News Archive

Scientists and engineers based at the University of Limerick, NUI Galway and Ulster University, Coleraine have found that ship wrecks off the west coast of Ireland are acting as artificial reefs providing habitat for species more typically found in deeper waters or in canyons. It is thought the wrecks may be acting as refugia leading to improved species resilience to human impacts and climate change by increasing population connectivity. The recently unveiled Irish National Monuments Service Wreck Viewer lists the locations of more than 4,000 ship wrecks from a total of 18,000 records of potential wrecks in Irish waters giving some indication of the available infrastructure on the seafloor. In recent years, advanced technique scuba divers have started to dive on some of these wrecks located as deep as 150 metres but no deeper wrecks have been surveyed. Dr Anthony Grehan, School of Natural Sciences from NUI Galway and ocean scientist who made the discovery, said: “Divers report that wrecks are often festooned with corals and other species of epifauna. As such, the wrecks act as artificial reefs and given the quantity of wrecks in Irish waters, may make an important contribution to maintaining coral and other species by providing refugia and stepping stones for further colonisation or restoration of damaged habitats. By surveying these deeper wrecks we wanted to establish whether deeper reef forming corals could survive in shallower water.” A number of these wrecks lying in deep waters off the west coast of Kerry - beyond the reach of scuba divers - were identified using the Infomar wreck database and investigated for the first time by the team of SFI MaREI engineers and scientists led by Dr. Ger Dooly from the University of Limerick. Profiting from benign weather conditions at this time of year, the survey aboard the national Celtic Explorer (CE19001), successfully located and dove on two large - greater than 100 metres in length – wrecks using a newly commissioned University of Limerick Remotely Operated Vehicle nicknamed Étáin.  A high definition TV survey of one of the wrecks revealed that intact parts of the ship were indeed colonised by various colourful epifauna: anemones, solitary corals, oysters and brachiopods. The biggest surprise was finding a colony of the coral reef forming Lophelia pertusa, a stony coral species usually found below 500 metres or deeper in Irish waters. The colony was hanging from the apex of two plates where it was likely protected from fishing but still received a plentiful food supply. Speaking about locating the colony, Dr Anthony Grehan, NUI Galway, said: “This indicates that the species can survive in much shallower waters in Ireland than previously thought with implications for the design and management of marine protected areas and habitat restoration.  Indeed, recent scientific literature addressing ‘ocean sprawl’ points to some of the unexpected positive benefits of long-term structures found on the sea-floor. -Ends-

Mary McPartlan from the School of Humanities at NUI Galway was honoured with the Ireland United Sates Association (IUSA) Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni for their achievements and demonstrated exemplary leadership in the IUSA alumni community. The award ceremony was part of the IUSA Conference and Alumni Awards held in Dublin last Thursday, 24 January. Mary McPartlan received the award in recognition of her professional excellence, her commitment to the Irish-US relationship, and her outstanding contribution to culture, education and music. The award was presented to Mary by Emmy-winning former CNN correspondent and anchor, Gina London along with a second recipient for the Emerging Leader Award, Ben English, co-founder and former CEO of the Dublin Tech Summit. Mary McPartlan received a Fullbright Scholarship in 2013 to Lehman College (CUNY) and Berea College in Kentucky. While in New York, she taught a module on ‘The History of Irish Traditional Culture and Women Traditional Singers since the 1950’s in Ireland’ and a series of lectures on ‘Irish Contemporary Plays and Playwrights’. She undertook research in Irish song material in New York and a study of the great American Folk singer and song collector, Jean Ritchie from the Appalachian Mountains, Viper, Kentucky. In New York she collaborated with the renowned jazz pianist, Bertha Hope, experimenting with American jazz and Irish folk music, culminating in a series of concerts and an album partly recorded in New York in 2015. During that time Bertha Hope came to Ireland to perform with Mary on two occasions. From her research at Berea College and her close collaboration with artists and academics in association the International Affairs Office at NUI Galway, Mary developed close ties between Berea College and NUI Galway, which culminated in the ‘Jean Ritchie MA Scholarship’ for a student from Berea College to undertake an MA at NUI Galway. The Jean Ritchie Scholarship is now in its third year and has firmly established a student exchange programme between Berea Drama Department and NUI Galway’s O’Donoghue Centre for Drama and Theatre Performance, fostering deep academic and cultural ties between Ireland and the US. Along with her academic role, Mary is also the Creative Director of the hugely successful Arts in Action Programme at NUI Galway, where the creative arts are fully embedded into academic programmes and students from all disciplines across the country take modules, receive credits and experience excellence at an international level in all of the creative arts. Mary is also the producer of the University’s Medical Orchestra, formed in 2011. Mary is also a well-known professional singer, with albums including the critically acclaimed The Holland Handkerchief, Petticoat Loose and From Mountain to Mountain. She is also known for her outstanding contribution to traditional Irish music and has produced many significant national cultural events, including the TG4 National Traditional Music Awards, a twelve-part music series for TG4 founded and produced by the award winning theatre company, Skehana Productions. The IUSA Awards are bestowed upon alumni of US Government exchange programs who have demonstrated excellence in their chosen profession; who are committed to promoting the special relationship between Ireland and the US; and who have made an outstanding contribution to philanthropy to their communities or to greater society. The IUSA Annual Conference and Alumni Awards 2019 theme, ‘Looking Forward: US – Irish Relations, New Europe and New Challenges’ looked forward with hope and confidence to the challenges and opportunities ahead for Ireland along with prominent speakers setting out their view on the current state of the world and our potential future.

The 2019 Monsignor Pádraig de Brún Memorial Lecture, entitled Climate Change and the Financial System, will be delivered by Philip Lane, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, 5 February at 5.30pm in the Human Biology Building, NUI Galway. Central Bank Governor Philip Lane will address the implications of climate change for the Irish financial system. All sectors will be affected by climate change, whether through exposure to weather-related shocks or the economy-wide transition to low-carbon means of production and consumption. These structural changes will require considerable investment by households, enterprises and Government to retrofit buildings and switch to low-carbon production techniques and transportation methods. The funding of this investment is just one of the challenges facing the financial system. In addition, it must cope with carbon-related market risks and credit risks, a reduction in the insurability of climate-vulnerable regions and activities and the tail risks of macroeconomic and financial instability. Given the scope and severity of these risks, addressing climate change is now high on the policy agendas of the central banking and regulatory communities. Accordingly, this lecture will outline the climate-related work agenda facing the Central Bank of Ireland.  Welcoming the 2019 De Brún lecture, NUI Galway President, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said: “I’m delighted to welcome Philip Lane to campus for this important public lecture. Now recognised as one of the most pressing and urgent issues of our time, climate change is central to public policy across the globe. Addressing climate change through financial systems is one of the most powerful ways to effect policy reform and I look forward to learning more about the interventions required by this social imperative. I’m delighted that the theme of this year’s De Brún lecture reflects work undertaken here at NUI Galway, at the Whitaker Institute and in other research groups dealing with environmental and social change. Monsignor Pádraic de Brún, whose legacy we honour with this lecture, was one my predecessors as Uachtarán and a multi-disciplinary scholar – mathematician, linguist, poet. In that spirit, climate change will require multi-disciplinary inquiry and intervention from all disciples - science, social sciences, engineering and the arts - in order to address what is surely one of the most fundamental issues of our age.”  Philip R. Lane is the 11th Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, and a member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Governing Council and chair of the European Systemic Risk Board’s (ESRB) Advisory Technical Committee. His research interests include financial globalisation, macroeconomics of exchange rates and capital flows, macroeconomic policy design and European monetary integration. His work has been published in the American Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of International Economics, NBER Macroeconomics Annual and many other journals.  He was the inaugural recipient of the German Bernacer Award in Monetary Economics for outstanding contributions to European monetary economics, and the co-recipient of the Bhagwati Prize from the Journal of International Economics. He has also acted as an academic consultant for the European Central Bank, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, OECD, Asian Development Bank and a number of national central banks. This biennial public lecture is held in honour of Monsignor Pádraic de Brún who served as University President from 1945 until 1959. The memorial lecture, given by internationally renowned artists, experts and academics, have been running since the 1960s – among the most recognised of De Brún speakers was Professor Stephen Hawking who in 1994 gave a public lecture on “Life in the Universe”.  The lecture is open to the public and will be followed by a reception with refreshments. -Ends- Léacht Chuimhneacháin an Mhoinsíneora de Brún 2019 le súil a chaitheamh ar Athrú Aeráide agus an Córas Airgeadais Is é Philip Lane, Gobharnóir Bhanc Ceannais na hÉireann, a thabharfaidh Léacht Chuimhneacháin an Mhoinsíneora Pádraig de Brún 2019, dar teideal Climate Change and the Financial System. Reáchtálfar an léacht Dé Máirt, an 5 Feabhra ag 5.30pm in Áras na Bitheolaíochta Daonna, OÉ Gaillimh. Tabharfaidh Gobharnóir an Bhainc Ceannais aghaidh ar na himpleachtaí atá ag athrú aeráide do chóras airgeadais na hÉireann. Níl earnáil ar bith ann nach mbeidh tionchar ag athrú aeráide uirthi, bíodh sin trí nochtadh d'eachtraí suaite atá bainteach leis an aimsir nó tríd an aistriú atá ag tarlú ar fud an gheilleagair go dtí modhanna táirgthe agus tomhaltais ísealcharbóin. I bhfianaise na n-athruithe struchtúracha seo, beidh ar theaghlaigh, ar ghnólachtaí agus ar an Rialtas infheistíocht shuntasach a dhéanamh chun foirgnimh a athfheistiú agus chun aistriú go dtí teicnící táirgthe agus modhanna iompair ísealcharbóin. Níl i maoiniú na hinfheistíochta seo ach ceann amháin de na dúshláin atá roimh an gcóras airgeadais. Anuas air sin, ní mór dó déileáil le rioscaí margaidh agus le rioscaí creidmheasa a bhaineann le carbón, le deacrachtaí árachas a fháil i gcás réigiún nó gníomhaíochtaí atá leochaileach don athrú aeráide agus leis na rioscaí eirre a bhaineann le míshocracht mhaicreacnamaíoch agus airgeadais. I bhfianaise scóip agus dhéine na rioscaí sin, tá aird na bpobal baincéireachta ceannais agus rialála dírithe anois ar an gcaoi le dul i ngleic le hathrú aeráide agus iad i mbun ceapadh polasaithe. Déanfar cur síos sa léacht seo, dá réir sin, ar an gclár oibre atá roimh an mBanc Ceannais féachaint le haghaidh a thabhairt ar athrú aeráide.  Ag é ag cur fáilte roimh léacht de Brún 2019, dúirt Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh, an tOllamh Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh: “Tá an-áthas orm fáilte a chur roimh Philip Lane go dtí an campas ar ócáid na léachta poiblí tábhachtaí seo. Aithnítear go forleathan anois go bhfuil an t-athrú aeráide ar cheann de na fadhbanna is práinní atá roimh lucht déanta polasaí ar fud an domhain. Ceann de na modhanna is cumhachtaí chun athchóiriú polasaí a bhaint amach is ea aghaidh a thabhairt ar athrú aeráide trí chórais airgeadais agus tá mé ag súil tuilleadh a fhoghlaim faoi na hidirghabhálacha atá de dhíth chun tabhairt faoin gceanglas sóisialta seo. Tá an-áthas orm go dtarraingíonn léacht de Brún na bliana seo aird ar an obair atá idir lámha anseo in OÉ Gaillimh, in Institiúid Whitaker agus i ngrúpaí taighde eile atá ag plé le hathrú comhshaoil agus sóisialta. Duine de na hUachtaráin a chuaigh romham ba ea an Moinsíneoir Pádraig de Brún a bhfuil a oidhreacht á hurramú againn leis an léacht seo, fear a bhí ina ileolaí – matamaiticeoir, teangeolaí, file. Sa chomhthéacs sin, beidh fiosrúchán agus idirghabháil ildisciplíneach ag teastáil – ó dhisciplíní na heolaíochta, na n-eolaíochtaí sóisialta, na hinnealtóireachta agus na ndán – chun dul i ngleic le ceann de na saincheisteanna is bunúsaí dár ré.” Is é Philip R. Lane an 11ú Gobharnóir ar Bhanc Ceannais na hÉireann, agus é ina chomhalta de Chomhairle Rialúcháin Bhanc Ceannais na hEorpa (ECB) agus ina chathaoirleach ar Choiste Teicniúil Comhairleach an Bhoird Eorpaigh um Riosca Sistéamach (ESRB). I measc na réimsí taighde atá aige, áirítear domhandú airgeadais, maicreacnamaíocht rátaí malairte agus sreabha caipitil, dearadh polasaithe maicreacnamaíocha agus comhtháthú airgeadaíochta na hEorpa. Tá ailt leis foilsithe san American Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of International Economics, NBER Macroeconomics Annual agus go leor irisí eile. Ba é an chéad duine é ar bronnadh Gradam German Bernacer in Eacnamaíocht Airgeadaíochta air as a chion éachtach i réimse eacnamaíoch airgeadaíochta na hEorpa, agus bhí sé ar dhuine d'fhaighteoirí Dhuais Bhagwati ón Journal of International Economics. Tá tréimhsí caite aige chomh maith mar chomhairleoir acadúil do Bhanc Ceannais na hEorpa, an Coimisiún Eorpach, an Ciste Airgeadaíochta Idirnáisiúnta, an Banc Domhanda, an Eagraíocht um Chomhar agus Fhorbairt Eacnamaíochta (OECD), Banc Forbartha na hÁise mar aon le roinnt banc ceannais náisiúnta eile. Tionóltar an léacht phoiblí dhébhliantúil in onóir an Mhoinsíneora Pádraig de Brún a bhí ina Uachtarán ar an Ollscoil ó 1945 go 1959. Ealaíontóirí, saineolaithe agus acadóirí a bhfuil cáil idirnáisiúnta orthu a thugann an léacht cuimhneacháin seo atá á reáchtáil ó na 1960í. Duine de chainteoirí de Brún ab aitheanta dá raibh ann ba ea an tOllamh Stephen Hawking a thug léacht phoiblí in 1994 dar teideal “Life in the Universe”. Tá cead isteach ag an bpobal ag an léacht agus beidh fáiltiú ina dhiaidh, áit a gcuirfear sólaistí ar fáil. -Críoch-

