News

THE  WORD  VISION comes from the Latin visionem, meaning a sight or thing seen. Having a vision is being able to see past certain events in expectation of a greater outcome. When the 19th-century educationalist John Henry Newman wrote “The Idea of A University”, he might not have had a precise picture of the masterpiece he was shaping but he had a sense of it. In his mind’s eye, he did not have the finished product as we know it today but he could imagine the essence of it.

More than 160 years later, for UCD President, Professor Andrew J Deeks, halfway through his ten-year term, having a clear vision of the future represents the most important part of his fantastically complex job. Leading a multi-faceted global University as one UCD, bringing together students, alumni, six Colleges, faculty, five Global Centres, world-class researchers, industry partnerships in a long-standing tradition of independent scholarship and academic freedom, requires vision and a skillset that would be beyond many  CEOs. In addition to striving for excellence in academic education and research, the role involves engaging with public policy makers, industry and business. There’s the drive to accommodate more students and engage more faculty and, in the climate of a deficit in government funding for third level, there’s a requirement for university presidents to be involved in the quest for yet more non-exchequer funding and philanthropic support.

Professor Deeks has set out a multi-faceted UCD Strategic Campus Plan to communicate the broad direction of future physical development of the Belfield campus in terms of the facilities required to support the vision of being a global Top 100 university.

While UCD has always engaged in capital projects to serve the investment in intellectual capital, with growing numbers of students and faculty and increasing engagement with the community on a local, national and global scale, a more fundamental conceptual masterplan to futureproof the University was required.

“Whatever we decided to do, we wanted to make sure it would not stand in the way of future development, or result in ad hoc developments that would not complement each other,” says Professor Deeks.

A decision was taken to launch a major international UCD Future Campus architectural competition to attract the best global minds to the challenge.

An international jury panel was formed, among them Professor Hugh Campbell, UCD Dean of Architecture; leading architect Sir David Adjaye, responsible for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC; Malcolm Reading, architect and director of Malcolm Reading Consultants, the organisers of the competition; Ann Beha, principal of Boston-based Ann Beha architects; Professor Orla Feely, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact and Professor of Electronic Engineering; Dermot Desmond, Chairman of International Investment and Underwriting, and Ballymore founder, Seán Mulryan.

The brief was to deliver a blueprint for bricks and mortar development that would enable new and improved ways of teaching and learning, allowing the decommissioning and transformation of outdated spaces and to manage and develop the campus using best practice sustainable policies.

“The competition had two components,” says Professor Deeks. “One was a masterplan for how the academic character of the campus would develop, and the second was for an iconic Centre for Creativity, and adjacent Centre for Future Learning building, that would become a frontispiece for the campus and would represent to the external world the exciting things that are happening within the University.”

This desirable piece of architecture would punctuate the new entrance …

In effect, as well as setting down a cohesive, integrated plan for the overall campus, minimising its environmental impact and maximising the utilisation of space, this desirable piece of architecture would punctuate the new entrance to Belfield, orienting UCD outwards and creating a visible, exciting new landmark. Its key element, the Centre for Creativity, would be a symbol of the capacity for creativity that UCD has among all disciplines. The Centre would house the creative programmes such as architecture and engineering but would also express an exciting vision of the future which is interdisciplinary.

“It gives us an opportunity to put in place facilities that are transformative, which learn from modern pedagogy,” says Professor Deeks.

From a field of 98 submissions from many of the world’s most prestigious architecture firms, New York and Beijing- based Steven Holl Architects  (SHA) emerged the winner. SHA’s placemaking strategy focused on creating an iconic Centre for Creativity as a gateway presence which links to seven new quadrangles of open green space, designed to enhance the campus’ historic features and woodlands. A new pedestrian spine, parallel to the campus’ original spine, creates an H-plan organisation, lined with weather canopies that double as solar connectors, forming the infrastructure of an energy network.

Cafés and social spaces are located along paths for informal gathering; landscape spaces are animated by water-retention ponds, weather-protected seating areas and preserved specimen trees.

Steven Holl said: “We are very honoured to have won the competition. It’s a very important and inspiring project for Steven Holl Architects. Our masterplan and the new UCD Centre for Creativity respond to the particulars of the site to create place and space and reflect on the history and quality of UCD’s campus.”

Past SHA campus projects include the Museum of Fine Arts Houston’s expansion and Glassell School, the  Lewis  Arts Complex at Princeton University, and the Reid Building at the Glasgow  School of Art. Holl’s design for UCD, the 8,000 sq m Centre for Creativity, entrance plaza and pool and seven new quadrangles of green space is bold and dramatic. Inspiration comes from a number of sources, including the Giants Causeway and James Joyce, as well as from the well-known dodecahedron Water Tower, probably the  University’s most recognisable landmark.

Holl’s new building with its nine-storey tower, will be a visible beacon on the UCD skyline. Professor Deeks has described it as an exhilarating presence at the entrance to UCD, designed to invite the public to campus for all types of public engagement.

For many alumni and faculty, introduced to the Future Campus plans at the UCD Festival in the summer, it was clear that architecture was a powerful way to transform the campus for the future. Steven Holl gave a presentation on the scheme and observers could examine a scale model. Professor Hugh Campbell, Academic Lead for the Centre for Creativity and Dean of Architecture, which will be an anchor tenant of the building,  commented.  “Architecture,  and a well-designed building, has the power to change not just how we perceive something physically but how we feel.”

“Society is changing and that drives the change needed in the education that universities like UCD provide.”

While the University’s growth inspired the immediacy of the need for additional infrastructure, it is exciting that the competition flushed out so much potential to create new buildings fit for new pedagogogical purposes. “Society is changing and that drives the change needed in the education that universities like UCD provide. Discussions with many employers, domestic and multinational, are telling us that people will need skills to work in diverse multicultural teams, to show leadership, to have resilience, to be flexible, active and dynamic,” says Professor Deeks. “These are not things learned in a lecture theatre. They are learned in active learning environments and by new methods. We want to be adaptable for the future.”

Professor Eilis Hennessy, Academic Lead for the Centre for Future Learning, a new building which will be located next to the Centre for Creativity, explains: “In digitised educational settings, the classroom will be a place where students spend more time in discussion, critical analysis, and collaboration than in passively  listening to lectures. The focus on peer group engagement and problem solving will also make classroom activity more similar to workplace activity than it has been in the past.”

