News

When Professor Orla Feely stepped forward as a candidate for President of University College Dublin, she spoke with her father. Frank Feely, a former Dublin City and County Manager, age 91, was very unwell, but he was also determined to support his daughter in her history-making move, as he had supported her throughout her life. “In the run-up to the interview, when I was preparing for it, Dad said ‘I’m not going to die until you get that job’,” recalls Professor Feely. Frank Feely passed away the day before his eldest daughter was officially announced as the next President of UCD. But, crucially, she had been able to tell him in time. “Shortly before he died, I got to tell him that I was the candidate recommended by the interview board to UCD Governing Authority,” she says, sitting in her new office, which overlooks Belfield’s famous lake. “He died assured that I had the job. He supported me right to the end. He kept his promise.”

Professor Feely’s appointment as the first female President of UCD in its 169-year history is the latest chapter in a career that has seen her shine as a researcher and lecturer in electronic engineering, and as a leader of national and European organisations. One of her driving ambitions now is to tell the world more of UCD’s story. “Visitors to UCD are very impressed, but often also surprised, when they encounter our amazing students, our research successes, our impact on society and the economy, our beautiful campus,” she says. “I don’t want these to be hidden jewels. I want us to tell our story with ambition and pride and curate that story for the 21st century, to tell people where that story is now leading.

I want people to know more about UCD and the difference we make. That’s the key for me in all this, that we are making a difference, that we are tackling major global challenges, through our rich array of disciplines and our links around Ireland and internationally.”

I want us to tell our story with ambition and pride … I want people to know more about UCD and the difference we make.“

Engineering A Future

Professor Feely has witnessed the transformative power of universities at many levels. Growing up in south Dublin, she was the first in her family to attend university, and her parents, Frank and Ita, created a supportive environment for Orla and her three siblings – Ronan, Niamh and the late Emer – to study at third level, all of them in UCD. “I was very fortunate to grow up in a household where education was so strongly valued and in a country that was investing in education,” she says. “I loved maths, and at Our Lady’s Terenure, unlike most girls’ schools at the time, we had a very strong honours maths programme. There was a real sense that engineering offered a bright future to Ireland and to students like me, and there was a particular effort to promote the profession to women.

Christina Murphy was writing compellingly in The Irish Times about engineering as a choice for women, and I went to an open day in UCD where John Kelly, then Dean of Engineering, also encouraged young women to study the subject. I sat there in UCD Merrion Street, now Government Buildings, with the grandeur of the building around me and the future laid out before me, and it all felt very exciting.” She excelled academically, winning first place in her UCD exams and receiving PhD offers from all the major colleges in the USA where she had applied. She chose to study in the University of California, Berkeley. “I was uncertain as to how I would fare in Berkeley, surrounded by top students from all around the world, but I quickly found that the quality of my UCD education left me at least as well prepared as any of those students,” she says.

“The PhD preliminary exams in Berkeley were a very intense experience, where you were interviewed by nine separate professors in their offices, answering rapid-fire questions and solving problems on the blackboard. I got the highest marks in those exams because what I was encountering there was no more or no less academically demanding or rigorous than what I had experienced in UCD.” She was part of a talented group of Irish students in Berkeley, many of them engineers and physicists, who made a real impression. They fitted into a trend more broadly in the US, where Irish graduates were making their mark in academia and in industry.

“A buzz was developing around Ireland. You also had U2, the Jack Charlton years in soccer, and Mary Robinson’s election as President of Ireland. It felt like big things were about to happen. And of course many Irish graduates like myself returned to the country and started to build a powerhouse tech sector in Ireland,” says Professor Feely. “This is something that has stayed with me: how Irish universities – and in particular UCD, given our scale and impact – were central to the transformation of Ireland at that time.” Professor Feely won awards in Berkeley for her doctoral work in non-linear circuits, in which she explored the mathematics of complex electronic systems. She received a fellowship from Intel, through which she met the late Gordon Moore, co-founder of the company and a hero of hers. “He took a real interest in Ireland, and he asked me what I was going to do when I was finished my PhD,” she recalls. “I told him I was taking a faculty position in UCD, and he nodded approvingly and said ‘Yeah, that’ll do.’ That was a good endorsement for the move home, had I needed it.”

Systems-level Success

Professor Feely loved lecturing to engineering students in UCD, and built a successful research team, many of whom have gone on to make their own mark in research. Then came opportunities for leadership roles, including as Chair of a newly configured research funding body, the Irish Research Council, and as Chair of the EU Advisory Group on Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

“I didn’t consciously move into leadership as a career strategy,” she says. “I greatly enjoyed conducting research and teaching our brilliant engineering students, and would have been very happy to continue on that track throughout my career. But then I found I also really enjoyed being able to work at the system level, figuring out what levers to pull to exert influence and how to engage effectively with stakeholders from industry and government.” In 2014, Professor Feely was appointed Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact at UCD, and she served in this role with considerable success until she became President in 2023. “It is the greatest honour to serve as President of UCD and to lead this wonderful university as we write the next chapter in our story,” she says.

Professor Feely’s time as UCD President will feature enormous societal and educational change. She recognises that the climate emergency, Artificial Intelligence and the post-COVID student experience will shape her tenure to a significant extent, and she believes in the power of UCD to help in addressing these challenges.

Sustainability Matters

Sustainability is at the heart of Professor Feely’s presidential perspective, and it has already been a central focus of her time at the helm of UCD’s research and innovation. “At a time when individuals can feel powerless at the scale of the sustainability challenge, I want them to know that working together as a community, we in UCD can make a real difference,” she says. “For example, through our research and those we have educated, UCD has had major impact on Ireland’s very impressive performance in the integration of renewable energy onto our electricity grid, and in sharing that know-how internationally.” This work is now advancing through the NexSys research programme, led by Professor Andrew Keane, which explores next generation energy systems.

Other multi-disciplinary sustainability research initiatives at UCD include BiOrbic, the Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre, led by Professor Kevin O’Connor, which uses renewable resources from nature to produce food, feed and energy while reducing waste, and the work of innovators such as Professors Eileen Gibney and Fiona Doohan to increase the resilience of our food supply. Such challenges need many minds to solve them, notes Professor Feely.

“We need to have economists and behavioural scientists working with engineers and scientists, lawyers, business experts and many more,” she says. “In UCD we have the range of disciplines, the scale, the expertise and the collegiality to work together, and to work in a meaningful way with all the many stakeholders nationally and globally who are needed to find solutions to these crises.” UCD also has the power to support change through education, notes Professor Feely. “We have a new and very popular BSc in Sustainability, and I also see sustainability as a cross-cutting feature of our education.” she says.

“I want all of our students to emerge from UCD with an awareness of the sustainability and climate crises and what we can do together to make a positive difference. We have just appointed Professor Tasman Crowe as our first Vice-President for Sustainability, and this area will be a priority for UCD throughout my presidency.”

AI Transformations

Artificial Intelligence too, will shape many aspects of education, work and life in the coming decade. Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has already sent shockwaves through the education sector. But Professor Feely sees it, and AI more generally, as an opportunity as much as a challenge. “This is such an interesting and disruptive time,” she says. “We need to think deeply not only about immediate needs such as student assessment and enhancements to our operations, but about how work and life will be impacted by AI over the coming decades and how we prepare our students for this, how we support success for Ireland and how we champion the ethical use of AI.” UCD has a strong activity in AI and machine learning stretching back decades, notes Professor Feely, with discoveries translating into the commercial and clinical spheres. “We have many pioneering and inspiring uses of AI, including AI_PREMie led by Professor Patricia Maguire, which is using machine learning to develop new ways to diagnose and predict preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition in pregnancy,” she says.

We want to design our programmes as well as our buildings to support a really engaged, flexible, multi-faceted approach to education in the 21st century.”

Student Connections

The student experience is to the fore of Professor Feely’s mind. Her twin sons are currently university students – one in UCD, one in Trinity College Dublin – and she knows from her own experience at UCD and Berkeley how important these years are for a student’s personal and social development. “I’m very aware that every student who joins UCD directly from school throughout my tenure will have had their education disrupted in a real, material way by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will have left its mark,” she says. “So how do we ensure a sense of community, connectedness and resilience? That is so important to me.

These are formative years in university, when you are figuring out what kind of life you want to lead, you are finding people who will be around you into the future and you are working out how you will make a difference in the world. We want to help our students to make those connections and find their path.” Professor Feely is particularly excited to see the cranes up on campus to build the Centre for Future Learning, soon to be followed by further ambitious capital developments. “We are exploring new spaces and approaches for teaching and learning,” she says. “University education is about so much more than sitting in a lecture theatre. We want to design our programmes as well as our buildings to support a really engaged, flexible, multi-faceted approach to education in the 21st century.”

