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Your Place - Your Future GMIT Introduction

Introduction

In 2009, the Second Glion Declaration was published. It is Sa bhliain 2009, foilisíodh an Dara Dearbhú Glion. Is ráiteas é a statement about the challenges we face and, in faoi na dúshláin atá romhainn agus, go háirithe, éileamh orthu particular, a call to those involved in higher education to siúd atá páirteach san Ardoideachas na dúshláin sin a shárú. meet those challenges. It states: Dearbhaíonn sé: “Every generation has had its challenges but those of “ Bhí a dúshlán féin ag gach ghlúin ach tá na cinn ag tús an the early 21st century are unique to the extent to which 21ú haois leithleach sa mhéid go gcinnfidh siad leas todhchai ár they will determine the future wellbeing of our species... gcine... Agus muid ag seoladh ár mbealaigh chomhchoitinn Navigating our collective way towards some new chuig cothromaíocht nua éigin beidh slite nua, equilibrium will instead require new approaches, new smaointeoireacht nua, comhpháirtíocht nua agus thinking, new partnerships and new technology. And this, teicneolaíocht nua de dhíth orainn ina áit. Agus éileoidh sé seo, in turn, will require a change in outlook and a degree of ar a uain, athrú aigne agus roinnt nuálaíochta, a réabfaidh a innovation whose very boldness will be disruptive of much dánacht féin móran den smaointeoireacht nósmhar agus conventional thinking and many established practices.” mórán cleachtais bunaithe” I like the emphasis on being bold and being willing to Is maith liom an bhéim ar bheith misniúil agus toilteanach navigate together through un-chartered waters. The seoladh le chéile trí fharraige anaithnid. Feileann an meafar sailing metaphor is well suited to GMIT. I look out at the seoil go mór d’ITGM. Breathnaím amach ar an Atlantach gach Atlantic every day and every day it gives me something lá agus gach aon lá tugann sé rud éigin éagsúil dom le different to think about. I think about those forced to sail smaoineamh air. Smaoiním orthu siúd go raibh orthu seoladh away from Ireland to make a life and a living elsewhere. I leo as Éirinn chun saol agus beatha maireachtála a sholáthar áit think about how young so many of them were and the éigin eile. Smaoiním ar chomh hóg is a bhí go leor acu agus ar enormous life changes they met. na hathruithe saoil ollmhóra a d’fhulaing siad.

MEET OUR STAFF VOLUNTEERING Contents Pages 4 to 19 Pages 20 to 38 INSTITUTE NEWS INTERNATIONAL Pages 20 to 38 Pages 39 to 55

MEET OUR STUDENTS RESEARCH & INNOVATION Pages 39 to 55 Pages 4 to 19

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS ALUMNI Pages 4 to 19 Pages 20 to 38

Editor: Regina Daly Photos: Our address: Design & Layout: Proactive Boyd Challenger Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) Printer: Brunswick Press Ltd Sarah Connolly Dublin Road, Galway, Rep of Ireland. Keith Heneghan Tel: +353 91 753161 Contributors: Ian McDonald email: [email protected] Keith Bourke Aengus McMahon Denise McNamara Paul Sherwood GMIT Today is published by the GMIT Communications Office. Declan Rooney Ken Wright We welcome your thoughts on this publication. Please send them by post Lorna Siggins GMIT students & staff to Regina Daly, Communications Office, GMIT Dublin Road, Galway. GMIT staff © Copright Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) 2010

GMIT Today Introduction 2 GMIT Today

Our students have all the courage, all the capability Tá an misneach céanna, an cumas céanna , agus an fonn and all the zest for life of those earlier innovators. maireachtála céanna ag ár mic léinn is a bhí ag na nuálaithe Sometimes in Higher Education we forget this. Look at the siúd a d’imigh rompu. Déantar dearmad ar seo scaití san profiles of students and graduates in this edition of GMIT Ardoideachas. Féach ar phróifílí ár mac léinn agus ár gcéimithe Today and you will see many examples of leadership, of san eagrán seo de GMIT Today agus feicfidh tú móran samplaí immense capability and capacity for change. Time does de cheannasaíocht, de chumas thar cionn agus ábaltacht ar alter the context but we are part of the great human arc of athrú. Is fíor go n-athraíonn imeacht na haimsire an history still making great strides, finding new challenges comhthéacs ach is cuid de stua mór daonna na staire muid, fós and confronting our own fears. ag déanamh an-dul chun cinn, ag aimsiú dúshláin nua agus ag When the Glion Declaration refers to “our collective tabhairt aghaidh ar ár n-eagla féin. way”, I’m reminded here in GMIT of our role in the Nuiar a luann an Dearbhú Glion ár “mbealach region. Most of our students come from this region; most comhchoiteann”, anseo in ITGM cuireann sé ár bpáirt sa go on to work in this region and in our business réigiún i gcuimhne dom. Is as an réigiún seo d’fhormhór ár incubation centres, some of our great future employers are mac léinn; faigheann an mhórchuid díobh obair sa réigiún seo navigating through un-charted waters. They are real agus inár nGorlanna Ghnó, tá roinnt dár bhfostóirí móra explorers and they are creating the future for themselves. amach anseo ag seoladh trí fharraige anaithnid. Is fíor-fhostóirí Technology makes it possible for them to learn from the iad agus tá siad ag cruthú a ndán dóibh féin. Cuireann an great web of global knowledge but they will hopefully use teicneolaíocht ar a gcumas foghlaim ó ghréasan mór feasa an this region as the centre of their future enterprises. domhain ach tá súil againn go mbeidh an réigiún seo mar For students, these are difficult times. Dealing with lárionad a bhfiontair san am atá le teacht. uncertainty, as those early emigrants did, brings huge Is deacair an saol é do mhic léinn faoi láthair. Cosúil leis na pressure on the individual. As an institution we need, in heisimiricigh sin fadó, tá an-chuid brú orthu agus iad ag plé le collaboration with our region, to look for new thinking to héiginnteacht. Mar institiúid, i gcomhar lenár réigiún, assist them in shaping their futures. Every year in GMIT, I caithfimid smaointeoireacht nua a aimsiú chun cabhrú leo have a chance to see what students are interested in when cruth a chur ar a ndán. Gach bhliain in ITGM bíonn deis agam I look at their work in exhibitions and projects. I’m more fáil amach céard iad na nithe a mbíonn spéis ag na mic léinn and more convinced that we need to utilise their talents iontu nuair a fhéachaim ar a saothar sna taispeántais agus sna and creativity by creating a framework to support them as tionscnaimh. Táim ag dul i ndearfacht ó lá go lá go gcaithfimid they develop their thinking. This year, we have introduced a mbuanna agus a gcruthaitheacht a úsáid trí chreatlach a a new Graduate Entrepreneurship Programme. It is one chruthú chun tacú leo a smaointeoireacht a fhorbairt. I small dint in the prevailing negative mindset. I would like mbliana tá Clár nua Iarchéime Fiontraíochta tugtha isteach to see this scheme expanded so that lots more young againn . Is log beag amháin é sa mheon diúltach atá faoi réim. graduates can follow their ideas. Ba mhaith liom dá ndéanfaí an scéim seo a leathnú chun go I’m back to the ocean and the need for new thinking. mbeidh a lán céimithe óga eile in ann a dtuairimí a leanúint. It was suggested to me sometime ago that among the great Tá mé ar ais ag an aigéan agus an gá le smaointeoireacht úr. unknowns for us as humans, two are pre-eminent: the Am éigin ó shin moladh domsa go bhfuil dhá ghné atá human mind and the great oceans of the planet. We really suntasach i measc na nithe nach heol dúinn mar dhaoine: do not know as humans what we are capable of achieving. intinn an duine agus aigéin mhóra an phláinéid. Mar dhaoine Any higher education system worth supporting must níl a fhios againn ar chor ar bith céard atá ar ár gcumas a bhaint always place a special premium on map-making. We need amach. Caithfidh aon chóras ardoideachais gur fiú tacú leis new maps which signpost new routes for our students. To préimh faoi leith a chur ar léarscáilíocht. Tá léarscáil nua de do this we must be prepared to experiment and be dhíth orainn le bealaí nua a leagan amach dár mic léinn. Chun prepared sometimes to fail. Our “experiment” this year é seo a dhéanamh caithfimid bheith réidh tástáil agus bheith with the new pro-bono programme for the unemployed is réidh teip corruair. Is sampla breá é d’fhiontraíocht rathúil ár a fine example of successful risk-taking. The staff who “dturgnamh” i mbliana leis an gclár nua pro bono do dhaoine developed and delivered this programme did so because dífhostaithe. An fhoireann a d’fhorbair agus a thug an clár seo, they passionately believed that doing nothing was not an rinneadar é mar gur chreideadar go paiseanta nach raibh an option. In particular Ivan McPhillips and Deirdre Lusby rogha acu tada a dhéanamh. is cóir tréaslú le Ivan Mac Philib are to be congratulated for taking this initiative. This agus Deirdre Lusby, go háirithe, as an dtionscnamh seo a chur programme has opened all our eyes. We have learned a i ngníomh. Tá ár súile go léir oscailte ag an gclár seo. great deal from the students and we have learned a great D’fhoghlaim muid an-chuid go deo óna mic léinn agus tá an- deal about human potential. chuid foghlamtha againn faoin acmhainneacht daonna. As for the ocean, I watch the horizon and am always Maidir leis an aigéan, bím ag faire ar an léaslíne agus reminded of what Francis Bacon, one of the great thinkers cuirtear focail Francis Bacon, duine dena smaointeoirí móra in of a turbulent age, had to say: aois shuaite, i gcónaí i gcuimhne dom: “They are ill-discovers who think there is no land when “They are ill-discovers who think there is no land when they they can see nothing but sea”. can see nothing but sea”. (“ Is droch-fhionnachtaithe iad a cheapann nach bhfuil aon talamh ann nuair nach bhfuil le Marion Coy feiscint acu ach an mhuir”)

Marion Mhic Aodha

GMIT Today Introduction 3 GMIT Meet our staff Caring for the students’ future thinks these links are vital to the communities involved. “It is great for the region. It brings a student population into the areas for large portions of the year, which complements the tourist season. And if students go to college in an area they are more likely to stay in that region and help its future development. “Hotel and Catering is going very well,” says Bernard. “Our students are still getting jobs despite the recession; they are picked up very quickly. We had a careers fair a few months ago and there were a lot of employers from the Western region in and many students got job offers. It is almost possible to go to a restaurant in the West of Ireland without meeting a graduate of our college. “One of the areas we went into last year was Energy Engineering and we were able to use a lot of the capacity we had for construction in that area. It links in very well with the Mechanical Engineering courses. Many of the skills learned there can be applied to the Energy Engineering. “It is great to see Science return strong again as it did decline in numbers for a few years and these will be a further increase this year by 20% in certain classes. What Bernard O’Hara, Outgoing GMIT Registrar. happens in the economy certainly affects student numbers. The CAO points will definitely go up this year and there is ne of the few members of staff who has survived since a big number of mature applicants there.” Oday one of Galway RTC on 1 September 1972, is Last year as people became unemployed GMIT decided current Registrar and native of Killasser Co. Mayo, Bernard to put on a pro bono course in business to help such people. O’Hara. He is well qualified to tell Declan Rooney how the The Higher Certificate in Business and Enterprise college has changed since its early days, developed through Development was offered free of charge to those who had the years and how it plans to meet the next few years. become unemployed. With 38 years of service across various roles in the “Everybody lecturing the course and those involved in college, Bernard O’Hara started off as a lecturer in Business its administration gave up their time for free,” says Bernard. Studies. A spell as Head of the Business Department was “I’d say we were the only college in the county that followed by 19 years as the Head of School of Business and responded like that to the unemployment crisis. We had 146 Humanities and now in his 11th and final year as Registrar, students in the course and they took their final exams in Bernard is excited at the future path the college is taking. June. It was geared to encourage people to use their own “We had 400 full-time students in the first year and the skills to start their own businesses. It was a 15-month part- atmosphere in the first few years was great. Everything had time course run during the day and the whole course was to be started from scratch, but slowly over the years we have delivered at no cost to the taxpayer.” improved and perfected our facilities and methods. Next year sees another change as four courses previously “We currently have 5,200 full-time students with another offered by Fáilte Ireland will now be run by the colleges. 3,800 part-time. “Out of the almost 90 programmes available They were Fetac awards in the past but from next year they to students, 43 programmes in the college have a placement will be Higher Certificates in Business in Tourism, Arts and built into it. And last year we had our highest intake of first Culinary Arts, Arts in Hospitality and Arts in Bar years with 1,900 coming through the doors.” With many Supervision. businesses struggling through the recession, GMIT has seen With the highest number of mature student of any the reverse take place as people have flooded back to Institute of Technology in the country and the second education. highest when universities are brought into the equation, “Our numbers for next year are up across the board by GMIT is a thriving hive of education. The development of an average of 7%. Science, Nursing, Computing and Hotel the new street has given the campus a real face lift, which and Catering have seen the highest increases. But since last Bernard thinks is a positive move. year we have seen a slight decline in Property Studies and “The new street, which runs right down the centre of Construction, which is a reflection of the property industry the building has really opened up the area considerably. It at the moment. was done over two summers so as not to disrupt the “While students are quick to respond to market changes, students, but was finished last summer before the students they should try to anticipate the economic situation in four arrived back. It is our first full year with the facility and it is or five years’ time. It’s important for students to bear in wonderful. It has given us great space for all the canteen, mind it will be a few years before they graduate.” coffee shops and library facilities and the natural light in The college was known as Galway RTC up until 1998 the area is a huge feature. It really is a great place to learn,” when it became Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, and he concludes. links formed with their campuses in Castlebar, Letterfrack and Mountbellew Agricultural College between 1994 and This article was reproduced, courtesy of the Galway Independent. 1996 have seen an expansion in courses available. Bernard