NUI Galway will host a public event with members from the Tuam Home Survivors Network exploring the topic of ‘Archiving Personal Histories: The Tuam Mother and Baby Home’. The event, co-organised by the University’s Department of History and the James Hardiman Library will take place on Thursday, 7 February in Áras na Mac Léinn. The day will begin with a survivor-led workshop involving members of the Network, and staff and students from the University. The attendees are then invited to attend two panel discussions exploring the issues of collecting and archiving oral histories of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. Speakers at the event will include Catherine Corless, Breeda Murphy, Catríona Crowe, Conall Ó Fátharta, Dr Barry Houlihan, Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley, Dr John Cunningham, Professor Caroline McGregor and Dr Caitríona Clear. In the evening, NUI Galway’s President Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh will launch ‘The Tuam Oral History Project’ in the foyer of the new Human Biology Building. The project, which is survivor-led, involves the collecting of oral histories from survivors of the Tuam home, as well as people from the local area or those with an interest in contributing to the project. The primary researchers are Dr John Cunningham and Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley from NUI Galway’s Department of History. The oral histories will be housed in the James Hardiman Library. Elaine Feeney will direct creative projects stemming from the recorded histories, which will be inter-generational, multi-disciplinary and involve survivors and contemporary artists. The creative project will also liaise with local schools and the wider community.  Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley, Department of History, NUI Galway, said: “We hope that through this event and the wider project, the voices of survivors and members of the community in Tuam will be brought to the fore. We hope that the survivor-led approach and the creative element of the programme can be used in exploring experiences of other institutions. Historical justice is a key part of this, as these stories have relevance not only to Ireland but to a variety of countries and contexts.” Dr Barry Houlihan of the Hardiman Library states: “This seminar will discuss the role of oral history and survivor-led testimony as well as its importance for those seeking to make their stories and experiences heard. Archives and oral history provide spaces for reflection for present and future communities as well looking on the past. These testimonies will provide an important resource for access to private and public histories and experiences for future generations.” Following the launch, there will be songs from Padraig Stevens and poetry from Elaine Feeney. At 6.15pm, there will be a screening of Mia Malarkey’s documentary, ‘Mother and Baby’, followed by panel discussion involving Mia, survivor Peter Mulryan, Breeda Murphy from the Tuam Home Survivors Network and campaigner Eunan Duffy. To register for the event please visit https://bit.ly/2Rl7goJ. For more information or to contribute your story to the project please email tuamoralhistoryproject@gmail.com.

Details have been announced of NUI Galway’s 20th annual Gala Banquet, which will take place on campus. The 2019 Gala Banquet will include the Alumni Awards ceremony and will take place in the Bailey Allen Hall, NUI Galway on Saturday, 13 April at 7pm. The highlight of the evening, which has established itself as a premier national event and one of the key social occasions in the West of Ireland, is the presentation of the annual Alumni Awards. These awards recognise individual excellence and achievements among the University’s graduates worldwide. The awards programme boasts an impressive roll call of  outstanding graduates who have gone on to honour their alma mater, including, for example, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins; Ireland’s first female Attorney General, Máire Whelan; Irish Olympians, Olive Loughnane and Paul Hession; Irish Rugby international Ciarán Fitzgerald; RTÉ broadcaster, Seán O’Rourke; and actress, Marie Mullen. The seven alumni award categories on the night will include:  Alumni Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Alumni Award for Business and Commerce Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Government Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport  Gradam Alumni don Ghaeilge Tickets can be reserved by contacting Louise Monahan, Alumni Relations at +353 91 494310 louise.monahan@nuigalway.ie to reserve your place. Tickets are €150 per person or a table of 10 for €1400. 

NUI Galway and Galway 2020 are offering an exciting opportunity to get involved with the Galway 2020 digital programme through the ground-breaking initiative – Future Landscapes. Future Landscapes is an intensive four-week programme created in a collaboration between the Moore Institute at NUI Galway and Galway 2020, as part of the Galway 2020 digital programme. Run by Rachel Uwa of the internationally-renowned ‘School of Machines, Making and Make-believe’ based in Berlin, the programme will focus on enhancing physical and social landscapes through technology and exploring the potentials of Mixed Reality (MR). Taking place in May 2019, the programme is aimed at anyone involved in creative projects (such as architects, designers, makers, artists, musicians, performers), and researchers and students from Arts and Humanities at NUI Galway. Applications for the programme, as well as for a limited number of fee-waiver bursaries, will close on Wednesday, 28 February 2019. A technical background is not required to participate. Mixed Reality is the mix of real and virtual worlds where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. MR comes with various powerful features such as mapping physical surroundings, monitoring gestures, and language processing for voice recognition and more. Mixed reality directs a new way of working by offering ‘real-world, real-life’ experiences. Pokemon Go used these techniques to capture the public interest and brought MR into the mainstream. Creative uses of these technologies might involve augmenting Galway’s landscape to show a historical or literary perspective, or exploring Galway’s various social landscapes in creative ways. While various types of augmented and virtual reality systems have existed for some time, recent advances in mobile technology platforms provide us with more powerful ways of creating and sharing these experiences with a wider audience. In this workshop, participants will consider ways of enhancing both the landscapes that we can see around us, as well as those that are unseen, such as political or economic landscapes. Much experimentation is yet to be done by utilising the other capabilities of handheld devices to stream live data, communicate with others, and incorporate information from built-in sensors, and some of these will be explored throughout the programme.  David Kelly, Digital Humanities Manager at the Moore Institute for Research in Humanities and Social Studies, NUI Galway, said: “The programme is an exciting collaboration between the arts and humanities research community and the creative and technical communities. This project will help participants to develop skills to allow them to communicate their research in new and exciting ways. Mixed Reality is an emerging area that has lots of potential, which hasn’t been explored to its full extent yet. It’s important when we’re thinking about capacity building as a part of Galway 2020 and that the University’s community has the opportunity to be a part of it.” Marilyn Reddan, Head of Programme at Galway 2020, said: “Galway 2020 is delighted to be announcing this collaboration with the Moore Institute at NUI Galway and School of Machines in Berlin. Our programme is built on an exciting collaboration and partnership. We’re looking forward to this project, which will explore how Mixed Reality with the blend of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality changes the way users create, connect, and collaborate with a new holographic experience.” The project has been co-funded by Galway 2020 and by NUI Galway’s Higher Education Authority (HEA) project on Digital Literacy in Irish Humanities. For further information and application details, visit:  http://mooreinstitute.ie/event/future-landscapes/