Professor Hennessy also noted that student wellbeing is an important aspect of the development of the Centre for Future Learning. The building design will, therefore, facilitate collaborative work as well as independent study and will provide students with the opportunity to engage with peers from every College in the University. “Students in the universities of tomorrow will learn about the world by investigating and researching solutions to challenges both on their own and as members of a team. They need to be comfortable working with groups of individuals from different backgrounds and being able to show their leadership skills.”

UCD will have not only the workplace in its sights in terms of educating students, according to Professor Deeks, but society in general. “We are preparing people to take their place in society. Most graduates will have several careers and will need to be educated with interdisciplinary skills to make a positive contribution to society. This is a global trend.”

It’s also a global opportunity. With the potential to become the biggest English- speaking university in the European Union after Brexit, UCD must recruit and support students of oustanding potential at all levels, whatever their background.

Professor Deeks explains: “We have real competitive advantage here. At this particular point in time where some English-speaking countries are becoming less welcoming to people, Ireland remains a friendly, welcoming country. Our domestic students will have an advantage too in that they will be in an environment with people from a variety of different backgrounds.

In one sense we are educating the world by bringing people here where they can get a quality Irish education that prepares them to take their place in a global society. On the other hand, we are ensuring that more and more of our students spend time abroad as part of their experience.”

As Ireland’s Global University, UCD has further expanded its outreach activities with the establishment of five Global Centres, in the US, China, India, Malaysia and the Middle East. There are now more than 279,000 UCD alumni in 169 countries worldwide.

“It is through the support of our alumni that we will be able to achieve the standing on the world stage that UCD really deserves,” says Professor Deeks. “I attend alumni functions all over the world and I observe how our alumni are extremely positive about their experience at UCD. They are actively engaged through the 40 Overseas Chapters to help us build the international student population at the same time we build the Irish student population.”

UCD’s progress and this vision for a fundamentally new era on campus cannot be impeded by a lack of government funding, emphasises Professor Deeks. He refers to the awareness amongst philanthropists, whether alumni or not, of the need for funding of universities in Ireland.

“Philanthropy from private donors is a significant aspect of being able to fund this new Future Campus phase,” says Professor Deeks. “We are also looking to the government through the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund to fund part of it, and we will fund some of it through University operations. The balance will come from the European Investment Bank which  is supportive of Irish higher education. They have indicated their continued support, particularly as it relates to these sorts of transformative pieces of infrastructure that strengthen the academic experience.”

This year, UCD has also received the largest donation from a single donor that the University has received in its history. The donation supported the Future Campus architectural competition and it will also help fund the Centre for Creativity. “[The philanthropist] saw this as good for Ireland,” says Professor Deeks.

As well as the masterplan for the academic character of the campus, the University plans to create residential places for 3,000 more students, with the construction of the first third now underway. Plans for sports and student amenities include the long-awaited running track, also fully funded by a  donor.  Not only is the build covered, but also its maintenance for a minimum of 17 years.

The generosity of UCD’s benefactors has been forthcoming in part, says Professor Deeks, because UCD has a clear vision and executable masterplan that philanthropists can believe in. “We have to deliver our part. A strategic campus development plan that is integrated, well considered, properly costed, and transformational for both the University and the country.”

Written by Jane McDonnell
Photography Simon Watson

WHEN THE  UCD University  Club opened its doors this summer, it quickly established a loyal and regular following among alumni and the wider UCD community of faculty and staff. The first of its kind in Ireland, the concept for UCD University Club was the vision of UCD President, Professor Andrew J Deeks who was inspired by similar clubs at top universities all over the world. The aim of such clubs is to provide comfortable surroundings and flexible spaces where members can gather and avail of well-appointed amenities delivered with the personal touch and, uniquely, a link to their alma mater.

UCD University Club’s convivial atmosphere is reflected in the warm welcome from its general manager Paul O’Rafferty and his team. “Our aim is for alumni to feel this is a real home from home where they can order ‘the usual’ or choose their favourite table and we know exactly what they mean,” says O’Rafferty.

The Club is located minutes from Dublin’s city centre in the heart of Belfield, adjacent to O’Reilly  Hall, with magnificent views of the lake. The contemporary building, designed by architects Scott Tallon Walker, is configured so that the UCD University Club and O’Reilly Hall are compatibly inter-connected, facilitating business meetings small and large, including conferences for up to 1,000.

UCD University Club membership is open to all alumni, as well as to staff and faculty of UCD and to corporate members and friends of UCD. It’s  the perfect place to pop in for coffee, lunch or dinner, or to socialise, relax, dine, entertain and host business meetings large and small.

“Our aim is for alumni to feel this is a real home from home where they can order ‘the usual’ or choose their favourite table.”

The Club’s contemporary café with full daytime service, and a comfortable bar, are situated on the ground floor with an elegant fine-dining restaurant on the first floor. Other amenities, including the members’ lounge and five meeting rooms (with state-of-the-art audio- visual capability), deliver comfort and convenience. All spaces are designed with flexibility to cater for members’ events, workshops, private dining and special occasions.

THE GROUND FLOOR

The Café A bright space offering early morning coffee and breakfast and all-day healthy, delicious dishes.

Open Monday-Friday from 7.30am-6pm; Saturday 8.30am-3.30pm.

The Bar With views of the lake, the Bar is the ideal spot for pre-or post-dinner drinks. The barfood menu is available daily from 6pm Monday-Saturday.

THE FIRST FLOOR

The Members’ Lounge Reserved for members only, The Members’ Lounge is the place to meet up with

colleagues and fellow alumni or to avail of a quiet space. With high-speed broadband and WiFi, it’s easy to transition from work to relaxation.

Open Monday-Saturday from 7.30am-11.30pm.

The Restaurant The elegant Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from Monday- Saturday, with creative, seasonal menus featuring locally-sourced Irish produce.

EVENTS, HOSPITALITY, MEETINGS

UCD University Club’s well-appointed amenities include five flexible spaces for events, hospitality and meetings in addition to the adjacent facilities of O’Reilly Hall. A number of packages suit all requirements. Packages include main room hire, WiFi, AV facilities, complimentary stationery and pens. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea options are available.

Private Dining Dinner packages have a choice of menus and wines, and groups of 6-80 guests can be accommodated for fine dining with waiter service in stunning lake-view rooms.

Receptions Private room hire is available, typically from 5pm-8pm for drinks receptions. Packages are tailored to requirements.

Meetings and Events Meetings and conferences of all sizes can be accommodated in our flexible spaces, from boardrooms to the conference-ready O’Reilly Hall which has capacity for up to 1,000.