GMIT Today Meet our staff 4 GMIT Today

Geraldine Murray Preparing for a caring future

eraldine Murray, head of the Department of Nursing Clinic among others. The programme involves many hours Gand Health Sciences at GMIT Castlebar, tells Keith of clinical placement and we are always open to new clinical Bourke why demand for places there is at an all time high. sites,” says Ms Murray. Nursing and Health Science programmes have become “For the Psychiatric Nursing programme, placements one of the flagship offerings at GMIT, Castlebar. General are not just in County Mayo but other counties too and, on and psychiatric nursing have been on the college’s occasion, in the UK. We are currently exploring curriculum for the last ten years. international opportunities in line with redesigning the “The world cannot do without nurses, the country curriculum.” cannot do without nurses," says the Head of Department There is an annual intake of 25 students for general of Nursing and Health Sciences, Geraldine Murray. A nursing and 15 students for psychiatric nursing. Groups Roscommon native, Ms Murray has experience of working comprise school leavers as well as mature students. The in both the psychiatric and general nursing fields all over Department also offers registered nurses the opportunity to the world before moving to GMIT in 2005. enhance their qualifications by undertaking a Certificate “We believe we give our nursing students an excellent in Science (Nursing) Special Purpose Award and/or a education. There is much greater interaction between Level 8 Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Nursing. students and lecturer because of the class size. The systems GMIT has lately branched into the area of social studies and processes we have in place mean that with smaller and social work. The department provides full and part- classes our lecturers are far more available to individual time courses in Social Studies. “There has been a huge students for discussion and explanation. Such is the demand for these courses from school leavers, mature popularity of our programmes we get a lot of students from students and people who already work in this field,” says Ms other colleges seeking transfers here every year,” said Ms Murray. Murray. These programmes help prepare students for social The college has two fantastically equipped clinical care practice in a structured and supported setting within laboratories for its nursing students with Mayo General a wide variety of work areas: social care settings, youth work, Hospital and Mayo Mental Health Services on its doorstep childcare, working with people with disabilities and for student placements. community development. “Mayo General Hospital is our main clinical site for our general nursing programme. But we also use Roscommon This article is reproduced, courtesy of the Western People. County Hospital, Bon Secours in Galway and the Galway

GMIT Today Meet our staff 5 GMIT Meet our staff

The time to improve your skills is now

ichael Gill, Head of the Department of Business, MHumanities and Technology tells Keith Bourke what makes a GMIT Castlebar programme so worthwhile. The sharing of ideas and skills is one of the focal points of GMIT Castlebar, says Kiltimagh native Michael Gill who heads up the Castlebar campus’ largest faculty. "Here at GMIT there is quite a lot of overlapping between programmes where students can take modules with students from other disciplines. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the cross-pollination of ideas between people on different programmes with different interests,” Michael says. The Department of Business, Humanities and Technology offers a wide range of programmes across the three disciplines. The main business programme takes students through to Bachelor of Business at ordinary and honours levels. The Higher Certificate in Business in Computer Applications focuses on the use of IT in business while the BA in Tourism provides graduates with a range of career options in the service sector. In the Humanities programme students can study Heritage which includes a broad range of modules from history, archaeology and environmental science to literature and folklore. Also included in the area of Humanities is the hugely popular Outdoor Education programme which comprises an academic component and extensive fieldwork. "Our outdoor education programme is quite unique and has a real national appeal," said Mr Gill. "We are very fortunate with our location with the likes of Wesport, Michael Gill, Head of the Dept of Business, Belmullet and Connemara so close in relation to the Humanities and Technology, GMIT Castlebar. delivery of that course," he added. GMIT’s technology programmes are in the areas of Construction, IT Support, Computer Services Management and Architectural Technology. Mr Gill says that due to the downturn in the construction industry, the college has seen a significant number of students return to education and upskill. "We are certainly seeing more enquiries from individuals who may not have had an opportunity to study in the past , wanting to return now to third level education. They have more time on their hands and want to use it constructively," explains Mr Gill. “The college has a good mix of nationalities on campus and there are plans to foster more links with colleges abroad, in line with our new strategic plan. We have a diverse student body from the local area and around the country and further afield. " which enriches the campus here in Castlebar,” he concluded.

GMIT Today Meet our staff 6 GMIT Today

Lifelong Learning with GMIT by Declan Rooney

Peter Butler, Lifelong Learning Centre Co-ordinator, Galway.

ith more and more people contemplating a return to example, GMIT has accepted qualified electricians into the Wcollege to increase their employability and skill level, second year of the B.Eng in Energy Engineering. We also new opportunities present themselves in GMIT’s Lifelong offer individual modules from our full-time programmes. Learning Centre which has extended its range of evening In the case of the Energy Engineering degree we offered and part-time course offerings, says Peter Butler, Co- two modules last September and will have 12 on offer ordinator of the Centre at GMIT’s Dublin Road campus. during the next academic year (2010/11). Full-time degree “People are asking why should they go back to students must take each module as stipulated by the college education if there are no jobs out there,” says Peter. “But but evening/part-time students get to pick the specific area interestingly the courses that have a clear financial pay-off, that they want to concentrate on.” like Car Maintenance, Web Design and PC Maintenance, This will aid people who might not be interested in have seen a huge increase in interest and have been fully doing a full-time course and help them target their booked. So much so that some of them ran a second time interests. “People can now come in and do our Infrared during the academic year. Thermography & Air Pressurisation module and they can “Any work that people can do for themselves is being get both HETAC credits and sit the professional body taken up by greater numbers. Altogether we have seen a exams afterwards. We are doing the same for science 15% drop in numbers since last year across the board in courses and for business. It shows a prospective employer lifelong learning like all of the colleges, while at the same that you have the commitment and the ability at that time we are seeing a considerable demand for self-help required level. We also run several non-accredited 10-week courses. evening courses in the area of Information Technology. “Our Investing in Shares course was also hugely popular Many people have asked to step up from that to a HETAC this year. It seems a lot of people got burned and they want accredited qualification. This coming academic year we are to educate themselves on what is secure.” hoping to offer a 26-week long accredited module on According to Peter, the next 12 months could see a Applied Digital Media from the B.Sc in Business large increase in student volumes through the GMIT Computing and Digital Media, as well as other modules Lifelong Learning Centre. “The RPL (recognition of prior from that degree.” learning) process may turn out to be a key component of To see our full list of part-time and evening student learning in the next few years,” claims Peter. “Based programmes, visit: http://www.gmit.ie/study-at- on previous education and work experience, substantial gmit/lifelong-learning.html exemptions may be possible on a programme. For This article is reproduced, courtesy of the Galway Independent. GMIT Today Meet our staff 7 GMIT Institute News

Focus groups help design new engineering degree

Members of the Engineering School Focus groups with GMIT staff, l-r: Consultant Mike Gaffney, Leap Advisor, Charlie Coughlan, CEO, Pem International, Willie Cahill, Future SME, Dr Paul O’Dowd, GMIT, Noel Faherty, Smurfit Kappa Ireland, Bernie Rushe, Cordatus Consulting, Gordon Maxwell, Covidien, Evelyn Ui Euchteirn, GMIT, David Quinn, Pem International, Padraig Audley, GMIT, Rory O’Connor, Chairman, GMIT Governing Body and former MD of Hewlett-Packard, Galway, Paul Whelan, Multis, Paul Carty, Boston Scientific, Joe Goodfellow, C&F Tooling Ltd, and Dr Tom Roche, GMIT.

he Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at GMIT proposes to introduce a new Tfull-time Bachelor of Engineering in Operations Engineering degree, commencing September 2011, pending approval. Senior engineering professionals and career consultants who helped design the new programme, through focus group meetings in GMIT, say such a programme is in demand with employers. One group, made up of senior managers, engineers, designers and consultants, discussed changes in the manufacturing and services industry and the skills set and knowledge required of future engineers. Another group, made up of career advisers and recruitment consultants, concentrated on career opportunities and programme marketing. This group highlighted the importance of work experience, links with industry, communication and presenentation skills, all of which have been included on L-r: Dr Tom Roche, GMIT, Fiona Keane, Richmond Recruitment, the programme. Both focus groups strongly endorse the Felim McDonnell, I.C.E. Group, Dr Teresa Hanley, GMIT, Dr proposed new programme and say job opportunities for Paul O’Dowd, GMIT, Michelle Kilcarr, CCP Recruitment, Tom graduates are optimistic. Green, Exalt Recruitment, Paul Kavanagh, Career Guidance, Calasanctius College, Marie Barrett, M.B.C.S. Careers Services, Coleman Collins, Collins McNicholas Recruitment, and Padraig Audley, GMIT [Missing is Sarah Gleeson, Career Guidance, St Joseph’s College].

GMIT Today Institute News 8 GMIT Today

Four new postgrad programmes

he GMIT School of Business has extended its suite of postgraduate offerings with four new New postgraduate offerings: Tprogrammes added to its curriculum during the 2010/11 academic year: Master of Business in Strategy and • Master of Business in Strategy Innovation Management (L9), ACCA (Professional and Innovation Management (L9) Qualification, Higher Diploma in Business (L8), and Postgraduate Diploma in Business in Accounting (L9). • ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified The full-time master programme focuses on three Accountants) professional qualification recurring themes: strategic thinking, innovation, and managing in innovatively focused enterprises. It aims to • Higher Diploma in Business (L8) produce graduates who can aspire to middle management • Postgraduate Diploma in Business positions in a range of enterprises and will include a work in Accounting (L9) placement. ACCA is recognised as the largest and fastest-growing global professional accountancy body with 493,500 students The postgraduate in Business in Accounting is a one- and members in 170 countries The ACCA programme in year conversion programme for non-accounting graduates GMIT, the first time it is offered full-time in the west of offered on a full-time basis over one academic year. Ireland, offers students the chance to complete the ACCA Students will gain accounting skills and knowledge and finals in GMIT. valuable exemptions from the professional accounting The Higher Diploma in Business full-time programme bodies. provides a broad based business education to honours graduates from the disciplines of Engineering, Science, For further details see www.gmit.ie/business or Arts and Humanities. It is designed to re-orient technical tel 091-742046/2225. graduates to business and complement primary qualifications.

At the launch of the new postgraduate programmes in GMIT, l-r: Shane Moran, lecturer; Richie Hoare, lecturer; Dr Larry Elwood, Head of School of Business, Dr Chris Coughlan, Hewlett Packard, Galway, and Carmel Brennan, Head of Dept of Accountancy and Information Systems, GMIT.

GMIT Today Institute News 9 GMIT Institute News

New business spin offs from successful GMIT Enterprise Programme

Pictured are the Business in Enterprise Programme Class with some of their lecturers.

ome 70 people have completed a Higher Certificate GMIT Business Enterprise Programme co-ordinator Ivan in Business in Enterprise Development offered “pro McPhillips says, “Fifteen students have set up their own Sbono” by GMIT over a year ago in response to businesses to date and many more are at feasibility study growing unemployment in the region. stage and are in discussions with funding and support Fifteen people have gone on to set up their own agencies. businesses and many more are at feasibility study stage. A “A number have employed their first employee, two further three people have been accepted into the GMIT students have been successful in applying for the GMIT Innovation in Business Centre (IiBC) and Midwestern Graduate Enterprise Programme and another student is Enterprise Platform Programme (MWEP) to progress their one of five successful applicants for the MWEP run by business ideas. GMIT and AIT and funded by Enterprise Ireland.” The programme, which commenced in March 2009, was Participants have described the programme as “life- initiated by business lecturers Deirdre Lusby and Ivan changing” and expressed sincere gratitude to GMIT and McPhillips. It was delivered two days per week over a period the staff who taught on the programme on a ‘free of of 15 months. The participants had previously worked in a charge’ basis, and the many guest speakers from industry range of sectors including construction, manufacturing, who contributed to the programme. Many graduates hope architecture, auctioneering, retailing, and the legal to continue HE studies . profession. Some had also been self-employed. All age Mary Frain, speaking on behalf of the class, says, “The groups were represented in the class - predominantly from commitment and knowledge imparted by GMIT has been Galway city and county but also from around Ireland and the best they have ever experienced.” further afield including Lithuania, Poland, USA, Latvia, The 15-month programme was designed by lecturers in and Nigeria. For most participants it was their first the School of Business and comprised modules such as: opportunity to study at third level, while for others it was a Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Marketing and Market second chance and an opportunity to upskill or change Research, Business Planning and Finance, Managing direction. People, Information Technology, Mentoring, Learning and Spin-offs are in the areas of food, retail, technology, Support, Communications, Selling and Sales Management medical devices, services, the built environment and green and Customer Service, Business Accounting, Law for technology, textiles, clothing manufacturing, and tourism. Enterprise, Operations and Quality Management, and Enterprise Project. GMIT Today Institute News 10 GMIT Today

Baxter employees complete GMIT Leadership programme

mployees at Baxter Healthcare International, Pictured at the GMIT Leadership programme presentation are Baxter Castlebar, recently completed a leadership employees: Front l-r: James Jordan, Ciaran Geraghty, Clodagh Geraghty Edevelopment training programme, designed (GMIT Lecturer), Pamela Kilcoyne, Kathleen Hennelly, Mary Goggins, and delivered by staff in the GMIT Department of Noreen McGee, Dr Deirdre Garvey (GMIT Lecturer), Martin Cosgrove, and Business, Technology and Humanities, Castlebar. Hugh Radmall. 2nd row, l-r: Lisa Rowley, James Gill, Mary Niland, 3rd The four-week programme was delivered on row, l-r: Padraig Moran, Liam Muldowney, Tom Healy, Leslie Murphy. 4th Saturdays on-site in Baxter to facilitate employees row, l-r: Attracta Mulderrig, John Tolan, Padraig Coleman, Pat Coleman. working on different shifts. Some 45 employees 5th row, l-r: Ian Mulderrig, Neville Hughes, Joe Callan, 6th row, l-r: Paul completed three different deliveries of the Timlin, Darren Heneghan, Mark Doyle. 7th row, Sean Galligan. programme. Dr Deirdre Garvey, Lifelong Learning, GMIT Missing from the photo are Baxter employees, who completed the course, Castlebar, “We very much welcomed the opportunity Andrzej Polak, John Dempsey, Anne Biggins, Liz Healy, Declan Coleman, of working with Baxter on this programme. It is an Conn Lavelle, David Collins, Wojtek Sikorski, Robert Hunt, Mary important step in building linkages between industry Mulchrone, Vera O'Malley, Kieran Barnicle, and GMIT lecturers Davy and GMIT as an educational resource in this region.” Walsh and Ann Caulfield.