Tomás Ó Neachtain, the 2018/19 Sean-Nós Singer-in-Residence at NUI Galway, will give a series of sean-nós singing workshops beginning at 7pm on Tuesday, 5 February, in the Seminar Room at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. Born and raised in Coilleach, An Spidéal, Tomás is part of a family which has a long and rich tradition of sean-nós singing. It is from his father, Tomás, that he heard and learned most of his singing, and indeed his father had learned from his father before him. His son Seosamh, a renowned sean-nós dancer and musician, was appointed as the first Sean-nós Dancer in Residence at the Centre for Irish Studies in 2009. The workshops are free and open to all. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in association with the Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway. Further information available from Samantha Williams at 091-492051 or samantha.williams@nuigalway.ie -Ends- Ceardlann amhránaíochta ar an sean-nós, in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh  Cuirfear tús le sraith de cheardlanna amhránaíochta ar an sean-nós san Ionad an Léinn Éíreannaigh, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh ag 7pm Dé Máirt, 5 Feabhra. Rugadh agus tógadh Tomás i gCoilleach, sa Spidéal. Chaith sé seal i Sasana mar fhear óg, ach is sa Choilleach a thóg sé féin is a bhean chéile Nancy a gclann. Bhí an teach inar tógadh Tomás lán d’amhránaíocht agus thug sé leis go leor amhrán óna athair, Tomás, a shealbhaigh an traidisiún áirithe sin óna athair féin. Dar ndóigh, ceapadh a mhac Seosamh mar Rinceoir Cónaitheach Sean-nóis in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh sa bhliain 2009, an chéad duine riamh ar bronnadh an gradam sin air. Tá na ceardlanna saor in aisce agus beidh fáilte roimh chách. Tuilleadh eolais ó Samantha Williams ag 091-512428 nó samantha.williams@nuigalway.ie. -Críoch-

CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices based at NUI Galway will be involved in three key industry projects worth almost €5 million (€4.8 million) following the recent announcement of the Government’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund. CÚRAM teams, in collaboration with industry partners, will be driving disruptive innovation on the key areas of medtech and connected health. Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director at CÚRAM in NUI Galway, said: “This funding of €4.8 million to CÚRAM research labs is a strong recognition of our pivotal role in the development of the next generation of medical devices and implants that target chronic illnesses. This funding is also a reflection of the close collaborative relationship we have with key industry partners with whom we will continue to work closely with on the development of these disruptive technology projects.” Partnered with industry, the AURIGEN project will see €5.9 million being invested in a solution for persistent Atrial fibrillation of the heart. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance in the US and Europe, significantly affecting the lives of those afflicted, causing symptoms that range from palpitations to fatigue, weakness and activity intolerance, and substantially increasing the risks of stroke, congestive heart failure, dementia and death. The consortium of AuriGen Medical (a BioInnovate Ireland spin out based at NUI Galway), the Translational Medical Device (TMD) Lab at NUI Galway and Tyndall, UCC have unique experience, expertise and proprietary technologies, which place this group in an unprecedented position to deliver a uniquely effective therapy capable of addressing both the stroke and arrhythmia risk associated with Atrial fibrillation.  The second project also sees the TMD-Lab partnering on the SMART CARDIO research project with AtriAN Medical who are also based at NUI Galway. The team will seek to develop and optimise ablation technologies for the minimally invasive treatment of particular cardiac disorders.   Dr Martin O’Halloran, Director of the TMD-Lab at NUI Galway, said: “These exciting research projects with a combined value to the TMD-Lab of almost €2 million are further evidence of NUI Galway establishing itself as a world-leader in ablation medical technology. The funding will bring an additional 10 senior post-doctoral ablation engineers to Galway, and in collaboration with our industry partners, will drive significant employment in the sector. The research will draw on expertise from both Engineering (Dr Adnan Elahi) and Medicine (Dr Atif Shahzad and Dr Leo Quinlan) from NUI Galway to deliver these disruptive technologies.” The third project, ARDENT II will create a new therapy for patients suffering from rhinitis, an inflammatory disease which presents as nasal congestion, rhinorrhoea, sneezing and nasal itching. Congestion and rhinorrhoea are the two most impactful symptoms on a patient’s quality of life, which are usually present lifelong. Affecting tens of millions of patients worldwide, an effective treatment does not exist for moderate or severe suffers, creating a multi-billion-euro opportunity for disruptive technologies. A consortium of Neurent Medical Ltd (a BioInnovate Ireland spin out) and the Biggs lab at CÚRAM will benefit from the €2.8 million in Disruptive Technologies Innovation Funding which will be invested in the development of a new medical device technology, to address this inflammatory nasal condition through an innovative neuromodulation approach. Dr Manus Biggs from CÚRAM at NUI Galway, said: “We are excited to work with Neurent Medical on the development of a novel approach to a significant global medical challenge. The commitment of the Irish government to the development of forward thinking disruptive technologies has the potential to place Ireland at the forefront of biomedical engineering research and development.” The Government’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund, setup as part of the Project Ireland 2040 capital investment plan, aims to provide finance to projects that tackle national and global challenges in a way that will create and secure jobs into the future. -Ends-

NUI Galway will host the Spring Postgraduate Open Day on Wednesday, 6 February, from 12-3pm in the Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn. The Open Day will showcase all of NUI Galway’s full-time and part-time postgraduate programmes, including taught and research masters, as well as doctoral research options. The Postgraduate Open Day will focus on the benefits of doing a postgraduate programme and the practicalities of making an application. There will be a number of talks including Application Practicalities, Employability, Research Funding Opportunities and there will also be a Personal Statement Workshop run by NUI Galway’s Career Development Centre. Sarah Geraghty, Student Recruitment and Outreach Manager at NUI Galway, stresses the importance of timing for those considering undertaking postgraduate study: “The current graduate jobs market is buoyant for NUI Galway postgraduates with an employability rate of 94% (in employment, training or further education), making this a good time to pursue a market driven and innovative Masters programme. Whether you wish to upskill, change direction or further your knowledge and expertise in a specialised field, NUI Galway’s 170 taught postgraduate courses at NUI Galway are designed to prepare graduates for the workplace of the future.” NUI Galway are launching a range of new postgraduate programmes for entry in 2019, including MSc Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), MEd (Education Leadership), LLM International Migration and Refugee Law and Policy, MSc Cheminformatics and Toxicology, and Postgraduate Certificate in Health Promotion (Cardiovascular Health and Diabetes Prevention), amongst others. Information on all new programmes, along with NUI Galway’s other Postgraduate programmes, will be available at Postgraduate Open Day. To view NUI Galway’s new and unique postgraduate programmes and to book a place at the Open Day visit www.nuigalway.ie/postgraduate-open-day or simply call in on the day.

NUI Galway will host a CAO information evening for students, parents, guardians and guidance counsellors in the Strand Hotel in Limerick on Thursday, 31 January from 7-9pm.   The evening will begin with short talks about NUI Galway and the undergraduate courses it offers. Afterwards, current students and NUI Galway staff will be on hand to answer any individual questions in relation to courses and practical issues like accommodation, fees and scholarships, and the wide range of support services available to our students. The ever-increasing popularity of NUI Galway is in-part due to its innovative programmes developed in response to the changing needs of the employment market. NUI Galway is launching three new Arts degrees for enrolment in 2019. This includes a BA (History and Globalisation), BA Government (Politics, Economics and Law) and a BA Education (Computer Science and Mathematical Studies). The University will also launch a new degree in Law and Human Rights for 2019. At the information evening there will be a representative from each of the University’s five colleges available to answer questions about the programmes on offer, entry requirements, and placement and employment opportunities. Representatives from Shannon College of Hotel Management will also attend the event. Members of the Accommodation Office will be on hand to answer any queries about on-campus or off-campus options, including the new Goldcrest on-campus development, which sees 429 new beds this year, bringing the total of on-campus beds to 1193. Sarah Geraghty, Student Recruitment and Outreach Manager at NUI Galway, said: “Students choose NUI Galway as they want to study with the best academic and research minds in their field. They want to study in our new state-of-the-art facilities, such as the new Human Biology Building for medicine students and in Ireland’s largest engineering school, the Alice Perry Engineering Building. The location of our campus in the heart of Galway city appeals to students who want to live in a vibrant and creative city and who want to find a new home away from home. We look forward to meeting Leaving Cert students and their parents to explore if NUI Galway is the right fit for their third level studies.” With the CAO deadline for applications approaching on 1st February this is the perfect opportunity for parents and students to find out more about the opportunities at NUI Galway, and how to make the right CAO choice for them. For more information contact Caroline, Duggan School Liaison Officer on caroline.duggan@nuigalway.ie or 087 2391219.

NUI Galway has been awarded almost €420,000 in funding for developing new technology for faster clinical detection and diagnosis of bacterial infections such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a key cause of mortality in Cystic Fibrosis patients. Dr Joseph Byrne from NUI Galway received his award as part of a government investment of €10.8 million in Irish research funding through Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Starting Investigator Research Grant (SIRG), announced by Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen TD. With awards ranging from €376,000 to €425,000 over four years, the projects funded will support 20 researchers and a further 20 PhD students in the research areas of health, energy, environment, materials and technology. Many disease-causing bacteria produce proteins, which are known to interact with sugar molecules. These interactions will allow the design of useful sensors. Dr Byrne’s research will develop novel devices that will indicate the presence of specific bacteria through colour changes, caused by the interactions of their proteins with laboratory-produced sugar-based chemical compounds on the surface of newly-designed materials. This will provide a convenient visual strategy to identify disease-causing bacteria. 3D-printing will be used to create these compact diagnostic devices, which will benefit patient outcomes and quality of life. This new technology could also be deployed in other scenarios such as detecting bacterial contamination of water supplies. Speaking about his funding award, Dr Joseph Byrne from NUI Galway, said: “Rapid diagnosis of bacteria is vital to inform appropriate medical treatment strategies and combat increasing antibiotic resistance globally. By providing a new methodology for rapid diagnosis of bacterial infection, my work will facilitate quicker decision-making on targeted medical treatment strategies for patients. In Ireland this would be particularly valuable for rapid diagnosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, a significant risk factor for cystic fibrosis patients (as well as others with compromised immune systems). More generally, helping clinicians avoid the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics would help combat the global challenge of increased antibiotic resistance.”    Speaking about the awards, Minister Breen said: “I am delighted to announce these SFI Starting Investigator Awards which allow researchers to advance their work and further develop their careers as the next research leaders in Ireland and internationally. These innovative projects demonstrate the impressive cutting-edge research taking place across Ireland, which has significant potential to positively advance Ireland’s economy and society, and further solidify its reputation as a world-leader in scientific advancements.” Welcoming the announcement, Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said: “Science Foundation Ireland supports researchers at every stage of their careers. The SIRG awards help early-career researchers develop the essential skills and experience necessary to lead Ireland’s future research in areas such as health, energy, materials and technology. Having passed through a rigorous competitive international merit review process, these projects continue to advance Ireland’s international research. A native of Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Dr Joseph Byrne joins the School of Chemistry and CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices at NUI Galway, following a Marie Curie Research Fellowship at Universität Bern, Switzerland. His main research focus is developing new technology for faster clinical diagnosis of bacterial infections by exploiting interactions between biomolecules and the innovative sensor materials, which will be designed during the course of this SIRG project. The research will be multidisciplinary, building on fundamental chemistry and biochemical interactions to develop diagnostic devices using 3D-printing technology.

