Every year UCD bestows a special Alumni Award on a select group of alumni for their outstanding contribution to society. In November 2020, UCD Alumni Awardees were the focus of a quartet of virtual events, hosted by alumnus Pat Kenny, based around these individuals’ experiences and insights.
The first UCD Alumni Awardees In Focus Conversation featured UCD Alumni Awardee in Social Sciences, Sharon Donnery, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland and fellow alumnus and UCD Alumni Awardee in Arts and Humanities, Dalton Philips, CEO, Dublin Airport Authority, who discusssed the rising human cost associated with COVID-19 worldwide and reflected on its impact on Ireland.
A compelling UCD Alumni Awardees In Focus Conversation with UCD Alumni Awardee in Business, explorer and motivational speaker Mark Pollock, UCD Alumni Awardee in Sport, Dr Jack McCaffrey, Dublin GAA football star, and war journalist Sally Hayden, UCD Alumni Awardee in Law, revealed how research shows that the ability to navigate and overcome adversity is key to happiness, success and satisfaction in life.
Professor Delia Grace Randolph, UCD Alumni Awardee in Health and Agricultural Sciences and an epidemiologist and food safety expert, and Dr Cormac Kilty, UCD Alumni Awardee in Science, entertained the audience to a discussion on the topic of One Health, the concept that the health of all living things is connected and that designing collaborative programmes, policies and legislation will lead to better public health outcomes.
The final UCD Alumni Awardees In Focus Conversation was on the subject of how COVID-19 has prompted new and lasting approaches to creative innovation. Dr Sandra Collins, UCD Alumni Awardee in Research, Innovation and Impact and Róisín Heneghan, Director, National Library of Ireland and UCD Alumni Awardee in Engineering and Architecture, both delivered very interesting presentations.
