MAGAZINE OF CORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 2010 • VOLUME 12 ISSUE 1 CIT is the First Third Level Institution to Receive the Prestigious Green Hospitality Gold Award CIT honours Chinese Laureate CONTENTS Tourism & Hospitality Studies wins Gold Award 3 Clean Technology Centre News 4 Research News 6 CIT CCAD News 12 Exploring Electronics 18 News in Brief 19 SIF News 20 CIT visits University of Pune 22 On 7th May, Dr Brendan Murphy, President, CIT, hosted at a reception to honour Ms Xiao Fang Zhang, CIT’s PhD Student, who was a recipient of SciFest 2010 25 a European Laureate for Innovation for her work on the development of a NMCI News 26 Bubble Extractor for Intravenous Infusion at Innovact 2010. The Chinese Crossword 30 Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency, Liu Biwei, was present to see his countrywoman honoured. Former Business Students’ Talk 31 Access Office News 32 Xiao, from Dalian City, in China, has been a student at CIT since 2004 and graduated with a BEng Honours in Mechanical Engineering. Prize for Innovation 2010 36 Cork School’s Enterprise Programme 38 The occasion also saw the Launch of CIT’s Promotional Video ‘Postcard CIT CSM News 40 from the Edge’ (designed by Raven Design, Cork) which is aimed to attract Chinese students to study at CIT. Innovact Student Laureates 2010 44 SOFE Paris 2009 44 24th Annual Cork Mechanical, Manufacturing & Biomedical Engineering 45 Innovative Student Engineering 2010 57 New Report on Entrepreneurship Education 58 Students strive towards Creative Entrepreneurship 59 Ireland Homecoming Study Programme 90 13th Annual Irish Academy of Management Conference 61 Gaisce Awards 61 Societies News 62 Dramathon 67 Brobdignag Exhibition 68 Dr Brendan Murphy, President, CIT; presenting a copy of CIT’s Media Communications 69 Promotional Video ‘Postcard from the Edge’ to H.E. Liu Biwei, Chinese Ambassador. Genesis Showcase & Awards 73 Reflections on a Haven House Build 76 Faculty of Business and Humanities Awards Ceremony 78 St Finbarr’s Centre for Education and Training 81 Article and photographs for the next issue of the magazine can Green Matters at CIT 82 be sent to Anne Twohig, CIT Press, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork. MEDIC News 84 E: [email protected] CAMMS News 86 Editor: Anne Twohig Engineering Awards Ceremony 88 Design: Raven Design CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory 92 Print: Allied Print Paris in the Winter Time 93 Acknowledgements: Thank you to photographers: Barry O’Sullivan, Sports News 94 CIT; Neil Danton, News Digital; Viv Gough; John Lotty; Andy Ferreir; Gerard O’Donovan; Pascal Ungerer; and Kearney and Melia, PR. Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Cork Institute of Technology. DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM & HOSPITALITY STUDIES WINS A GOLD AWARD IN GREEN HOSPITALITY AWARDS CEREMONY Awards Programme operates on a national Many projects have been undertaken in scale, is recognised as the national the fields of waste, water, and energy, environmental certification scheme for the and cost savings have been identified. The Department of Tourism and hospitality sector, and has 170 members The Department is continuing with its Hospitality Studies has achieved a which include hotels, contract caterers, programme and is currently implementing prestigious Gold Award in this year’s restaurants, and bar restaurants.” new initiatives on food waste and water Green Hospitality Awards (GHA). CIT is consumption. the first third level institution to receive Dr Murphy pointed out that, “The GHA the award, and the Gold standard justly has also made significant economic Green Hospitality rewards the commitment and effort put in savings for Irish business through reduced Award programme by everyone in the Department of Tourism utility costs over the years with many and Hospitality Studies. The Regional new member hotels saving an estimated € The Green Hospitality Award provides a awards ceremony was held at Hayfield 1000 per bedroom in the first year of step-by-step approach to environmental Manor, Cork, in February 2010, and a total joining the programme alone. Overall, management with awards given at Bronze, of sixteen hospitality businesses in Cork in 2009, the GHA members reduced € Silver and Gold levels and has swiftly received awards. As a Gold winner, CIT is their costs by a massive 4.6m, through become the standard for environmental in good company with the Clarion Hotel, the programme. Indeed CIT has also management within the hospitality Maryborough House Hotel, and Radisson benefited from the GHA, with cost sector in this country. It is the only Irish BLU Hotel & Spa also achieving Gold savings achieved by our Department of programme recognised internationally. standard. Tourism and Hospitality Studies, who have participated in the programme for the last The Green Hospitality Awards continue The awards ceremony was attended three years.” to be the most successful environmental by Dr Brendan Murphy, President, CIT, certification programme for the hospitality who was the keynote speaker. Adrian He said “While I