Galway University Musical Society’s (GUMS) 19th annual show ‘Pippin – The Musical’ will be staged in the Black Box Theatre from Tuesday 5-9 February at 8pm. ‘Pippin’ is a 1972 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance. Cian Elwood, GUMS Auditor, said: “Pippin is an amazing theatrical experience from the moment the audience sits down to the finale. Be prepared to be blown away by the one of the best GUMS' shows to hit the BlackBox stage!” GUMS is an amateur society run by students with a passion for musicals. Their productions have been nominated for numerous The Associations of Musical Societies (AIMS) awards, most recently nominated for best choreography in 2017. They have received rave reviews throughout their years in NUI Galway and a number of their previous cast members have gone on to study musical theatre in London. NUI Galway Societies Officer Riona Hughes said: “From September the Musical Society has been rehearsing tirelessly for this year's production of Pippin. We are all very excited to see what they have in store for all to see in the Black Box Theatre.” Tickets are €15 or €12 for concession (students or OAPs). Tickets are on sale now online at www.tht.ie and from the Town Hall Theatre and the Socs Box in Áras na Mac Léinn, NUI Galway.

Study Finds Wearable Electronic Device May Reduce Mobility Issues in Parkinson’s Disease Wednesday, 23 January, 2018: Engineers and scientists at NUI Galway in collaboration with clinical professionals from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) have carried out a clinical study which has produced promising results for people with Parkinson’s disease with mobility issues. The research found that ‘fixed’ rhythmic sensory electrical stimulation (sES) designed to prevent Freezing of Gait (movement abnormality), significantly reduced the time taken for a person with Parkinson’s disease to complete a walking task and the number of ‘Freezing of Gait’ episodes which occurred, helping them to walk more effectively. The study involved a group of people with Parkinson’s testing how effective the sES electronic device was in helping them to manage this debilitating motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Healthcare Engineering. Professor Gearóid Ó Laighin and the research team from the Human Movement Laboratory in CÚRAM at NUI Galway have a programme of research developing a suite of unobtrusive, wearable electronic devices to help manage this debilitating motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease. As part of this work, the project team have developed a novel wearable electronic device worn around the waist, called ‘cueStim’, designed to prevent or relieve Freezing of Gait, commonly described by people with Parkinson’s, as a feeling as if their feet are stuck or glued to the floor preventing them from moving forward. The condition gained prominence recently when Billy Connolly spoke of his fear of being unable to move freely on stage in his documentary Made in Scotland. Speaking candidly about the abnormality, the much loved comedian said: “I didn’t know how standing there would feel...I discovered that I got kinda rooted to the spot and became afraid to move. Instead of going away to the front of the stage and prowling along the front the way I used to do I stood where I was.” NUI Galway Co-investigator, Dr. Leo Quinlan, from Physiology in the School of Medicine at NUI Galway, said: “These results are very encouraging as they show that cueStim reduced Freezing of Gait episodes and the time to complete a walking task in an independent clinical assessment with a pilot home-based study carried out by NHSGGC.” Professor Gearóid Ó Laighin, said: “We are now seeking additional clinical partners to work with NUI Galway in carrying out a comprehensive long-term clinical evaluation of cueStim in enhancing the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease through a funded programme of research.” The clinical study was designed by Dr Anne-Louise Cunnington, Consultant Geriatrician and Ms Lois Rosenthal, Movement Disorder Specialist and Highly Specialised Physiotherapist, both from NHSGGC, and involved the participants completing a home based self-identified walking  Ms Lois Rosenthal, NHSGGC, said: “Freezing of gait is one of the most frustrating and difficult symptoms for patients to suffer and specialists to treat. This common feature of Parkinson’s is not improved by Parkinson’s medications, and is inconsistently responsive to cueing techniques trialled by physiotherapists. This collaboration between NUI Galway and NHSGGC explored a novel intervention and results were very encouraging. We now need a larger scale study to further evaluate effectiveness and real-life practicality.” The cueStim system was developed by Dean Sweeney as part of his PhD studies in the Discipline of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at NUI Galway. The results provide evidence that sensory electrical stimulation cueing delivered in a “fixed” rhythmic manner has the potential to be an effective cueing mechanism for Freezing of Gait prevention. The study was jointly funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Framework 7 programme of the European Commission and was carried out in collaboration with Stobhill Hospital and Glasgow Royal Infirmary within NHSGGC. To read the full study in the Journal of Healthcare Engineering, visit: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jhe/2018/4684925/.

A study by the Centre for Pain Research at NUI Galway is seeking participants to trial a new online programme offering psychological support for people with chronic pain and at least one other chronic condition. Chronic pain is a common condition in Ireland, and has been associated with an increased risk of depression, decreased ability to work, and increased costs to the person directly and to the state. A growing number of people have the additional burden of multiple chronic conditions, known as multimorbidity. Access to psychological support can be a particular difficulty for people with multimorbidity and can add strain due to the cost and time involved. Additionally, standard supports are generally aimed at the self-management of single specific chronic conditions, and don’t take into account the impact of having multiple conditions with various competing symptoms and treatments to manage.   With this in mind, researchers in the Centre for Pain Research are developing and trialling an online psychological programme for people with multiple chronic conditions. The ACTION for Multimorbidity study is recruiting adults in Ireland with chronic pain (pain that has persisted for three months or longer) and at least one other chronic condition to trial the programme. The ACTION programme provides eight online sessions, tailored for those wishing to learn effective ways of managing their health conditions. Participants will be provided with instructions on a range of activity-pacing techniques to encourage consistent levels of activity from day to day. In addition, mindfulness techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy will help the identification of negative thinking patterns and the development of effective challenges. In researching online programmes such as these, the Centre for Pain Research hopes to enable increased access to effective treatments for chronic conditions. Professor Brian McGuire, principal investigator on the study at NUI Galway, explains: “We know that psychological therapies provided to people with chronic conditions are beneficial, but often hard to access. In this trial, we will offer an online programme to people all over the country, with any combination of conditions and chronic pain, to try alongside any existing treatments they are already using.”  The entire study is carried out online, and participants will not need to travel to NUI Galway at any stage. Participants will be asked to complete three questionnaires about their health over a five-month period, and after the first questionnaire will be randomly assigned to receive either immediate or delayed access to the online programme. All materials can be accessed on PCs and mobile devices, and contact with the research team will be primarily through email, with occasional phone calls. Participants can continue their usual treatments while involved in the trial.  To participate, please email the researchers at painresearch@nuigalway.ie. The current phase of recruitment will close in March, with participants usually starting the study within days of first making contact. Details of this study, and other work by the Centre for Pain Research, are available at:  http://www.nuigalway.ie/centre-for-pain-research/.

Regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of patients with Type 1 diabetes The NUI Galway coordinated DELIVER programme, which will train six early career translational research scientists in the field of insulin producing cell transplantation for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes has been awarded €1.6 million in EU Horizon 2020 funding. Each early stage researcher will spend half of their time with an academic partner and the other half with an industry partner which will ensure a focus on clinical translation of the outcomes of the research.  JDRF, the world’s largest non-profit funder of Type 1 diabetes research says that Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. Without insulin production the body has trouble regulating its blood-glucose, or blood-sugar, levels. Type 1 diabetes can be diagnosed early in life but also in adulthood. Its causes are not fully known, and there is currently no cure. People with this form of diabetes are dependent on injected or pumped insulin to survive. If not treated properly, people are vulnerable to health issues ranging from minor to severe. Chronic high blood sugar often causes devastating health complications later in life, including blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and nerve damage that can lead to amputations.  The DELIVER programme will develop new strategies to deliver pancreatic insulin producing cells effectively in a targeted and protected fashion to transplant sites in the body. This programme is a major interdisciplinary effort between cell biologists, experts in biomaterials, medical devices and advanced drug delivery, clinical experts and biomedical companies focused on academic training and spearheading innovative medical devices for insulin producing cell transplantation.  DELIVER will be led by Professor Garry Duffy, Anatomy, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, along with his NUI Galway colleagues, Dr Eimear Dolan, Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, Professor Timothy O’Brien and Dr Liam Burke from the College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, and Dr Esther O’Sullivan from UCH Galway.  Professor Garry Duffy at NUI Galway, said: “We are delighted to lead the DELIVER programme and to continue to translate new collaborative research for the benefit of patients with Type 1 diabetes. We are also excited to train the next generation of researchers in this area, and to give them the industrial skills necessary to have real patient impact. Regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of patients who have Type 1 diabetes, and through DELIVER we will develop new technologies to enhance stem cell therapies for these patients by improving the longevity of the implants.”  DELIVER will also link to research expertise in two Science Foundation Ireland funded research centres at NUI Galway, AMBER and CỨRAM. Professor Duffy is a funded investigator in both of these centres and the new early stage researchers will have exposure to leading research in materials science and medical devices through this interaction.  The programme builds on research efforts from another large EU funded project, DRIVE which is also coordinated by Professor Garry Duffy at NUI Galway, and will see further capacity for research in the area of cell based solutions for Type 1 diabetes. See: www.drive-project.eu.  The DELIVER training partners join from three EU countries comprising of Academic (NUI Galway, Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, and RCSI, Dublin); Industry (Boston Scientific Galway, Explora SRL, Rome); and Clinical (Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital, Milan) participants.   DELIVER has received funding under a European Union Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Innovative Training Network (ITN) grant agreement.  Recruitment for the six early career translational research scientists positions will be available online at the end of January at: http://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/jobs/. 

