NUI Galway's Ryan Institute hosted Engineering for Communities family day in the Galway City Museum on Saturday, 19 February as part of National Engineers Week. Hundreds of visitors explored the various activities, each dedicated to engineering solutions for different community needs. Highlights included the Eco-House Design Challenge, a K'Nex Bridge Building Contest, Lego Mindstorms Robot Trials, Electronic Circuitry and Wastewater Treatment Demonstrations: great preparation for the next generation of young engineers

Pulsars which are some of the most extreme and enigmatic objects in the known Universe, will be the subject of the second NUI Galway's Centre of Astronomy public talks. Dr John McDonald, Post-Doctoral Researcher with the Centre for Astronomy, will discuss pulsars (neutron stars) on Wednesday, 2 March, at 7.30pm in the Larmor lecture theatre, NUI Galway. First observed serendipitously in the late 1960s by an Irish postgraduate student working in Cambridge, these objects have been intensely studied for more than 40 years, and yet much about these objects remains shrouded in mystery. The progeny of type II supernovae (the death of massive stars), neutron stars possess the mass of our entire Sun contained in an area the size of Galway, with immense electromagnetic and gravitational fields, spinning up to 650 times a second. Dr McDonald will explain the origins of these stars, starting right from the birth of normal stars, through their violent death, to their stunning rebirth. He will also discuss work being done by the Centre for Astronomy to expand our understanding of these fascinating stars. Speaking about the upcoming talk, Dr Andy Shearer, Director of the Centre of Astronomy at NUI Galway, said: "The Centre for Astronomy has been a world leader in optical pulsar studies for the past twenty years. In this time we have identified two of five known optical pulsars. Dr McDonald's talk will put this work in context show casing ground breaking research at NUI Galway." The talk is open to the public and might be of particular interest to transition year students and students thinking of doing science at University. More details about the series of talks can be found at http://astro.nuigalway.ie/outreach. -ends-

The first Babel Public Lecture Series entitled 'Exploring the Book' will come to a close with a lecture by Dr Kate Quinn on Tuesday, 1 March, at 6.30pm at Galway City Library. The Babel Public Lecture Series consists of six lectures and is an initiative of the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, NUI Galway. The Babel Public Lecture Series began in November 2010 with the first lecture presented by Dr Nollaig Ó Muraíle, Scoil na Gaeilge at NUI Galway, entitled 'Three Great Connacht Manuscripts from circa AD 1400: the Books of Ballymote, Lecan and Uí Mhaine'. Professor Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa, German, NUI Galway provided the second lecture with a discussion on strolling through the 'Library of Babel: A short history of imaginary books'. Dr Mark Stansbury's lecture, entitled 'What is a Book', explored the development of book making from earliest times to hypertext and featured exhibits of papyrus and wax tablets for the audience to examine. Professor Paolo Bartoloni provided the fourth lecture, 'Joyce's Italian Book of Choice: Svevo's Zeno's Conscience'. The fifth lecture, 'Protestants, Pedants and Presses or What do you need for a Successful Book Trade?', was presented by Dr Catherine Emerson and centred on 16th century Lyon. The final lecture in the Series is titled 'Criminal Passions: The Perennial Appeal of Death and Detection' and will be delivered by Dr Kate Quinn, Spanish, NUI Galway. The lecture is open to members of the pubic and entrance is free. According to Dr Lillis Ó Laoire, Head of the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, "Dr Kate Quinn's enticingly 'noir' title manages to mention two of the great themes, passion and death, and promises to bring the first series to an appropriately intriguing completion. Her talk will deal with crime fiction and inform us about why it is we are so drawn by books in this genre." There will be a reception before this final lecture from 6.00pm to 6.30pm. The series will be formally closed by Dr Edward Herring, Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, NUI Galway. Further information is available from Suzanne Gilsenan at suzanne.gilsenan@nuigalway.ie or 091 494037. -Ends-