GMIT Today Institute News 11 GMIT Institute News

Students and local artists collaborate to design commercially viable websites

igital Media students have been exchanging “They create and edit their own digital images and video creative ideas with local artists to develop using photoshop and movie maker, and ‘go live’ as soon as Dinnovative websites as part of their degree studies. possible using Digiweb and Joomla facilities. Indeed many The artists attended an open day earlier this year hosted of the students came to this programme with an art by second year students on the B.Sc in Digital Media and background so it’s good for them to exchange ideas with Business Computing programme at GMIT’s Creative Arts artists in the community,” he says. campus, Cluain Mhuire. The event has resulted in a number of ongoing collaborations with the artists who are assisting students in the development of style sheets including colour, texture and design for websites. A number of the students are researching the possibility of creating an artists’ forum website to collate ideas, while others are working with the artists to create websites that best display their work. The students’ work is assessed as an individual digital media project worth five credits and is carried out over 12 weeks. Each student has to present a power point presentation and detailed document on all aspects of their project. Programme co-ordinator and lecturer Dr Robert J Loughnane says the projects combine art and the plethora of digital media including graphics, photography, text, graphics and video, with the ultimate aim of developing commercially viable websites.

GMIT Today Institute News 12 GMIT Today

UK cultural historian addresses Letterfrack design seminar

ultural historian, art critic and former Rector of the Royal College of Art, London, Sir Christopher CFrayling addressed a GMIT seminar on “Design Education – a global perspective” hosted by GMIT Letterfrack in April. Mr Frayling, who has a home in Kinvara, Co Galway, is a former chairman of the UK Arts Council, the Design Council, Royal Mint Advisory Committee, and a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He was a governor of the British Film Institute in the 1980s and has had a wide output as a writer and critic of film on subjects ranging from vampires to westerns. He has written and presented numerous television series and conducted a series of radio and television interviews with leading figures from the world of film, including Woody L-r: Dermot O’Donovan, Mary Mullen, Helen Frayling, Marion Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Clint Eastwood, and has Coy, Sir Christopher Frayling, Alan Tilbury, Catherine Tilbury, also written and presented several television series, Dr. Joseph Ryan. including The Face of Tutankhamun and Nightmare: Birth of Horror. The theme of the GMIT seminar was the importance of investing in the creative economy in the developed world. This topic proved extremely pertinent to a packed audience, in particular in terms of the promotion of the development of a ‘smart economy’ for Europe. Amongst those in attendance were GMIT President Marion Coy, Dr. Joseph Ryan, Registrar of AIT, Alan Tilbury, former guest lecturer at GMIT Letterfrack, and Mary Hawkes-Greene, President Burren College of Art. This seminar will become an annual event in GMIT Letterfrack.

Sir Christopher Frayling and GMIT President Marion Coy.

GMIT has best record on equal access provision

MIT is the top performer in the Institute of In addition to its intake of mature first year students, Technology sector (IOTI) when it comes to GMIT had 228 students classified under the HEA Equal Gproviding equal access to education over the past Access Scheme in 2008/9 and 274 students classified under two academic years, new data from the Higher Education this scheme in 2007/8. Authority (HEA) shows. GMIT Registrar Mr Bernard O’Hara said, “The figures Equal Access data for 2007/8 and 2008/9, focuses on confirm GMIT’s commitment to facilitating access to the social, economic and cultural background of students. students from under-represented categories in higher It found that GMIT had the largest number of registered education and promoting equality of opportunity as much first year mature students two years in a row, with 338 as possible.” mature students registered in the 2008/9 academic year and 311 the previous year, a total of 649 in two years.

GMIT Today Institute News 13 GMIT Institute News

GMIT Letterfrack by Denise McNamara

rom the ashes of devastated lives, the former Above and beyond could be the college’s motto. Letterfrack industrial school is now a happy hive of When professional placements for students are Fcreativity, where a close-knit community of students arranged, students can end up as far afield as Africa or learn the secrets of furniture design. Australia. But always with a keen eye on what’s happening Nestled under Diamond Hill, beyond the stunning in the industry. Twelve Bens and the shores of Kylemore Lough, This year student Russell Jacob from Enniscorthy, Co Letterfrack GMIT has never been host to so many students Wexford, won the Wood Marketing Federation Student - at 260, the numbers have doubled in the last six years. Wood Awards in design for his use of Computer Aided This year the first cohort of teachers graduate from the Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) college after completing the Bachelor of Science in Design software to design complex curvature in timber furniture. & Technology Education giving them the qualifications to The project was born out of a placement he did for an teach materials technology and technical graphics to Junior American company who had a brief to fit out the Certificate level and architectural technology and design Kauffmann Theatre in Kansas. and communication studies to Leaving Certificate honours “That was a problem that hadn’t been solved before - students. how to draw curved panels in CAD. We used Skype and It is an impressive journey that the college has travelled video conferencing to transfer knowledge across the since 1985, when the Connemara West Development Ltd Atlantic. Lecturers deal with students though Skype so it’s ran a woodwork course for two years. When the community like distance learning. Another example of that is a Sisters and rural development organisation lost funding two years of Charity woodwork training centre set up in Zambia two later, they trawled around for a partner. GMIT took the bait years ago where students go to teach wood and furniture and so the furniture courses were born, which have skills.” nurtured award-winning students ever since. In addition to the teaching degree, there are ordinary For the last three years its graduates have won the House and honour degrees in furniture and wood technology as and Home Young Designer of the Year and since 2005 has well as furniture design and manufacture. The emphasis is produced a finalist or winner of the National Skills at all times on quality. Competition for cabinet-making. The first year is the same for all courses and is all about So what makes the college quite so dynamic? learning the basics of hand tools and wood. A student will The key is its size, explains Head of Department Dermot learn how to create a wooden box which teaches skills such O’Donovan. as marquetry, dovetailing and how to hang a door. “There are only about 150 people living in Letterfrack They branch into their specialisations in the second year village so we become the community during the academic and projects become a big part of the programmes. It’s this year... We have 28 full and part-time staff and there’s a great year where all the creativity is nurtured. sense of ownership about the place. Students benefit from As he walks among the impressive exhibits in this year’s that because we go above and beyond what’s going on in a annual furniture exhibition, Dermot points out various bigger academic facility.” projects worked on by this year’s students.

GMIT Today Institute News 14 GMIT Today

One was a brief from the company Ez Living, which wanted students to dream up a furniture range that was recognisably Irish but could be shipped around the world flat-packed. One particularly enterprising student created a storage system that worked as a bedside locker, TV cabinet or wardrobe, with sections that could be clicked in side by side or on top of each other depending on the preferred use. Another project for the 2009/2010 year was to create a cabinet to house a personal item and build a chair inspired by music. This is a complex process. The student must research the idea and come up with a concept, which is then assessed. A model is built before being developed into a design. It must look beautiful but be structurally sound - and in the case of the chairs be ergonomically comfortable. They then make up the design themselves in the workshop. Once finished, they write up a report on the design inspiration, how it was manufactured, costings and what they would do differently next time. Among the more ambitious ‘musical chairs’ that made their way to the exhibition floor is one resembling a harp, another a piano. The third and fourth years are more theoretical and Dermot O’Donovan. academic. On the technology side students might be given a drawing The workshop boasts panel saws and every machine of a piece and asked to work out how to manufacture necessary for breaking out materials to dimensions and multiples of it. It’s all about setting up machines, knowing shaping it to a very high quality. The UK manufacture the layout of a factory and learning about costings. company Homag sponsored two machines worth €180,000 While students learn traditional woodmaking skills, most for the workshop. of the emphasis is now on designing with computer packages, which is where the industry is really at.

Letterfrack Campus

GMIT Today Institute News 15 GMIT Institute News

“That’s what distinguishes us - it’s the quality of the workmanship and the design. It’s why industry is keen to collaborate with our students,” says Dermot. The college has done a number of projects for the Office of Public Works over the last four years. One of them involved designing seats for specific areas of the National Museum of Country Life in Turlough, Co Mayo. These seats were then purchased by the museum and have become an colourful addition to the museum’s architecture. It has also given the students an opportunity to see how their furniture wears after much use. Another brief was to design lecterns for President Mary McAleese for use in Áras an Uachtaráin. She ended up keeping three of them permanently. A typical student at GMIT Letterfrack enjoys technical subjects, has studied construction or woodwork at school or has worked in a trade and wants to change track. One quarter of the intake are mature students. Just one fifth are female - but that could all change with the new teaching graduates. Dermot himself studied commerce in UCC before studying furniture design and manufacture in Letterfrack between 1997 and 1999 as a mature student. He joined the “The most important aspect or trait in a student is that staff as a technician for four years before becoming a lecturer they enjoy what they do and are dedicated to it. The for three years and has been head of department since 2006. programmes are highly challenging so you have to be very “I just got wrapped up in the place,” he smiles committed.” contentedly. When the former residents of Letterfrack Industrial School return - as they often do seeking some modicum of closure - they can at least be assured that here the dark past has firmly been laid to rest.

Sean Costello at the Wood Marketing Federation Awards - Winner of the Design Category

GMIT Today Institute News 16 GMIT Today

Gaeilge agus Fáilte!

á formhór na gclár san Institiúid ar fáil trí Bhéarla, Tá an Ghaeilge ar fáil mar ábhar roghnach ar chláir ach amháin dhá chlár atá ar fáil trí Ghaeilge, mar éagsúla léinn ar champais Bhóthar Bhaile Átha Cliath, Tatá an BA in nGnó agus Cumarsáid, agus an Ard Chluain Mhuire agus Chaisleán an Bharraigh. Bíonn Dioplóma/MSc i nGaeilge Fheidhmeach agus Aistriúchán, Gaeilge ar fáil ar chlár cúrsaí oíche na hInstitiúide freisin. atá a reáchtáil i gcomhar le Europus Teoranta. Faightear Bronntar duais ó Údarás na Gaeltachta ar an mac léinn cúnamh maoinithe ó Údarás na Gaeltachta do na cúrsaí seo. Gaeilge ab fhearr ag searmanas bhronnadh na gcéimeanna Tá éileamh mór ar an gcúrsa BA i nGnó agus i mí na Samhna gach bhliain. Cumarsáid, cúrsa céime ceithre bliana agus deis ag na mic I mí na Bealtaine 2008, ceapadh Ceann Scoil na hÉigse léinn tréimhse taithí oibre a dhéanamh sa Ghaeltacht sa mar ionadaí IOTI ar bhord de chuid na Roinne Oideachais triú bliain, nó freastail ar choláiste thar lear. Ó 2001 i leith, agus Scileanna a bhí le hathbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar tá fás tagtha ar líon na gcúrsaí atá á reáchtáil ag Europus scéimeanna scoláireachta Gaeilge le haghaidh an tríú Teoranta i nGaeltacht Chonamara i gcomhar leis an leibhéal. Institiúid agus le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta. Sa bhreis ar an Tháinig deireadh le céad scéim teanga na hInstitiúide Ard Dioplóma/MSc. i nGaeilge Fheidhmeach, faomhadh de réir Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla in 2008 agus tugadh dhá cháilíocht nua in 2008 agus 2009, an Dámhachtain faoi scéim nua a chur i dtoll a chéile an bhliain sin le go Shainchuspóireach i Riarachán Dátheangach agus mbeifí in ann í a chur faoi bhráid an Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Dámhachtain Shainchuspóireach in Aistriúchán Ionstraimí Comhionannais agus Gaeltachta faoi dheireadh 2009. Tá Reachtúla agus Cáipéisí Dlí agus Stáit. an dara scéim sin ag feidhmiú anois.

GMIT Today Institute News 17 GMIT Institute News

HE institutes adopt PAL following GMIT-AIT success

Nuala Harding, Teaching and Learning Manager, AIT, and Carina Ginty, SIF II Project Manager, GMIT.

number of higher education institutes in Ireland To mark the success of PAL to date, GMIT hosted the have adopted the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) 4th Annual Peer Assisted Learning Symposium in April Aprogramme, the first of its kind in Ireland, 2010. It focused on student led learning in higher following its successful development and implementation education, the transition to third-level, and best practice by GMIT and AIT in January 2009. for setting up and managing peer assisted learning The SIF funded programme helps first year students programmes. It was well attended by academic staff in HE settle into college life and develop independent learning institutions from Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US. skills. In the long term, PAL decreases drop out rates and Carina Ginty, SIF II Project Manager in GMIT and Nuala increases academic performance. The programme involves Harding, Teaching and Learning Manager in AIT, were trained student leaders from second, third and fourth year invited to present a paper on PAL at the 6th International facilitating weekly one hour timetabled study sessions with Supplemental Instruction Conference in New Orleans, first year students. USA. Their findings revealed that the most popular topics Such is its success, several HE institutes are currently covered in PAL sessions are working out problems together adopting PAL such as NUI, Galway, Tallaght IT, (55%), assignments (46.6%), and getting to know GMIT or Letterkenny IT, DIT and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, AIT (45.8%). Over 67% of first years surveyed indicated Design & Technology. PAL sessions helped them integrate more quickly into The programme has grown from supporting 143 first college life and 66% felt PAL gave them a better year students and 15 PAL leaders in April 2009 to currently understanding of the expectations of the lecturers. An supporting 700 first year students on 18 programmes important finding revealed support of school management facilitated by 45 trained PAL leaders in both institutes. It’s and lecturing staff is imperative to the ongoing success of anticipated that 40 plus programmes will offer PAL to some the programme. 1800 first year students supported by 130 trained PAL For further information on the GMIT PAL Programme, leaders this coming academic year. please email [email protected] or listen to the student experiences online at www.gmit.ie/pal.