Bringing UCD’s Jewels To Light

Just a few months into her new role, Professor Feely is relishing the varied nature of the President’s work. “UCD is a large, complex organisation, and you have to operate across various axes,” she says.

You need to make sure the internal systems are running as they should, and you also have to carry the University’s messages externally. You are an academic leading an academic community, and you are also leading a major complex organisation.

Day to day, you need to respond to immediate challenges and questions, but you also need to think very strategically – universities by their nature are looking decades into the future.” Interactions with people are at the heart of it all, she notes, and this is something she particularly enjoys. “I really love that,” she says. “I love interacting with our students, our staff, our alumni and the many, many communities that work with UCD to make a difference.”

So, rolling forward to 2033, when Professor Feely closes her presidential chapter and welcomes her successor, what does she hope is conveyed in the book of UCD when she hands it on? “I want UCD to be delivering an outstanding and distinctive education that opens up new vistas well into the 21st century for our students, just as it did for me back in the 1980s,” she says. “I want us to be making a difference through our research in areas of global challenge, and to be a valued partner worldwide.

I want us to have supported a strong and vibrant society and economy in Dublin, Ireland and beyond, with a strong ethos of public service. I want our story and our reputation out there in the world, no more of the hidden jewels, with UCD recognised and respected globally as an effective force for good.

ONE OF MY first activities as Acting President was to visit as many faculty and staff as possible across campus through a series of town hall meetings. Accompanied by Acting Registrar and Deputy President, Professor Barbara Dooley and Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Professor Orla Feely, together, we listened to people.

What we heard was a strong, communal belief that the primary purpose of the university is education and research for the benefit of society, for the public good. UCD has a strategic plan in place which informs what we do and what we need to achieve. But, as long as we’re focused on those two primary purposes: on the education and holistic development of our students; and the scholarship and research impact of our faculty, then everything we do will be in the right space.

Given the period we have just been through, the immediate future is all about making sure the pandemic and its legacy are left behind and that faculty, staff and students alike come back and re-engage with campus and fill the empty spaces that COVID-19 left behind. Everyone can be a part of the next chapter of our UCD story.

In a post-pandemic educational setting, reimagining the university experience is one of the biggest challenges we face. A significant number of students have not experienced the University in the same way as students before COVID-19. They have been studying in their bedrooms, often isolated from their peers. We must help them to re-engage with campus life.

UCD is all about community. That is, the faculty, the staff, the students, the alumni. A university is only as good as its people. They are its lifeblood, they define it.

We need to make sure that everything that we do on campus has a purpose. We need peer-to-peer interaction and engagement between students and clubs or societies – all those activities which were hybrid over the past two years – to get back to being fully face-to-face. Then the real benefit of the on-campus experience becomes evident.

It is important that we also get our faculty and staff back on campus – the experience is not just about students, it is about the overall UCD community and bringing it back to life in a meaningful way. It is important to focus again on that collegiate experience. If we can get that vibrant atmosphere going again, people will really see the rationale, the benefits, the reasons, for coming back.

The UCD Student Village is open. Adjacent to our newest on-campus residences, is a welcoming hub with a vibrant range of food outlets, gym, dance studio and adaptable spaces. This provides a central location for students to meet, talk, study and collaborate on a whole range of activities.

We also want to ensure that student facilities and supports are readily available. We are very aware of the national trend of students facing mental health and other challenges. We’re working hard to ensure that our facilities, our supports, our student advisors, our counselling services, are geared up to best support the issues that students will face as they re-engage with, not just a different way of learning, but a re-entry to the social scene which is such an important aspect of university life.

There will also be a significant effort to make sure that the research and scholarship that have been going on throughout the pandemic are brought back up to full speed, resulting in a level of activity that fully supports the University’s strategy of delivering impactful teaching, learning and research.

We want our students to receive an impactful education, not just in their own chosen discipline but also in their personal and professional development. I am enormously proud of our students, our future graduates – the future leaders who pass through these doors. Making sure we are focused on the impact and quality of our teaching, learning and research is of the utmost importance.

Education is a balance – students should leave UCD equipped with the skills to tackle the challenges the world faces on both an academic and personal level.

I am also enormously proud of you, our alumni community worldwide. We celebrate and acknowledge your achievements in these pages. We love to hear memories of your time in UCD and we thank you for your commitment to us in so many different ways. We look forward to connecting and reconnecting with you in the coming year.

■ www.ucd.ie

UCD VILLAGE

UCD Village is an exciting new addition on the Belfield Campus – state-of-the-art student accommodation in a safe, communal environment, only a short walk from UCD’s world-class academic and sports facilities. The completed first phase of the UCD Village, with over 900 student beds and flagship Village Centre, is just the first part of an ambitious programme that will provide over 2,000 new beds over the next few years. With social and retail spaces, dance studio, market-style food hall, gym, laundrette, and auditorium, the UCD Village ensures UCD students can avail of high-quality accommodation on campus with world-class facilities on tap.

UCD Village living options include shared apartments and studio rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms, study and storage space and fully equipped kitchens, plus an on-site 24/7 support team. www.ucd.ie/residences

HONEY AND APPLE JUICE

Beekeeping had not been practised on campus for many years when in 2014 Dr Brian Tobin and his team at UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science and Rosemount Environmental Research Station set out to change that. They established the “Bringing Bees Back to Belfield” project and set up an apiary next to the Irish heritage apple orchard at Rosemount. Today, thanks to a collaborative effort by students and staff, Belfield honeybees contribute to the pollination of the Rosemount Orchard and parklands and gardens close by, and the apiary facilitates research into pollination ecology and gives students valuable hands-on experience in apiculture. Both the apiary and orchard have become important flagship projects for Rosemount’s outreach activities.

UCD won a Grand Gold CASE Award in 2020 for the Rosemount Honey project, the panel calling it “a perfect representation of the work and research happening in the important areas of horticultural and environmental science.” The honey initiative has since been joined by production of apple juice from UCD’s orchard of heritage native apple trees. The production of these products on campus provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate excellence in food production and plant management systems, as well as a valuable teaching demonstration. Both these items are examples of umbrella-like products representing Rosemount’s contribution to UCD’s vision of sustainable production.

Green Spaces

Want to take a walk around UCD’s beautiful wildflower meadows and biodiverse Woodland Walks during your next trip to Belfield? Plan your trip!
Walking maps for five beautiful, biodiverse walks are downloadable at www.ucdestates.ie

BETTER BIKING

UCD is the first third-level institution in Ireland to achieve Gold Level Certification as a cycle-friendly employer. The ‘Gold Level Certification’ achieved by UCD is underpinned by The Cycle-Friendly Employer Certification Framework, developed by the European Cyclists’ Federation, aimed at establishing a European standard for bicycle friendliness in the workplace. There are now over 5,000 cycle parking spaces for those commuting on bike. The new pedestrian and cyclist entrance at the N11 provides a vehicle-free environment and at the UCD Sports Centre, the roundabout has been upgraded to a cyclist-friendly configuration, and vehicle speed reduction measures introduced. UCD supports the Bike to Work scheme for staff and offers a student buy-back scheme, where bikes purchased from the campus bike shop can be sold back at the end of the academic year. Moby GPS-enabled bikes are located on bike racks throughout the campus.

UCD GREEN CAMPUS

The initiative encourages students and staff to raise awareness of environmental issues and improve the environmental performance of their institution. Sustainable development and climate change are two of the greatest challenges of our time. UCD can play an important role through research and teaching, the operation and development of the UCD estate as well as through individual and collective behaviour and actions of the UCD Community. The Green Campus Initiative will highlight energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable commuting and biodiversity. Even lake clearing is carefully undertaken before nesting season, so as not to disturb the nesting wildfowl so beloved of students, alumni and visitors to UCD’s beautiful campus.

OUTSIDE THE BOX

The Creative Futures Academy (CFA) a new partnership between UCD, the National College of Arts and Design and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, will offer students training in the creative and cultural sectors, addressing the needs of the most talented writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians and designers. The Black Box Studio and Media Lab in the old DramSoc theatre in the Newman Building will be fitted out with the highest quality technology to prepare future generations of talent for the creative sectors.