congratulate ALL the sector in Europe, with 170 members Gregan, Head, Department of Tourism award winners here this evening, I hope and 11% penetration in the hotel sector and Hospitality Studies, Séamus Forde, you will allow me a small bit of partiality (European average, 2-3%). In 2010 the and Patricia Madden from the winning in giving a special congratulations to our programme is being funded through the Department, Dr Mary Purcell, CIT Green Department of Tourism and Hospitality Environmental Protection Agency. Go to Campus Facilitator, Dermot Cunningham Studies on their Gold Award this year.” www.ghaward.ie for more information. (Clean Technology Centre, CIT) and James Hogan (CTC and GHA Director) also Department of Tourism attended. and Hospitality Studies Pictured below (L-R) “Cork Institute of Technology is proud of The Department of Tourism and Adrian Gregan (Head, Department of the achievements of the Green Hospitality Hospitality Studies has been 100% Tourism and Hospitality Studies), Patricia Awards Programme which we have committed to the programme since 2008 Madden (Department of Tourism and developed through The Clean Technology and is now reaping the benefits of their Hospitality Studies), James Hogan Centre in conjunction with our partners, input. In particular, Patricia Madden has (Green Hospitality Award and Clean Hospitality Solution Consulting since driven the programme. A ‘green team’ Technology Centre), Dr Mary Purcell (CIT 2004. CTC has been at the forefront of has been formed and regular meetings Green Campus Facilitator), Dr Brendan promoting sustainability since as far back are held to discuss progress and plan Murphy (President, CIT), Séamus Forde as 1992 and we are very pleased with its new initiatives. The green team consisted (Department of Tourism and Hospitality continued success”, said Dr Murphy, in his of Patrica, Séamus Forde and Dr Mary Studies), Dermot Cunningham (Director, address. Purcell. Dermot Cunningham from CTC Clean Technology Centre). has also attended several meetings to “You may recall that this was originally discuss particular issues, as has Michael a regional programme based in Cork Coughlan from the Buildings and Estates County and focusing on solid waste in Department. hotels. Now the Green Hospitality 3 CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News CTC News Clean Technology Centre produces Get a Copy catering waste reduction guide Less Food Waste More Profit – A Guide to Minimising Food Waste in the Catering Sector has been distributed to more than 3,500 catering The Clean Technology Centre has produced and CIT Press outlets through the sectoral publication Hotel & Catering Review, has published the Less Food Waste More Profit – A Guide to and also sent to a number of local authorities. The Guide can be Minimising Food Waste in the Catering Sector. CTC developed downloaded from several sites, as follows: the guide as part of the Green Hospitality Award (GHA) programme, funded by the Environmental protection Agency Clean Technology Centre: http://www.ctc-cork.ie/ under the National Waste Prevention Programme. Green Hospitality Award: http://www.ghaward.ie/ Enterprise Ireland, EnviroCentre: http://www.envirocentre.ie/ The 32 page guide is packed with tips for becoming more efficient in the kitchen, as well as containing pointers for A limited number of hardcopies are available from CTC. calculating how much food waste costs a business per annum. The Less Food Waste - More Profit Guide provides a step by step approach on how to eliminate, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and dispose of food waste. The True Costs of Wasting Food Among many other things, the tips within the guide deal with over-ordering, portion control, checking of deliveries, buying The Guide presents caterers with the options to divert food waste local, and correct storage. Some examples include: from landfill (better for the environment), and it also provides caterers with significant opportunities to reduce costs (better for business). l store all soft fruit, except bananas in the fridge, store all other The Clean Technology Centre estimates that each kilogramme of food fruit and vegetables in wire racks; waste costs €2. This equates to €2,000 per tonne. Caterers know l separate storage of tomatoes and lettuce (tomatoes emit a about their energy costs – they see it on their bills. Food is the hidden gas which causes lettuce to brown); cost which caterers may not fully appreciate. Think not only of the l encourage service staff to check the amount of food coming disposal costs, but the costs of purchase, storage, cooking, energy back on the plates. and staff time – all for food which is discarded! The Guide was written by Mairéad Creedon, Dermot For the Irish catering industry the costs are estimated to be €200m. Cunningham, James Hogan and Eileen O’Leary of CTC and However, there are plenty of no-cost and low-cost steps which contains forewords by Dr Gerry Byrne of the EPA and well known caterers can take to reduce food waste and they are all contained in chef Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody House in Wexford.