The Oak Room Seating up to twelve for dining or conferencing, The Oak Room offers hi-spec private facilities with all the convenience of easy access and parking, and premium catering.

The Birch and The Beech Rooms These rooms can be booked individually or opened into a larger single space accommodating up to 70.

The Cedar and Cypress Rooms On the first floor of the UCD University Club, these rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows enjoy beautiful views of the lake and can be booked individually to accommodate 40 people for dinner or open into a larger single space accommodating up to 80.

In addition, The Cedar and The Cypress rooms can also be linked into the restaurant to accommodate larger events for up to 160.

The Rowan Room A private event room on the first floor of O’Reilly Hall with plasma screen and video conferencing facilities, it can accommodate up to 40 people for private dining or conferencing.

O’Reilly Hall The imposing O’Reilly Hall is ideal for major conferences, meetings, product launches and exhibitions for 100 to 1,000 attendees. The Main Hall is a blank canvas, allowing you design your event to your individual requirements. Competitive delegate packages coupled with an experienced events team will ensure your every need is catered for. UCD University Club members also avail of discounted rates.

Members of the UCD University Club are also entitled to a number of additional benefits including access to the network of the Association of Colleges and University Clubs (ACUC) worldwide, with reciprocal privileges at clubs throughout the US, Canada, Australia, Sweden, UK, Israel and the Netherlands.

Members of all generations enjoy UCD University Club’s many attractions. As well as easy accessibility and parking, and the comprehensive suite of facilities, there’s the beauty of the surrounding landscape to enjoy. General manager Paul O’Rafferty notes that many members walk around the campus before enjoying a cappuccino or breakfast at the Club or make a date for lunch at The Café.

“It is a great place to meet people by arrangement, but also a fantastic place to bump into people you haven’t seen for ages.” Members can also host family occasions in The Restaurant or in the private dining lake-view rooms, The Cedar and The Cypress. “We find that members appreciate the options to host birthdays, anniversary parties and other family get-togethers in the Club. They say it’s more convenient than a hotel, and has a distinctive, friendly atmosphere offering privacy and comfort.”

“This is one of the best things to happen in Belfield for years,” says UCD alumna Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director of the Michael Smurfit Business School and Associate Dean of UCD College of Business. “It has transformed how I do business. I can book a meeting room or a table in The Restaurant and host visiting academics or corporate partners. The team look after our requirements and the Club is convenient, comfortable and has all the essentials.”

UCD alumnus Enda Scott (BSc 1999, MBA 2008) is managing director of the medical devices division of  DCC  Vital and places great value on the company’s corporate membership of UCD University Club. Having worked in the US, UK and Europe and now based in the UK, the Club’s international-standard facilities are key for Scott, who hosts meetings with corporate partners and clients in the Club as well as internal meetings. “It is a superb venue, professionally equipped and staffed but with the personal touch.”

“We always get a lovely welcome,” says UCD alumnus Professor Niall O’Higgins, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, UCD and recently appointed Chair of the National Screening Committee. One of six brothers, he and his wife, Dr Roisin Healy, retired paediatric emergency medicine specialist, often meet his siblings in The Café. “It has a very pleasant atmosphere and very good service,” he says. Brothers and UCD alumni, Kevin O’Higgins, former judge of the Circuit Court, High Court and European Court, and Jim O’Higgins, solicitor, have also taken up Club membership.

For many members, a visit to The Members’ Lounge represents an opportunity for colleagues to “get away from the office”. A group from the School of Veterinary Medicine appreciate the comfortable setting and the chance to have a casual meeting or read a newspaper, away from the bustle on campus. John Buckley and colleagues Susan Caffrey, Oisin MacDonnacha and Karen O’Connell are known to the team  at the Club now: “The sense of collegiality is special – it has the effect of making you relax, and putting your guests at ease.”

Alumna Eleanor Flew, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services is also a fan. “The Club is particularly useful for meetings away from the office.”

Architectural photographer Alice Clancy uses the Club for informal meetings. “I meet colleagues here and we can work and talk in a quiet environment. I love The Café for its light and airy space.”

Members from the School of Computer Science are also regulars: “You can get lovely coffee, lovely food and the surroundings are peaceful,” says Imelda Huggins, who is often joined by colleagues Rosemary Deevy and Ian Bonar.

The Club prioritises excellent service and creative cuisine. In both The Café and The Restaurant, menus celebrate seasonality and Irish food provenance with exciting and healthy menu selections. There are also various catering packages as well as bespoke options designed for all events hosted by members, including private dining occasions, dinners, receptions, workshops and meetings.

The Club also hosts a variety of members-only social, professional and educational activities, including fascinating talks from high-profile alumni, networking events, themed wine dinners and live music.

UCD University Club membership is open to all alumni. We warmly invite you to join up and enjoy the UCD University Club’s comfortable surroundings and excellent facilities. Don’t wait!

UCD UNIVERSITY CLUB MEMBER PRIVILEGES

• A welcoming atmosphere to relax, dine, work and socialise
• Stylish and varied rooms for dining, meeting and entertaining
• A curated schedule of members’ events
• Members are entitled to host three guests per visit
• Hot desk facilities in The Members’ Lounge and high-speed WiFi throughout
• Reciprocal benefits worldwide via ACUC
• Reduced room hire rates (subject to availability)

MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES

• For membership enquiries, please contact Anne Marie Fisher on +353 1 716 2187 or email club@ucd.ie
• Individual alumni membership, €75 per annum; Corporate membership, from €800 per annum
• Members who join before 31 December 2019 will be deemed founder members with their annual membership rate fixed for five www.ucd.ie/universityclub

OPENING HOURS

• The Café

Monday to Friday 7.30am-6pm Saturday 8.30am-3.30pm

• The Bar

Monday – Saturday 10.30am-11.30pm

• The Restaurant

Lunch: Monday to Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm
Dinner: Monday to Saturday 6pm-9pm

Enquiries to +353 1 716 2826

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

PRINCIPAL: Professor Joe Carthy, Principal, College of Science.

If you’re passing through the College of Science, you’re likely to hear the sound of music. We have a magnificent Steinway grand piano that students, staff and alumni from across the University play. Lunchtime and evening recitals are a regular occurrence, from classical string quartets by Ad Astra performing scholars to contemporary experimental performances by our sound artists and composers in residence. The UCD community choir began here and meets every Tuesday lunchtime to rehearse; always welcoming new singers, the choir is a core part of our open and inclusive culture of creativity.