FUTURE CAMPUS UPDATE

Enabling works, landscaping, reconfiguration of the internal campus road network and construction of a new entrance plaza at the University’s main gate on the N11 are underway as part of the Future Campus development – the creation of 22,500sq m of teaching, learning, research and engagement space in two new state-of-the-art buildings and the upgrading, refurbishment and expansion of other buildings on campus. The development is part of the University’s five-year plan aimed at increasing faculty and student numbers, putting in place world-class academic facilities and student amenities and services. The development will relieve capacity pressures on existing campus buildings and facilitate growth of the student population by 3,300. The Centre for Future Learning will provide flexible teaching spaces that facilitate active group work and peer learning. The Centre for Creativity will be home to faculty from UCD College of Engineering and Architecture.

Campus development plans also include an extension to the O’Brien Centre for Science, the refurbishment of the Physics and Mathematics, Earth Sciences and Biology wings; the refurbishment of the Newman building, which houses Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the James Joyce Library (some of the oldest teaching buildings at Belfi eld); and new and improved sporting facilities.

The UCD campus development plan exceeds €1 billion, and funding will be sourced from the EIB, philanthropy, increased student numbers, loans and Government grants.

THE SIMPLE LIFE

A new experimental early medieval roundhouse has been erected on the grounds of UCD, replacing a similarly unique structure destroyed by fire almost three years ago. The reconstruction by UCD Archaeology staff and students is part of an ongoing research project by the UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture in the Roebuck district of the campus. The hazel post-and-wattle roundhouse measures six metres in diameter, and is based on archaeological and environmental evidence gathered from an 8th-century excavated site in Co. Antrim.

FUTURE LIBRARY

IN MARCH 2022, Professor Mark Rogers, UCD Acting President and Lorna Dodd, UCD Associate Librarian, launched an ambitious new strategic plan for UCD Library, addressing how the Library will meet challenges presented by the rapid changes in the higher education and research landscape. The plan is to develop high-quality, connected and accessible library spaces that provide students with the opportunity to engage with learning, connect with resources and collaborate with other learners. There will be enhanced digital services for students and faculty, supported by the development of critical digital literacy skills. The Library aims to claim a space for UCD’s unique and world-renowned collections as a resource for research and citizen engagement.

In the same month, Dr Sandra Collins, former Director of the National Library of Ireland, was appointed Librarian at UCD, joining a dedicated team across five libraries. “Twenty-five years ago, I completed my PhD in UCD. I am delighted to be returning to the University where I learnt so much, and relish the prospect of working with the students and staff,” Dr Collins said, citing as a particular highlight of her time as Director of the National Library of Ireland, the partnership project with UCD to create the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) at Newman House. Dr Collins leads a dedicated team across fi ve libraries and UCD’s extensive archives.

RE: JOYCE A LIFE IN THE DAY

To mark the centenary of Ulysses, UCD School of English, Drama and Film and UCD Arts and Humanities created the short film RE: JOYCE A LIFE IN THE DAY, to salute James Joyce, the University’s most famous graduate. The film tracks protagonist Leo through an imagined day in her life at UCD, on a deadline to complete an essay about James Joyce. Re: Joyce features a number of excerpts and words from Ulysses and animates them via spoken word, music, performances and dream sequences, all performed by UCD students from a wide range of UCD disciplines, as well as members of UCD DramSoc, Choral Scholars and UCD Ad Astra performance scholars. Re: Joyce, directed by Ignas Laugalis, was premiered at the UCD Festival in June 2022 and plays at MoLI. Watch on UCD College of Arts and Humanities YouTube Channel.

UCD Micro-credentials

Developed and delivered by UCD’s academic faculty, UCD Microcredentials give you the opportunity to upskill in highly specialised areas with short, accredited, industry-aligned courses. UCD Micro-credentials are designed for busy professionals, who may not have the time to engage with larger programmes of study, and most are online or blended. Enrolling on a Microcredentials course is a great way to develop in your current role, fast-track your career progression, or pivot to a new area. For more information and details on discounts available to UCD alumni, visit www.ucd.ie/microcredentials.

SCIENCE FOR SCHOOLKIDS

The National Concert Hall, University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin Schools of Education, supported by Science Foundation Ireland and ESB, has launched QUAVERS TO QUADRATICS, which explores the intersection of the worlds of music and science through a series of hands-on workshops, encouraging children in third-sixth class to play with ideas common to music and science. Children are guided in their play by university science and music education students who work with class teachers. www.nch.ie.

THE POETRY JUKEBOX

In St Stephen’s Green is part of the Poetry as Commemoration initiative led by UCD Library and supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012- 2023 programme. Members of the public can tune in to listen to 20 poems relating to the events that led to the establishment of the Free State and the Civil War.

Wordle Practice Makes Perfect

When it comes to Wordle practice does makes perfect it seems, according to a new analysis of more than three million tweets of the word puzzle, where players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. Professor Barry Smyth, Digital Chair at the UCD School of Computer Science, analysed over three million Wordle tweets posted by 800,000 players between December 2021 and January 2022 and found players manage to solve the game in fewer rounds the more they play, with more experienced players solving the puzzle on their fourth attempt. Professor Smyth also found that some words are considerably more challenging than others, with Wordle picking a difficult word about once a week. These words were usually less common words, with unusual combinations of letters, and more likely to have duplicate letters.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES

HIGHLIGHTS 2021-2022

THIS YEAR WE welcomed our students back to campus and navigated the new hybrid world of both online and in-person learning and events. It has been a hugely successful and busy year for staff, students and alumni alike.

In January 2022, UCD Special Collections acquired the personal correspondence of writer Mary Lavin. This acquisition was made possible by the support of UCD Foundation’s Arts and Humanities College Support Fund and the generosity of UCD alumnus, Dr Joseph Hassett.

Congratulations to UCD Creative Fellow Colm Tóibín, who was announced as the Laureate for Irish Fiction 2022-2024 by the Arts Council. His three-year term began in January, when he succeeded Sebastian Barry.

In March 2022, UCD awarded honorary doctorates to some of Ireland’s finest musicians in recognition of their outstanding contribution to arts and culture. Mary Bergin, Mary Black, Finbar Furey, Paddy Glackin, Andy Irvine, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Mary O’Hara were honoured by UCD for their commitment to Irish music and culture. These musicians also featured in ‘The Flourishing’, a documentary spearheaded by Associate Professor P.J. Mathews which aired on RTÉ One over Christmas 2021.

College Principal

Creative Futures Academy announced a new BA in Creative & Cultural Industries available from the College, with its first intake in September 2022. Speaking at the announcement, RTÉ Chair and UCD Creative Fellow Moya Doherty said: “We are at a pivotal moment in our understanding of the place of creativity and the creative industries relative to the wellbeing of our economy, society and community.”

In April 2022, the UCD Symphony Orchestra performed Saint-Saëns’ spectacular Organ Symphony as part of a programme of French music presented in collaboration with the UCD Philharmonic Choir in the stunning setting of Dublin’s St Patrick’s Cathedral. The concert drew an audience of over 800 attendees, resulting in a stunning evening of live music after a hiatus of over two years.

The UCD Arts and Humanities Annual College Lecture resumed this year in April with the School of Classics hosting the event. The College welcomed Professor Isabelle Torrance for a lecture on ‘Classical Culture and Irish Identities: Diachronic and Polyphonic Perspectives’.
www.ucd.ie/artshumanities

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

HIGHLIGHTS 2021-2022

CELEBRATING TWO KEY milestones in the last year, UCD College of Business continues its strong legacy of business education that has positively impacted Ireland and the world for over 110 years.

In October, the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School celebrated 30 years since it first welcomed students to Ireland’s only campus solely dedicated to graduate business education. The new location facilitated a significant expansion of postgraduate business programmes offered, including the introduction of a full-time MBA programme.

This September, we will celebrate another key milestone – 20 years since the launch of the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business. In 2002, all UCD undergraduate business programmes were brought under one roof in the new state-of-the-art business school. A first of its kind among European universities, the building was designed with a focus on e-technology and completely wi-fi enabled.

Our commitment to excellence was exemplified in historic Financial Times rankings for the CEMS Masters in International Management programme, which was ranked third globally, and UCD Smurfit Executive Development Open Enrolment programmes which achieved a position of 31st in the world and first in Ireland.

College Principal

Innovative research is the bedrock of the College and original thinking is foundational in ensuring our programmes are transformative and that our work has a positive impact on business and society.

Recent research highlights include UCD’s GUARD project, led by Professor Michael O’Neill, which was awarded €5.1 million to combine artificial intelligence and drone technology to intercept drug smuggling operations and also help with sea search and rescue.

