February 2012 Engineering in Hurling Focus of Next NUI Galway Sports Technology Talk

The next public talk in the NUI Galway public talk series on Sports Technology will take place on Tuesday, 14 February, at 6pm. Entitled Engineering in Hurling – Hurleys, Sliotars and Helmets, the talk will be delivered by Dr Conchúr Ó Brádaigh, Lecturer with the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway.

The talk will focus on the application of engineering principles to the ancient game of hurling. Important advances have been made in the last 15 years in the equipment used by hurlers. This includes test standards with minimum performance levels for sliotars and helmets, and the introduction of composite hurleys.

The second half of the talk will give an overview of the engineering research work carried out at NUI Galway and at other Irish third-level institutions in hurling, much of which has been funded by the GAA and Enterprise Ireland. Current standards and trends in the development of hurling equipment will also be discussed.

Dr Conchúr Ó Brádaigh is a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at NUI Galway, and an internationally-renowned expert in the field of composite materials. He is also Research and Development Manager of ÉireComposites Teo., Indreabhán, Co. Galway. His current interests are in the application of lightweight composites in the fields of aerospace, automotive, and renewable energy.

The free public talk will take place in room 3035 of the Engineering Building at NUI Galway.

The series of Sports Technology talks is being organised as part of NUI Galway’s degree programme in Sports & Exercise Engineering, whose students are being educated to design the next generation of sports and exercise systems and devices.

For more information on the Sports Technology talks, which are supported by Engineers Ireland (West) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, visit www.ExerciseEngineering.com or call 091 492728.

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