University Welcomes Decision Which Ensures Eligibility for Free Fees Initiative NUI Galway today welcomed confirmation from the Department of Education and Skills that eligible students from the UK who enrol for eligible courses for the 2019/2020 academic year will be able to avail of the Department’s Free Fee Schemes as in previous years. This means that students from Northern Ireland eligible under the Free Fees Initiative for 2019/2020 will be entitled to avail of the initiative for the duration of their course. This clarification addresses concerns surrounding the looming Brexit deadline and the potential negative impact on these students when the UK leaves the European Union. Speaking on the matter, NUI Galway Registrar and Deputy President Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh, said: “Historically the catchment area for NUI Galway is contiguous to Northern Ireland and it is very important that A Level students in Northern Ireland who wish to study at NUI Galway are not disadvantaged as a result of the UK’s departure from the European Union. In recent years our student numbers from Northern Ireland have been showing an upward trend and we are looking forward to welcoming an increasing number of Northern Irish students coming to NUI Galway to study one of the 67 undergraduate degrees on offer.” Students and parents from Northern Ireland considering applying to NUI Galway for 2019 entry are encouraged to attend the University’s undergraduate Open Day taking place on Saturday, 6 April. According to Sarah Geraghty, Head of Student Recruitment and Outreach at NUI Galway: “Students and parents visiting from Northern Ireland will have an opportunity to see just how close NUI Galway is to home, tour the on-campus accommodation facilities and find out how affordable the cost of living can be for students in NUI Galway compared with other study destinations.” For further information on applying to NUI Galway from Northern Ireland visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/undergrad-admissions/faqs/. -Ends-

A new book Transforming Language Teaching and Learning by Dr Patrick Farren in the School of Education at NUI Galway, calls for a radical shift in how we understand and approach language teaching, learning, and assessment in schools. Dr Farren carried out three studies in collaboration with educators and student-teachers at NUI Galway, King’s College London, Boston College, MA, and neighbouring post-primary schools. Dr Farren, says: “The studies examine modern foreign language teaching and learning from an autonomous language teaching and learning perspective.  Language is understood not only in terms of competence but as language in use, which is an action-oriented process. The classroom is understood as a space in which learners are immersed in the target language. The studies examine the impact of social interaction linked to target language use in context, and of critical reflection in which learners plan, monitor, and self-assess. Assessment for learning strategies and use of a portfolio are seen to support learners in developing the capacity to accept responsibility for their language learning.” Dr Farren added: “Engaged learning is seen to enhance autonomous language teaching and learning by integrating ‘new’ literacies such as, critical, digital and media literacies, and intercultural literacy, with the development of the traditional and basic literacies of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It suggests that a more integrated, whole school approach to language teaching and learning would support language learners in making connections across languages and cultures, and by implication, support the development of a more cohesive society. Overall, it shows how teachers can develop a more encompassing professional identity as research practitioners and leaders with the capacity to make evidence informed decisions based on moral values.” A native of Buncrana in County Donegal, Dr Farren has taught and carried out research in countries including the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Finland, Libya, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US.  The book includes interviews with international experts, Dr Paul Black on assessment, and Maria Brisk on addressing the needs of English language learners.  Writing in the Foreword to the book, Dr Jane Jones, Head of Modern Foreign Language Teacher Education, King’s College London, refers to how teachers in the studies are understood as “creators and not just deliverers of knowledge”, and how the book is “a liberating account of what happens when student-teachers and teacher educators not only understand the moral purpose of teaching but inhabit a space in which conditions are created for a transformative pedagogy to flourish”. The principles of language empowerment, critical consciousness, interdependence, and moral values are at the centre of participants’ interpretations of ‘transformative pedagogy’ in the book.  The book will be of interest to teacher educators, parents, student-teachers, researchers, students in any sector of education, language teachers and parents of children taking the new junior cycle programme, education bodies, as well as the general reader with an interest in language learning and education.   The book is published by Peter Lang International, and is available online from the publisher and from www.amazon.com.  -Ends-  

Dr Georganne Nordstrom from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work and conduct research at NUI Galway’s Academic Writing Centre and to teach in the School of Humanities from January 2019. An expert in Composition and Rhetoric, Dr Nordstrom directs the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Writing Center. Her research and teaching focuses on writing centre studies, critical and place-based pedagogy, and examinations of Indigenous and minority rhetorics, with a specific focus on Hawaiʻi’s Creole, Pidgin. Dr Nordstrom’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity in teaching is reflected in the international symposium on Writing and Well-being, which will be held at NUI Galway in April 2019. Co-organised by Dr Nordstrom and Dr Irina Ruppo, NUI Galway’s Academic Writing Centre, the symposium is set to attract experts on Composition and Writing from across Ireland, Europe and the US. The symposium will address such issues as the impact of writing on students’ stress levels, interventions to nurture and support well-being during the writing process, the role of writing centres and other pedagogical initiatives in facilitating student well-being, as well as the intersections between well-being and marginalised identity markers and inclusivity efforts.  Inclusivity and the teaching of academic writing will also be addressed at a unique workshop conducted by academic tutors from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Writing Center and funded by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Project Fund which will take place on Tuesday, 29 January. This workshop, organised ahead of Dr Nordstrom’s arrival, is the first instance of the many ways in which Dr Nordstom’s expertise is set to benefit the NUI Galway community. Niall McSweeney, Head of Research and Learning, James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway, said: “I would like to congratulate Dr Nordstrom on her appointment and look forward to welcoming her here shortly. It is the start of a great collaborative opportunity for both the Academic Writing Centre and the School of Humanities. I am sure Dr Nordstrom’s expertise will provide a truly international perspective too.”

Professor William A. Schabas, Emeritus Professor at NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights will deliver a Holocaust Memorial Lecture on the role that ideas of racial superiority played in the Holocaust. The lecture, entitled “Genocide, the Holocaust, and the Lie of Racial Superiority”, will take place on Wednesday, 23 January at 7pm in the Lecture Theatre, Ryan Institute Annexe, NUI Galway Professor Schabas will discuss international efforts, including those of international law, to condemn notions of racial superiority, linking this to the Holocaust, but also to colonialism and the slave trade. He will talk briefly about his own family's experiences with Nazi racism and genocide. Professor Ray Murphy, Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway, said: “There are echoes of the narrative of racial superiority and hatred that preceded the Holocaust in much of the political discourse around the world today. For this reason it is important to recall the language used by political leaders and the events that led to the Holocaust to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.” The event will be introduced by Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights and chaired by Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh, Registrar and Deputy President at NUI Galway. Professor Schabas is Emeritus Professor of Human Rights Law at NUI Galway and honorary chairman of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Professor of International Law at Middlesex University and at Leiden University, and a member of the Royal Irish Academy. He is an invited visiting scholar at the Paris School of International Affairs (Sciences Politiques), Honorary Professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, visiting fellow of Kellogg College of the University of Oxford, visiting fellow of Northumbria University, and professeur associé at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Professor Schabas is also a 'door tenant' at the chambers of 9 Bedford Row, in London. Professor Schabas has published extensively in the field of international human rights and criminal law. His most recent book is The Trial of the Kaiser, published by Oxford University Press.

The Rathcroghan Resource Community has been successful in its bid under the European Innovation Partnership (EIP-Agri), through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for its project, ‘Farming Rathcroghan: Sustainable Farming in the Rathcroghan Archaeological Landscape’ and has been awarded a grant of almost €1 million (€984,000) to implement this project over the course of the next five years. Joe Fenwick and Dr Kieran O’Conor from the Discipline of Archaeology at NUI Galway, as well as PhD candidate Daniel Curley, the Farming Rathcroghan Project Co-ordinator, are an integral part of the Rathcroghan Resource Community, which has been instrumental in making this successful project proposal under the EIP-Agri scheme. The Discipline of Archaeology has had a research interest in Rathcroghan, the ancient ‘royal’ capital of Connacht, and the general north Roscommon area over the past 40 years or more, and these endeavors continue to the present day as part of a more expansive interdisciplinary initiative, ‘The Connacht Project’.* The ‘Farming Rathcroghan’ project is a logical progression of the NUI Galway’s on-going involvement with the greater Rathcroghan community and most especially its farmers, who have been custodians of this remarkable landscape over the centuries.  Speaking about the project, Joe Fenwick, Archaeological Field Officer from the School of Geography and Archaeology at NUI Galway, said: “The ‘Farming Rathcroghan’ project is an exciting new initiative with enormous potential for the future. Its objectives are to manage, care for and conserve this important archaeological landscape by implementing a programme of economically sustainable and ecologically sound farming practices, while also facilitating visitor access to the area.” The project will formulate, test and develop a suite of innovative management solutions designed to sustain a viable and vibrant rural farming community in the context of a culturally and ecologically sensitive landscape. In so doing, the project aims to raise awareness among the general public of the significance of Rathcroghan as a farmed archaeological landscape and promote the proactive role of farmers and farming in the care and maintenance of the living landscape in harmony with its rich cultural heritage and ecological assets. The project team hope that some of its tried and tested practices can be applied to other culturally sensitive landscapes throughout Ireland and the European Union and so the ‘Farming Rathcroghan’ project might become a flagship project for others to follow in the future. The ‘Farming Rathcroghan’ project has been developed using a locally led partnership approach. Its operational group, the Rathcroghan Resource Community, consists of a lead partner, Farming Rathcroghan CLG (comprising directors from Rathcroghan Farmers, Tulsk Action Group and Rathcroghan Visitor Centre) and various operational group members (comprising the School of Geography and Archaeology at NUI Galway; Roscommon County Council; Teagasc, Agriculture and Food Development Authority; World Heritage Unit, National Monuments Service, Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht). For more about the ‘Farming Rathcroghan’ project and other EIP-Agri related projects visit the National Rural Network website at: https://www.nationalruralnetwork.ie/innovation