Associate Professor Geertje Schuitema is a Co-Principal Investigator of The iCRAG Earth Science in Society team which was awarded €28 million to address how consumers respond to unsustainable supply chain practices in business.

Assistant Professor John McCallig was awarded the 2022 Nova UCD Invention of the Year Award for his research on how blockchain technology can create transparency in verifying accounting information.

As we launch a new strategy for the next four years, we aim to actively inspire and co-create a better future for our students, staff, alumni and for business and society in Ireland and across the globe.
www.ucd.ie/business

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

HIGHLIGHTS 2021-2022

UCD COLLEGE OF Engineering and Architecture began the academic year with conferrings, career fairs and other events being hosted online before resuming with face-to-face interactions in 2022.

The UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) continued to engage with alumni through virtual engagements such as the Autumn and Spring Panel Discussions, as well as the annual Distinguished Graduate Awards for 2020 and 2021, which acknowledge alumni and their commitment and contributions to industry during their careers thus far. Dervilla Mitchell, Joint Deputy Chair for ARUP, received the 2020 award with Decawave (now part of Qorvo) co-founders, Ciaran Connell and Michael McLaughlin receiving the 2021 award.

Aoife O’Connor-Massingham, Assistant Planner, South Dublin County Council; Anjali Swaminathan, Analyst, KPMG Future Analytics; Daniel Gallagher, Energy and Climate Consultant, ARUP and other alumni participated in a number of career-focused events such as mock interviews, career bootcamps, masterclasses and other mentoring services, providing invaluable guidance to students.

UCD had unprecedented success in the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants competition. Professor Eoin Casey, Head of UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, was awarded €2.5 million for his research: ‘Analysis of Biofilm Solid Interactions Underpinning Wastewater Treatment’.

College Principal

UCD spin-out PlasmaBound was successful in raising €2.35 million in its latest funding round, which will allow the engineering company to accelerate its vision of sustainable lightweight materials being a standard feature on vehicles, devices and structures globally.

UCD Energy Institute will lead the €16 million NexSys strategic research partnership to deliver energy system integration to decarbonise the energy sector.

The WaterLANDS project was launched to tackle large-scale restoration of Europe’s wetlands with €23 million of funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Programme Green Deal, led by Dr Craig Bullock and Dr Shane McGuinness in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP).

The School of APEP congratulated students and graduates alike for their accomplishments over the past year. Two LARC students, Joseph Eustace and Cillian O’Cróinín, were awarded joint winners in the categories ‘Best Category One (Student) Concept Master Plan Design’ and ‘Best Innovative Concept Detail Design’ in the GLDA Student & Graduate Design Competition 2022.

Our congratulations also to UCD alumnus, Patrick J. Quinn (BArch 1954), who has won the ACSF’s 2022 Award for Outstanding Achievement.
www.ucd.ie/eacollege

COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

HIGHLIGHTS 2021-2022

OVER THE COURSE of this academic year, the College was pleased to host a number of events which demonstrated the translation of our One Health vision into action. A research retreat took place at Brook Lodge, Co. Wicklow to welcome Ad Astra Scholars and other recently appointed colleagues. The annual college Teaching and Learning Showcase displayed the best in innovative and interdisciplinary learning initiatives, as well as presenting the University for All Faculty Partners, who are working in all schools across the College to support and accelerate the implementation of Universal Design for Learning. The Graduate Research Student Symposium showcased the best in student research across the College, where the green shoots of One Health in action were again on display. The College was also pleased to take a leading role in cross-university events for Neurodiversity Celebration Week.

A celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the School of Veterinary Medicine move from Ballsbridge to Belfield took place in June 2020. We are immensely proud of our alumni and to mark this important milestone we celebrated 20 alumni from the UCD Veterinary community who have excelled in their field and made a positive impact, by recording their names on our newly installed Alumni Wall. The full listing can be found at www.ucd.ie/vetmed.

As part of the Agri Aware Farm Walk & Talk series, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science welcomed almost 400 students from all over Leinster and beyond to UCD Lyons Farm in Co. Kildare to give them a practical insight into many of the themes in the Leaving Certificate agricultural science syllabus.

College Principal

UCD School of Medicine Medicine Graduates Association (MGA) launched its podcast series MGA Clinical Influencers, hosted by Professor Muiris FitzGerald, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics at UCD, a proud graduate of the Class of 1964. The podcast, which features Medicine graduates discussing career highlights and challenges, is available via Apple, Spotify and at www.ucd.ie/medicine/alumni/mgapodcastseries/

In Radiography news, Associate Professor Jonathan McNulty (BSc 2000) won the EuroMinnies 2022 award for the Most Influential Radiographer in recognition of his international work representing, promoting and developing the profession. Associate Professor Shane Foley (BSc 1999) was an invited expert on the pilot International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) advisory mission on medical exposure. This group of experts visited hospitals and clinics across Estonia to inspect and produce a national report on radiation protection practices. The mission featured a multidisciplinary team of experts from Croatia, Finland, Lithuania, Italy, and Slovenia. John Tuffy (BSc Radiography 2004) was appointed Head of Programme for Healthcare Services at the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA).

Dr John P. Gilmore, Assistant Professor in Nursing, who has a Graduate Diploma in Critical Care Nursing from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, was awarded the prestigious Fulbright-HRB Health Impact Award. John will visit the Center for Gender and Sexual Minority Health at the University of California San Francisco to explore enablers and barriers to community-led LGBTQI+ healthcare. Dr Gilmore’s research, teaching and scholarship centres around themes of inclusion health, social justice, LGBTQI+ Health and broader sexual health.
www.ucd.ie/chas

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE

HIGHLIGHTS 2021-2022

THE LAST 12 months have seen UCD College of Science revert to full in-person teaching and learning at scale which has resulted in a sense of renewed energy across campus. We are delighted to share with you some of the College highlights for the academic year 2021-2022.

In November 2021, Professor William Gallagher from UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science was named Science Foundation Ireland’s Researcher of the Year. This award recognises Professor Gallagher’s outstanding achievements in the field of cancer research, and reflects a sustained academic career of the highest quality.

In February 2022, UCD launched a new role model video series to encourage girls to consider STEM careers. From the College of Science, this was led by Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, from the UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics, and Dr Catherine Mooney, from the UCD School of Computer Science.

In March 2022, Professor Dominic Zerulla from UCD School of Physics won NovaUCD’s 2022 Innovation Award for his research which has the potential to transform the understanding of processes such as cell signalling and cell proliferation in cancer.

College Principal

Also in March 2022, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering inducted Professor Kenneth Dawson from UCD School of Chemistry into its College of Fellows, which consists of the top two per cent of medical and biological engineers in the United States.

In May 2022, Professor Fiona Doohan from UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science was elected to the Royal Irish Academy in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the sciences, specifically reflecting her expertise in the development of sustainable methods of crop production. The RIA welcomed four other UCD professors – Professor Katherine Browne (Geography), Professor Andreas Hess (Sociology), Professor Tadhg Ó hAnnracháin (History) and Professor Stefan Oscarson (Chemical Biology).

Also in May 2022, an international research team led by Professor Brendan Kennedy from UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, uncovered a potential treatment approach for advanced uveal melanoma (UM), which is the most common adult eye cancer.
www.ucd.ie/science

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND LAW

HIGHLIGHTS 2021-2022

THE COLLEGE OF Social Sciences and Law hosted two panel discussions for International Women’s Day on the 2022 theme of “Breaking the Bias”. UCD Alumni Awardees in Law and Social Sciences, Fiona McEntee (BCL 2005) and Caitríona Palmer (BA 1993), joined Labour leader Ivana Bacik in conversation with Assistant Professor Joe McGrath, Vice-Principal for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the College of Social Sciences and Law. A panel featuring four inspirational UCD Social Sciences and Law alumni was also a huge success. Panellists included Siobhán McKenna, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Public Appointments Service, who also took part in the UCD Alumni career-focused webinar series What It Takes.

In April 2022, researchers from across UCD College of Social Sciences and Law examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on equalities and social justice, ethics and misinformation as part of a wide-ranging COVID-19 Research Showcase hosted by the College.

Principal of the College, Professor Colin Scott, has been appointed to the Irish Research Council. This prestigious three-year appointment was made by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, who remarked that Professor Scott, who also serves as Vice-President for Equality Diversity and Inclusion at UCD, would make a valuable contribution to the Council.