Our University-wide Artists-in-Residence programme also began in this College and since its launch in 2012, we’ve hosted some of Ireland’s most esteemed painters, sculptors, performance artists, choreographers, composers and sound artists. Art workshops, modules, talks, performances and exhibitions are part of the holistic educational experience of our students and future scientists. Working across traditional disciplinary boundaries is crucial to the development of science: one of our key objectives is educating students in collaborative cross-disciplinary environments.

Advances in science have always been dependent on continuous questioning of accepted norms, leaps of imagination and the ability to make connections across multiple ways of thinking. The project EIRSAT-1 is one such example. A team of space science and engineering students, supported by industry partners and academic mentors are currently designing, building, launching and operating Ireland’s first satellite as part of the European Space Agency’s Fly Your Satellite programme. As well as making history in their field, these students are developing the creative and critical thinking skills that are highly sought after in industry.

The scale of research in this College is vast, so bringing people together from different areas of expertise and experience is crucial. This happens formally through research and learning but equally through encounters like our brown bag lunchtime talks, community gardening, tree tours, guided nature walks, science bake-offs and open studio days. The College of Science proudly supports initiatives where people can create and enjoy, reflect and converse, discuss and experiment, fail and be confident; activities core to living a creative life.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

PRINCIPAL: Professor Tony Brabazon, Principal, College of Business.

In the College of Business we seek to nurture creativity and the capacity to think in critical and solution-oriented ways. We love the opportunity to get students from different disciplines together in class, for example, engineers and business students in our module on Entrepreneurship in Practice led by Dr Orla Byrne. This year we will offer an Enterprise Internships Scholarship with NovaUCD and the Mont Kavanagh Trust.

Our MSc Bord Bia students are working with small firms, live in the market. Our new MSc Retail is about leadership and seeing opportunity in a rapidly changing sector. Too much learning is about “this is how things are done”. As a University, research, inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, and discovery is in our DNA. It begins with curiosity and asking questions. As educators, a lot of our work is to help people unlearn and recover from rote learning.

We are also interested in responsible leadership and the connections between business, society and sustainability. The College recognises that some global challenges require not just creativity but also collaborative problem solving – bringing together people with different knowledge and skills. It is a hugely creative task to work together, and systems and tools can help. Sometimes the art of judgement and experience too quickly closes down creativity and the capacity to think differently. So we work with our students to deepen their capacity for hearing and being heard, and to see that collaboration itself is a creative act.

Students are required to make films, pitch ideas, debate from different perspectives, and work in teams to learn from each other, come up against different world views, systems and thoughts, and expand their collaboration capacity and field knowledge.

… we seek to nurture creativity and the capacity to think in critical and solution-oriented ways.

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND LAW

PRINCIPAL: Professor Colin Scott, Principal, College of Social Sciences and Law.

Research and education in the social sciences and cognate disciplines are often identified as having a scientific character, with application of rigorous methods to understanding social phenomena. However, the identification of problems to research and of ways to address these challenges has a strong creative dimension, as does the design of educational programmes best suited to fostering student learning.

With education, significant innovations in recent years have included a shift towards more experiential forms of learning, for example with modules in Law which seek to simulate aspects of negotiation, enforcement and litigation processes, putting students in the position of key actors within the legal system. In the new undergraduate Social Sciences programme, an ethos of “students as partners” seeks to engage students more fully in the co-creation of learning experiences, drawing on their own experience and creativity to enhance learning outcomes.

With research, we recognise increasingly that major societal challenges are typically not addressed by single disciplines and so we find ways to draw together researchers from a range of disciplines to address issues such as migration, sustainability and the growing importance of data. There is considerable creativity required to find common languages between disciplines in casting the research challenges and identifying the most suitable methods to better understand them.

Over the past four years, many researchers in the College have engaged with Artists-in-Residence, appointed annually, who work with researchers on creative ways of expressing some of the ideas found in the research. Our current artist Catherine Barragry makes sculpture, performance and immersive events that consider survival while migration has been a theme explored by previous incumbents.

Our college vision is “to lead the advancement of human, animal and environmental wellbeing for the benefit of society” through creative research …

COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

PRINCIPAL: Professor Cecily Kelleher, Principal, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences.

The College of Health and Agricultural Sciences brings UCD’s health professionals under one banner, providing a wide range of educational and research opportunities. Our College vision is “to lead the advancement of human, animal and environmental wellbeing for the benefit of society” through creative and groundbreaking research and education. One Health is a worldwide strategy to expand collaborations and communications in all aspects of healthcare for humans, animals and the environment. The College has professionals along every link of the One Health chain, a unique position in Ireland.

For example, the Systems Biology Ireland lab has been researching ways to treat cancer. This year we saw the development of models based on a person’s own biochemistry. The creative new model is integrated with a computer algorithm which can predict, to a fairly accurate degree, how an individual might respond to various treatments.

The College has also been creative in promoting awareness of important issues. In April, the “UCD Get Sun Smarter” event took place, led by Professor Desmond J Tobin, Director of the UCD Charles Institute of Dermatology. A UV light box gave people visiting the stand an indication of the sun damage to their face. Systems Biology Ireland also provided a microscopic demonstration of what skin cancer looks like up close. These creative initiatives had a positive impact on drawing people into the event and strongly engaged the public in discussion about skin damage and cancer prevention.

Students from the School of Agriculture and Food Science were involved in creating the extraordinarily innovative exhibit garden at the 2019 Bloom festival. The garden was titled “UCD History of the Irish Diet in Plants” and brought to life the story of the Irish diet from the early Irish settlers to the introduction of farming. The garden was divided into five sections based on societal developments that led to dramatic changes in the Irish diet. The plants in each section primarily reflect evidence from archaeological science, highlighting changing food choices in Ireland over several millennia.

Building on the deep creative heritage of UCD Arts and Humanities, “Engaged Creativity” seeks to develop a critical ecosystem …

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES

PRINCIPAL: Professor Sarah Prescott, Principal, College of Arts and Humanities.

Creativity is one of UCD’s key values and is exemplified by many of the core arts subjects: music, literature, film, drama, and performance. The College of Arts and Humanities has ambitious plans for building on its excellence in cultural creativity and is working towards recognising research-based creative practice: composition, performance, directing and recording work as well as the work of colleagues in creative writing (for example, the recently appointed Professor of Fiction, Anne Enright). Building on the reputation and success of the masters programmes, creative writing was introduced as an undergraduate subject last year as part of the new four-year BA in Humanities. A creative-critical joint PhD programme is also being developed with our partner institution, the National College of Art and Design. The Arts and Humanities curriculum not only engages with cultural and artistic creativity and its practice but also develops students to be creative thinkers and problem solvers which will set them apart when they enter employment.