GMIT Today Institute News 18 GMIT Institute News Conferences GMIT Today

MIT will host the first in a series of bi-annual conferences focusing on education, Gcommencing Saturday 27th November 2010, at the Dublin Road campus, Galway. The inaugural conference will acknowledge the significant contribution to education of Mr Bernard O'Hara, Registrar GMIT, on his retirement. It will focus on education, its history, evolution, and the challenges facing Higher Education. Guest speakers include: Professor Tom Collins, Dean of Teaching and Learning, NUI Maynooth, Dr Rajani Naidoo, Director of the DBA programme in Higher Education Management, University of Bath, Ms Marion Coy, President, GMIT, Mr Bernard O'Hara, Registrar, GMIT, and Mr Pádraig Ó'Ceidigh, Chairman, Aer Arann. For further information, contact the GMIT Education Conference Team, email: [email protected]

“IMC27: Manufacturing Matters in the Smart Economy” 1st - 3rd September

ompetitive manufacturing in a developed economy Guest Speakers include: Professor Jim Browne, President of relies on intensive innovation that is characterised by NUI Galway, Leonard Moran, Ovagen, Rory O’Connor, Chigher skills, high levels of research & development, GMIT Governing Body and former MD of Hewlett-Packard, more focused markets, and high levels of flexibility. These Dr Brian Motherway, SEAI, Liam Browne, EI, Chris Davey, qualities are generally accepted as the underpinning for Marvao Medical Devices, John Flaherty, C&F Tooling, John longer-term sustainability of manufacturing and are also the Concannon, JFC, John B Rodgers, Local Motors, John Power, key qualities, among others, that describe the Aerogen, John O’Dea, Crospon, Padraig Curtis, Boston microeconomics of future ‘smart’ economies. Scientific, and Ian Quinn, Creganna. GMIT will host the IMC27 conference from 1st to 3rd For further details visit: http://www.imc27.com/ or September, which will be formally opened by the Minister contact Valerie Butler, tel: 0 91 742839, email: for Trade, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Batt O’Keeffe. [email protected] Skype ID: valerie_butler

GMIT Today Institute News 19 GMIT Awards and Achievements

Letterfrack student wins national design award for modular furniture

Noel Sweeney

urniture design student Noel Sweeney from Bray, Co arrangements. The components are simply screwed Wicklow, has won this year’s House & Home/Craft together, removing the need for other fixings. FCouncil of Ireland “Young Designer of the Year The material used is poplar ply, which is a fast growing Award” for his innovative solution for modular furniture. tree, FSC certified and thus sustainably sourced from a Noel is a third year student on the B.Sc in Furniture managed forest. The finish is a water-based lacquer which Design & Manufacture at GMIT Letterfrack. His winning reduces the impact on the environment compared to design “Connexel Furniture Range” is made up of solvent-based alternatives. components that can be assembled to make a range of GMIT Letterfrack Lecturer Laura Mays, who prepared furniture items including a stool, chair, coffee table, bed Noel for the competition, says: “Noel’s project combines underframe and more. clever interchangeability of parts, sustainability and It is the assembly process of these simple components participation of the consumer in a unique way. Sometimes that make the desired item of furniture innovative, as the being green is associated with giving things up and same components can be used over and over in different punishing ourselves; Noel shows that a sustainable future can be a fun one.”

GMIT Today Awards and Achievements 20 GMIT Today

Top Wood Accounting National design students scoop award for Innovation Letterfrack student Awards

MIT Letterfrack student Russell Jacob from hree Accounting and Financial Management Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, has won a prestigious students in GMIT Castlebar are this year’s winners Gdesign award at this year’s national Student Wood Tof the GMIT Innovation Awards hosted by the Awards. Russell will graduate with a B.Sc (Hons) in GMIT Castlebar Innovation in Business Centre (IiBC). Furniture Design & Manufacture this year. His winning Students Mary Burke from Williamstown, Galway, Maria piece involved using CAD and CAM software to design Coll from Ballinlough, Roscommon, and Michelle Kilcoyne complex curvature in timber furniture. from Castlebar, won first prize for their educational The Wood Marketing Federation Awards in association software product “Or”. They are all second year students with Wood NI, are sought after by third level students of on the BA in Accountancy and Financial Management architecture, engineering and design in Ireland who (L7). They won €1,000 cash, incubation space in the incorporate wood as an inherent element in their projects. Innovation Centre for two months and mentoring from Award winners have gone on to pursue successful careers in The Discovery Partnership, a client company in the wood and related businesses and have exhibited at Irish Innovation Centre. and international shows. Second prize went to Richard Carr from Castlebar for “Bluetooth Proximity Marketing”. Richard is in fourth year of the B.Sc (Hons) in Computer Services Management (L8). He won €500. Third prize went to Damien Daly and Daniel O Morche from Castlebar, and fourth prize to Gareth Gargan from Belcarra and Alan Dowling from Stradbally, Co Laois, all students on the Outdoor Education (L8) programme. All prizes were sponsored by Shell Ireland. The GMIT Innovation Awards gives students a unique opportunity to test their creative business ideas. The competition is now in its fourth year.

Overall winners, front-centre, Mary Burke, Maria Coll and Michelle Kilcoyne, with other competing students back, l-r, Kathie Nally, Anna Marie Flanagan, Richard Carr (2nd), Danny O'Morchoe (3rd), Damien Daly (3rd), Alan Dowling (4th) and Gareth Gargan 4th).

Russell Jacob with his winning design GMIT Today Awards and Achievements 21 GMIT Meet Our Students Galway

Paul Conroy, Galway City B.Bs Marketing (L8)

nown mainly for his exploits in the maroon of Galway With the country in the depths of one of its worst Kand GMIT, Galway city native Paul Conroy is also busy financial crisis in living memory, some might be off the pitch forging a future in Marketing for himself. despondent about their future employability. Not so Paul, Just finished his fourth year in a degree in business who thinks there is a job to be found, if you are willing to specialising in Marketing, Paul looks back fondly on his do the groundwork. time so far in GMIT. “It might be tough to get a job in the current climate, “The four years have been great,” says Paul. “It is a but I’m sure things will turn out okay,” he says. “There are challenging course but there hasn’t been anything I jobs out there; I suppose it is all about preparing yourself to haven’t been able for. At the start of the course it was great get them and with my GMIT degree behind me I’ll be to get into the college and meet up with all your classmates, perfectly prepared to do that. It would be great to be able but over the years I’ve made some great friends out of it.” to stay around the Galway region, especially with the Institutes of technologies have a real ‘hands on approach’ football, but if needs be I’ll put in the miles. to students. Paul thinks this method of learning keeps the “I am not quite sure yet what I’ll do but the opportunity student interested in their chosen subject. to study a masters is there. “It can get tough sometimes with endless hours of study, “The lecturers employ an open door policy in that they but here they seem to keep it fresh all the time,” he says. “In are easy to approach. If ever any of us had a problem they the last year or two the college has taken us on a lot of fact- are there andencourage us to ask questions if confused. finding excursions to aid our course work. Specialising in The fact that you know them on first name terms builds up Marketing as I am, I was delighted to get the chance to take a level of trust with your lecturer. They have been a great these tours, especially of the Guinness storehouse in help to me. Dublin. Where better to pick up a few tricks of the trade “But the college as a whole has been great to me. I’ve than from a company like Guinness. It gave us a great had to miss the odd lecture playing football over the years, insight into how these companies like to sell and display but they have been very fair to me. Overall the experience their products. It was also a great chance to get away from has been a very positive one. There is no problem once you the books for a time.” keep up and get all your work done.”

GMIT Today Meet Our Students 22 GMIT Today

Edel Lennon, Longford B.A in Hotel & Catering Management (L8)

started out my third level education by completing a “Itwo-year Fetac Level 6 award in Hospitality Skills, which involves full time study in college with two summer placements,” says Edel. “I was then accepted into the second year of the level 7 Bachelor of Business in Hotel and Catering Management - Block Release. “This course is a blend of study and industrial work placements, with third year involving a one-year foreign placement - mine was in Jurys Inn Hotel in Liverpool. After successfully completing this course, I was accepted into year four of the level 8 (hons) Bachelor of Arts in Hotel and Catering Management. I completed this programme in May. “I find the programmes in the Hotel School excellent as they offer great progression options. Each course I completed was one step up from the previous course so it was a gradual and natural progression for me. One of the aspects that stands out is the excellent relationship between lecturers and students, due in part to an open door policy where students are encouraged to contact lecturers when problems or issues arise. “Another integral part of these courses is the work placement organised by the Hotel School’s Links office. The staff work hard organising the placements for us and are also flexible if we find our own placements. I found my own with Jurys Inn and have remained with them since. I’m delighted to say I was awarded the ‘Jurys (Galway) Employee of the Year 2009’. “Hotel and Catering is something that I actually fell into. I initially started studying a business and religion course but it was not for me. At the time, I had a friend who had just completed first year of the Hospitality Skills course and she was very positive about it. It caught my interest so I applied and have never looked back. “The hotel industry is perceived as tough with unsocial working hours, and low pay, but that’s not the case. I enjoy it immensely. No two working days are the same. I meet lots of interesting people from a variety of backgrounds and I have had the chance to spend a year in Liverpool because of it. The course subjects allow students to branch into various industries should they wish.”

GMIT Today Meet Our Students 23 GMIT Meet Our Students Galway

Gary Foley, Cork Master of Science in Environment Systems

ary graduated with a B.Eng (Hons) in Mechanical (Cork). I spent the next 15 months working on projects in GEngineering from GMIT in 2008 but after some pharmaceutical plants throughout Cork, such as the careful consideration decided to return to education to do construction of the new Pfizer Biologics Plant. a Masters of Science in Environmental Systems in the “I wanted to progress my skills set to diversify into the Engineering School at GMIT. renewable energy industry so my decision to move onto the “I wanted to gain skills in the growing renewable next level in college was the right one. GMIT Engineering energies sector so I came back after my degree,” said Gary. School had just launched its new masters programme in “During my undergraduate course I was required to the field and had completed its new state-of-the-art online complete work experience for six months between third energy lab. and fourth year of the degree programme. I did my “The most interesting part of the course is seeing how placement in GlaxoSmithKline (Gsk) Pharmaceuticals in energy is developed, managed and controlled within the Co. Cork where I gained invaluable experience. industry. The environmental aspects of the pro water and “Having this industry experience played a huge part in waste modules are also very interesting as we are learning me getting my first engineering job as a junior mechanical about the inadequacies of the current infrastructure in engineer - just one month after completing my final degree place in terms of contamination and pollution, given last - with BMD & Co Ltd, Mechanical Engineering Contractor year’s flooding, water contamination and waste landfill pollution in Ireland.”

Michelle Conway, New York and Barna B.A in Art & Design (part-time)

ichelle originally advertising than selling a product. Also, there was a Mhails from Troy in painting tutor there who encouraged me to go into upstate New York but is painting. I loved it, but the timing wasn’t right. So, I applied now living in Barna, the television and film skills I learned during this time to outside Galway. She my career. moved to Ireland in 1990 “When I graduated, my family chipped in for a trip to and has been here since Ireland as a gift and I stayed. My first job was in Dublin at a and a few years ago post-production house called the Picture Company. From decided to begin her there, I worked in all areas of television and film, primarily studies in Art. She is currently a final-year student in the editing and post production for over 13 years. Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design (part-time). “I find the standard of our GMIT tutors to be excellent “I am in my sixth and final year at present,” says as they are practicing artists and give practical advice. There Michelle. “There is an option to apply for an add-on full is a good balance between structured modules such as time year to complete an honours degree. I would like to drawing and colour theory and encouragement to initiate do this next year if accepted. your own practice. This, I think, is great preparation for the “After my son Tadhg was born, I decided I wanted to be hard work needed to succeed outside of school when you at home with him. Although I loved working in television are on your own. and film, I felt the hours were too long away from him. “What I like most about the course are the mature While at home with him, the timing seemed right to begin students and the time frame. Mature students have a lot of a degree. It is something I always wanted to do. interesting life experiences to bring to their work. They are “I graduated in 1990 from The Newhouse School of focused and appreciate the luxury of being able to go to Public Communications, Syracuse University, with an school. The time frame of six years is amazing because Honours BA Degree in Advertising. I realized early in my there is breathing space to really take in what you’ve degree that I was more interested in the process of learned and apply it.”

GMIT Today Meet Our Students 24 GMIT Meet Our Students Castlebar GMIT Today

Sinead Worth, Belmullet B.Sc (Hons) in Psychiatric Nursing

The process for a mature code applicant for a nursing programme can be a lengthy one. You have to pass an aptitude test and also an interview. Places are limited and competition is high so I was delighted to secure a place. I’m now about to finish my second year. The course itself comprises approximately six modules and students are also required to complete a number of clinical placements throughout the four years of this level 8 (honours) programme. I will really enjoy the placements as they give you invaluable learning opportunities. The college itself offers a wide range of support structures and for mature students this is really invaluable, especially when it comes to study tips, and financial and career advice. The campus is warm and friendly and because of smaller student numbers compared to bigger colleges I consider it to be a very conducive learning environment. am married and have five children. About seven years The lecturers and study advisers are always on hand to ago my husband and I decided to relocate to lovely “I offer advice as are the librarians. My biggest challenge so Belmullet from Dublin, a brave move but it has been well far is, like many other mature students, juggling family life worth it. with my studies. I do however have a great support network Around three years ago I made a decision to apply – thanks Dave! Overall the decision to return to college is through the CAO for the Psychiatric Nursing degree one of the best decisions I have ever made. programme at GMIT Castlebar. I worked as a care assistant I feel very privileged to be studying in this particular for more than 16 years and it seemed to be a natural next discipline of nursing and look forward to the next two step. It just took me a bit longer than most to get round to years. I don’t even mind the kilometers I clock up daily it. between Belmullet and Castlebar.”

Marteen Lane, Ballinrobe B.A in Humanities in Heritage Studies

’m in my second year of college and loving every “Iminute of it. There are so many dimensions to this course with literature and topographical writing, history, archaeology and built environment, earth processes, natural environment, ecology and environmental management with rural development, society and nature, and tourism and folklore. What really appealed to me about this course when I was first considering applying was the ecology and environment side. I did a FETAC Level 5 Animal Care course and was delighted to see this aspect of the course as I hope to work in the field of wildlife conservation. I am enjoying archaeology so I might even decide to go down that career path. The greatest thing about this programme is there are so many career options out there after graduation and also further study options, from working in the field of interesting places. I’m really enjoying Castlebar campus life conservation, secondary school teaching, working as a too. There is a great community spirit throughout the curator to working as a heritage officer, archaeologist and college. There is a great choice of clubs and societies to join working in eco-tourism. The list is endless. so it doesn’t take long to make friends. Anyone who’s Another aspect of the course is that we’re not always thinking of studying Heritage Studies in GMIT Castlebar will confined to classroom; we get to go on field trips to enjoy the challenge. I definitely am.”