College Principal

The UCD Sutherland School of Law hosted a number of in-person, virtual and hybrid events. These included the annual John M. Kelly Memorial Lecture at which Lord Sumption was the keynote speaker, and a visit from BCL 1986 graduate, the Rt Hon. the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Vincent Keaveny, who discussed his ‘People and Purpose’ mayoral theme with RTÉ broadcaster and fellow alumnus Miriam O’Callaghan (BCL 1979). Also this spring, Chief Justice of Ireland, The Hon. Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell (BCL 1980), launched UCD Student Legal Services Journal, a student-run publication. This year’s Journal explores 100 Years of the Irish State, marking the centenary of Irish independence.

Business leaders and policymakers shared thoughts about the evolution of the digital assets industry and debated different policy approaches at the Matheson UCD Leadership Series in May. The theme of the event was ‘Crypto and Digital Assets Revolution, What’s Next?’
www.ucd.ie/socscilaw

CUIRFIDH COBÁC AN chomhdháil stáit deireanach Deich mBliana na gCéad Bliain i láthair ar an 2 agus 3 Nollaig 2022, ag ceiliúradh Bunú Saorstáit Éireann 100 bliain ó shin. Cuireadh deireadh leis na socruithe a leagadh amach sa Chonradh Angla-Éireannach ar an 6 Nollaig 1922, agus Éire sa tréimhse ba mheasa den Chogadh Cathartha,. Leis seo, bunaíodh Saorstát Éireann go hoifigiúil cothrom an lae a síníodh an Conradh AnglaÉireannach. Ba chomhartha é seo gur bunaíodh Saorstát Éireann go dlíthiúil agus tráth ríthábhachtach a bhí ann i saoirse na hÉireann. Sna 12 mí ó síníodh an doiciméad, tharla deighilt ann sa tír agus sna gluaiseachtaí a bhuaigh saoirse na hÉireann leis an doiciméad céanna sin.

Déanfaidh an chomhdháil measúnú ar bheartas intíre agus ar bheartas idirnáisiúnta. Déanfar measúnú chomh maith ar fhothacaí dlíthiúla an stáit, a bhunreacht, aistriú na státseirbhíse, na breithiúna agus bunú ranna rialtais. Pléifear féiniúlacht, teanga, agus struchtúr sóisialta na hÉireann neamhspleáiche. Cuirfear an áit a bhí ag inscne, reiligiún, eispéireas an mhionlaigh, agus soláthar seirbhísí sa stát nua san áireamh.

Ag teacht as críochdheighilt agus foréigean, ba mhór an dúshlán don Saorstát stát feidhmiúil, seasmhach agus daingean a chruthú i ndiaidh deich mbliana de chogadh agus réabhlóid. D’fhág an foréigean agus an scrios a tharla idir an tÉirí Amach agus tús an Chogaidh Chathartha, lorg fisiceach ar an tír. I mBaile Átha Cliath, bhí Ard-Oifig an Phoist, na Ceithre Cúirteanna agus na sráideanna cóngaracha ina bhfothracha go fóill ón Éirí Amach agus ó thosú an Chogaidh Chathartha faoi seach. Ar an lá tar éis bhunú Shaorstát Éireann, scaoil fórsaí frith-Chonartha leis an TD Seán Hales agus mharaigh é agus é ar a bhealach go Dáil Éireann. D’ordaigh comh-aireacht an tSaorstáit ceathrar príosúnach de chuid an IRA a chur chun báis láithreach mar bheart díoltais. Mhair an polasaí le daoine a dhaoradh chun báis agus an Cogadh Cathartha a spreag é go Bealtaine 1923.

Ó thaobh airgeadais de, bhí an tAire Airgeadais dúghafa le hairgeadas na tíre a chomhordú. Mar sin féin, ceadaíodh roinnt forbairtí bonneagair uaillmhianacha, go háirithe Scéim Hidrileictreach na Sionainne a réitigh an bealach le haghaidh leictriúchán tuaithe. Bhí teorainneacha an tSaorstáit ag síorathrú go fóill. Chuir an conradh Coimisiún na Teorann ar fáil chun líne dhealaithe idir an Saorstát agus Tuaisceart Éireann a shocrú. Nuair a chlis ar an gcoimisiún seo i 1925, fágadh an teorainn mar a bhí agus mar atá anois. B’ócáidí cinniúnacha a tharla le linn an athraithe ó réabhlóid go forbairt státacht na hÉireann iad; fórsa póilíneachta feidhmiúil agus neamharmtha a bhunú, ceannairc san arm a chur faoi chois i 1924, aistriú síochánta cumhachta ó pháirtí a bhí ar son an Chonartha go páirtí polaitíochta frithChonartha i 1932.

In ainneoin na ndúshlán seo, tháinig Éire slán. Sna blianta ina dhiaidh sin, lean sí ag feidhmiú mar dhaonlathas nuair a tháinig deachtóireacht fhorlámhach i gcumhacht i gcuid mhaith stát Eorpaigh sin nó go ndearnadh ionradh agus ionghabháil orthu. Ina ionad sin, ba í an bhagairt eiseach ba mhó a bhí ar Éirinn i lár an fichiú haois ná eisimirce agus an bhochtaineacht ba chúis leis. Críochnóidh an chomhdháil le díospóireacht chomhchéime ina scrúdófar forbairt na hÉireann, go sóisialta, ó thaobh na polaitíochta de agus ó thaobh an gheilleagair de sna céad bliain ó 1922.

Tá fáilte roimh alumni a bheith linn ag an gcomhdháil.

■ www.ucd.ie/centenaries. Is Ollamh Comhlach é Conor Mulvagh, Scoil na Staire COBÁC agus bíonn sé páirteach go gníomhach i ngníomhaíochtaí comórtha ar an ollscoil, ar leibhéal náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta.

MOTIVATING BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE

Our value system places a great emphasis on equality, diversity and inclusion. We believe the laws that govern our society should be based on concepts of justice. And in a digital world, where disinformation can cause havoc, we stand up for the protection of human and civil rights. Each of these principles supports our goal to empower humanity.

The key to empowering humanity is to understand what shapes human thinking and what motivates behaviour and behavioural change. As a progressive, research-intensive university, UCD plays a role in this empowerment by building a holistic understanding of the behaviour and interaction of individuals in societies and across cultures.

Central to empowering humanity is trust and trustworthiness. The rise in populism and the manipulation of media have affected public perceptions of trustworthiness in governments and democracy.

The war in Ukraine, coming before we really break free of the impact of COVID-19, places extreme pressure on society. The economic cost of supporting people during lockdown, quickly followed by surging inflation, especially in energy costs, paints a worrying scenario for the future. There is no doubt that we are currently faced with a profound crisis of social trust.

The PERITIA project (Policy, Expertise and Trust in Action), funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme and led by UCD across Europe, seeks to help people and policy-makers identify trustworthy expertise.

In a major study undertaken across six European countries earlier this year, PERITIA found that distrust of government is widespread. None of the countries in the study does particularly well, with large proportions of the public in each saying they are cautious about trusting their government, disagreeing that they are honest, truthful and provide unbiased information. A point of difference in Ireland is the public’s favourable view of the European Commission, the most favourable of the six countries surveyed.

However, in the midst of the current political, economic, social and public health crises, the PERITIA study finds that there is strong public trust in science and in university scientists (94 per cent) across all six nations. This is reassuring but should not be taken for granted. The research we undertake across social sciences as well as health and data sciences, creates experts. Our role and responsibility is to use this expertise with integrity and independence in order to empower humanity.

ACCESS AND INCLUSION

More than one billion people worldwide identify as having a disability. Over three-quarters of disabled people have acquired their disability during the course of their life, and as we age, most of us will experience some form of disability – whether visible or hidden. But the disability derives not from a particular impairment, but from barriers in society that make participation and inclusion challenging and difficult. As Ireland’s global university, UCD is well placed to tackle these barriers, both by ensuring access to higher education and research for people with disabilities, but also by identifying solutions that can be applied across all sectors.

Universal Design is the design of the built environment, products and services, information and communications technology so that they can be accessed, understood and used by everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability. It is vital that our universities embed Universal Design in their campuses, their curricula and in their research outputs. Not only will this facilitate access for anyone with a disability, but it will generate a pipeline of graduates and researchers who will understand universal access as a fundamental right, and work to achieve it in whatever they do.

