Bloomsday Honours for Ireland's Greatest Playwright, Brian Friel
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playwright, Brian Friel playwright, greatest Ireland’s for Bloomsday honours www.ucd.ie/ucdtoday AUTUMN 2009 5. OCCASIONS oF SIN 7. FUNGAL INFECTIONS 11. ULYSSES AND US 14. SLEEP MONITORING unravelling Irish sexuality IN HOSPITAL bringing Joyce to the masses capitalising on a business opportunity preventing the spread what’s inside ... Professor diarmaid ferriter (pictured Claire O’Connell learns how the professor declan Kiberd Olive Keogh speaks with above) tells declan cashin what he work of professor geraldine Butler (pictured above) is convinced BiancaMed co-founder conor 5 discovered through his study of 160 7 (pictured above) could keep hospital 11 that anyone can, and should, 15 Hanley (pictured above) about years of irish sexuality equipment clear of fungal infection read James Joyce’s ulysses. how his company can improve Louise holden finds out why sleep quality Why university rankings matter UCD’s consistent move upwards in the Times The employer review survey asks about ucd World Rank Higher Education Qs World University Rankings graduate employability and once again UCD did 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 has attracted considerable external attention, so, well under this measure. More importantly, given while we preface our reaction with the caveat the downturn in the Irish economy, the rise in 89 108 177 219 221 that ranking tables are fraught with anomalies unemployment and the fall in starting salaries for and can never really measure the true impact graduates, the employability of UCD graduates of a university, we also acknowledge that rather than quantitative statistics may provide an they do influence the perceptions and decisions important nuance next year as it attempts to even of a variety of groups including prospective out what the compilers of the rankings call ‘local international and local students, prospective economic factors’. staff and academic collaborators, employers Over the past five years, UCD has consistently and funders. risen through this ranking, moving from 221 in The heaviest weight given (40%) in the 2005 to 89 this year. The higher up the table, the the Qs rankings is to the academic peer review harder it is to make large leaps forward. To be undertaken by over 9,000 academics over five inside the top 100 is to be within a recognised areas: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, band of quality. Entering this band represents Engineering & IT, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, and international acknowledgement of the value of Natural Sciences. The expansion of the pool of the teaching and learning provided through academics (from 6,000 in 2008) improves the Horizons as well as the quality of research output breadth of this measure and reinforces the from the university. Sometimes it does take importance of international publication and outsiders to make us believe in ourselves. collaboration. UCD moved up 9 places in this category this year. Eilis O’Brien Director of Communications Cover Image Poet Seamus Heaney (left) congratulates Brian Friel (right) on Bloomsday 2009, when Friel received the UCD Ulysees Medal UCD thanks ... Contributors: Thanks to: Suzanne Bailey, Edel Bhreathnach, Ann Breslin, Geraldine Butler, Declan Cashin, Sheila Convery, Michelle Pádraic Conway, JP Donnelly, Catherine Godson, Ann Lavan, Maurice Manning, Cliona de Bhaldraithe D’Arcy, Philip de Chazal, Damien Dempsey, Sinead Dillon, Orla Donoghue, Audrey Drohan, Padraig Dunne, Marsh, Damien McLoughlin, Patrick Wall Marie Ennis, Gerard Fealy, Alice Feldman, Diarmaid Ferriter, Conor Hanley, Elizabeth Hassell, Conor In the compilation of this publication, every care has been taken to ensure accuracy. Any errors or Heneghan, Chandralal Hewage, Vincent Hoban, Nick Holden, Brian Jackson, Alun Jones, Emma Kavanagh, omissions should be Olive Keogh, Declan Kiberd, Críostóír MacCarthaigh, Dorren McMahon, Maria Meehan, Gina Molloy, Alex Montwill, Ann Mooney, Kathy Murphy, Valerie Norton, Claire O’Connell, Clare O’Connor, Dominic brought to the attention of UCD University Relations ([email protected]). We also welcome your O’Keeffe, Tadhg O’Keeffe, Elaine Quinn, Vera Regan, Elizabeth Shotton, Mark Simpson, Mary Staunton, suggestions for articles in future editions. Patrick Paul Walsh, Liming Wang, Micéal Whelan This publication is also available online at www.ucd.ie/ucdtoday Produced by: Eilis O’Brien, Claire Percy, Dominic Martella, Edwina Shine Design: loman cusack design Please Recycle Print: fine print 2 News Bloomsday Celebrations at UCD Brian Friel, author of Philadelphia, Here I Come one of the greatest playwrights in the world,” said Doctor of Literature; John Joseph Collins, scholar in (1964), Aristocrats (1979), Translations (1980) and Professor Anthony Roche who