A rare and unusual concert will take place on Wednesday, 2 March at 6pm in the Aula Maxima, NUI Galway as part of the module Medicine and the Arts featuring vocalist Susan Mc Keown (New York) and her band, Ryan Mc Giver on guitar; Eamon O Leary on bouzouki and banjo and Jason Sypher on bass. The concert is based on Grammy-winner Mc Keown's twelfth album Singing in the Dark, where she draws on lyrics from poets of the last thousand years who have written through the lens of depression, mania and addiction. This is a work of many moods, exploring creativity, suffering, and the pursuit of happiness. The album was inspired by the book Touched with Fire: (Manic Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament), by psychiatrist and author Kay Jamison, who contributed an introductory essay to the album. Medicine and the Arts, now in its second year, is a unique and innovative development within the undergraduate Medical curriculum where students engage in a semester-long programme of structured exploration of the Arts across the broad areas of performance, the visual arts and literature. Susan's concert is the flagship event of this year s module and illustrates the commitment of the Medical School to bringing excellent and original work of artistic integrity, promoting the personal development of medical students as future practitioners of medicine and as healing doctors. The group project aspect of Medicine and the Arts - the hospital library, takes the form of a practical engagement with literature, the provision of a mobile library service to patients at University Hospital Galway. Last year Medicine and the Arts medical students carried out all of the research and development of the project and this year the students officially begin the process of engaging with the patients in St Anthony's ward providing books and reading to the patients. The central aim of the hospital library project is to address and relieve the sensory deprivation of patients in hospital wards and restore a greater sense of dignity and an opportunity to use literature to alleviate boredom and promote healing. The medical students also benefit in a meaningful way as they engage in the provision of a voluntary community service Tickets for Susan Mc Keown's concert are €10 and can be purchased at the door. You may also reserve seats with Therese Dixon, Clinical Science Institute at 091 494475/494671 or 524268. All are welcome. -Ends-

Theatrical forces merge on campus this week for NUI Galway's Theatre Week. Now in its second year, the event showcases through theatre, literature and film, the many talents of NUI Galway students, societies and alumni. Theatre Week began last night (Monday, 21 February) with the Alumni Theatre and Literature Night. Writers and performers who originated from NUI Galway returned to tread the boards of the new Cube Theatre in Áras na Mac Léinn. The evening included writers such as Mary Mullen, Alan McMonagle, Ann Irwin, Rab Fulton and theatre groups involved are Fergoli, Mephisto, Colours Theatre, Side-Show Production as well as Fionnuala Gallagher and many more. The week will include the Jerome Hynes One Act Play Series, Alumni Theatre and Literature Night, the Nothing Specific Society Cardboard Battle, a joint BACon Soc and Dramsoc production of Fight Club, a Monologue Double Bill and workshops from make-up artists and Shakespeare experts. Throughout the week there will also be a series of Shakespeare film adaptations shown and these screenings are free to attend. The six winning Jerome Hynes One Act Plays run from Tuesday to Thursday encompassing life changing themes including death, love, sleep and a naked president. The plays include Sleep Skips my Heart by Sarah Griffin, The Key to Hell by Niamh Dennis, Remember December by David Kilgannon, A Presidential Crisis or People Drowning Everywhere by Michael Shiels and Death of a Movie Starby Thomas Dooley. The Nothing Specific Society will host their second annual battle in cardboard armour on the President's Lawn. This year they have made it an intervarsity event with battlers from all over Ireland attending. Cardboard Armour workshops will take place right throughout the week in preparation for the battle on Thursday at 12 noon. Digging Art by Thomas Dooley and A Pale Moon Rose by Neil Flynn are theatre week's chosen monologues. Digging Art won the Monologue Competition during Múscailt and A Pale Moon Rose, performed by Jerry Fitzgerald has been in various theatres around Cork and Kerry, this is its Galway premier. For more information on the week's events check out www.socs.nuigalway.ieor contact the socsbox on 091 492852. -Ends-