We are launching our “Engaged Creativity” research priority area with a series of workshops and interdisciplinary public lectures on the theme, “What is Creativity?”. Building on the deep creative heritage of UCD Arts and Humanities, the artistic energy of Dublin, and the international cultural reputation of Ireland, “Engaged Creativity” seeks to develop a critical ecosystem which intersects with government, English and Irish language media, business and industry through research, teaching, public impact and engagement. It builds on interest in creative practices as research among scholars and students across the college, in disciplines such as creative writing, literature, art, music, Irish language, film and drama.

This academic year we welcomed the first John Pollard Newman Fellow in Creativity, the poet Dr Julie Morrissy, who will deliver the inaugural lecture in the “What is Creativity?” series. A group of creative practitioners, including documentary makers, writers, filmmakers, film directors, composers, musicians, TV producers, actors, and festival directors will be affiliated to the College in September as Creative Fellows to work with faculty and students around the theme of creativity.

Many researchers in the College have engaged with Artists-in-Residence, appointed annually, to draw out creative ways of expressing some of the ideas found in research …

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

PRINCIPAL: Professor Aoife Ahern, Principal, College of Engineering and Architecture.

Creativity is at the heart of what engineers and architects do. Therefore, in the College of Engineering and Architecture it is vitally important for us to engender a sense of creativity and a respect for creative design in our students of both engineering and architecture. As UCD engineers and architects, our graduates will be faced with helping to find solutions to many of the challenges faced by the world today – in relation to global warming, information technology and sustainability. It is only by tackling these challenges with imagination, creativity and new thinking that solutions can be found.

The programmes taught in the College incorporate creativity in many ways. For example, our first year students in Engineering take a module called Creativity in Design, where they work together in small teams to look at how to tackle problems in ways that are innovative; and they learn how to present those solutions using physical models, drawings and presentations. Our taught masters students take a module in Innovation Leadership, where they learn how to manage teams of first year students from the Creativity in Design module. In this way our masters students develop skills in leadership and communication.

In UCD Architecture, students engage in design studios where they present their designs to each other and to practicing architects. As time goes by, these designs and projects become ever more complex, offering students ample opportunity to demonstrate and develop their skills of creativity.

IN UCD CONNECTIONS, the University’s flagship magazine for the vibrant UCD community, we explore the University and UCD people, from the changes on campus to how students, faculty and our alumni are making their mark globally. We profile and highlight diverse alumni – leaders, writers, policy shapers, risk-takers, entrepreneurs, medical and scientific pioneers, engineering and architecture influencers, innovators and humanitarians. In this issue, we offer alumni an understanding of the ever-changing life of UCD and its place in the world.

By sharing your #UCDStory in our recent survey, and letting us know how your time at UCD shaped the person you are today, we are able to give you richer ways to connect with your alma mater and with each other.

More than 5,500 alumni participated in the survey – we would like to thank each and every one of you. We learned how you made lifelong friendships, found love on campus, joined clubs and societies, and developed learning and skills. We have gleaned insights that are of great value to us, but may also interest you.

Your worldwide UCD network is a powerful one: you are one of 279,000 alumni in 169 countries and 30 per cent of you are overseas, the majority in the US, Singapore and the UK but also all over Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe.

You are seeing the value of keeping in touch and we love that you do. Over the past five years, alumni engagement has truly flourished: since 2014, the number of alumni events has grown from 40 to 161 last year, and attendees from 9,000 to more than 28,000. Our survey also demonstrates that more of you are actively engaged in volunteering for UCD; as Chapter representatives all over the world, as panellists speakers and also career mentors, giving your time and expertise to improve the experience of UCD students.

And, not only are our alumni giving of time and knowledge, but a growing number are directly supporting the student experience on a monthly basis by funding student supports and services like scholarships and mental health services. In 2014, €125k was raised from 125 alumni giving monthly to UCD to directly support the student experience. By the end of this year, more than 5,000 alumni will have contributed €3.3m to directly fund student supports. We are grateful for this generosity and heartened to hear in our survey that alumni want to know more about ways to volunteer and support UCD financially.

Thanks to your survey feedback we can improve our programme of alumni relations activity for you over the next five years. You said you wanted to hear more about what other alumni are up to, campus developments, UCD research and to hear from your School. You would like to go to more reunions, hear more about events related to your professional interests and attend more conferences like the annual Women in Leadership event. You want to hear more about the UCD University Club and would also like a more enhanced digital edition of UCD Connections. You want further opportunities to reconnect with your global alumni community online and at global events.

SURVEY RESULTS

Thank you, your valuable feedback will allow us to continue to improve our alumni programme of activities

UCD Alumni Chapters are an integral part of the UCD global network. Our volunteer Chapter Representatives organise activities and social events in their area ranging from casual drinks, networking receptions, panel discussions, to formal dinners hosting visiting academics. With locations all over the world, our Chapters facilitate communication between our alumni and the University, while keeping members up to date with campus news and developments.

If you are new to a city or interested in getting involved, check out the list above to see if UCD has a chapter in your area.

We are always delighted to welcome new members. If your city is not listed, please contact us to find out what’s involved in setting up a Chapter.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Email Michelle Power at globalalumni@ucd.ie;
more details at www.ucd.ie/alumni/chapters

“My UCD education and experience afforded me a great career and life. In retirement I welcomed the invitation by Alumni Relations to assist today’s students as they start out. Sharing some life experience has been a very positive experience for me – a chance to ‘give something back’.” Pat Macken, BSc Chemistry 1979, PhD 1983; Career Mentor, Alumni Buddy, Reunion Class Agent 

UCD IS SHAPED and sustained by the involvement of alumni across the University. We are so grateful to the 2,900+ alumni who have volunteered with UCD in recent years.

From mentoring students and speaking at events, to writing testimonials and organising reunions, alumni make a real difference to the University community in so many ways. By giving their time, alumni support students to settle into college life and to flourish in their studies, offering vital advice as they navigate the next steps in their careers. Through sharing their experience, alumni offer hope and motivation which enriches and inspires the next generation. By keeping in touch with fellow alumni and taking part in events and reunions, they nurture the lifelong friendships that are essential to our vibrant and diverse community.