A team of researchers from NUI Galway and the Federal University of Viçosa in Brazil have had their opinion article published in the international journal Trends in Plant Science, proposing to use gene editing technology for the production into tomatoes of capsaicinoids, the spicy compound found in chilli peppers. Co-author of the article, Dr Ronan Sulpice from Plant and Botany Science, Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, said: “All genes necessary for the production of capsaicinoids are already present in tomatoes. However, they are silent, and we are proposing to activate them using gene editing technology. However, the challenge is massive because the pathway responsible for the synthesis of these compounds is very complex, so we are very likely far from the day we will consume spicy tomatoes.” Senior author of the article, Dr Agustin Zsögön at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, said: “Engineering the capsaicinoid genetic pathway to the tomato would make it easier and cheaper to produce this compound, which has very interesting applications. We have the tools powerful enough to engineer the genome of any species; the challenge is to know which gene to engineer and where.” Spicy tomatoes could be commercialised for food consumption, but the main aim is to use them as biofactories for capsaicinoids production towards industrial uses. The rationale is that tomatoes are much more yielding than peppers, with up to 110 tonnes of fruits per hectare compared to around 3 tonnes per hectare, and have more stable yields. As a result, tomatoes would allow a much higher production of capsaicinoids.  These spicy compounds have significant nutritional and commercial uses, such as in cancer treatment, anti-inflammatory and pain medication, and even pepper spray. Currently efforts are ongoing in Brazil to produce the tomatoes, and first results are expected by the end of this year. If successful, the scientists are considering even more imaginative ways that tomatoes may be used to produce other high value compounds. Importantly, this work remains hypothetical, in the context of how to regulate CRISPR gene-edited crop varieties. Switching on an already present gene using a process called mutagenesis is different from transgenesis, the introduction of foreign genes into an organism. In 2018, the EU and the US came to opposing decisions on how to classify these newer forms of gene-edited plants. So, while the prospect of spicy tomatoes may raise the interest of some people, we are a very long way from commercially growing such varieties. To read the full opinion article in Trends in Plant Science, visit: https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/fulltext/S1360-1385(18)30261-9 -Ends-

NUI Galway researchers who established and rolled out the national SMART Consent programme have just announced a major four-year programme of research and implementation on Active Consent, funded by Lifes2good Foundation in partnership with Galway University Foundation and NUI Galway. The programme was officially launched by the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD and Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of NUI Galway today (Friday, 11 January). The Active Consent programme will be led by NUI Galway’s SMART Consent team; Dr Pádraig MacNeela, Dr Siobhán O’Higgins, and Kate Dawson from the School of Psychology, and Dr Charlotte McIvor from the Centre for Drama and Theatre Studies. The programme targets young people from 16-23 years of age in order to promote a positive approach to the important issue of sexual consent and will partner with a range of schools and sporting organisations in the delivery of the Active Consent initiative. Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, commented: “I wish to congratulate Dr Pádraig MacNeela and his team of researchers in securing funding for this programme, Active Consent. It is an important step forward and takes a new and original approach, which we need on issues to do with equality and sexual violence. The team are taking on a difficult subject in a positive way that respects young people’s capacity for independence and decision-making. Within the Department of Education, I am leading the call for a collective national standard for our higher education institutions on supporting consent and responding to sexual violence on campuses. I am confident that my expert group, of which Dr MacNeela is a member, will be reporting back to me within the next two weeks and we will then be in a position to devise national standards that all of our higher education institutions will have to implement. In conclusion we all have the same mission, to make our institutions safe and respectful places of learning for all. The Active Consent programme will help to put Ireland at the forefront of this progressive action.” Welcoming the announcement Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of NUI Galway, said: “NUI Galway is committed to ensuring that all our students have a safe and positive experience with us. We are also determined to ensure we share our knowledge and expertise in research, practice and the arts to address wider societal challenges. The work of the SMART Consent team is a real example of how our academic scholarship can have a substantive social impact as it contributes in a very practical way to the important work of promoting sexual consent in Ireland. Through this new Active Consent programme our University, with the generous philanthropic support of Lifes2good, will promote and share new strategies to develop young people and promote positive messaging on active sexual consent. I am confident that this Active Consent programme will have a positive impact on the lives and futures of countless young people and I commend Lifes2good Foundation and our partners in education and sporting organisations for their initiative in joining us in this important work. Together we can achieve the culture of respect and equality that we wish for our young people.” Key aims of the Active Consent programme To design and implement practical tools and strategies that reach young people from 16-23 years of age with positive messaging on active sexual consent.To promote active consent so that young people feel confident and skilled in communicating with their partners about intimacy. To reach across three key youth settings (higher education institutions, senior cycle in schools and sports organisations). To support young people using multiple implementation methods that will include workshops, drama, training, videos, and online resources. To promote critical thinking about pornography, supported by an online platform on consent education for students, parents, and teachers. Dr Pádraig MacNeela said: “We want to promote a positive, proactive approach to sexual consent, and this funding gives us a unique opportunity to do this over the next four years. There is a unique team behind this programme, from Psychology and Sexual Health Promotion, to Drama and Theatre Studies. We are combining Irish research data with proven youth engagement methods and the creative arts to support a full range of sexual consent messaging.” Dr Siobhán O’Higgins said: “The opportunity to deliver core messages about consent across all settings will promote joined up, consistent support for positive relationships. The messaging is important, but it is also critical that we work in partnership with institutions and groups in each setting to address their specific needs and opportunities.” Creative Arts Creative arts and communications are at the centre of the team’s work, using drama, film and other methods as communication strategies to deliver statistics, research findings, and messaging on positive sexual health. Dr Charlotte McIvor says: “To change social norms in the long-term, we believe that consent messaging should be delivered in ways that engage, entertain, and educate. Using the creative arts allows us to pose questions as well as give answers, and show the human and emotional dimensions of the grey areas of consent.”  The SMART Consent team have worked in partnership with students and staff at colleges such as NUI Galway, GMIT, DCU, UL, NCAD, among others, to train facilitators and deliver sexual consent workshops. Over the four years of this new programme, the team will establish partnerships across schools and sports settings as well. The first partnership they have in place for secondary schools is with the WISER Programme (AIDS West), delivered across approximately 50 primary and secondary schools in the West of Ireland. James Murphy, Co-founder of Lifes2good Foundation, said: “As a graduate of NUI Galway, I welcome the opportunity to give something back to the University, especially for such an innovative programme such as this. In my business life I have found that research pays dividends. I also know that good marketing works. This programme is based on research with the ambition to project a message that resonates with as many young people as possible. It will support boys and young men in a non-judgmental way to engage in meaningful reflection that promotes active consent.” Maria Murphy, Co-founder of Lifes2good Foundation, added: “As a mother of four adult children, I am convinced of the need for programmes such as this in Ireland. This is a major grant for Lifes2Good Foundation over four years, but it is the start of what we hope will be a national programme taken on by government to impact young people in Ireland for many years to come. The main focus of Lifes2good Foundation is on vulnerable women and children. But we are interested in preventative strategies as well as remedial, and this programme focuses on attitudes and beliefs as a foundation for positive behaviour.” Lifes2good Foundation and Galway University Foundation are Galway based foundations. Together they will enable the Active Consent programme to support research and implementation in colleges, schools, and sports clubs across Ireland from 2019-2022. Lifes2good Foundation funding is supported by partial matched funding from NUI Galway. View two short interactive films on consent that invites viewers to experiment actively with the idea that one sexual encounter can have many possible outcomes when it comes to the negotiation of consent between partners. See films: ‘Tom and Julie’ and ‘Kieran and Jake’ here: http://www.nuigalway.ie/consent=omfg/   Video on Consent is OMFG (Ongoing, Mutual, and Freely Given): https://youtu.be/AtSP3gAJpuw -Ends-

NUI Galway will host a CAO information evening for students, parents, guardians and guidance counsellors in the Radisson Hotel in Letterkenny on Thursday, 17th January from 7-9pm.   The evening will begin with short talks about NUI Galway and the undergraduate courses it offers. Afterwards, current students and NUI Galway staff will be on hand to answer any individual questions in relation to courses and practical issues like accommodation, fees and scholarships, and the wide range of support services available to our students. The ever-increasing popularity of NUI Galway is in-part due to its innovative programmes developed in response to the changing needs of the employment market. NUI Galway is launching three new Arts degrees for enrolment in 2019. This includes a BA (History and Globalisation), BA Government (Politics, Economics and Law) and a BA Education (Computer Science and Mathematical Studies). The University will also launch a new degree in Law and Human Rights for 2019. At the information evening there will be a representative from across the University’s five colleges available to answer questions about the programmes on offer, entry requirements, and placement and employment opportunities. Representatives from Shannon College of Hotel Management, an NUI Galway college will also attend the event. Members of the Accommodation Office will be on hand to answer any queries about on-campus or off-campus options, including the new Goldcrest on-campus development, which sees 429 new beds this year, bringing the total of on-campus beds to 1193. Letterkenny based company Optum, a leading information and technology enabled health service business, and a major employer in County Donegal, provide scholarships for Donegal students applying to a number of NUI Galway programmes. A representative from Optum will be on hand at the information evening to provide information on the scholarships and the application process. Sarah Geraghty, Student Recruitment and Outreach Manager at NUI Galway, said: “NUI Galway has strong links throughout the North West, having opened a medical academy in Letterkenny in addition to providing Irish language courses in Ionad Ghaoth Dobhair. We are delighted to have the opportunity to visit Donegal and showcase all of the undergraduate courses on offer at NUI Galway and throughout the West. With so many courses on offer, this event is a perfect opportunity for prospective students to meet current students and lecturers to see what degree might be the right fit for them.” With the CAO deadline for applications approaching on 1st February this is the perfect opportunity for parents and students to find out more about the opportunities at NUI Galway, and how to make the right CAO choice for them. For more information contact Grainne Dunne, School Liaison Officer on grainne.dunne@nuigalway.ie or 087 2440858. -Ends-