It is tempting to think of disability as something ‘marginal’, and potential solutions as being relevant only to one group within the population. But if we accept that everyone is only ‘temporarily able’ we see the importance of designing our society so that we can all participate and contribute at every stage of our lives. And if we ensure that the doors of our higher education institutions are open to all, we tap into a talent base with expertise in creativity, problem-solving and innovation. ‘Cothrom na féinne’ as a motto enshrines equal access for all, so that we can continue to grow a society in which this becomes standard rather than the exception.

LANGUAGE MATTERS

In Ireland, multilingualism is rapidly growing through more immigration and a renewed interest in the Irish language. Ask around and you will hear that being bilingual is an asset, good for your brain, and a superpower! Yet, one in four parents in Ireland struggle with confidence in how best to raise bilingual children and have concerns over discrimination (Mother Tongues survey results 2022). Passing your language to your child is not a given. It requires a decision, commitment, dedication and more than anything, support from others (medical professionals, early years practitioners, teachers, relatives) in the shape of a positive attitude towards bilingualism regardless of the language and cultural background.

Statistics show that worldwide, there are more people who are bilingual or multilingual than people who speak only one language. Still, many people think that being monolingual is the norm and this fact is in itself proof of the so-called “monolingual mindset”, which affects our societal norms, how we view others, our professional training and our policies.

Here at Mother Tongues, we often meet teenagers who tell us that they can’t speak the language of their parents or grandparents and that they missed out on the family bonds the language would have allowed them to develop as well as all the other advantages to being bilingual. We also meet parents who confess feeling angry with themselves because, in order to shield their children from discrimination, they decided to speak English to them instead of their mother tongue and are now at a loss to connect with them in the language of their heart and their ancestors.

Cognisant of the many challenges and opportunities multilingualism poses, our advocacy at Mother Tongues involves communicating the value of multilingualism and instilling confidence in parents who want to transmit their language to their children, as well as in practitioners who wish to create a welcoming environment for bilingual and multilingual children.

Language can both unite or divide us. To build a more constructive society, let’s choose curiosity and openness towards diversity over a fear of difference, and let’s use this as a catalyst for how we think about and relate to our Irish heritage.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Digital technology-driven innovation is powering fundamental changes in every aspect of our lives today. Rarely does a week go by without attention-grabbing news highlighting astonishing advancements in the digital world. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is promising to entertain and assist us, eventually surpass us. Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) are providing the basis for new types of cryptocurrencies. Quantum computing is showing us glimpses of how we can supercharge some of our digital activities today with unimaginable computation. And then, there is the metaverse, a completely digital world waiting to be built and explored. The possibilities seem endless.

Today’s mega-trends are likely to have an outsized impact on the future of humanity. Let’s start with work. Not only can some of us now seamlessly and collaboratively work from home, but what we will actually be working on, if at all, in the future is also up for debate! The promise of eliminating not just repetitive/mundane tasks, but activities that may require creativity and critical thinking are now in the realms of possibility. This is an astonishing discussion.

Money makes the world go round. But will future generations physically carry cash around or will it be purely digital? Will digital technology enable the millions of unbanked individuals to reap the benefits of society and globalisation that the rest of us take for granted?

Additionally, technology is making the world smarter and smaller, enabling conversations across boundaries and cultures. From Smart Homes to Smart Cities (and even Smarter People!), technology is helping us solve some of the most pressing problems facing humanity. Can we solve global warming? I believe human ingenuity combined with technology-driven solutions has already started to provide some of the most innovative answers.

Before we get carried away, a small word of caution. I am not opposed to optimism, but I am fearful of the kind that comes from self-delusion. We cannot outsource our hopes and dreams, or our current predicaments, to technology. We have to work together to better ourselves and repair our environment. Technology is only an aid (for now)!

ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE CRISIS

As the first civilisation that understands its planetary dilemma, those working in scientific research and innovation face a new responsibility to give courage to our society to embark on sustainable pathways by the end of this decade. We are living through a decade of decisions. We know that we face tipping points in the delicate web of climate, ecosystems collapse, energy transition and economic change. Research must empower people and decision-makers to choose a better destination for the next version of humanity.

Across key life support systems, there is a mobilisation across Europe through Horizon Europe’s ambitious programme and globally in Europe’s cooperation on climate with the IPCC, COP. The mission of the European Union to deliver a climate neutral continent by 2050 has been set out in the European Green Deal, which is refitting all policies, instruments and investments to deliver a transformation of our planetary, economic and social future.

There is encouraging progress taking shape quickly. The four Green Deal missions are using research to drive the development of 100 climate neutral cities, the empowerment of climate adaptation resilience in every region, the regeneration of the continent’s soil and the restoration of our ocean and water systems, by 2030. We have just signed an declaration that creates an All Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance from coast to coast and pole to pole to work together to understand, harness and restore our common ocean home.

The dilemma of the decade is how to reconcile our biosphere with our economy. Europe’s leading Bioeconomy Strategy will be renewed this year to empower countries, regions, rural and coastal communities to harness joined-up policy and investment to develop an economy that is sustainable, inclusive and innovative. In all of this, the debate in Ireland, a leading actor in research and innovation and where the opportunities of the bioeconomy, the pressures of climate change and the needs of social and economic fairness remain at the centre, continues. In decision, there is always choice. The great transition offers us an opportunity to design a better place. What kind of a future destination do we envisage for this green island? Can we reimagine our cities, our countryside, our industry, our ocean wealth, our food system, our energy choices, our services and our society? Research and innovation needs to step up to empower and enable this transition. We may be running out of time, but we are not running out of solutions.

CREATING EQUAL SOCIETIES

Equality. Diversity. Inclusion. Three words that represent hugely important ideas, not just for the workplace, but for Irish society at large. Research has shown that valuing and respecting diversity of thought, skills, and life experience can empower people to innovate, increase productivity and challenge groupthink in the workplace.

I recently returned home after 20 years in London to take up the role of Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at publicjobs.ie – Ireland’s centralised provider of recruitment services across the civil and public service. Ireland has changed considerably over that time – mostly for the better. For generations a country of origin, Ireland is now a country of destination for people looking for a better life. We are a global, progressive country where one in eight of us was born elsewhere but now calls Ireland home. Irish families now come in all shapes, colours and sizes. More women are now in the workforce than ever before, as are more people with disabilities, and huge progress has been made around LGBTQI+ rights.

The Irish civil service supports the government to shape effective, accountable, and trusted policies and services for everyone. My role is to help the civil service harness this growing Irish diversity, so that it is representative of the society that it serves. To do this, we look to identify who is working in the civil and public service (and who is not) and ways to attract and encourage people from under-represented sections of society to join the service. This includes developing more inclusive entry routes for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and ensuring our recruitment processes are equitable and accessible to all candidates. With a gender pay gap of 14 per cent, an 80 per cent unemployment rate in the Irish Traveller community and just 36 per cent of working-age disabled people in employment – we still have a way to go to ensure that we truly benefit from all that our diverse population has to offer.

Publicjobs.ie will continue to take a leading role in supporting an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace; however, it will take a whole-society effort to truly make Ireland a better country tomorrow, than it is today.

CHILDRENS’ MENTAL HEALTH

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the absolute necessity of high-quality mental health and healthcare services like never before. When the pandemic threatened to break even the most basic healthcare services around the world, the true value of a properly functioning healthcare system was clear for all to see. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that signatory countries recognise ‘the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health’. As signatories to the UNCRC, can Ireland say that every child here enjoys the highest attainable standard of health?

As Ombudsman for Children, I have many concerns in this regard, including issues my office was raising publicly long before the onset of the pandemic. Take for example the scourge of children waiting an unacceptably long time for an Assessment of Need and for procedures to treat scoliosis, or children who need access to timely and high-quality mental healthcare services. When it comes to the latter, the closure of in-patient beds in children’s mental health facilities and the abject failure in the recent Kerry CAMHS scandal have highlighted the gaping holes in the system. In light of this, my office is delighted to have been asked to advise on the review of CAMHS services across the country being undertaken by the Mental Health Commission in 2022 that will hopefully lead to much-needed improvements for these vital services for children. We cannot let the lessons learned over the past two years go to waste.

One significant move forward that would positively impact children’s mental health is the provision of therapeutic supports in all schools. Protecting and ensuring that the healthcare rights of our children are fully realised should not just be a job for my office today and in the years to come, but a responsibility for society as a whole. When it comes to catering for our children’s healthcare needs, we simply must do better. Their, and our future depends on it.

