everyone happy on daytrips or holidays. Covering the country both North and South with new ways of seeing old favourites like the Rock of Cashel and The Giant’s Causeway plus a host of new attractions as diverse as Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory in Belfast or a Toy Soldier Factory in Cork. On explaining the origin of the idea, author and creator Ann Brehony, said: “As part of my MA in Publishing at NUI Galway, I had to complete a business plan for an innovative new publishing venture. I produced a plan for an online travel guide for families on holiday in Ireland called 'Are We There Yet?' The course tutors were very encouraging about my idea and suggested it was something I should pursue on graduation. They helped me shape a business analysis framework for my thesis and this framework allowed me to investigate cutting-edge digital publishing models from around the world which then led me to explore the mobile app route for my idea, from there it really took off and within nine months of graduating I had secured a publishing deal.” Ms Brehony added: “As a mother of two, I know how important it is to keep kids amused and engaged while on daytrips or holidays, if they’re happy then we’re all happy! It was a real labour of love and the kids and I had such a great time discovering the many gems on offer around the country.”   Publishers Sutro Media say “This app is like the local cousin you never knew you had! It has sussed the best ways to visit Ireland with kids so you don't have to do the legwork. This app is written with genuine insight, humour and charm and is packed with places to go and things to do with kids on holiday in Ireland.” Highlights of the app include: County-by-county listings of family-friendly attractions complete with car games and scavenger hunts to keep the kids amused on the go A full nationwide listing of free outdoor play areas. Filled with wonderful photography, each entry has links to websites and YouTube clips giving background information on all the local colour needed to plan a successful stress-free visit. The app links you into a whole community of other app users who can share their tips and experiences. A treasure-trove of quirky hints on how to find a song for every county, the best local sweets to try and handy pit stops for long journeys. Perfect for keeping the kids amused without breaking the bank during the mid-term break. Constantly updated and available on the go on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.   The app costs €2.39, £1.79, $2.99 and is published by Sutro Media.   -Ends-

- 1 in 5 Male Drivers Under 25 Admit to Having Raced Another Driver - The results of a survey presented today, Monday, 10October, at the Road Safety Authority (RSA) Annual Road Safety Lecture revealed that 1 in 5 male drivers aged under 25 reported having raced another driver on a public road at some point in the past. The survey, conducted by Dr Kiran Sarma, Chartered Psychologist and Lecturer in Psychology at NUI Galway, also revealed that young male drivers reported more frequent speeding, reckless driving and use of mobile phones while driving. RSA research presented at the lecture revealed that 5,678 road-users aged between 17 and 24 years old were killed or seriously injured on Irish roads between 1997 and 2009. The lecture, which focused on the driving behaviour of 17 to 24 year old road-users, is the first event in ‘Irish Road Safety Week’ which runs from Monday, 10 October to Sunday, 16 October. At the lecture, Dr Kiran Sarma presented the results of his survey of 1,500 drivers on the relationship between psychology and risky driving behaviour. Dr Sarma’s research found that the frequency of speeding among young male drivers was associated with positive attitudes towards speeding and a higher prevalence of personality traits such as impulsiveness and excitement seeking. Mr Noel Brett, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority said: “The focus of today’s lecture is young drivers aged 17 to 24 years old who are among the highest risk road-users on our roads. Research tells us that this group of road-users are three times more likely to be killed on the roads than any other road-user. In fact, 5,678 young road-users with their lives ahead of them were killed or seriously injured on Irish roads in the period 1997 to 2009. This is roughly the same as the population ofWestportin Co. Mayo. When you think of it in those terms, we are reminded of how needless this loss of life is.” “But it’s also important to say that not all young drivers are risky or dangerous drivers. Today’s lecture has shown how important it is to support our younger road-users in forming positive attitudes to road safety as early as possible.” Dr Sarma’s research also revealed that risky driving behaviour was linked with pro-speeding attitudes among friends and family, a greater tendency to become angry in response to other drivers’ actions and a belief that the driver could control his or her car, even in challenging driving conditions. Some young male drivers also saw their car as being a core part of who they are – this was related to more extreme driving behaviour. Speaking at the lecture, Dr Sarma said: “This research helps us to understand the psychology of young male drivers and can inform the way we respond to risky and reckless driving. The research would suggest that addressing speeding attitudes is important but that deeper psychological factors are also linked to dangerous driving on our roads.” Professor Andrew Tolmie from theInstituteofEducation,UniversityofLondonalso spoke at the lecture about his recent paper for the Department for Transport (UK) on ‘The development of children’s and young people’s attitudes to driving. Professor Tolmie’s research highlighted that becoming a driver starts in childhood, although this becomes more focused during adolescence. His research also showed that family and peer influence is critical in forming attitudes and behaviours and suggested that the pre-driver period may present the best opportunity for forming positive attitudes to driving. Professor Tolmie said: “Becoming a driver is something that starts in childhood, as soon as children become aware that this is something that adults do, and it becomes a real aspirational focus during adolescence, as teenagers begin to imagine themselves having the freedom that driving brings. Watching how parents behave, talking about driving with friends and the images associated with driving all have an influence on how young drivers first act on the road. Poor influences at this stage lead to poor driving behaving later - if we want to increase young drivers' safety, it is during the teenage years, before they begin to drive, that we need to act.” 1,352 17-24 year olds were killed on Irish roads between 1997 and 2009, representing 28% of all road deaths in that period. Over one third (35%) of these fatalities took place between 12:00am (midnight) and 4:59am. The research also found that 17 to 24 year old car drivers are five times more likely to be killed on Irish roads than any other driver. In fatal collisions where excessive speed was cited as a contributory factor, half of all drivers responsible were males aged 17 to 24 years old. Furthermore, 2 in 5 of all passengers aged 17 to 24 who were killed on the road were in a car being driven by a 17 to 24 year old male driver. ENDS