GMIT Today Meet Our Students 25 GMIT Meet Our Students Castlebar

Maria McGoldrick, Westport B.A in Applied Social Studies

have always had a This is my first time in full-time education and I am “Ikeen interest in having a fantastic time learning. I love it and could see becoming a social care myself, finance permitting, doing a doctorate at some stage. worker, working with My favourite subjects so far are psychology, sociology, children or caring for philosophy and law. older members of the Time management is a particular challenge - getting a community and am now a balance between family life and study. Finance is another first year full-time mature challenge, but I am one of the luckier students as I qualified student on this new for the Back to Education Fund. This however is somewhat degree programme in a come down in income from when I was working full-time GMIT Castlebar. as unfortunately mortgages and bills etc are not taken into To be eligible as a mature student for this course, you consideration. need to have voluntary work experience and show a keen GMIT Castlebar is a relatively small campus, just over interest in social care work; I had done three evening courses 1,000 students, therefore everyone knows each other or can in GMIT and the VEC – Health Promotion, Health & Safety get to know each other quite easily. There is a very friendly and Development training. I also continue to do voluntary atmosphere about the place. Lecturers and staff are as a work, with the Cove Youth Cafe in Westport and Western whole very approachable and due to the smaller numbers of Care in Castlebar. Both organisations are always looking for students have more time to help or advise on assignments.” more volunteers.

Alan Judge, from Kildare now based in Castlebar President of Castlebar Students’ Union BA (Hons) in Outdoor Education

found out about and training, and of course the outdoor sports especially this course when Kayaking which is my life passion. I intend to do a masters “II finished my in experiential education. Leaving Cert. At the time I I am president of the Students’ Union in GMIT Castlebar, was more concerned with my second year in this role. I have always been involved with kayaking and did a course the SU as a class rep. Then last year as a fourth year rep, the in the Kinsale Further vice president asked me to put my name forward for Education Centre (KFEC), president and this year I ran unopposed, a first in the 15-year gaining a FETAC award in history of the campus’ Students’ Union. Outdoor Education. GMIT Castlebar has been home to me for the past five I travelled the world for two years and on my return years. My girlfriend is from Galway and we hope to applied to manage a centre in Dublin working with inner eventually settle here in the west. city youth. I was selected in the final two but with no level The campus has distinct advantages over larger colleges 7 or level 8 degree I was not awarded the job. Instead of in that most of the students and lecturers know each other looking at this as a setback I saw it as an opportunity and by name and there’s a great mix of characters from all over applied to GMIT Castlebar as a mature student, with more the country and exchange students from all over the world. drive than ever to get a good degree and set myself up for I myself got to study my second year in North Carolina in the future. the US as part of my course. It was an amazing experience The biggest challenge was getting back into the mindset I will never forget. of academia. I had plenty of drive and passion for the There are a number of clubs and societies in the college, course and it was very fulfilling to gain a distinction in my many of them winning great accolades. This year the Girls’ ordinary degree (L7). Being the only third level institute to GAA team were All-Ireland winners, the Kayak Club came offer this degree in the country the job prospects are good third in the Intervarsities, the Archery Club were top and our graduates are sought after. Some opt to work as contenders in the Archery Leagues, the Heritage Club host senior instructors in the outdoor industry, entrepreneurs the popular Heritage Days, and the French Society has just in a host of businesses and services, others as educators in returned from a week of ‘cultural enlightenment’ in the colleges or managers in business. The course has unique southern Alps. We are a very active student community, challenges associated with each academic year. My gaining recognition for our activities and achievements, yet favourite subjects were anatomy, ecology and education one of the smaller campuses in the country.”

GMIT Today Meet Our Students 26 GMIT Meet Our Students Letterfrack GMIT Today

Peter Kennedy, Athenry B.Sc (Hons) in Design & Technology Education

have just completed my final year (year four) in opportunity of exploring new concepts and meeting new the Design and Technology Education people when we moved into the Galway campus. The “Iprogramme, in GMIT Letterfrack. I am now fully course itself consisted of some very interesting equipped to teach Design & Communication Graphics and components, and I for one thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Architectural Technology (Construction Studies) to some modules, like Projects and Manufacturing Leaving Certificate second-level students and Technical Technology, were practically based, meaning we were not Graphics & Materials Technology (Wood) to Junior always confined to the classroom. Certificate second-level students. The Letterfrack campus boasts a very friendly lifestyle, As a second level student, I always had a flair for the where a very close rapport is built up between students and technical subjects, and in particular Technical Drawing. It staff. From the point of view of studying on campus, this is was beause of this that I applied to the programme in an invaluable asset, as all staff and lecturers are on hand GMIT Letterfrack. and very approachable, and are readily willing to assist The first two years of the programme were delivered in where possible. I certainly enjoyed my time in the B.Sc. the Letterfrack campus and the final two in Galway’s (Hons) in Design and Technology Education programme, Dublin Road campus. This added an interesting dimension and I would recommend it to future applicants.” to the programme, as we were given the unique

Daniel Mc Namara, Westport, Co Mayo B.Sc (Hons) in Furniture Design and Manufacture (Hons)

came to GMIT Letterfrack because I wanted to One of the highlights of my time in Letterfrack was the do something practical and hands-on. I was also work placement in third year where I worked for one of the “Iadvised by my woodwork teacher to apply. top fine furniture designer/ makers in the UK Andrew I completed my ordinary degree last year and returned Varah. This allowed me to put some of the skills I had this year to do the honours degree to build on the skills learned in Letterfrack into practice and at the same time and knowledge I gained from my level 7 degree. This gain more. GMIT Letterfrack has a good record at the course covers a range of topics for the design and National Skills Competition (Cabinet-Making) in which I woodworking industries. Most woodwork training is done competed two years in a row. I have gained a lot of during first and second year of the programme. Third and knowledge from my time in Letterfrack - a necessary asset fourth year is mostly theory based and covers management, in a competitive furniture industry. My studies and work CAD/CAM, project management and product experience have given me a good platform to go from.” development, which I found to be the most challenging modules. GMIT Today Meet Our Students 27 GMIT Meet Our Students Letterfrack

Alan Garvey, Galway City B.Sc in Furniture Design & Manufacture

am a carpenter by trade and worked as a self- I chose GMIT Letterfrack because of its unrivalled employed hardwood flooring contractor before reputation for excellent furniture and wood products “Istarting this college programme. programmes. The social life on campus is great and there I wanted to hone my skills so I applied to GMIT are many clubs and societies to join from the film club to Letterfrack as a mature student. I’ve just finished my third table quiz nights, woodturning, marquetry and scua diving. year on the B.Sc in Furniture Design & Manufacture When I graduate I hope to start my own workshop. I’m programme. I find it very interesting as it has a high also considering doing a post-grad course here. practical content where students design and make their Letterfrack, in the heart of Connemara, is a beautiful own bespoke pieces of furniture. The computer-based scenic place and an ideal location to immerse yourself into modules are the most challenging as I had very little a degree programme such as this. The Letterfrack campus computer knowledge before commencing the course in is unique and my time here has been very rewarding.” 2007.

Marie Rafferty, Lobinstown, Co Meath B.Sc (Hons) in Furniture and Wood Technology

have just completed my fourth year in GMIT The atmosphere in GMIT Letterfrack is unlike Letterfrack and I hope to go on to complete my anywhere else. It is a very small college in a very remote “IH-Dip to teach. Going to college is one of the best part of Ireland but these factors enhance it. There’s a real things I have ever done. closeness among students which would not be found in I am a mature student who heard about Letterfrack back many colleges. First years and fourth years recognise and in 2000 when my then woodworking teacher encouraged me know each. It has been very rewarding to study here, with to apply. It is definitely the best experience that I have ever great sporting teams that everyone likes to get behind and had, from traveling to the USA for a placement to visiting support, to the local radio that encourages students to companies in Ireland, to seeing shows of the products participate in shows and even create their own for airing. available. I’m not saying it was all easy, what with exams and The area is just as wonderful with spectacular views all thesis pressures, but it definitely makes me sad to think of around and a variety of mountains to climb with the twelve leaving the campus behind when I finish this year. Bens at our doorstep. Once the sun comes out and we know it’s almost summer there are any amount of beaches to choose from, with piers to jump from to lakes to fish in. GMIT Letterfrack really does have it all.” GMIT Today Meet Our Students 28 GMIT Today

Jamie Wilson, Kilkenny B.Sc (Hons) in Design & Technology Education

graduated from Design and Technology The Letterfrack campus is near Connemara National Education this year (2010). The first two years of Park. The village itself is very quiet and ideal for any “Ithe course are in Letterfrack and focus on student who is interested in water sports as the Delphi improving design and technical skills through practical Centre and Killary Harbour are only a few miles away. projects. Personally, I really enjoyed this course. As there is such a The final two years are based in the main GMIT campus small number of students you have the opportunity to in Galway city. The first six weeks are spent on teaching make really good friends and get more one to one time practice and the next two years on the principles of with lecturers, especially useful when it comes to education, technical graphics, and building technology, continuous assessment and exams. I would recommend this which are important steps in becoming a teacher. In fourth programme to anyone who has an interest in technical year an important module is that of a final dissertation. subjects while in secondary school and who believe they Students have the oppoprtunity to research a topic that is would make a good teacher.” important to them in the area of education and the technical subjects.

David Monson, Causeway Co. Kerry BSc (Hons) in Furniture and Wood Technology 2010 National Certificate in Furniture Production Engineering 2005

returned to GMIT Letterfrack this year to pursue September the course has opened up more opportunities a career in teaching, having just completed a six- and other career paths not available to me previously. The “Imonth work placement with a furniture company college’s network of contacts gave me the opportunity this in Morroco. year to spend almost six months on work placement in I first qualified in 2005 working in the Joinery Furniture Morocco with a newly founded company, Green Sahara, in industry initially and, once qualified, programming CNC Casablanca, owned by an American investor. machines. I then moved to Management and Sales working The learning experience opens up new thought trains with companies such as John Bosco Furniture, Co Laois, and encourages innovation which give companies a and Total Fitout, a Kerry company set up in partnership competitive edge and makes every Letterfrack student an with a fellow GMIT Letterfrack student. integral and valued part of any business. Projects Currently I am completing the B.Sc Hons in Furniture completed throughout the year simulate real-life situations and Wood Technology. Since returning to GMIT in which can be applied in industry. This gives confidence and a clear path on how to solve issues within a business.”

GMIT Today Meet Our Students 29 GMIT Volunteering

Engineering students raise €55,000 and help build Ethiopian village

ifteen GMIT students and two GMIT lecturers from how the money they raised is spent. They work and live in the Dept of Building & Civil Engineering and the the community for the 14 days so it is a completely local FHotel School recently returned from Ethiopia where experience.” they spent two weeks building homes for local communities “Habitat for Humanity is a well established organisation in Bahir Dar, as volunteers on the Habitat for Humanity which provides basic homes for people currently living in Ethiopia Global Village 2010 project. substandard conditions throughout the developing and The GMIT group raised some €55,000 from fundraising developed worlds. This is done by asking volunteers to raise activities between November (2009) and June (2010). money and then travel and work with the people building The connection with Habitat happened through two their homes. A Habitat house in Ethiopia on average costs GMIT lecturers in the Building & Civil Engineering €2000. It’s hard labour for 14 days - everything from department, Niamh Ward and Rachel Gargan, who felt it digging foundations to making blocks form local would be an invaluable experience on so many levels for materials”. students and would stand to them in the future. Money can be donated to Habitat for Humanity “It broadens the mind and puts many things into through www.mycharity.ie Donations can also be made to perspective.” says Niamh Ward. “The students see first-hand HFH Ireland via its website: http://www.habitatireland.ie/donate/

Pictured are, l-r: GMIT Engineering students Ross Furey, Shane Mannion, Gavin Fox, Barry Gannon, Trevor Smullen, Rachel Gargan (lecturer) Robbie Gannon, Clare Mc Tigue, Calvin Martyn, Ann Marie Kitt, Iollan O'Mongain, Emily Alfred, Niamh Ward (lecturer), Paul Horan, Eoin Cheevers. Missing from the picture is Hannah Darcy and Luke Goonan.

Irish volunteer with Homeowner children in Ghana.

GMIT Today Volunteering 30 GMIT Today

Electronic engineering students help bring technology to African schools

Pictured in the GMIT Camara Lab in the Electronic Engineering Department are student volunteers, l-r: James Costello, Ballybane, Galway, John Dolan, Ballinalee, Co Longford, Colm Kearney, Gort, Co Galway, Natasha Rohan (lecturer), Cathal Murphy, Tuam, Co Galway, Paul Connelly, Kilrush, Co Clare and Eoghan Crosby, Technical Director, Camara.

ourth year Computing & Electronic Engineering GMIT lecturer and Camara Co-ordinator Natasha students have established a new computer Rohan says, “The time the students gave was matched by Frefurbishment facility from a classroom in GMIT, as their commitment to developing educational resources that volunteers with an organisation called Camara that uses will complement the pre-loaded content on every Camara technology to improve education in Africa. computer, including interactive HIV awareness guides, Five students set up the GMIT facility in March with the start-up guides and a school subject specific encyclopedia. help of lecturers and staff in the GMIT Department of “They developed new guides including a Newbie Guide Electronic Engineering. By the end of May they had taken to Linux with video lesson support and a Moodle guide for in over 201 computers, refurbished 90 units, and teachers. The guides are being vetted by Camara and will dispatched them to Irish and African schools. In addition, eventually make their way on to the educational resource they produced specific educational resources/manuals for pack loaded onto each computer. use in the schools. “Our students discovered there is a need for a computer The students are all studying towards a B.Eng (Hons) in refurbishment facility in Galway particularly within the Computer and Electronic Engineering at GMIT’s Dublin business community. People expressed concern that Road campus. This volunteering project is their work computers might be going to landfill rather than being re- placement which is assessed and comprises some of the used, and many businesses in Galway want to promote best marks for their final honours degree award. The students practice policy for their end of life computer equipment,” liaised with a Camara branch in NUI Galway for computers explains Ms Rohan. that were dropped off on the university campus. GMIT “Camara is now actively seeking a location for such a contributed 99 used PCs to the charity, 71 of which are re- facility to establish a formal refurbishment centre. We hope useable, and will continue to contribute PCs into the that next year’s students in addition to working in the future. There was a charge of €9 per PC. GMIT Camara lab can operate within the centre and use it to refurbish Galway businesses’ ICT equipment,” adds Ms Rohan.