SANCTUARY FROM CONFLICT

When the war in Syria began in March 2011, millions of Syrians fled and are now scattered around the world. Similarly when Iraq was invaded in 2003, millions of Iraqi people were forced to seek safety elsewhere. UNHCR data shows that there are over 100 million displaced people globally – the highest number on record – with four in every five people hosted in the developing world. The European Union response to displacement seems to be very inconsistent. At the peak of migration flows, the EU was very divided in responding to what is often described as an ‘influx’. Germany today hosts more than a million refugees while other EU countries reluctantly agreed to resettle a few thousand. The EU paid billions to Turkey in the form of ‘humanitarian aid’ to prevent refugees from reaching the EU frontier states.

‘Migration/migrant crisis’ dominated news coverage and policy discourse across the EU, but the EU had to halt reform proposals as there was no consensus on how it should respond to the migration flows. It was odd then to see the speed of the EU’s decision-making helping refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. As Russian bombs started raining on Ukranian citizens, the following day Irish authorities removed visa restrictions for Ukranian passport holders entering Ireland. Seven days later, EU ministers with responsibility for immigration unanimously agreed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive – the first time this has been used to respond to refugees – allowing Ukrainian nationals to bypass the regular asylum procedure and enjoy access to public services as citizens in many cases. Before the Russian invasion, the EU was actively preventing displaced people from reaching its frontiers, while those who managed to reach the EU would be stuck in camps, with those who reached Ireland ending up spending years in the Direct Provision system which has been condemned by domestic and international human rights bodies, including the UN.

The activation of the Directive carried with it the recognition that people fleeing a war deserve to be treated with dignity. Such compassion in response to conflict should not be reserved for particular nationals. All human beings fleeing conflict have the same need for dignity, liberty, shelter, food, and safety. Thus, if there is any lesson to be learned, it should be that EU member states are well capable of hosting refugees and treating them with dignity.

ON 2 AND 3 December 2022, UCD will host the final state Decade of Centenaries conference marking the Foundation of the Irish Free State 100 years ago. On 6 December 1922, with Ireland at the nadir of its civil war, the provisional arrangements laid down in the Anglo-Irish Treaty came to an end. With this, the Irish Free State officially came into being on the anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Legally, this marked the foundation of the Irish Free State and a significant moment in Irish independence. In the 12 months since the signing of the document, the country and the movements which had won Irish independence had been sundered by divisions over that very document.

The conference will assess domestic and international policy, the legal underpinnings of the state, its constitution, the transition of the civil service, the judiciary, and the foundation of government departments. It will explore identity, language, and the social structures of independent Ireland including the place of gender, religion, minority experience, and the provision of services in the new state.

Born into partition and violence, the Irish Free State faced major challenges in building a functional, stable and solvent state following a decade of war and revolution. Much of the country bore the physical scars of violence and destruction wrought between the Rising and the outbreak of the Civil War. In Dublin, both the GPO and the Four Courts along with stretches of adjacent streets still lay in ruins from the Rising and the opening of the Civil War respectively. On the day after the Irish Free State came into being, TD Seán Hales was shot dead by anti-Treaty forces while making his way to Dáil Éireann. The Free State cabinet immediately ordered the execution of four IRA prisoners in reprisal. Both the executions policy and the civil war which provoked it lasted through to May 1923. Financially, the Free State’s minister for finance obsessed with balancing the country’s finances. However, some ambitious infrastructural developments were sanctioned, most notably the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme which paved the way for rural electrification. The borders of the Irish Free State were still in flux. The treaty had provided for an Irish Boundary Commission to determine the dividing line between the Free State and Northern Ireland. With the collapse of this commission in 1925, the border was left as it was and is. The formation of a functional and unarmed police force, the suppression of an army mutiny in 1924, and the peaceful transition of power from pro- to anti-Treaty political parties in 1932 were all milestones in the transition out of revolution and into the maturation of Irish statehood.

In spite of these challenges, Ireland survived and continued to function as a democracy in the ensuing decades which saw many European states either succumb to authoritarian dictatorships or suffer invasion or annexation. Instead, Ireland’s greatest existential threat in the mid-twentieth century was emigration and the poverty which provoked it. The conference will conclude with a roundtable discussion which will examine the evolution of Ireland, socially, politically, economically in the century since 1922.

Alumni are welcome to join us at the conference. For tickets and further information, click here.

■ www.ucd.ie/centenaries. Conor Mulvagh is Associate Professor, UCD School of History and is actively involved in commemorations activities at university, national and international level.

“GIVEN THE POTENTIAL of startups in wealth creation in our economy, universities now play a leading role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem,” says Tom Flanagan, UCD Director of Enterprise and Commercialisation. “Since it was established almost 20 years ago, NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at UCD, has nurtured many high-tech companies to grow and scale nationally and globally.”

NovaUCD, which officially opened in October 2003, is a world-class, purpose-built facility dedicated to supporting and incubating high-tech start-ups with global ambitions, and is based around one of the University’s historic Georgian buildings, previously known as Merville House.

NovaUCD has developed an excellent infrastructure and facilities, a range of comprehensive support programmes including a suite of dedicated accelerator programmes, and a peer-support system that nurtures an enthusiastic and dynamic community of talented entrepreneurs. Such was the demand from start-ups to access NovaUCD that a €6.7+ million development project to develop and extend the facility’s East Courtyard was completed at the end of 2019. This has enabled NovaUCD to significantly increase its capacity to house start-up companies on campus.

Officially opening the new wing last year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD said, “Since opening in 2003, NovaUCD has become one of the leading hubs in Ireland’s start-up ecosystem, supporting ambitious entrepreneurs and innovative high-tech companies. With NovaUCD’s strong track record, and now with its significant increase in capacity, I am sure it will continue to flourish in the future as it continues to assist entrepreneurs who want to locate at NovaUCD and leverage its excellent facilities, accelerator programmes, expertise and network to help them to grow and scale their startups on the global stage.”

In addition to supporting start-ups, the NovaUCD team is also responsible for supporting the wider UCD entrepreneurial ecosystem, which includes those companies based at NexusUCD, the University’s Industry Partnership Centre, along with spin-out and spin in companies based across the Belfield campus. This entrepreneurial network equates to a community of 60 start-ups and established companies being located on the campus at any one time.

Since 2003, NovaUCD has supported over 500 start-ups and early-stage ventures and the NovaUCD entrepreneurial community has now raised some €1 billion in equity funding to date. Earlier this year, Wayflyer, a revenue-based financing and growth platform for eCommerce businesses, secured $150 million in a Series B funding round, with a post-investment valuation of $1.6 billion, making the company Ireland’s sixth tech ‘unicorn’.

Wayflyer was established in 2019 by Aidan Corbett and UCD alumnus Jack Pierse as a spin-out from Conjura, a NexusUCD-headquartered company, co-founded by Aidan Corbett and Fran Quilty in 2018. Conjura has developed a platform which provides customer analytics to drive business performance and growth.

Among other companies supported by NovaUCD over the last 20 years are Equinome, Life Scientific, Logentries and OxyMem.

Equinome, an equine genomics company, was co-founded in 2009 by Professor Emmeline Hill, in partnership with Jim Bolger, renowned Irish trainer and breeder. A spin-out from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, the company was established to commercialise research which identified the ‘Speed Gene’ in Thoroughbred horses 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 it was acquired by Plusvital, the Irish equine nutrition company.

In 2020, Nicola Mitchell, founder and CEO of Life Scientific, was named the overall winner of the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Ireland). Life Scientific, established by Mitchell in 1995, specialises in the development and registration of off-patent agrochemicals and currently has a portfolio of more than 70 products available in EU agrochemical markets. The company has developed strong links with UCD over the years and was headquartered at NovaUCD before graduating to NexusUCD. The company now has a staff of over 80 at its new headquarters in Belfield Office Park, adjacent to UCD.

Logentries was established in 2010 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, the company 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 $11 million in funding and was servicing tens of thousands of users in over 100 countries before being acquired by Rapid7 in 2015 for $68 million.

OxyMem, established in 2013 as a spin-out from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, developed a breakthrough technology, the Membrane-Aerated Biofilm Reactor, to address the global need for a more energy-efficient wastewater treatment. At the end of 2019, when it was acquired by DuPont, OxyMem had more than 60 employees, a manufacturing site in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, and had secured significant investment and major clients around the world.

Among NovaUCD’s current client companies are EpiCapture, Equal1, Manna, PlasmaBound and Zipp Mobility. EpiCapture, an early-stage UCD start-up supported by NovaUCD, has emerged from research carried out by Associate Professor Antoinette Perry in the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science. The company is developing a novel urine DNA test for aggressive prostate cancer which measures six epigenetic biomarkers which are indicative of aggressive disease, using a widely available PCR platform.