New findings about how the brain functions to suppress pain have been published in the leading journal Pain, by NUI Galway researchers. For the first time, it has been shown that the hippocampus of the brain, which is usually associated with memory, has an active role to play in suppressing pain during times of stress. The work was carried out by researchers in Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and the Centre for Pain Research at the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, NUI Galway. In times of immense stress or fear, pain transmission and perception can be suppressed potently in humans and other animals. This important survival response can help us cope with, or escape from, potentially life-threatening situations. An increased understanding of the biological mechanisms involved in this so-called fear-induced analgesia is important from a fundamental physiological perspective and may also advance the search for new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of pain.  Dr David Finn, Co-Director of the Centre for Pain Research at NUI Galway, and study leader, says: “The body can suppress pain when under extreme stress, in part through the action of marijuana-like substances produced in the brain. What we have now identified for the first time, is that the brain’s hippocampus is an important site of action of these endocannabinoids during the potent suppression of pain by fear.  This research, which was funded by a grant from Science Foundation Ireland, advances our fundamental understanding of the neurobiology of pain and may facilitate the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of pain and anxiety disorders.” Working with Dr Finn, first author Dr Gemma Ford was able to demonstrate that inhibition of the enzyme that breaks down one of these endogenous marijuana-like substances in the hippocampus, had the effect of enhancing stress-induced pain suppression. Further experimentation revealed that these effects were mediated by the cannabinoid CB1 receptor and were likely to be mediated by stress-induced increases in levels of endocannabinoids in the hippocampus. -ends-

NUI Galway will hold a reunion for graduates from the classes of 1986 and 1991 to celebrate the 20th and 25thanniversaries of their graduation on Saturday, 5 November. The reunion will begin at 3pm in the Quadrangle with a reception and photo exhibition of their student days, followed by a bus tour of campus. The celebrations will continue later that evening inGalway’s Hotel Meyrick with a special reunion dinner. Sandra Butler, NUI Galway Alumni Association Chairperson, encourages everyone to attend: “Reunions are special opportunities for graduates and friends to revisit NUI Galway and renew old acquaintances. These events come around just once a decade. So book your place now and get in contact with your classmates and friends and encourage them to come too.” For further information and to book your place, contact Colm O’Dwyer in the Alumni Office on 091 493750 or email alumni@nuigalway.ie   -ENDS-