GMIT Today Volunteering 31 GMIT Volunteering

GMIT raise over €140,000 for Galway Lions Club

rom making puddings to staging fashion shows, GMIT students have raised over €140,000 for the Galway Lions Club since students and staff first got F € involved over 28 years ago, marking an average of 5,500 per year. Teresa Morgan, recently retired lecturer and member of Galway Lions Club, remembers how it all started. In 1982, Tom Kenny, who was then President of the Galway Lions Club, was having a much-needed glass of refreshment in a Galway hostelry when he was joined by a member of the Regional Technical College, a lecturer in the Hotel and Catering Management Department and neighbour of Kenny’s, Donal Leavy, who quite casually asked if there was anything the students might do to help out on the Christmas Food Appeal. The following week he brought a small group of students into Kennys and said to Tom, “Here’s your committee.” And so started the relationship between the two organisations. Over the first number of years the students made Christmas puddings and spent an afternoon carol singing in Galway. One of the chef tutors, Pat Kivlehan, oversaw the pudding making. I had by then joined the staff of the Pictured is Pat Kivlehan making the Christmas pudding with college and on the odd occasion would join them in their students Sorcha Dowdall and Ruth McCahill. “warbling”. We used to gather any thing between £500 and £700, having great fun in the meantime. Galway Lions Club, the student committee presents a € € Sadly in 1988 at the age of 52 Donal Leavy died while on cheque. The sum has grown to between 5,000 and 5,500. his way to work. The students then approached me to see if But as we all know, it is not just the cheque that is I would stand in for Donal. So it became Pat Kivlehan and important. What has become so obvious is that those myself. However, we had to do very little work as the involved do as well academically as when they leave college. students were all gung-ho. Every year in September, those graduating from the Hotel It is organised very simply. At the end of September and Catering Management Department vote to select the students volunteer to be on the committee. It is quite student whom they consider to have contributed to college informal and is not registered as a college club as it finishes and to helping others. The prize consists of a cheque from its work at Christmas and does not continue on for the rest the Lions Club, a bronze medallion designed by the well- of the year. Students from first year to fourth year are known sculptor John Behan and a piece of sculpture of involved and usually meet once a week briefly to keep “Doves in Flight” also by John. The prize is called the Donal everybody up to date. Not all students take part, but those Leavy Memorial Award. It is much coveted as it is the only who do are energetic and real doers. prize where the students decide by vote. Over the years they have organised many events such as Since taking over from the late Donal in 1988, Pat and I a fashion show - they managed to get Philip Tracey once to have been joined by another staff member, Mary Healy. It give some of his wonderful hats. An attempt was made to takes time between September and Christmas but is so make 200 ft of Apple Strudel but only got to 170 feet. Other worth it. Those who are involved are just incredible people undertakings involved Slave Auctions, Cowpat Competition not just wonderful students. All students have got to spend (great fun in front of the college - cow supplied by father of time in placement so many who were involved this year are one of the students), make-up night, ceilis, country and now about to take off. Before we broke up for the Christmas western night and many other events. holidays, one of them knocked on my door and said, The three central events every year are a pre-graduation “Teresa, give me a ring and I’d be delighted to be involved disco, carol singing and we now make 350 to 370 Christmas in the pudding making next year, I’ll be back by then so no puddings. The students also help man the phones for the problem.” Christmas Auction, which is broadcast on Galway Bay FM It is a privilege to be involved with the students both as radio. a lecturer and as a Lions organiser. As a colleague of mine Every year, usually at the February meeting of the says, “Long after they have forgotten the lectures, they will remember their involvement and fun in the GMIT Lions.” I salute all of them. For me it has been a joy. GMIT Today Volunteering 32 GMIT Today

Maamba students pass first trade exams in GMIT supported training centre

new woodwork training facility in Zambia set up with support from GMIT and students in ALetterfrack marked a milestone this summer when its first group of students passed their trades exams Four graduates of GMIT Letterfrack lived with the Maamba community while helping set up the training facility and teaching woodwork skills to the oung people in this remote poverty-stricken area devastated by AIDS. The students got involved in the project through Letterfrack lecturer Dr Paddy Tobin who first became aware of it through an Irish Sisters of Charity fundraising event in his home parish of Tourlestrane, Co Sligo. woodwork students sat their national trade exams and Dr Tobin, along with Letterfrack students Fiachra achieved outstanding results. McInerney from Raheen, Limerick, and Dan Wright from On top of the success of the training programme, Liskeagh, Co. Sligo, developed a special training exciting opportunities have developed for the Maamba programme and organised equipment and materials for project. Showing great entrepreneurial spirit Fiachra, Dan the new training centre, receiving generous donations of and Ray extended the benefits of the woodworking centre money, tools, and equipment and substantial support from by taking on commercial orders and developing a market GMIT, prior to their departure. for locally produced furniture in Maamba. “Plans are underway to have more GMIT graduates and students in Maamba, delivering training and working in the furniture manufacture enterprise over the next year,” says Dr Tobin. Letterfrack was visited some months ago by the patron of Maamba Youth Projects, Sr. Mary Fallon, who gave an emotional and stirring account of the programme at Maamba, the full of gratitude and praise for the Letterfrack graduates. “The building of an enterprise unit and an accommodation unit for the volunteers is being targeted for January 2011. The building team might include some of the original Tourlestrane group, staff and students from GMIT Letterfrack and possibly even some American contributors. Fundraising for this phase will begin soon,” explains Dr Tobin. “The most satisfying thing about the project is that the Maamba students who passed their first trades exams recently have laid the foundation for future careers in woodworking and furniture making. They now have opportunities they might never have had. The Tourlestrane group and the GMIT Letterfrack graduates and students The students had just completed a B.Sc in Furniture have changed the lives of these young people. While Design and Manufacture at Letterfrack and were joined in Fiachra, Dan, Ann, and Ray encountered many challenges Zambia by another graduate Ann Foley from Lisselton, Co. during the past year, the project has been a huge success. Kerry, BSc (Hons) in Furniture Technology, and a They have made many friends for life in Maamba. The Letterfrack student on work placement, Ray Griffin from future of the project is very exciting, and staff and students Athea, Co. Limerick. The project reached a major at GMIT are looking forward to further challenging, but milestone earlier this year (2010) when the Maamba very rewarding experiences.” GMIT Today Volunteering 33 GMIT International

US opportunities for Letterfrack students

merica students from two US third-level institutions are Ato study furniture and wood products related programmes in Letterfrack from September. GMIT has signed a new educational agreement with Virginia Tech University (VT), a major innovative research university with over 30,000 students, and Southern Virginia Higher Education Centre (SVHEC), which will facilitate the exchange of Irish and American students as well as staff in the three institutions. The three organistions aim to develop new distance learning modes for the delivery of joint modules and programmes and future collaboration on research projects in marine science, natural resources and the built environment. Letterfrack graduates will also have the opportunity to study postgraduate programmes in Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech University is a comprehensive, innovative Pictured at the formal signing in GMIT, Front row l-r: Dr Paul research university with the largest full-time student Winistorfer, Dean of the College of Natural Resources, VT, GMIT population in Virginia. The smaller Southern Virginia President Marion Coy, Dr Betty Adams, Executive Director, Higher Education Centre has partnerships with 11 public SVHEC. Back row, l-r: Dr Robert Bush, Dept of Wood Science and and private colleges and universities, offering over 75 Forest Products, VT, Dr Paddy Tobin, GMIT Dept of Mechanical degree programmes. & Industrial Engineering, Michael Hannon, Assistant Registrar, Dermot O’Donovan, Head of Dept, GMIT Letterfrack, GMIT and Dermot O’Donovan, Acting Head of GMIT Letterfrack. says, “The US institutions are very impressed with the uniqueness of GMIT’s furniture programmes and our hands-on practical approach to technical aspects of wood programmes. The opportunities for students and staff are significant.”

GMIT Letterfrack student Paul Heneghan, on an exchange programme in Southern Virginia Higher Education Centre, Virginia, being minded by Judge Frank Slayton, a police officer and David Kenealy of SVHEC.

GMIT Today International 34 GMIT Today

New educational agreement with Saudi Arabia

Pictured are the latest Saudi arrivals for the three-year GMIT programme at the Dublin Road campus, Galway, with the Head of International Relations Dennis Murphy, seated centre.

he institutes of technology in Galway, Athlone and GMIT President Marion Coy says “The agreement marks TWaterford have signed an agreement with the Technical a further milestone in GMIT’s Strategic Plan to build strong Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) of the Kingdom of links with expanding economies in Asia and the Middle Saudi Arabia, which will bring more than 1,000 Saudi East.” students into Irish higher education over the next four years. Twenty Saudi nationals recently completed a summer Some 270 students will register in GMIT, AIT and WIT programme in GMIT’s Dublin Road campus. The group this year. Eighty students each will attend the institutes in completed a four-week intensive English course followed by Galway and Waterford, with 110 due to attend Athlone. A eight weeks technical tuition in Engines and Vehicles similar intake of students will happen in 2011, 2012 and Technology, and Instruments and Control Systems. The 2013. The students will undertake one year of English group is pictured below with GMIT President Marion Coy at language tuition and transfer to a variety of three-year degree the start of their summer programme. courses (L7) in areas such as engineering, renewable energy, software, business, accounting, financial services and tourism.

TVTC staff who completed a summer programme in GMIT pictured with GMIT President Marion Coy (centre).

GMIT Today International 35 GMIT International

Galway to benefit from new GMIT-Nanchang alliance

Nanchang University President Prof Zhou Wenbin and GMIT President Marion Coy.

MIT has signed a major new strategic partnership opportunities for both higher education and business. with Nanchang University (NCU), South East China, GMIT President Marion Coy, said the agreement ”is a new Gwhich is expected to bring economic, social and model for a partnership involving business and education in cultural benefits to Galway. GMIT President Marion Coy and promoting the region”. Nanchang University President Prof Zhou Wenbin agreed President of Nanchang University, Prof Zhou Wenbin, three new joint programmes in Accountancy, Hospitality & said the partnership “is of strategic importance to Nanchang Tourism, and Nursing. because the relationship involves two regions and two cities Nanchang University has a student population of almost as well as two colleges”. 90,000 on five campuses covering some 8,000 hectares. It is Paul Shelley, President of Galway Chamber, said the among the top 100 universities in China and has been partnership will benefit Galway’s business community. “It will singled out by the Chinese Government as a key university of open up new export markets and collaborations between the 21st century. Jiangxi province, which has a population SMEs and the world’s emerging superpower.” of 43 million people, has been selected by the Chinese government for accelerated development, presenting huge

GMIT Today International 36 GMIT Today

GMIT in national drive to bring diaspora offspring to Ireland

MIT is one of eight Institutes of Technology taking contributing an estimated €10 million to the Irish Gpart in a national pilot programme “The Ireland economy. Homecoming Study Programme (IHSP)” aimed at The programme will let the Irish diaspora’s descendents attracting descendants of the Irish diaspora to study in study in the EU and take advantage of Ireland’s excellent Ireland at significantly discounted rates. According to the third level education reputation while tapping into Irish Emigrant Advice Network (EAN) there are over 3.1 million heritage. non-resident Irish passport holders. Marion Coy, President of GMIT, said: “This programme The IHSP offers tuition costs to qualifying students of is particularly appropriate to GMIT as the history of up to 40% less than the standard rate for non-EU students. emigration from the West of Ireland means that we have € The fee for 2010/2011 is 5,950. The programme aims to strong links to the US.” attract over 500 students over the next three years See www.irelandhsp.com for further information.

Three new alliances with India

MIT has formed three new alliances with colleges in Textiles programme. Birla Institute of Management India, opening up education collaborations in Technology (BIMTECH) is ranked in the top 20 business GBusiness, Engineering, Science and Textiles: The schools in India, offering a number of postgraduate business National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is a programmes. The alliance aims to facilitate an exchange of provider of fashion education and has 14 centres throughout students taking the Master of Business in Strategy and India offering programmes in fashion design, management Innovation Management. Sharda University has schools of and technology. The alliance aims to offer exchange Engineering & Technology, Business, Science and Medicine, opportunities for students on the BA (Honours) in Design in and offers numerous collaborative opportunities for GMIT.

GMIT Today International 37 GMIT Research & Innovation

GMIT researchers tag record number of basking sharks off Donegal

reland’s northernmost point is currently “teeming” The group also believes that reported sightings of with a record number of basking sharks, according to breaching whales off this coast may in fact be basking Imarine researchers, reports Lorna Siggins. sharks. More than 100 of the world’s second largest fish were The basking shark is not protected under Irish tagged by the Irish Basking Shark Study Group off legislation through the Wildlife Act, although there is an Donegal’s Dunaff and Malin Head during the last week of EU moratorium on catching or landing the fish as a by- May. catch. It is protected in Britain, and there are plans to This compares with 106 tagged during the entire season extend this legislation to Northern Irish waters. last year, according to the study group’s leader, Dr Simon Dr Berrow – who is best known for his work with the Berrow, who is working with GMIT marine researchers on Irish Whale and Dolphin Group – spent four days studying the project. activity at sea with National Parks and Wildlife Service The sharks were up close to the sea surface, mouths wide conservation ranger Emmet Johnston, Dr Ian O’Connor open, as they could filter up to 1,500 cubic metres of water and Darren Craig of the Galway-Mayo Institute of an hour, he noted. Technology (GMIT). “So the amount of food available for them must have It is believed that the sharks are active during winter and been colossal. There were many more around that we just do not hibernate, as previously thought. couldn’t tag – it was absolutely spectacular.” One shark tagged in the Isle of Man in 2007 and traced Malin Head was identified by the group last year as one to Newfoundland, had travelled almost 10,000km in 82 of the top European “hot spots” for the sharks which are days. also known as liabhán chor gréine – the great fish of the Sightings of basking sharks off Sligo, Mayo, Cork and sun – due to their tendency to swim just below the surface. Waterford have also been made in the last few days, However, the numbers counted over a four-day period according to Dr Berrow. within the last week exceeded the group’s expectations. This article is reproduced, courtesy of the Irish Times.