Volunteering with UCD provides an opportunity to impact the lives of current students, but can also spark meaningful personal connections, advance skills and expertise, and cultivate innovative thinking and broadened horizons.

In our recent UCD Alumni Survey, 76 per cent of all respondents were interested in volunteering – both in Ireland and across the globe. We value this generosity and invite you to join UCD’s thriving community of alumni volunteers as we expand our bank of opportunities.

To register your interest in giving back and to learn more about volunteer roles to suit your schedule and interests, visit www.ucd.ie/alumni/volunteering, email Ria Flom at alumnivolunteer@ucd.ie or call +353 1 716 1232.

IN NOVEMBER 2014,  in my first year as President of University College Dublin, I launched UCD’s Strategy 2015-2020 and outlined our core ambition to become “Ireland’s Global University”.

Key to our vision in this strategy is that our graduates will be imbued with the knowledge, skills, experience and attitudes they need to flourish in present and future Irish and global societies. And, over the past five years, we have undertaken an in-depth programme of curriculum reform, expansion of student services, research support and global engagement.

Behind the statistics, set out below, is a story of remarkable progress.

With 14 subject areas in the Top 100 and six in the Top 50 in the QS world university rankings, the reach and impact  of our faculty  is growing. Additionally, last year we had our most successful year ever, achieving €122m in externally funded research awards.

To improve our educational and student experience, we undertook a University-wide consultation, introduced multi-disciplinary “discovery” electives, reformed the traditional BA into a suite of Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences pathways and restructured and expanded supports in student advising, health and counselling services.

I have placed a specific emphasis on restoring an acceptable student faculty ratio and am committed to a ratio of 16:1.

I am hugely proud of the expansion in our engagement with you, our alumni. Between our alumni chapters, our reunions and events organised by our alumni relations team, there are now over 160 events annually  – up from circa 40 five years ago. The annual UCD Festival now attracts 20,000 visitors and is the highlight of the alumni calendar. The opening of the UCD University Club this summer gives you a comfortable place on campus to meet fellow graduates and to engage  with  faculty and staff who are always delighted to welcome alumni back to Belfield.

As we drive forward as Ireland’s Global University, we now have a global centre in New York, with further offices in Chicago and Los Angeles, in Beijing, New Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and  Dubai. We have developed relationships with prestige partner universities and work with government agencies, partners and alumni to deliver on our mission.

As we prepare our strategy for the coming five years I want to thank the UCD community for your support and look forward to sharing our journey with you.

Litir Chuig Alumni

Dearcadh Uachtarán UCD, An tOllamh Andrew J Deeks, faoin dul chun cinn iontach a rinne an Ollscoil le cúig bliana anuas

I SAMHAIN 2014, sa chéad bhliain agam mar Uachtarán ar an gColáiste  Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath, sheol mé Straitéis UCD 2015-2020 agus leag mé síos ár bpríomhsprioc: “Ollscoil Dhomhanda na hÉireann” a dhéanamh de UCD.

Is cuid fhíorthábhachtach dár bhfís sa straitéis seo go mbeidh an t-eolas, na scileanna, an taithí agus an meon ag ár gcéimithe chun go n-éireoidh leo sa lá   atá inniu ann agus amach anseo in Éirinn agus ar fud an domhain. Agus, le cúig  bliana  anuas, thugamar faoi chlár cuimsitheach chun an curaclam a leasú, seirbhísí mac léinn a leathnú, tacaíocht a thabhairt do thaighde agus rannpháirtíocht dhomhanda a chothú.

Taobh thiar de na staitisticí atá leagtha amach thíos, tá scéal ann faoin dul chun cinn suntasach atá déanta againn.

Tá 14 réimse ábhair againn sna 100 ábhar is fearr agus sé sna 50 ábhar is fearr sa rangú domhanda ollscoile QS, agus tá cumhacht agus tionchar ár bhfoireann teagaisc ag dul i méid. Anuas air sin, bhí an bhliain is rathúla againn riamh an bhliain seo caite, nuair a fuaireamar €122 milliún i ndeontais taighde arna maoiniú go seachtrach.

Chun feabhas a chur ar ár n-eispéireas  oideachais agus mac léinn, thugamar faoi phróiseas comhairliúchán ar fud na hOllscoile, thugamar cúrsaí roghnacha “fionnachtana” isteach, rinneamar leasú ar an BA traidisiúnta chun réimse níos leithne sna hEalaíona agus sna Daonnachtaí agus sna hEolaíochtaí Sóisialta a thabhairt isteach, agus leasaíomar agus leathnaíomar amach tacaíochtaí maidir le comhairle mac léinn, sláinte agus seirbhísí comhairleoireachta. Leag mé béim ar leith ar chóimheas inghlactha idir mic léinn agus an fhoireann teagaisc a bhaint amach arís, agus táim tiomanta don chóimheas 16:1.

Táim an-bhródúil as cur leis an rannpháirtíocht atá eadrainn, a alumni. Bíonn níos mó ná 160 imeacht ar siúl gach bliain anois – méadú ó thart   ar 40 cúig bliana ó shin. Baineann na himeachtaí lenár gcraobhacha alumni, ár n-imeachtaí teacht  le chéile agus imeachtaí eile a eagraíonn ár bhfoireann caidreamh le céimithe. Meallann an fhéile bhliantúil Féile UCD 20,000 cuairteoir anois agus is í buaicphointe an fhéilire í ó thaobh imeachtaí alumni de. Le hoscailt Chlub Ollscoile UCD  an  samhradh seo, beidh áit chompordach agat ar an gcampas  anois chun bualadh le céimithe eile agus caidreamh  a chothú le foireann teagaisc agus baill foirne eile a mbíonn ríméad orthu i gcónaí fáilte a chur roimh alumni ar ais go Belfield.

Agus dul chun cinn á dhéanamh againn mar Ollscoil Dhomhanda na hÉireann, tá ionad domhanda againn anois i Nua-Eabhrac, agus tuilleadh oifigí i Chicago agus Los Angeles, Béising, Deilí Nua, Kuala Lumpur agus Dubai. D’fhorbraíomar caidreamh nua le hollscoileanna comhpháirtíochta ardghradaim agus táimid ag obair le gníomhaireachtaí rialtais, comhpháirtithe agus alumni lenár misean a chur i gcrích.

Agus ár straitéis don chéad chúig bliana eile á cur le chéile againn, ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le pobal UCD as an tacaíocht a thug tú dúinn agus táim ag tnúth lenár n-aistear a roinnt libh sa todhchaí.