Lectures will be followed by screening of ‘Bride of Frankenstein and ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ Sir Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art and Professor of Cultural History with the College, will deliver two free public lectures at NUI Galway’s Huston School of Film and Digital Media on Wednesday, 16 and Thursday, 17 January. The first lecture, ‘Frankenstein - the first two hundred years’ will take place on Wednesday, 16 January at 6pm. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was first published on New Year's Day 1818. This illustrated lecture will celebrate the novel's 200th birthday by exploring its difficult journey into print, and its colourful afterlife on stage, in films, and within everyday culture. In the era of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, IVF treatments, robotics, three-parent families and animal-human interfaces, the lecture will argue that the modern creation myth of 'Frankenstein' - the one where it is the scientist who does the creating - has never been more relevant. 'Frankenstein' is one of the most-filmed stories of all time - up there with Sherlock Holmes and Dracula and Sir Frayling will discuss some of the reasons why. The lecture will be following by a screening of ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ in the Huston School. On Thursday, 17 January, Sir Frayling will deliver his lecture ‘Once Upon a Time in the West: Shooting a Masterpiece’ at 3pm, followed by a screening of the movie. Sergio Leone's film ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ set out to be the ultimate Western - a celebration of the power of classic Hollywood cinema, a meditation on the making of America, and a lament for the decline of one of the most cherished of film genres in the form of a "dance of death". With this film, Sergio Leone said a fond farewell to the noisy and flamboyant world of the Italian Western, which he had created with 'A Fistful of Dollars' and sequels, and aimed for something much more ambitious - an exploration of the relationship between myth, history and his own autobiography as an avid film-goer. Sir Christopher Frayling was until recently Chairman of Arts Council England and former Chairman of the Design Council. He is well-known as an historian, critic and an award-winning broadcaster. His many books include Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula; The Yellow Peril – Dr Fu Manchu and the Rise of Chinophobia; Inside the Bloody Chamber: on Angela Carter, the Gothic and other weird tales; and Sergio Leone: Once Upon a Time in Italy. Dr Tony Tracy, Acting Head of the Huston School of Film and Digital Media at NUI Galway, said: “We are delighted to welcome a guest of the stature of Sir Christopher Frayling to the Huston School of Film and Digital Media. Chris has had a distinguished career in education, broadcasting and cultural policy but these lectures capture some of his most enduring contributions: he has written and broadcast better than anyone on Frankenstein and the horror genre and is responsible not only for the definitive biography on Sergio Leone but for coining the term spaghetti western!” -Ends-

The 14th annual Teddy Bear Hospital at NUI Galway will take place Thursday and Friday, 17 and 18 January. The event will see over 1,200 sick teddy bears admitted to the hospital, accompanied by their minders, 1,200 primary school children. The event is organised by the Sláinte Society, NUI Galway’s health promotion society that focuses on promoting all aspects of physical and mental health. Up to 200 medical, healthcare and science students will diagnose and treat the teddy bears. In the process, they hope to help children, ranging in age from 3-8 years, feel more comfortable around doctors and hospitals. Over the years, children have come along with teddy bears suffering from an imaginative range of sore ears, sick tummies and all kinds of other weird and wonderful ailments. Anna Lynam, a second year Occupational Therapy student at NUI Galway and co-auditor of Sláinte Society, said: “We are so excited to welcome the 14th annual Teddy Bear Hospital this year. Despite the ever-growing demand from schools to attend the event, we strive to include as many schools as possible; conscious that each and every teddy bear in Galway deserves the best care. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first ‘patients’ and hope to present an atmosphere of fun, enthusiasm and encouragement for all.” This year, 29 local primary schools are participating in the event, equating to over 1,200 children. On arrival at the Teddy Bear Hospital on campus, the children each have an individual consultation with one of the teddy doctors on call. The ‘patients’ will be examined by the doctors and will receive a ‘pawscription’ and referral to surgery or x-ray. The students will have specially designed X-ray and MRI machines on hand, should the teddy bears need them.  Recuperating teddy bears can avail of medical supplies from the Teddy Bear Pharmacy, stocked with healthy fruit from Total Produce and Fyffes, along with medical supplies sponsored by Matt O’Flaherty Chemist. After all this excitement the children can enjoy a bouncy castle and entertainment from NUI Galway’s Circus Society. Sponsorship for the event comes from Bank of Ireland, Medical Protection Society and Dunnes Stores. Ríona Hughes, NUI Galway’s Societies Officer, said: “The Teddy Bear hospital is a magical opportunity for the society to invite the children and their teddies to campus and provide a valuable learning experience for all. It is one of the NUI Galway societies’ most colourful and endearing community outreach programme and we are thrilled with its success. Congratulations to Sláinte Society who engage such a large number of our students in this event for such a positive purpose and we look forward to a rewarding few days for all involved.” -Ends- Déanann mic léinn leighis OÉ Gaillimh ceiliúradh ar cheithre bliana déag d'Otharlann na mBéiríní Reáchtálfar 14ú Otharlann na mBéiríní in OÉ Gaillimh i mbliana ar an Déardaoin agus an Aoine, an 17 agus an 18 Eanáir. Tiocfaidh breis agus 1,200 páiste bunscoile chuig an ospidéal lena mbéiríní tinne le go gcuirfí cóir leighis orthu. Is é Cumann Sláinte OÉ Gaillimh atá i mbun an ócáid a eagrú. Díríonn an cumann ar gach gné den tsláinte fhisiciúil agus den mheabhairshláinte a chur chun cinn. Beidh suas le 200 mac léinn leighis, cúraim sláinte agus eolaíochta i láthair chun na béiríní a dhiagnóisiú agus a leigheas. Tá súil acu go gcuideoidh an ócáid le páistí idir 3-8 mbliana d’aois a bheith ar a suaimhneas le dochtúirí nó i dtimpeallacht ospidéil. Tá béiríní tugtha chuig an ospidéal ag páistí i gcaitheamh na mblianta agus iad ag samhlú go raibh réimse leathan tinnis ag gabháil dóibh, leithéidí cluasa tinne, boilg bhreoite agus gach cineál easláinte eile faoin spéir. Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag Anna Lynam, mac léinn le Teiripe Shaothair sa dara bliain in OÉ Gaillimh agus comh-iniúchóir an Chumainn Sláinte: “Táimid ag súil go mór le 14ú Otharlann na mBéiríní i mbliana. D’ainneoin go bhfuil borradh ag teacht ar an éileamh ó scoileanna, déanaimid tréaniarracht freastal ar an líon is mó scoileanna agus is féidir; ar ndóigh, níl ach an chóir leighis is fearr dá bhfuil ann tuillte ag gach béirín i nGaillimh. Táimid ag fanacht go foighneach ar na chéad ‘othair’ agus tá súil againn gur atmaisféar spraíúil agus spreagúil a bheidh rompu. Tá 29 bunscoil áitiúil agus breis agus 1,200 páiste ag glacadh páirte san ócáid i mbliana. Gabhfaidh na páistí i gcomhairle le duine de na dochtúirí béiríní tar éis dóibh a theacht i láthair ag Otharlann na mBéiríní ar an gcampas. Déanfaidh na dochtúirí scrúdú ar na ‘hothair’ agus tabharfar oideas dóibh, agus cuirfear ar atreo ansin iad le haghaidh obráide nó x-gha. Beidh meaisíní speisialta x-gha agus MRI ag na mic léinn ar fhaitíos go mbeidís ag teastáil ó na béiríní. Beidh na béiríní atá ag teacht chucu féin in ann ábhair leighis a fháil i gCógaslann na mBéiríní, áit a mbeidh torthaí sláintiúla le fáil a bhuíochas le Total Fruit agus Fyffes, mar aon le hábhair leighis urraithe ag Cógaslann Matt O’Flaherty. Nuair a bheidh an méid sin curtha díobh acu, beidh deis ag na páistí spraoi ar an bpreabchaisleán agus beidh Cumann Sorcais OÉ Gaillimh i mbun siamsaíochta. Is iad Bank of Ireland, an Cumann Cosanta Leighis agus Dunnes Stores a chuir an urraíocht ar fáil chun an ócáid a reáchtáil. Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag Ríona Hughes, Oifigeach na gCumann in OÉ Gaillimh: “Is deis iontach é Ospidéal na mBéiríní don chumann chun cuireadh a thabhairt do pháistí agus a mbéiríní chuig an gcampas agus chun taithí luachmhar foghlama a chur ar fáil do chách. Tá sé ar cheann de na cláir for-rochtana pobail is taitneamhaí agus is spraíúla atá idir lámha ag cumainn OÉ Gaillimh agus táimid an-bhródúil as a rathúla is atá sé. Comhghairdeas leis an gCumann Sláinte a thugann deis do líon chomh mór dár gcuid mac léinn a bheith rannpháirteach san ócáid dhearfach seo agus tá súil againn go mbainfidh gach duine a bheidh páirteach ann an-sult as an gcúpla lá seo.” -Críoch-

Researchers show that the potency of a snake’s venom depends on what it eats An international collaboration led by scientists from National University of Ireland Galway, University of St Andrews, Trinity College Dublin and the ZSL (Zoological Society of London) has uncovered why the venom of some snakes makes them so much deadlier than others. Snakes are infamous for possessing potent venoms, a fact that makes them deadly predators and also strikes fear into humans and other animals alike. However, some species, such as cobras, boomslangs and rattlesnakes have far more venom than they apparently need, in a single reserve of venom, they have the potential to kill thousands of their prey animals and several adult humans. But not all venomous snakes are so dangerous. For example, the marbled sea snake has only a tiny amount of very weak venom, making it effectively harmless to any relatively large animals such as humans. Why venoms vary so much in their ability to kill or incapacitate potential prey animals has long puzzled scientists, with several competing hypotheses suggested as explanations. The study, which has just been published in the international journal Ecology Letters, tackled this puzzle by comparing records of venom potency and quantity for over 100 venomous snake species, ranging from rattlesnakes, cobras and the tree dwelling boomslangs of Africa to sea snakes and burrowing asps. The team found strong evidence that venoms have evolved to be more potent toward animals that are more closely related to their diet. For example, the team found potency in snakes which mainly eat fish, such as the aquatic coral snake, were highest when measured on fish and lowest when measured on mice, which are distantly related to fish. Lead author of the study, Dr Kevin Healy, who conducted the research at the University of St Andrews and is now a Lecturer of Zoology at National University of Ireland Galway, said: “These results make sense from an evolutionary viewpoint as we expect that evolution will have shaped venoms to be more efficient at killing the animals that are most often the target of the venom. You won’t find many mice in the sea so we wouldn’t expect a sea snake to evolve venom that is more effective at killing mice than fish.” The research also showed that the amount of venom a snake has depends on both its size and the environment it lives in. “Like all substances venom is dosage-dependent,” said Associate Professor in Zoology at Trinity College Dublin, Dr Andrew Jackson. “Even alcohol, coffee and water can be toxic at high enough volumes so we needed to consider how much venom different species of snake produce and store in their venom glands. We found that big terrestrial species have the most venom, while smaller tree dwelling or aquatic species had the least. This difference may be due to how often a snake encounters its prey in these different environments, with terrestrial species requiring a larger reserve of venom to take advantage of the rarer opportunities to feed.” The results of the study also have potential to aid in our understanding when it comes to human snakebites. “Snakebites are a major health concern worldwide, with 2.7 million cases each year,” commented Dr Chris Carbone of ZSL’s Institute of Zoology: “Understanding how venom evolves may help us better identify the risks to humans from different snake groups, and also potentially from other venomous animals such as spiders, scorpions, centipedes and jellyfish.” The approach used in the study may also help researchers predict the potency of venoms in species that have yet to be tested, and even pinpoint potentially useful healthcare-related applications. Dr Healy added: “The next step is to see how well this model may predict the potency of venoms in groups that have yet to have their venoms tested. By using ecological and evolutionary data for available species we may be able to use our approach as a tool to identify other species which may have properties in their venoms that are useful for biomedical purposes, such as drug development.” To read the full study in Ecology Letters, visit: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/ele.13216 -Ends-