GMIT Today Research & Innovation 38 GMIT Today

GMIT Innovation in Business Centres - Inspiring Irish companies of the future

tarting up a new business can be a daunting task and Successes: GMIT’s two Innovation in Business Centres (IiBC’s) • 114 jobs created Sare there to help budding entrepreneurs during the tentative first few years by offering a range of business • 12 successful company exits development supports such as marketing, sales, financials, • 11 companies designated high potential start ups business plan, export development, intellectual property, mentoring, networking, and referral services. • (HPSUs) by Enterprise Ireland George McCourt, Manager of the Galway IiBC, says • €14,000,000 investment funding to client there are three criteria that start-up businesses must meet companies before being granted access to these invaluable services. “A • €900,000 research grants with GMIT good idea which is innovative and technology based, potential to create 10 or more jobs, and capability for export.” Client companies: “Basically we’re looking for the next big Irish companies of the future,” says McCourt, who has utilised his extensive Marvao Medical Devices: a healthcare technology company experience in senior management positions at developing products that reduce the risk of catheter related multinational technology companies as well as start-ups to infection (CRI). The company secured investment funding mentor and continually offer advice to all the clients from a variety of sources including Enterprise Ireland and currently operating within the centre. the Western Development Commission. Working closely “We help people who have good ideas in areas such as with several prominent Irish physicians to develop products technology, medical devices, software and services, and with the clinician’s needs clearly in mind, Marvao Medical green technology. The typical profile of a client here is has contracted with Harmac Medical (Roscommon) to someone with a degree, perhaps, who has worked for a manufacture a broad range of finish products that employ number of years in industry, and who has spotted a gap in its technology. the market. It needs to be a good idea which has potential Emedia: an award winning medical media company. It for export which can in turn create more jobs. We hold a launched its first iPhone app in October 2009. The systematic screening process when accepting new start-ups. product, called Pocket Heart (the first 3D medical heart They need to be focused on achieving results and we also application for iPhone/iTouch), was accepted by Apple look for a promoter that can build a team around them, and made into the top apps on the iTunes store. Pocket has the ability to network, understands financials, and has Heart is a unique way to study and discover how the human very good market knowledge.” heart works. It gives viewers the opportunity to view the “The IiBCs at GMIT are widely regarded as the top heart in 3D, rotate, zoom, and navigate through all the technology incubators in the country. Our unique selling important areas of the heart. It has proven to be an point is the quality of the mentoring. The centre can utilise invaluable teaching tool at secondary and third level. various advisors and entrepreneurs to connect our clients to outside experience. The centre does not have direct Construction Management Software: develops software influence or equity ownership, we don’t dictate, we help which helps construction firms deal with all aspects of a clients move through the challenges of new technology contract, cost management of materials, subcontractor start-ups.” procurement, and valuations and sales. Start-up business clients would typically stay at the centre InTime Media: a technology company pioneering new ways for a maximum of two years and nine months. “The of using mobile phones to interact with radio and television percentage of success increases for start-ups if they can get programmes. It successfully raised 600,000 and is to through to the three year point. We incubate them during launch a range of new innovative applications for the first three years as many difficulties can occur,” says Mr broadcasters in the UK and continental Europe with the McCourt. addition of six new jobs in Castlebar. The centre is also the ideal launching pad for entrepreneurs who are only at concept stage. There is space Other client companies currently with IiBC are: ATFM set aside for what is called a ‘concept desk’ facility which Solutions, Active Mind, Chipright, Cebec Group, helps to foster good ideas and projects that are not ready Tradecert, Solar Made Simple, Take It Easy, Neosurgical, for full incubation. Entrepreneurs can pay to avail of a desk and Ambient Age. and broadband and work there for a number of months to Companies that have successfully transitioned to their own develop the project and build a business plan. offices and developed thriving businesses: Novate Medical, Clada Medical, Custom Equipment Solutions, EcoOla, Veryan, and Nortev.

GMIT Today Research & Innovation 39 GMIT Research & Innovation

Students design website for IiBC client company

Niall Campbell, Director, Solar made Simple, Jianing Zheng, Annette Cosgrove, GMIT Lecturer, Teresa Nolan, and George McCourt, Manager IiBC Galway. [Missing from picture is Shane Corcoran]

Computing students have designed an innovative website George McCourt, Manager of the GMIT Innovation for a start up company “Solar Made Simple”, based in the Centre, complimented the students on their innovative GMIT Innovation in Business Centre (IiBC), Galway. approach to the task: “The students worked closely with the Students Jianing Zheng, Teresa Nolan and Shane company for eight months and the final result is a dynamic Corcoran, who are studying towards a Bachelor of Science interactive website. This is another excellent example of in IT for Business, designed and developed the interactive the linkages between industry and the host institute, site www.solarmadesimple.ie for the company which GMIT.” supplies and installs solar panels. The project was part of their “Enterprise final year project” as part of their degree programme.

GMIT Today Research & Innovation 40 GMIT Today

Eight individuals join new SME Support Programme

Front Row, l-r: SME Start up Enterprises programme participants Julia McAndrew, Emer Hughes, Trasa Grealish, Oisín Concannon, with George McCourt, Manager, IiBC Galway, and Dr Patrick Delassus, Head of Research & Innovation, GMIT. Back Row l-r: Brian O’Hare, John Walsh, Sebastian Wodzicki, John Naughton and Robert Grealis, Mentor, The Discovery Partnership.

Organic Weedkiller and Travel Packs are just two products business mentoring each month and had the opportunity that SME start-up enterprises have successfully launched on to network and engage with existing start-up enterprises at the four-month capability building programme at the IiBC the IiBCs. Galway. A further eight start-up enterprises completed a Other projects currently being developed on the SME similar programme in the Castlebar centre. Start-Up Programme are Online Accommodation Website, The SME Start-up Support Programme included Outdoor Advertising Vehicle, Apps for SMART Phones, training modules on Market Research & Validation, Sales, Textile and Ceramic Facility for Artists, RFID Application Social Media Marketing, Legals and Business Plan and Galway City Market. Development. The participants also received one-to-one

GMIT Today Research & Innovation 41 GMIT Research & Innovation

GMIT graduates win valuable start up supports

ight final year GMIT students have won valuable Five of the successful projects will be based in the business support including desk space, mentoring Innovation Centre at GMIT’s Dublin Road campus and two Eand training in GMIT’s Innovation in Business projects in the centre at GMIT Castlebar. Centres in Galway and Mayo under a new Graduate “All successful applicants demonstrated a combination Entrepreneurship Programme initiated by the GMIT of entrepreneurial traits as well as novelty in terms of their Research & Innovation Department. product or service offering and business model,” says Dr The eight budding entrepreneurs have won a great Patrick Delassus, Head of Research & Innovation, GMIT. opportunity to grow their innovative business idea in a very “The presentations surpassed the expectations of our supportive and successful entrepreneurial space. They external judging panel of successful entrepreneurs entered a competition and had to submit a detailed including John Quinn, CEO, Surface Power Technologies, application and business plan, and present their ideas to John O’Dea, CEO, Crospon Ltd, Geraldine McLoughlin, an independent panel comprising successful entrepreneurs Investment Executive, Western Development Commission, and business people. Paul Cummins, CEO, Telegael Teo, and Gerry Barry, CEO, The student have just completed honours degrees in Fintrax Group.” Business, Electronic Engineering, Information Technology and Digital Media, Outdoor Education, Culinary Arts, and Enterprise Development (HC).

Front row l-r: Marie Walsh, Knock, Co Mayo, Stephanie Bryne, Westport, Co Mayo, Marion Coy, GMIT President, and Yvonne Stevens, Tuam, Co Galway. Back row, l-r: George McCourt, Manager IiBC, GMIT Galway campus, Stephen McGinley, Killybegs, Co Donegal, Diarmuid Higgins, Rush, Co Dublin, Dr Patrick Delassus, Head of Research & Innovation, GMIT, Maria Staunton, Manager IiBC, GMIT Castlebar campus, Neil Walsh, Athenry, Co Galway, and Gerard Kelly, Ballybrit, Galway City. Missing from the picture is Michael Monaghan, Belmullet.

GMIT Today Research & Innovation 42 GMIT Today

Final year degree student in Outdoor Education, Diarmuid Higgins from Rush, Co Dublin, who has set up a kite surfing hostel in Achill. He is based in the Castlebar campus Innovation Centre.

School of Engineering Stephen McGinley, Killybegs, Co Donegal B.Eng in Computer & Electronic Engineering 2008 B.Eng (Hons) in Digital & Software Systems 2010

y grandad who is 86 was feeding sheep in as website design. Producing something of this scale for a the field when he fell. He was injured but final year project shows an investor and indeed a “Mok. I thought how can I apply the skills and prospective employer how a student canarticulate his or technologies I learned in GMIT to develop something to her vision into something meaningful and worthwhile. make people's lives easier. I really enjoyed my time in GMIT both in terms of the The programmes I studied in GMIT gave me the skills education it provided and the social life. and knowledge to develop a wide range of both software The electronic engineering programme followed by the and hardware products. "If you can think it ... you can make two-year digital and software system honours programme it", I surmised. gives the student knowledge and practical ability to develop The course was broad and we touched on a wide variety anything from iphone apps to robots and car tracking of subjects ranging from project management to software systems. engineering, mobile device programming, computer game I was lucky to be awarded the Graduate development and robotics. Entrepreneurship Award which means I get support over I liked project management because it provided a the next nine months from the GMIT Innovation in practical approach to real life situations and was beneficial Business Centre at the Dublin Road campus. I also get in the development of my final year degree project. We office space and mentoring to help me develop my business could make anything we wanted - mine was “Farm Feeder”, further. a remotely activated feeding trailer system for agricultural I have teamed up with a local Galway company who are use. The idea came about through observations on the developing the trailer (for my device) to a commercial scale family farm, spurred on by my grandfather’s fall. and also a Dublin company who are providing the SMS The device gives the user the ability to accurately feed backbone to power the online feeding. their animals from anywhere in the world via SMS text Overall things are progressing at a good pace and I hope message. I also realised it could be adapted to other to get to market in the coming months.” industries, feeding horses, offshore fish farms etc. Also with Details about the device are online at the recent floods in east Galway, farmers had great difficulty www.FarmFeeder.com as well as YouTube channel getting feed to animals. The snow and icy conditions that www.YouTube.com/FarmFeeder where it can be seen in followed didn’t help matters. action. The website is interactive and allows the user to The project has spanned nine month through research, configure feeding from online calendar software. development software and hardware development as well

GMIT Today Research & Innovation 43 GMIT Alumni

Tricia Harris Lecturer, Griffith College Dublin, and Furniture Designer B.Sc (Hons) Furniture Technology (Design), 2005

“A mind once stretched to a new idea can never return to its original dimension.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

his is a quote that I had taped to the front of my I am now trusted with teaching the CAD, Computer sketchbook when I was a design student in GMIT at Studies and Furniture and Fittings modules on the Interior TLetterfrack – it was a philosophy that drove me as a Architecture and Interior Design Courses. I continually student to learn and as a designer to explore. Now as I find look back to my own education and the wide variety of myself teaching, it is something that inspires me in my teaching methods employed in GMIT as a reference for work. For me, this one sentence sums up the true essence improving my own teaching. I have even brought my of learning – it is never time wasted – with every ounce of students on a college trip to the campus in Letterfrack as I knowledge you take in and every skill you build up, you feel that it is definitely a place that inspires. The practical broaden the mind, you grow, you develop and it is knowledge of furniture-making gained through my own something that can never be taken away from you. In the college experience is a great advantage to me now as a same way that my lecturers in GMIT inspired me to push lecturer. I have recently undertaken a post graduate course the boundaries of my own potential and to strive for in Training and Education. Different learning paths and excellence, I hope that I can pass the same enthusiasm for cross border studying mean I get to work with students of learning to my students. different cultures, age, and background which both My first taste of work in the furniture industry came challenges and enriches my daily teaching. I have also through work placement which was an integral part of the taught on the Advanced 3D CAD course with City and degree course in GMIT. I spent an enjoyable summer in Guilds and have enjoyed time as a volunteer tutor with Age west Cork working in O’Donnell Designs, a renowned hotel Action on the Getting Started Programme, a computer furniture manufacturer. After graduating I worked in course for older people. I have continued to work on my Leanes Furniture based in my hometown of Killarney, Co. own furniture design portfolio since leaving college Kerry. Although there only for a relatively short period of through small scale commission work. I intend to expand time the diverse work provided great experience and built on my design and furniture making in the coming future. my confidence. Among other duties I was given the Applying to attend a college campus in a remote village responsibility to set up and implement a new kitchen in Connemara was certain to bring with it some unique design software package that would be integrated experiences. And it didn’t disappoint. I have so many great throughout the company from design all the way through memories of college life in “The Frack” – the drive through to manufacture. After set-up and implementation I had the the rugged Connemara landscape and the spectacular role of training staff in sales, office administration and on Inagh Valley, enjoying a quiet pint or a good ole session in the factory floor. After a year away travelling the world and one of the local pubs, or climbing the Diamond Mountain broadening the mind I returned to the furniture industry for a study break. Being a Letterfrack alumnus is like being but this time in an IT role. I worked with OgeeTek Ltd, a part of a club, if you meet anyone who has gone there, even company based in Galway and London that distributes 3D if it was ten years before you, you instantly have a bond, and modelling and rendering software. Going out on site and discuss stories about your experiences. The years spent in training companies to use the software packages was an GMIT were definitely some of the most challenging and element of my role. Other aspects of the position included rewarding years of my life. It was a tough course but there on-site product demonstrations, working on design was such a sense of satisfaction and achievement of proposals, and rendering work for architects. graduating from such a prestigious college. The Letterfrack In 2007, at the ripe old age of 23, I stumbled into the name is synonymous with quality and its reputation is so world of lecturing taking an assistant lecturer position in widely recognised as a centre of excellence that being able the design faculty in Griffith College Dublin. Not a planned to say that you are an alumnus of Letterfrack in itself opens career path, I surprised myself at how much I enjoyed it. up so many opportunities.”