“THE NOVAUCD facility had been running at full capacity for several years and there has been a significant demand from ambitious entrepreneurs who wanted to locate their start-ups here to be part of our ecosystem of experienced mentors, founders, alumni, investors and sponsors who can help them grow their businesses globally,” said Tom Flanagan, UCD’s Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation in relation to the €6.5m development project to expand the centre which has just been completed.

This twelve-month project, to renovate and extend the hub’s eastern courtyard, has resulted in a 50 per cent increase in capacity to house companies and includes a dedicated co-working space, over 20 new business units and labs that together can accommodate up to 30 additional start-ups.

NovaUCD, based on the Belfield campus, opened in 2003 and since then has supported over 360 companies and early-stage ventures to grow and scale. The companies which operate in sectors including AgTech, CleanTech, FinTech, ICT, MedTech and Life Sciences, have raised over €760m in equity funding.

In 2018 the combined annual turnover of the companies supported amounted to over €113m and collectively they employed over 1,040 people directly and an estimated similar number indirectly.

Companies currently, and to date, supported through NovaUCD include BiancaMed, Carrick Therapeutics, Corlytics, Equal 1 Labs, Equinome, GMI, Life Scientific, Logentries, MagGrow, NovoGrid, Nuritas, OncoMark, OxyMem, Terra Solar and Vivid Edge. These companies (some of which are profiled opposite) range from those at the early-stage of their development, to companies which have secured significant investment and are in the growth phase, to companies which have been successfully acquired.

If you are interested in finding out more about locating your start-up at NovaUCD contact: helen.mcgrath@ucd.ie or visit www.novaucd.ie or follow @NovaUCD

EARLY STAGE COMPANIES

OUTPUT SPORTS shrink lab-grade athlete performance analytics into a wearable system so coaches can optimise athletes’ performance. Output Sports is an end-to-end system designed to streamline the off-field athlete performance optimisation process. It is capable of testing an athlete’s performance profile (strength, power, balance,  speed and mobility) and tracks their exercise programmes. The company, a spin-out from the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, was founded by Dr Martin O’Reilly, Dr Darragh Whelan, Julian Eberle and Professor Brian Caulfield, based on research carried out at Insight, the SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics.

MANNA, one of the latest companies to locate at NovaUCD, is planning to deploy custom-developed aerospace grade drones to deliver fast food. The company was founded by Bobby Healy, the former chief technology officer at CarTrawler. Manna plans to start with a limited-scale service in Ireland at the end of this year and is waiting for flight approval from the Irish Aviation Authority. It has announced a partnership with Flipdish, the food ordering software company. Among the VC firms to have backed Manna are, Atlantic Bridge, Elkstone and Frontline.

EQUAL 1 LABS, Ireland’s first quantum computing hardware  start- up, is developing a new type of quantum computer based on CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). Unlike current quantum computers which require very high costs to operate quantum bits ‘frozen’ at a temperature of 15mK, the Equal 1 Quantum Processing Unit can operate at higher temperatures and this significantly reduces its size. The company founded by Dr Dirk Leipold, Dr George Maxim, Mike Asker and Professor R. Bogdan Staszewski is a spin-out from the UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Atlantic Bridge has invested in Equal1 through the University Bridge Fund to support the fabrication of the company’s first quantum processor chip.

IN GROWTH MODE

CARRICK THERAPEUTICS, a life sciences company, has an ambitious patient-focused vision to serve cancer patients around the world with ground-breaking cancer therapies. It is pioneering a portfolio of unique treatments to target driver mechanisms of the most aggressive forms of cancer, tailored to an individual patient’s tumour. Carrick Therapeutics has secured $95m from investors including; Arch Venture Partners, Woodford Investment Management, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Google Ventures and Lightstone Ventures. In 2018, company co-founder, Dr Elaine Sullivan, won the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of The Year (EOY Ireland) Award. The company recently announced a move into the US.

OXYMEM was co-founded by Wayne Byrne, Professor Eoin Casey and Dr Eoin Syron as a spin-out from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. The multi-award-winning start-up is a leading innovator in energy efficient wastewater treatment. OxyMem’s breakthrough technology, the Membrane- Aerated Biofilm Reactor, addresses the global need for a more energy efficient wastewater treatment. OxyMem has an impressive list of financial backers including Dow Chemical Company and Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures and has clients in Ireland, UK, Europe, Japan, Middle East, Canada and Brazil and is in the process of growing employee numbers.

VIVID EDGE has developed a pioneering ‘energy efficiency as a service’ model for organisations using large amounts of energy. It provides the capital to enable them upgrade the efficiency of their buildings, beyond their own capital budgets, replacing such expenditure with a simple service fee. It has secured backing from a European energy efficiency fund with an initial €30m facility and has completed projects with multiple organisations, generating a multi- million euro revenue stream, and has a sales pipeline reaching into Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2019, founder and CEO Tracy O’Rourke was a finalist in the Cartier Women’s Initiative to encourage female entrepreneurs.

SUCCESSFUL EXITS

BIANCAMED was co-founded in 2003 by Dr Philip de Chazal, Dr Conor Hanley and Professor Conor Heneghan as a spin- out from the UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. It developed a contactless, accurate device for the measurement of sleep and breathing. At the core of BiancaMed’s technology was a sensitive motion sensor to detect respiration and movement without being connected to the human body. BiancaMed had raised significant funding when it was acquired in 2011 by ResMed, a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of medical equipment for treating, diagnosing, and managing sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders. Dr Hanley has recently raised over €40m for his latest venture FIRE1, to develop a remote heart monitoring product.

EQUINOME, an equine genomics company, was co-founded in 2009 by Professor Emmeline Hill, in partnership with Jim Bolger, the renowned Irish trainer and breeder, as a spin-out from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. The company was established to commercialise research which resulted in the identification of the ‘Speed Gene’ in Thoroughbreds and the development of the Equinome Speed Gene Test which predicts the optimum race distance of a Thoroughbred horse. By 2015, Equinome was working with many of the world’s leading thoroughbred training and breeding operations when acquired by Plusvital, the Irish equine nutrition company.

LOGENTRIES was co-founded in 2010 by Dr Trevor Parsons and Dr Viliam Holub as a spin-out from the UCD School of Computer Science after a decade of joint research with IBM. Based on the simple premise that there was tremendous value to businesses hidden within log data entries, Logentries developed a SaaS based, log management service for collecting and analysing big data and making this data easily accessible to improve IT and business operations. The company secured $11m in funding and was servicing tens of thousands of users in over 100 countries before being acquired by Rapid7 in 2015 for $68m.

