UCD Heads back toBeijing UCD Headsback of China: Call The Great FEATURE www.ucd.ie/ucdtoday SPRING 2012 5. The Great 7. ReJoyce: Celebrating 9. Bacterial infection 13. UCD Researchers Call of China James Joyce in 2012 linked to stomach cancer at zero gravity Contents Features The Great Call of ReJoyce: the An infection A stimulating China: UCD heads barrier between that’s hard to experience at 5 back to Beijing 7 James Joyce and 9 stomach 13 zero gravity his readers has fallen In their own words There is no doubt that, in the current economic environment, prospective students and their advisors have become very focused on careers. The era of young graduates expecting the job offer at every interview has passed. But, while hitch-hiking around South East Asia is not something to highlight on a CV, this is not the 1980s and graduates have real opportunities here and globally with their UCD degree in their back pocket. EILIS O’BRIEN Much of our communication with students over the past few years Director of has been about the quality of our academic offering, our facilities, Communication our holistic approach to student development and student life. This year, we extended the message and asked our graduates to tell their own stories. Our aim is to show that UCD graduates have more than just academic competence. They have drive and pride. The first 3 stories are on the UCD Life video wall, at www.ucdlife.ie Una Morrison, whose BComm took her across the globe marketing – among other things – Häagen-Dazs in the Philippines or “vanilla in Manila” as she says herself, is currently Digital Operations Manager, Europe, for Kellogg. Alan McHugh, BE, who is project manager with Eirgrid, talks about the “forward thinking attitude at UCD that strikes a chord with employers”. He’s working on the Grid 25 project which is as significant to electricity transmission today as Ardnacrusha was in the 1930s. Zoe Kavanagh, BAgSci, talks about how her passion for horses led her to choose her course but that she didn’t really know where her degree would take her. So, while she might have once wished to be an equine vet, today she’s totally dedicated to her role as CEO of the National Dairy Council. Over the coming weeks we will release more videos onto the graduate gallery. Among them: a philosophy graduate working for an NGO, another BA graduate of English who was recently nominated for an Oscar, an award-winning architect, a transplant surgeon who has just come home to Ireland and a scientist managing programmes for the European Space Agency. If you have suggestions of graduates you feel have an inspiring story to tell, get in touch and we will help spread the word. UCD thanks... Produced by: Eilis O’Brien, Lisa Flannery, Dominic Martella Design: Loman Cusack Design Contributors: Steffan Backert, Suzanne Bailey, Mark Byrne, Marc Print: Fine Print Caball, Brian Caulfield, Anne Cleary, Rose Cotter, Ciaran Crilly, Veronica Thanks to: Padraic Conway, Diarmuid Ferriter, Patrick Guiry, Ann Lavan, Crossa, Damien Dempsey, Orla Donoghue, Padraig Dunne, Georgina Damien McLoughlin, Diane Sonnenwald, Regina Ui Chollatain, William Dwyer, Emma Fadden, David Farrell, Caroline Fine, Andrew Fogarty, Anne Watson Fogarty, Louise Geraghty, Vincent Hoban, Sinead Hennessy, Anna Kelly, Sinead Kelly, Olive Keogh, Caroline Kinsella, Rachel Lasebikan, Liam Mac In the compilation of this publication, every care has been taken to ensure Mathúna, John McCafferty, Criostoir Mac Carthaigh, Áine McConnon, accuracy. Any errors or omissions should be brought to the attention of Gary McGuire, Peter McGuire, Damien McLoughlin, , John Molloy, Mark UCD University Relations ([email protected]). We also welcome your Murphy, Sean Murray, Clare Ní Cholmáin, Ríonach uí Ógáin, Brian Nolan, suggestions for articles in future editions. Claire Nolan, Claire O’Connell, Karina O’Neill, Iseult Ó Síocháin, Andrew This publication is also available online at www.ucd.ie/ucdtoday Parnell, Elaine Quinn, Bairbre Redmond, Sarah Ridout, Anthony Roche, Cover image: Professor Guo Guangsheng, President of Beijing University of Please Recycle Colin Scott, Mark Simpson, Diane Sonnenwald, Catherine Tormey, Mark Technology and Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD, hold a Chinese Ancient Tynan, Ríonach uí Ógáin, Micéal Whelan, Lorraine Woods, Orla Wrynn Bamboo book during a visit to Belfield House in UCD in March 2012. News UCD Foundation Day Medal for Grammy Award winner, Bill Whelan The UCD Global Lounge. performance in Ireland by the Javanese UCD Global Lounge Gamelan Orchestra. Alongside these bespoke events, the Lounge also offered weekly welcomes over 10,000 events including open mic sessions, themed movie nights and international career visitors in its first year seminars organised by the UCD Career UCD’s student population, both Irish and Development Centre. The UCD International international, have fully embraced the UCD Student’s Society and the UCD Erasmus Global