read the citation. near-eastern apocalyptic writings received an Dancing at Lughnasa (1990), was presented with Friel was joined at the ceremony by the six honorary Doctor of Literature; an honorary Doctor the UCD Ulysses Medal on 16th June 2009. outstanding individuals who were conferred with of Laws was awarded to Kieran McGowan, public “In honouring Brian Friel, this Bloomsday, with honorary doctorates at the Bloomsday celebrations. servant and industrial development leader; Dennis the UCD Ulysses Medal, University College Dublin Jack Kyle, legendary sportsman and surgeon, O’Driscoll, poet and critic received an honorary is honouring the achievements of a man who is was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws; Hilary Doctor of Literature; and Richard Lerner, scientific not only Ireland’s greatest living playwright but m Weston, business woman, public servant and scholar and discovery researcher received an philanthropist was conferred with an honorary honorary Doctor of Science. Pictured at the 2009 Bloomsday celebrations were (l-r): Dr Jack Kyle; Dr Kieran McGowan; Dr John J Collins; Dr Hilary Weston; UCD President Dr Hugh Brady; Brian Friel; Dr Richard Lerner and Dr Dennis O’Driscoll 3 UCD Conway PD Papers in UCD Archives fellows in Cancer The records of the Progressive Democrats party, Archives Acquisitions, “it is a tribute to the Research Cluster which was disbanded in 2008, were placed in the reputation of UCD Archives as the most important care of UCD Archives in June 2009. Handing over repository for political papers in the State. a new Cancer-Focused Strategic Research Cluster the collection, Minister for Health, Mary Harney (SRC) is to be established, with €5.6 million td said that the influence of the Progressive funding from Government through Science Democrats was evident in many ways, from Foundation Ireland. The development was influencing the historic settlement of relations announced by Minister for Science, Technology & between all traditions on the island of Ireland to Innovation, Mr Conor Lenihan TD in June 2009. reforming public services and ending self- The SRC in Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer regulation of professionals. will assemble and build a fully-integrated national “The archives constitute a very significant body translational cancer drug discovery and of material documenting all aspects of the Party’s development programme that will significantly activities throughout its existence. It is unique insofar benefit cancer patients in Ireland. as it documents comprehensively the complete Three of the four co-principal investigators in lifecycle of a modern political party,” said Seamus the new SRC, which is under the leadership of Helferty, Principal Archivist at UCD Archives. Consultant Medical Oncologist, Professor John The collection includes 150 boxes of Crown, with Dublin City University as lead conventional textual documents such as academic institution, are UCD Conway Institute Parliamentary Party minutes and National Fellows: Professor Joe Duffy, who aims to develop Executive minutes, supplemented by a wealth of new treatments to prevent the spread or audio-visual records. It is particularly rich in metastasis of breast cancer; Professor William photographic and visual material from election Gallagher, who brings specialist expertise in the campaigns and conferences. Cataloguing the use of in-depth functional interrogation papers will take two years, after which the approaches at both in vitro and in vivo levels; and majority of the collection will be available Professor William Watson, who will look at to researchers. development of androgen independent prostate “The decision of the Progressive Democrats to cancer and advanced disease. deposit their papers in UCD builds on the archives The fourth co-principal investigator in the collection held by the university which includes SRC is Dr Judith Harmey, Royal College of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties’ papers.” said One of the items in the collection, the image shows Progressive Surgeons in Ireland. Professor Ronan Fanning, UCD’s Director of Democrats Mary Harney and Michael McDowell in 2002 3 News Go-ahead for UCD Science Centre Work is expected to start in 2010 on a major capital their integration with 10,000 sq/m of new in more applied areas such as biopharmaceutical project to upgrade laboratory and teaching facilities facilities. The original science facilities were sciences, ICT and environmental sciences. for undergraduates and graduates at UCD following opened in 1964 to accommodate 325 students. At “The quality of the students graduating from approval for the project by the Minister for Education this stage they require considerable upgrading and these programmes will be an important and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD in July 2009. expansion to meet modern standards