Written by Micéal Whelan

PICTURESQUELY LOCATED ON the south side of St Stephen’s Green in the beautiful complex of historic buildings where the University was founded, UCD Newman House is soon to be the home of a new landmark institution: MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland.

A major partnership between UCD and the National Library of Ireland, MoLI draws inspiration from the genius and influence of UCD’s most famous student, James Joyce, and is named after his best- known female character, Molly Bloom.

Opening on Friday 20 September (Culture Night), the Museum of Literature Ireland will celebrate Ireland’s internationally-renowned literary culture and heritage from the past to the present, inspiring the next generation to create, read and write.

Immersive multimedia exhibitions, priceless artefacts from the National Library collections, lectures, performances, cutting-edge children’s education programmes, digital broadcasting, cross-disciplinary artistic commissions and a café set in one of the city’s most beautiful gardens will make MoLI a major contribution to the local and international literary landscape.

Museum Highlights Include

• James Joyce’s ‘Copy No 1’ of Ulysses, the rarest copy of the most important novel written in the English language, inscribed by Joyce to his patron Harriet Shaw Weaver.
• Joyce’s handwritten notebooks for sections of Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, giving insight into his unique creative process.
• Rare recordings from the National Folklore Collection.
• Exhibitions on Irish writing and writers past and present, including opening exhibitions on Kate O’Brien, Young Adult Fiction and the State and Irish Writing.
• William Butler Yeats’ Nobel Prize Medal for Literature.
• Historic setting in UCD Newman House, where famous Irish writers including James Joyce, Flann O’Brien, Kate O’Brien and Maeve Binchy were students.
• Historic ash tree where James Joyce’s graduation photograph was taken in 1902.
• Courtyard café serving local and seasonal dishes.
• Beautiful hidden gardens connecting to the Iveagh Gardens, a tranquil oasis in the heart of the city.

Visit MoLI

Open 7 days 10am–6pm (From 20 September 2019)

Admission €8 | Concession €6 | Members go free

MoLI | Museum of Literature Ireland
UCD Newman House, 86 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 | moli.ie | 01 477 9811

OVER THE LAST five years, philanthropic support from more than 9,000 alumni, corporate leaders and friends, has contributed significantly to enhancing the student experience, establishing academic chairs, research and facilities across UCD. In this article, we explore some of the ways that your generosity has impacted our campus, supported groundbreaking research and innovation, and is helping to reduce financial barriers for students so they can complete third-level education.

For many, the assumption that Irish universities are significantly funded by the exchequer is an easy one to make. It is also unfortunately incorrect: the State contributes just 36 per cent of annual turnover, which means UCD relies on non-exchequer income to fund scholarships, research and capital projects. It is the outstanding generosity of our supporters that helps to fill this gap, allowing for investment in world-class facilities that attract top-performing students and internationally-renowned faculty. This generosity of alumni and friends is both critical and transformative, its impact felt throughout the University and beyond. Your support is truly the difference between a good university and a great one.

UCD FOUNDATION

In just the last five years, 9,000 alumni, corporate leaders and friends have given over €120m to UCD Foundation, in support of UCD.

SUPPORTING STUDENTS

The last five years has seen €9m raised in support of enhancing the student experience at UCD. Much of this support comes from regular monthly gifts from our alumni, whose generosity has been essential in providing scholarships for over 500 students, allowing them to fulfil their potential.

Students such as Claudine Duggan, third year Science student: “Being the first in my family to attend university, I had nobody to ask about how it would be. Having the support of UCD alumni made such a difference, both financially and psychologically. I can’t put into words how grateful I am.”

WORLD CLASS RESEARCH

Our world is changing and as a research university, UCD is meeting its responsibility to be on the frontline in tackling climate change and chronic diseases such as cancer, dementia and diabetes, while promoting clean energy and sustainable living. As Professor Tasman Crowe, Director, UCD Earth Institute, says: “There’s no time for equivocation: this crisis belongs to us all. The very least we should try to do for our children and grandchildren is leave them a world that’s habitable.”

Research at UCD addresses challenges and opportunities that shape the future of Ireland and the wider world. Your support helps us to engage highly skilled researchers working in our priority areas of environment; energy; agri-food; culture, economy and society; health and ICT. To this end, philanthropy has provided €4m in support of 55 Newman Fellows: high-calibre, post-doctoral academic researchers.

A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE

With a constantly growing student population, UCD must develop our campus to accommodate more students than ever before. In the last five years, our supporters have invested over €50m in capital projects that create world-class facilities for students. This incredible support creates extraordinary opportunity for students to grow and develop.

The UCD Moore Centre for Business, opening in September, is a new wing of the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business that features advanced interactive learning environments, extensive co-working zones, an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub, Media Suite and a 320-seat lecture theatre. “Our students have told us that when we change spaces, it changes how we teach and what is learned,” says Maeve Houlihan, Director of UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business. “Through this extraordinary initiative, faculty and staff can meet our students where, and how, they learn best as we transform the traditional classroom.”

The UCD O’Brien Centre for Science, opened in 2013, created outstanding facilities that allowed the College of Science to not only increase student numbers by 50 per cent, but also to attract the top five per cent of science students to study at UCD.

Other recent capital projects including the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) at Newman House (page 60) and the model Confucius Institute (page 102), were made possible with philanthropic support. Our upcoming Future Campus investment (page 24) will ensure that UCD is prepared to accommodate a growing body of students, faculty and staff.

CLOSE TO THE HEART

UCD is proud that our alumni and wider community support the initiatives that mean the most to them. To say the ‘old’ UCD running track was hugely popular is an understatement. Despite its popularity, it could not be maintained for myriad reasons and closed in 2011. Now, thanks to a generous donation, the UCD track will reopen in 2020. The new track will not just facilitate the UCD tradition of producing Olympians but will deliver important physical and mental health benefits to all who use it.

“Our entire university community owes an enormous debt of gratitude to this donor, and to all donors to the University, for the remarkable generosity that is enabling us to transform the teaching, research and sporting facilities on campus for this generation and for generations to come,” said UCD President, Professor Andrew J Deeks.

THANK YOU

As we move into the next phase of UCD’s future, we look forward to sharing with you the many ways your financial support creates an outstanding educational experience for our students. Your commitment helps strengthen UCD and builds our reputation around the world, and we are grateful to every single supporter.

If you would like to learn more, we invite you to visit www.ucdfoundation.ie or complete the enclosed form.