EpiCapture’s test has potential as a noninvasive, early-detection and screening test to augment the current PSA blood test for the early-detection of aggressive prostate cancer. EpiCapture’s Edward Simons was introduced to the company through the NovaUCD Mentors and Business Partners Network. This network of commercial and professional members was established by NovaUCD to provide mentoring and advice to researchers who are seeking to develop start-up ideas at the early stage with opportunities for mentors to become investors and executives in the start-ups as they mature.

Associate Professor Antoinette Perry said, “It was through the NovaUCD Mentors and Business Partners Network that I was introduced to my co-founder and CCO Edward Simons. Edward brings a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience in finance, commercial deals and customer relations. Teaming up with Edward has been transformative in driving the technology beyond academic research and into an exciting start-up opportunity. Since joining UCD in 2015, NovaUCD has been a valuable source of support, mentorship and independent advice in the development and commercialisation of the EpiCapture-prostate test. I’ve been fortunate to participate in a number of their programmes, of which Customer Discovery and VentureLaunch were particularly constructive experiences in shaping our business model.”

Equal1 Laboratories (Equal1), a silicon quantum computing company and a UCD spin-out, has now secured a total of €20 million investment, from blended (grant and equity) funding through the European Innovation Council, and a venture capital funding round led by btov Industrial Technologies with Atlantic Bridge and others, including Enterprise Ireland and 808 Ventures. The company is addressing a major challenge for the quantum computing industry, to scale the number of qubits so that a quantum computer can tackle useful, real-world problems. The company’s quantum technology is particularly suited to quantum Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. The company has recently graduated from NovaUCD and relocated to NexusUCD.

Manna, the Irish drone delivery start-up established by UCD alumnus, serial entrepreneur Bobby Healy, is headquartered at NovaUCD. The company builds and operates unmanned aerial vehicles which perform high-speed deliveries of takeaway food, groceries and pharmacy goods/supplies of up to 3kg (6.5lbs) in suburban last-mile settings. To date, Manna has trialled its drone delivery service in Moneygall, Co. Offaly, Oranmore, Co. Galway and Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.

Bobby Healy, CEO and founder, Manna, said, “It’s hard to find a place as wonderful as NovaUCD to start a business from. Beautiful grounds, great location, state-of-the-art offices with tons of space and meeting rooms. The Manna team have loved being there for over two years so far and really appreciate the effort the NovaUCD team have made to accommodate our madness. We love it here and may never leave.”

Last year Manna closed a $25 million (€21 million) Series A investment round led by Draper Esprit, with participation from Team Europe, DST Global, and with participation from existing investors Dynamo Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, and Elkstone.

PlasmaBound, a UCD engineering spinout established in 2017, is headquartered at NovaUCD, and has developed a novel surface-bonding pre-treatment technology called Controlled Polymer Ablation (CPA). This is attracting significant interest in several sectors, where it empowers global industry to achieve their sustainability goals, particularly in carbon reduction and battery range extension. PlasmaBound has raised €3.45 million in funding to date from Act Venture Capital, Atlantic Bridge University Fund, Enterprise Ireland and a number of private investors.

Zipp Mobility, Ireland’s leading micromobility operator was established by Charlie Gleeson in 2019, and has already become a significant player in the European micromobility sharing market, having launched e-scooter and e-bike operations in nine cities in the UK, Ireland and Poland. The NovaUCD headquartered company has so far raised over €8 million in funding (a mixture of equity and debt) from Fasanara Capital, a UK-based asset manager and a number of private and angel investors, Enterprise Ireland, and through a crowdfunding campaign on the Spark Crowdfunding platform.

Charlie Gleeson, CEO and founder Zipp Mobility, said, “We started in NovaUCD three years ago, when Zipp was nothing more than an idea. With the excellent help and support of NovaUCD through its various accelerator programmes and network, we have managed to launch our business in nine cities across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe and have raised over €8 million in the process.”

Alumni who wish to find out more about investing in NovaUCD client companies, or who wish to find out more about our Mentors and Business Partners network can contact miceal.whelan@ucd.ie or visit www.novaucd.ie ■

BEING GLOBALLY CONNECTED is one of UCD’s defining characteristics. It permeates every aspect of university life, shaping the experience of our students, faculty and staff. Our international community is proud to count upwards of 70,000 UCD alumni worldwide, whilst our student population has over 12,000 international students on campuses both in Ireland and overseas. This allows our institution to bring the best of Ireland to the world and the best of the world to Ireland.

Our global chapters bring the UCD community together regardless of location. They are welcoming, vibrant, inclusive and most of all – easily accessible to alumni around the world. If you would like more information or would like to be kept up to date on events or activities in your region scan the QR code below to update your details and find out more.

Don’t see your location highlighted on the map? Get in touch with our Global Alumni Relations Manager, Michelle Power at m.power@ucd.ie and she will be more than happy to talk you through setting one up.

■ https://alumni.ucd.ie/global-community/

BUILD COMMUNITIES

The team at UCD Alumni Office is here to help you stay connected to the growing UCD alumni community of more than 300,000 graduates who live and work in 189 countries around the globe. So, the UCD community is always close at hand – online or in person – anytime, anywhere. And there are lots of ways to get in touch. If you haven’t already signed up, you can include your profile on the online UCD Alumni Network, perhaps you’d like to attend one of our alumni events on campus or join a UCD Chapter overseas, or just drop in and see us. We always love to catch up! Many visiting alumni come to re-live memories of student days – visit old haunts, have a coffee in the University Club or simply enjoy the beauty of our exciting, expanding campus. Connect with us by phone on 01 716 1447, or by email at alumni@ucd.ie.

ENHANCE ALUMNI LIFE

Our collection of alumni benefits allows you to unlock exclusive discounts. Explore the range of benefits available to you including discounts on and off campus and a range of online resources. We are happy to support UCD alumni-owned and operated businesses – take a look at what’s available on our website. www.ucd.ie/alumni/benefits

INSPIRE CURIOSITY

Our Alumni Relations team gathers alumni news, views and insights that will keep your curiosity about your fellow alumni alive. In UCD Connections alumni magazine we bring you updates on the life-changing academic and translational research that is happening at UCD; spinout companies from NovaUCD; alumni in the news and much more. On our website www.ucd.ie/alumni our online Q&Alumni interview series features alumni from all over the world. Talk to us today about how you might like to get involved, build your profile and connect with classmates.

WHY GIVE?

Every gift to UCD makes a difference. Last year alone, alumni support provided vital funding for 152 incoming students in need, but with increasing demand for financial aid, a cost-of-living crisis and a new academic year approaching, we need your help today more than ever before. The Annual Giving team can assist you with information about the opportunities to support scholarships, student supports, mental health services, or a project close to your heart. By donating today, you can make an impact on the cause that inspires you the most. Connect with us by phone on 01 716 1406 or by email at info@ucdfoundation.ie.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

We are constantly inspired by our extraordinary group of over 6,000 UCD alumni volunteers who have played a strong and significant role in supporting our students, each other and the University community over the years. Alumni give back in so many ways via our alumni volunteer programmes – helping to improve our students’ employability by acting as mentors, speaking on career panels or offering internships. They also support student recruitment by offering testimonials and giving guidance to school-goers all over the world who are considering coming to UCD; welcoming international students as they settle into life in Dublin on the buddy programme; offering strategic advice on boards and committees; and reconnecting our alumni community in multiple ways with our global chapters, at the UCD Festival and at other alumni events, including at those all-important class reunions. You are invited to join this network of alumni volunteers! Give some of your time and talent to make a difference here on campus and close to home, both online and in person. If you would like to get involved or have any questions, please get in touch by emailing alumnivolunteer@ucd.ie.

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

Alumni events happen near you and online. Connect, learn and engage with fellow alums during events on campus, virtually and around the world hosted by our UCD Global Chapters. And, if you are 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60 years out of UCD, and contemplating organising or attending a class reunion, please do reach out to us to see how we can help you get the most out of your reunion. If you’re looking for events from your School or College – check out the School and College pages on the UCD website to find out more or check out the playbacks on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/UCDAlumni1

GET CONNECTED TODAY

Update your details at www.ucd.ie/alumni/updateyourdetails/ or create your profile on the online UCD Alumni Network (www.ucdalumninetwork.com) and you’re all set! The team at UCD Alumni Office is here to help you stay connected to your alma mater and to fellow alums all over the world. www.ucd.ie/alumni/contact-us