Lounge, with over 10,000 visitors Student Network society also held many using this new resource on campus in its first popular events in the UCD Global Lounge year of operation. The UCD Global Lounge’s throughout the year. dedicated events programme has been The events programme is being further engaged in by students, staff, clubs and developed and expanded for 2012 and will societies across UCD. Key events included include traditional Irish recitals hosted by a celebrations for Chinese New Year, Australia selection of Irish musicians, language cafes, Day, Iranian New Year and the Spanish career guidance talks and themed movie national day. A range of international music evenings. For further information on using the workshops offered students a taste of Indian UCD Global Lounge or to view upcoming Classical Music by the renowned sitar player events, please log on to www.ucd.ie/ Sougata Roy Chowdhury, as well as the first international/ucdgloballounge/ Musician Bill Whelan, pictured during a rehearsal for his special performance alongside the UCD Astra Scholars, UCD Choral Scholars, UCD Orchestral Scholars and Ciarán Crilly (conductor) on the occasion of his presentation with the UCD Foundation Day Medal Bill Whelan, best known for composing the Mary Morrissy, writer in residence at original seven minute orchestral piece for Riverdance, has been awarded the UCD UCD School of English, Drama and Film Foundation Day Medal, in recognition of his outstanding achievements and his Mary Morrissy was appointed this year contribution to Irish music worldwide. as the first Writer in Residence at UCD, co-funded by the Arts Council and the “It is, first and foremost, Bill Whelan’s musical imagination that we honour with this award,” UCD School of English, Drama and Film. said Noel Pearson who delivered the official She took up her residency in 2012 and is citation at the ceremony. Bill Whelan has worked currently teaching courses for the MA and extensively in theatre, film and television. His MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in album of music for ‘Riverdance The Show’ Anglo-Irish Literature. earned him a much coveted Grammy Award, and went Platinum in the US, Australia, and Born in Dublin, Morrissy trained as a Ireland. His production and arranging credits journalist and has worked for three of Ireland’s include U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, Planxty daily newspapers as a writer/copy editor. She and The Dubliners. maintains her connection with her previous life Bill Whelan was presented with the UCD with literary journalism and book reviewing for Foundation Day Medal by UCD President, Dr the The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Hugh Brady. After accepting the award, Whelan Post. Morrissy is the author of two novels, gave a special performance alongside the UCD Mother of Pearl and The Pretender and a Ad Astra Scholars, UCD Choral Scholars, UCD collection of short stories, A Lazy Eye. Her Orchestral Scholars, and Ciarán Crilly (conductor) novels are historical, usually inspired by real events and often explore the territory where For the past decade she has taught on to guests and friends of UCD who attended the creative writing programmes in Ireland and the UCD Foundation Day Event. fiction and biography overlap; her short fiction covers everything from infanticide to elder abuse. US, among them the University of Arkansas and The UCD Foundation Day Medal was George Washington University, Washington DC inaugurated in 2004 to coincide with the 150th She is a winner of the Hennessy Award and the Lannan Literary Award and The Pretender (where she risked frostbite covering the Obama anniversary of the opening of UCD’s antecedent inauguration for The Irish Times). institution, the Catholic University of Ireland. In was nominated for the Dublin Impac Award. In 2006 she was awarded a fellowship at the She has been a faculty member on the November of each year it is awarded to a UCD University of Iowa’s Summer Writing Programme graduate who demonstrates great achievement; Cullman Centre for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library to research her most in Dublin since 2001. She is currently at work on previous recipients include Peter Sutherland, a collection of linked short stories, entitled Maeve Binchy, and Brian O’Driscoll. recent novel, The Rising of Bella Casey, inspired by the life of playwright Sean O’Casey’s sister. Diaspora. 3 | Spring 2012 News Professor Thomas J. Laffey wins prestigious Hans Schneider Prize One of UCD’s most highly regarded and ever since. Laffey’s PhD thesis was in an area of he served as its Vice President for the period longest serving academics has won a mathematics known as group theory. After 1990 - 1992. He served two terms as head of prestigious international prize in coming to UCD, he became interested in linear the UCD Department of Mathematics (1986-90 algebra and matrix theory, influenced by his and 1996-99).