A new science toolkit designed to teach children about environmental science is to be distributed to 300 classrooms throughout Ireland. Launched during the 2018 Science Week at Scoil Iosef Naofa, Oranmore, Co. Galway, the free educational toolkit ‘Spikey’s Journey: an Exploration Box’ is the culmination of a two year-long European project developed in Ireland by NUI Galway Cell EXLORERS, ProActivate Ireland, and Toodlelou Creativity Lab. Using the hedgehog as the principal character, the toolkit takes first and second class pupils on an explorative journey using storytelling, hands-on activities and games to learn about four key topics in environmental science. The primary aim of the toolkit is to promote active learning based on observation and experimentation. The exploration box contains a ‘Kamishibai’, a storytelling theatre that teachers can use to take their class through the story of Spikey. Each chapter of the story introduces students to a new learning topic, such as understanding the key characteristics of living things, the food web and how it functions, habitats and hibernation and the vital role we all play in protecting the living environment. Through hands-on projects, activities and games, these topics are explored, discussed and examined to reinforce new learning. Muriel Grenon, Director of the Cell EXPLORERS programme at NUI Galway, said: “This project was a great opportunity to collaborate with some of the most successful and innovative science outreach programmes in Europe as well as with enthusiastic teachers from local national schools. There was a rich exchange of practical knowledge and experience and from this collaboration emerged a freely accessible online resource which can benefit the children in Ireland.” Classrooms throughout Ireland will benefit from the development of this kit containing a new combination of teaching methods and tools to support primary school teachers prepare and conduct engaging science lessons that will stimulate children’s natural curiosity. Teachers across four European countries have been invited to use this toolkit, which is the result of an Erasmus+ European project linking researchers and education practitioners from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Austria and Poland. The toolkit has been produced in three languages for dissemination in each project country. The content of the exploration box and its activities were reviewed and piloted in Galway by first and second class teachers Ronan Dunne from Galway Educate Together, Vivienne Kelly from Knocknacara Educate Together, Anna McGuire from Mercy Primary School, and Niamh Cormican from Scoil Iosef Naofa, Oranmore. The toolkit will be distributed nationally to requesting teachers through the Galway Education Centre as well as education centres located in Donegal, Dublin West, Wexford, Monaghan, Navan, Tralee and Clare from January 2019. Mark Finlay, Director, Galway Education Centre, commented: “This is a fantastic resource for primary schools so that pupils can learn about environmental science in an interactive way. We, in Galway Education Centre, are delighted to be able to share the toolkit with our local schools.” Teachers who use the toolkit in their classroom can share their feedback and comments through Twitter, Facebook or Instagram using #spikeysjourney and tagging @cellexplorers and @toodleloukids. Schools who wish to use the toolkit as part of their application for a Science Foundation Ireland Discover Science and Maths (DPSM) Award can provide images and feedback by social media, which will be posted to the Spikey’s Journey page of the Cell EXPLORERS website https://www.cellexplorers.com/spikeysjourney.  This link can then be used as a Logs of Evidence for the award application. For further information on the InEdu Erasmus plus project material and access to Spikey’s Journey online toolkit logon on to the resource website bit.ly/Spikeysjourney. -Ends-

Research trial looks at ways of trying to improve the effectiveness and safety of patients with more than one long-term medical condition  NUI Galway is leading on a health intervention research trial involving people with more than one long-term medical condition, thanks to a new Cross-border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network (CHITIN). A pilot cluster randomised controlled trial will involve General Practitioners (GPs) and Practice Based Pharmacists from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to explore a new approach to reviewing prescribing for patients with more than one long-term condition. Currently 5% of Irish patients aged over 65 are on 15 or more drugs. There are obvious concerns about being able to take these drugs reliably, including potential side-effects. This study looks at a way of trying to improve the effectiveness and safety of their drug intake where two GP’s, or a GP and a Practice Based Pharmacist, work together to find out the best possible combination of medicines for that patient. The pilot trial aims to test this new approach to determine if it will lead to better patient care north and south of the border in Ireland. In helping to encourage people to be more involved in managing their own condition, eight GP practices in Northern Ireland and eight GP practices in the Republic of Ireland will participate in the trial. Professor Andrew Murphy, Director of the HRB Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland based at NUI Galway and Turloughmore Medical Centre, Co. Galway is leading the MY COMRADE PLUS trial and is looking forward to this new opportunity. Commenting about the research trial, Professor Andrew Murphy, said: “We are addressing a common but important issue in General Practice. NUI Galway staff working in collaboration on this trial will be helping to lay foundations for preventative measures that can improve the quality of life of many people and also help staff involved to continue to learn and grow through working with each other.” If the pilot approach works a larger trial will be undertaken to find out if it can make things better for patients. The pilot is one of 11 trials that has received INTERREG VA funding under the Cross-border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network Project. CHITIN is led by the Public Health Agency in partnership with the Health Research Board. Its overall aim is to help prevent illness and improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Northern Ireland and the border regions of Ireland - Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, and Louth, through cross-border research collaborations. The Cross-border Healthcare Intervention Trials in Ireland Network has received €8.8 million in funding from the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body with match funding from the Departments of Health in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. For more information, visit: http://www.research.hscni.net/chitin or follow on Twitter @CHITINProject. For further details about the trial contact Dr Nikita Burke at info@primarycaretrials.ie. -Ends-

NUI Galway will hold its annual Mature Student Information Evening on Wednesday, 16 January, from 5.30-8pm in the Lifecourse Institute on the North Campus. The information evening will allow attendees to find out more and get advice on degrees full-time or part-time on offer at the University, and on possible career opportunities. This special information evening is designed particularly for those aged 23 or over wishing to find out more about study options at NUI Galway. The event focuses on students who did not have opportunities to study an undergraduate degree in the past. The aim of the information evening is to encourage lifelong learning irrelevant of age or background. The Mature Students Officer, Trish Bourke will give a welcome presentation explaining the CAO application procedure for anyone wishing to apply to a full-time degree in 2019. The Access Office will be there to offer advice on pre-university courses in terms of Access Programmes, and the Disability Support Services, who have expertise in supporting students at third level, will also be in attendance to give guidance to prospective students. Trish Bourke, NUI Galway’s Mature Student Officer, said: “As a mature student graduate of NUI Galway, I always look forward to this evening and meeting people who would not ordinarily think that university was for them, and to see how engaged they are when they hear how many supports and options there are to help them achieve dreams. There is a place for everyone at NUI Galway whether it is through an Access course, a full-time degree or through our Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development Programmes.” To register attendance at NUI Galway’s Mature Student Information Evening visit www.nuigalway.ie/mature/public-events/. -Ends-

The University Women’s Network at NUI Galway will host a very special Nollaig na mBan reception as part of the annual Herstory celebrations. Herstory is a cultural movement that tells the life stories of historical, mythological and contemporary women. The event will take place on Monday, 7 January from 12.15pm-2pm in the Aula Maxima. Over the course of its history, many remarkable women have both graduated from and worked in NUI Galway. This event is an opportunity to celebrate their achievements and to reflect on the work that remains to be done to secure equality for all. Talks to celebrate Nollaig na mBan and these remarkable women will be given by NUI Galway academics: Professor Niamh Reilly, School of Political Science and Sociology will explore the little-known, intense political and intellectual partnership of Tom and Mary Kettle through a focus on her efforts to vindicate the memory of Tom Kettle and assert herself as a political actor to be reckoned with in post-1916 Ireland. Dr Jackie Ui Chionna, Department of History, Moore Institute will discuss the remarkable life of Emily Anderson. Anderson became Professor of German at University College Galway at the age of just 26, in 1917. She formally resigned in 1919, joining the War Office and ultimately becoming the foremost female code breaker of her generation. Alongside her code breaking work, she continued her interest in music, and became a world-renowned musicologist. Dr Stacey Scriver from the Centre for Global Women’s Studies Centre will reflect on the challenges of finding (and keeping) an academic job during one’s childbearing years. The event will also discuss plans for an illumination of the Alice Perry Engineering Building on campus later in the year, to project an image of Alice Perry onto the engineering building which is named in her honour. When she graduated from the then Queen’s College Galway in 1906, Perry became the first female engineering graduate in the UK and Ireland, a landmark achievement. Event organisers, Mary McGill, a Hardiman Doctoral Scholar and Dr Rachel Hilliard from the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway, said: “We are delighted to have received generous support from the University’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Project fund for this event. We feel it will be an ideal way to mark the annual Nollaig na mBan and HerStory celebrations, and a great way to begin the new year.” Funding support is provided by the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Project Fund, which was established by the Office of the Vice President for Equality and Diversity. For more information about the event contact Mary McMcGill, University Women’s Network, NUI Galway at M.MCGILL4@nuigalway.ie. To read more about Herstory, visit: http://www.herstory.ie/home -Ends-