GMIT Today Alumni 44 GMIT Today

John Connolly, Milltown and Boston Cultural Information Specialist and Graphic Designer Bachelor of Business, 2000

went to Boston after graduating and worked with a Through the job, I got to design posters, brochures, TV dotcom company as a project manager on a permission- ads and fliers. I put together Boston's book for the US Imarketing project, an early form of social media where World Cup Bid. The city got to the final 18 and we are customers want information and interact with it. After a awaiting the result to see will we get to the last 12. At this year, I moved onto a Boston theatre company whose office stage (2010) I have worked on programming and branding operations needed to capture data and analyse audience seven Boston Arts Festivals, six Waterfront Performing Arts development for production planning. I was then promoted Series and many more events and campaigns. Having to theatre manager with responsibility over marketing, accumulated a lot of graphic design experience I decided theatre rentals, front of house, monthly budgets and a full- to apply to college to get a Masters in Graphic Design at time staff of ten. Suffolk University and have been accepted. As it’s a full- After a year, I took a contract with the Mayor's Office of time one year programme I’ve had to leave City Hall. I am Cultural Affairs in Boston to work on the programming of starting college this summer full-time. the inaugural Boston Arts Festival. It was just a one-day My degree at GMIT really did prepare me for the varied event in September 2003 but after that I got hired full-time and wonderful experiences when I got to America. Business as a Cultural Information Specialist at the Mayor's Office Policy made me a better thinker for sure and all those where I was tasked with developing easy-to-use databases for presentations were gold when I started my marketing artists and arts administrators. I was promoted to marketing career in the US. I brought a very practical approach to manager and moved to working in the newly created work here in the US and my business writing has been a Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism, Special Events & Film. I huge, huge asset. continued to programme the Boston Arts Festival while my I have great memories of the discussions with Dr Noel new job also tasked me with branding events in Boston and Harvey in Industrial Relations, the current affairs approach coming up with generic marketing campaigns which of Marie Finnegan in Economics. The Business Policy involved a lot of graphic design. classes of Larry Elwood were intense but offered great In 2004, I created the Waterfront Performing Arts Series learning and an ability to present under scrutiny to a group which happens every summer on Boston's waterfront. I of people. The best part of it though was my degree year. programmed groups such as Boston Ballet, Opera Boston, Everyone helped each other out and we all had a great Boston Pops and international guests, the Strasbourg rapport. Orchestra. It served the dual purpose of showcasing Boston I found the course structure built for students to be through the arts to tourists and making the arts accessible sensitive to real world developments. Nothing was 'pie in to residents. I also managed the 'Thank You Boston' the sky'. The teachings were practical and the workloads campaign mobilising arts institutions, restaurants, zoos and demanding but ultimately very rewarding and sustaining. sporting organisations to offer deep discounts or free The course reinforced critical thinking- it was finally entry/ tickets over the weekend following the Democratic thinking like an adult. That was a huge bonus when I National Convention. The campaign was a huge success started my career in the United States. The sheer volume of and generated considerable media buzz. work we had to get through also taught project management skills. Multi-tasking was all the rage and to be able to organise deadlines was crucial to any success or advancement.”

GMIT Today Alumni 45 GMIT Alumni

Sabrina McNeely Kirrane, Software Engineer, Galway Master in Computing (Research), GMIT 2006 B Sc in Software Development, GMIT 1999 National Diploma in Software Development, RTC Galway 1998 National Certificate in Software Development, RTC Galway 1997

n completion of my degree I was offered a Here I have been responsible for the project position as a Software Engineer with Nortel management of several projects and have led the design, “ONetworks Galway as part of its graduate development, testing and installation of both waterfall and recruitment programme. The role primarily involved the agile software projects - I am currently involved in the SFI design, development, testing and installation of custom (Science Foundation Ireland) funded collaboration solutions for Nortel’s clients Omnitel in Italy, Telia in project, Líon II, with the Digital Enterprise Research Denmark, and Littlewoods in the UK to name but a few. Institute (DERI). The project focuses on the use of In the summer of 2001 I left Nortel Networks Galway to Semantic Technologies within the Enterprise. Once again see a bit of the world. My boyfriend Kenneth (now my I have opted to further my education. In parallel with the husband whom I met in the RTC) and I travelled to Líon II project I am about to commence a PhD in Semantic Australia. On arrival I took up a pre-sales engineering Technology. position with Nortel Networks Melbourne. The role The time I spent in RTC/GMIT provided me with the primarily involved the preparation and delivering of building blocks for a career as a Software Engineer. The technical presentations to Nortel clients. It was there I got projects assigned offered first-hand experience of each the opportunity to work with large telecoms companies phase of the project life cycle. The constant deadlines gave such as Optus and Telstra and to experience first hand the me an insight into the pressure I would experience out in differences between the European and the Asia Pacific the real world. The group projects taught me how to work market. with others and appreciate how everyone has different Before returning home in 2002 we spent some time in strengths and weaknesses. The dreaded class presentations New Zealand and travelled around Australia and on to taught me how to speak to my peers and customers with Thailand. On my return home I took up a Software confidence. Engineer position with Celerity, a leading supplier of My most cherished memory from my time in GMIT is business process and supply chain document automation meeting my husband in CR1 when I was in third year solutions based in Dublin. There I was responsible for the Software Development and he was in second year. I recall implementation of web and client server EDI solutions for how computing lecturers often turned up in the Corrib the retail sector, Companies Registration Office and Great Southern for class nights out, at the Barracks parties Celerity In-house Products. or the Skeff at graduation time. As the class size was In 2004 I returned to GMIT to undertake a Masters in relatively small, computing lecturers knew all of the Computing through research. My research focused on an students by first name. investigation of security in an Application Service Provision When I studied as an undergraduate we had black (ASP) environment. It involved both the participation in boards, dumb terminals and line printers. The computer the Billing4Rent project and the publication and rooms were full in the evening and there was a smoking presentation of results of research. section in the canteen. When I returned as a postgraduate In parallel with my research I prepared and delivered the boards were white, the dumb terminals and line Advanced Databases, Management Information System and printers were gone, students all had their own laptops, and Visual Basic lectures to Computing, Hospitality and smoking was banned indoors.” Engineering students respectively. On completion of my masters in 2006 I accepted a Senior Software Engineer position with Storm Technology, Galway, a provider of high quality software consultancy and web integration services to a wide range of public and private sector clients.

GMIT Today Alumni 46 GMIT Today

Aideen Barry, Visual Artist, Belclare, Galway B.A in Fine Art (Hons), GMIT 2002 Masters in Visual Arts, IADT 2007

s an artist I am interested in the concept of work, training to be an astronaut, or learning how to “das unheimlich” (the uncanny). The notion override a RC frequency, I will always be a student. “Aof the uncanny is something that is familiar yet While I am a full time Visual Artist, I also work part-time unfamiliar. In a recent video work I created an illusion of as an assistant lecturer in Sculpture in Art & Design in levitating - jumping and taking a photograph at the exact GMIT, and am the western representative for Visual Artists point that I was mid air. This performance to camera was Ireland, the all-Ireland body for professional visual artists. shot in the village of Claregalway where I lived at the time I work in the media of performance, film, sculpture, with my partner and nine-year old son. I made this action of lens-based media, musical composition, drawing and jumping and photographing while trying to do all those animation. This all stems from my exposure to these forms familiar chores such as shopping, cleaning, hoovering, in GMIT and under the wonderful guidance of the staff in cutting the grass, etc. The result was this image of an Sculpture at the time including the late Loughlan Hoare everyday Irish housewife doing her everyday jobs while and late Hugh McCormack. I received the best education magically levitating off the ground. The familiar and the in GMIT in particular from people such as Ger Leslie, Mel strange combined. Ffrench, Cyril Briscoe and Tony Patrickson. The Art & This led me to try to shoot more performative film works Design Department had the unique ability to feed my that have since been shown in the Loop Biennial in hunger for exposure of new art forms, philosophy, art Barcelona, Spain, the Swedish Museum of Modern Art in criticism and new developments in media and technology, Stockholm and in the Wexner Centre in Ohio, USA. all of which has stood to me to this day. I made an application to the Arts Council of Ireland and I owe a lot of thanks to the staff of GMIT who were NASA to help me shoot a film in Zero Gravity and was enormously supportive to myself and my son during my extremely fortunate that both NASA and the Arts Council time on my BA programme, in particular Pauline Staunton funded my project. In 2008 I undertook a residency in and the Parent and Baby Society. It was great to be able to NASA Kennedy Space Centre and went through their basic meet fellow students who had quite young children and yet Astronaut training programme, shooting some films in know that further education was the way to offer them and Parabolic Flights. I then made some sculptural works and their children a brighter future. installations from this experience. Some of my best memories of GMIT were of the time we In September 2009, the work from this was shown in the built a float for the St Patrick’s Day parade. The entire class Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin and then in January got involved and I think we represented GMIT very well. this year at the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny. Later this year We built the float on top of an old tractor and all dressed the work will be shown in Q gallery in Montreal, Canada. A up. It was rather crazy but it was fantastic exposure for the copy of my publication and details about this project are department and GMIT. Another amazing memory was available in the GMIT library. when artist Nan Goldin came to talk to us about her In June this year I am showing new work in the LISTE, practice in the White Room, in Cluain Mhuire. We were all Young Art Fair, in Basel, Switzerland. I have been working speechless at the time. To have such an amazingly profound with a programmer on this project and currently making artist in our presence was quite astonishing. She rarely gives swarms of remote control helicopters that operate off the public addresses, or answers questions on her lens based same frequency - a man-made plague of locusts if you can works, and we were truly spoiled at the opportunity to ask imagine. It’s proving quite a difficult piece but when they her questions on her practice. behave the image is quite an awesome spectacle. One of the most important memories was when we went I feel that my quest for knowledge is never complete. I on a study trip to Holland to see Bill Viola’s Rights of accepted this when in my final year of college. I Passage at the Reichstag. It was really our first exposure to acknowledged that I would be the eternal student. Whether experimental video installation work. It had a profound that was through furthering my education academically, effect on my notion of scale and possibility within Art. learning a skill such as taxidermy in order to make an art Something that has definitely influence my aesthetics ever since.” GMIT Today Alumni 47 GMIT Alumni

Anna Balzer, Conservationist, Germany Master of Arts, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim 2009 B.Sc Furniture Conservation and Restoration (Distinction), GMIT 2007

am a scientific trainee in the workshops for practical work helped me to get the position as a trainee at conservation and restoration at the Bavarian State the Bavarian State Department of Monuments and Sites. “IDepartmenrt for Monuments and Sites in The amount of presentations we had to do definitely Munich. If there are special problems with the restoration helped to get through the colloquium of my master thesis. of objects that are declared heritage, we in the workshops I will never forget my time as a student in GMIT are involved. We make recommendations on proper and Letterfrack. Perhaps that is because I came from Germany technically correct restoration treatment. to study in a foreign country. My fellow students and In doing so, the Department tries to conserve and lecturers made it a great experience - the knowledge of the maintain the heritage of Bavaria. The Department only has lecturers, the well-equipped and tidy workshops and the a recommendation function and is not allowed to define very friendly staff. I am very glad that I had the chance to the course that should be taken in a restoration project. study in Ireland. Although at first it was not easy because of Other tasks are occasional hands-on restoration jobs, which the language barrier and customs, I wouldn’t do it any are mostly done by the trainees and interns, and research other way. My wish is to come back to Ireland sometime in different subjects regarding conservation and later and maybe open up my own workshop. restoration. I not only learned about furniture conservation and My studies at GMIT Letterfrack definitely prepared me restoration but the fact that it was in a foreign country for my further studies and current work. I was not only broadened my mind. I gained a lot of new friends and taught the basics of restoration: the well-balanced learned to speak English very well. That will help me in the curriculum between theoretical and practical work gave an future and give me the chance to apply for jobs abroad. insight to the future work of a conservator-restorer. Soft- I’m very sad that the full-time course is no longer skills as well as hard-skills were taught, which helped me to available and hope it will start up again sometime in the achieve my goals so far. future. The quality of the curriculum is of such a high The application training as well as the great amount of standard and it would be a shame to let the course die out completely.”

GMIT Today Alumni 48 GMIT Today

Ruth Cahir, Director of ArtiCAD Ireland Ltd, Bray, Co Wicklow Fine Woodworking and Design 1994 - 1996: B.Sc.in Furniture Technology 1996 - 1998 Student of the Year 1998

fter I graduated I worked for McNally & Finlay training and running advanced training courses, technical Ltd (Rossmore Furniture), Monaghan, as a support for existing customers, liaising with manufacturers “AFurniture Designer and Technologist. My for graphics, and contributing to software development duties included preparing detailed CAD drawings and which ensures it’s up-to-date and competitive. cutting list for production while assisting the production I found the course in GMIT Letterfrack comprehensive, manager. rounded and enormously beneficial to my career. College In 1999 I moved to a busy IT company, Radius life was intensive and I believe I have carried the work ethos Technology, Waterford, until 2002. There I was the through to my working life. Subjects were varied yet AutoCAD Trainer Manager and ArtiCAD Product Manager, relevant to what I do now. gaining computer software and hardware experience. Since I particularly recall the encouragement, individual 2002 to date, I’ve worked for ArtiCAD Ireland Ltd, attention and support given by the lecturers both during Waterford, one of the leading CAD design software systems and after finishing college - it was second to none. for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom industries in Ireland I was lucky to get a summer work placement in Finland. and the UK (www.articad.ie). I am Director of ArtiCAD It was a great experience and an opportunity to learn Ireland Ltd, running the Irish subsidiary. though a different culture during the long Nordic summer My work is varied and involves promoting and selling days of 1997. After graduating, GMIT Letterfrack even ArtiCAD software, exhibiting at trade shows, software secured the contact for my first job and I haven’t looked back since.

Lisa Phelan, Scientist, Laois Master of Science by Research B.Sc (Hons) in Chemical & Pharmaceutical Science

ob prospects are still Galway city where I wanted to base myself, and took up this Jgood for science job with an indigenous Medical Device company. graduates despite the “The B.Sc (Hons) in Chemical and Pharmaceutical recession. That’s Science is a great degree with plenty of career opportunities according to GMIT in growth areas such as Biotech, Medical Devices and graduate Lisa Whelan, who recently completed a Master of Pharmaceuticals,” she adds. The programme combines Science by Research in GMIT, and a B.Sc. (Hons) in practical work with theory which helps students develop Chemical & Pharmaceutical Science. important problem solving and critical thinking skills. “I had three job offers before I even finished college” she “Also, students typically complete a number of projects says. “Just before I graduated from the Masters programme during their degree, and there is a high practical element to I got offers of very good employment in the PharmaChem all degrees. Project work and practical work help teach skills industry - three offers in total from companies based in Sligo such as planning, critical thinking and decision-making, skills and Mayo. I worked for a major multinational in Westport much sought after by employers. For these reasons, there has for five months and found that employment challenging and typically been an excellent employment record for graduates rewarding. However, I then got yet another job offer back in of this programme"

GMIT Today Alumni 49