News Archive

NUI Galway has confirmed that singer songwriter Paul Brady will perform at the 2017 Alumni Awards. The University also revealed that TG4 news anchor Eimear Ní Chonaola will host this year’s Gala Banquet featuring the 2017 Alumni Awards ceremony. Eimear Ní Chonaola is the main news anchor with Nuacht TG4/RTÉ.  A native Irish speaker, she graduated from NUI Galway, with a BA International Degree in Irish and German in 1997.  The following year she undertook the diploma course - Ard-Dioplóma i gCumarsáid Fheidhmeach. She chaired the first ever election debate in Irish in February 2011 and her performance was widely credited in the national press. As well as her extensive experience in reporting at home, she has also reported from Niger, Malawi, Cuba, Rome and from the US.  The 2017 Alumni Awards will be presented at the 17th annual Alumni Awards Gala Banquet on Saturday, 4 March, 2017 in the Bailey Allen Hall located in Áras na Mac Léinn on campus. The Alumni Awards recognise individual excellence and achievements among the University’s more than 80,000 graduates worldwide. The Awards programme boasts an impressive roll call of over 100 outstanding graduates who have gone on to honour their alma mater, including, for example, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins; Olympian Olive Loughnane; Rugby great Ciarán FitzGerald; RTÉ broadcaster Sean O’Rourke; Attorney General, Máire Whelan; former Creganna CEO, Helen Ryan, Tony Award-winning actress, Marie Mullen and broadcaster Gráinne Seoige. The winners of the six alumni awards to be presented at Gala 2017: Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies - sponsored by Galway University Foundation  - Mike McCormack, Irish novelist and short story writer. Alumni Award for Business and Commerce – sponsored by Bank of Ireland   -  Tara McCarthy, CEO of Bord Bia. Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Government – sponsored by Ronan Daly Jermyn   -  Dr Tom Courtney, Corporate Partner in Arthur Cox. Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology – sponsored by AIB  - Anne Marie Farrell, Head of Behavioural Economics Research Global SMB Marketing, Google. Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences – sponsored by Medtronic  - Dr Eileen Naughten, Retired Consultant Paediatrician. Joint Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport – sponsored by Bank of Ireland  - Dr Eoghan Clifford, Paralympic gold medal winner and NUI Galway Lecturer  - Deirdre Mongan, Paralympic Athlete               Speaking on the announcement of the Award recipients, President of NUI Galway, Dr Jim Browne said: “Our Alumni Awards programme recognises the many Galway alumni who are leaders in their professions and excel in their pursuits at national and international levels. These awards celebrate the life-long value of an NUI Galway education and recognise individual achievements among the University’s more than 80,000 graduates worldwide. I congratulate each of the Award winners and look forward to welcoming them back to their alma mater for the Gala Banquet in March.” For ticket and booking information contact the Alumni Office on 091 494310 or email alumni@nuigalway.ie. Online bookings at www.guf.ie. -Ends-

Study on the Efficacy of Pilates in Falls Prevention NUI Galway is recruiting additional participants for a study on the efficacy of Pilates in falls prevention in healthy older adults over 65 years old. The outcomes assessed will include questionnaires and tests of physical activity, balance, foot pressure, mobility, gait, cognition and falls. Pilates consists of six principles to engage during exercise to control the mind and body; control, concentration, centring, flow, breathing and precision. Pilates works with the deepest muscle and helps to control the postural in many daily activities such as patterns of gait in walking, speed and mobility.  One hour classes will take place in Áras Moyola twice weekly.  There will be a total of 24 sessions for each group for the main study and participants are advised to wear comfortable clothes for exercises. Conducting the study is Larissa Donatoni da Silva, an NUI Galway PhD Health Science, physiotherapist and Pilates instructor: “Our study is looking at the effect that participating in Pilates has on balance, breathing, stretching, and coordination. In particular, we are interested in people over 65 years old, who enjoy doing exercises. We want to measure your level of function with questionnaires and tests so that we can compare it with people who are not practising Pilates.” The free Pilates exercise classes will be mat Pilates with accessories such as balls, bands, and others. Participants will get a home Pilates exercise programme and a DVD with exercises demonstrated by the Pilates instructor. Those interested in participating will need to attend an initial meeting on Monday, 27 February at 1pm or Friday, 3 March at 10am in Áras na Mac Léinn at NUI Galway, where Larissa will explain the study. For more detail or to participate in the study contact Larissa Donatoni da Silva at laridonatoni@gmail.com or 089 4592533 between 9am to 6pm weekdays. -Ends-

Comedian Áine Gallagher today launched NUI Galway’s 17th annual Arts Festival programme, Múscailt. The Festival, which runs from 6-10 March, will present a superb free programme comprising of art, music, performance, live art, comedy, spectacle, song, sculpture, film, dance and talks. Múscailt means to inspire, to awaken and to create. Each year the festival commissions new work from artists and curators and also shines a spotlight on artists working and studying within the University. This year, the festival will open with a new multimedia Múscailt Exhibition at the School of Education on Nuns’ Island, which includes works by students from NUI Galway, The Jes and The Bish. Múscailt offers a chance to lift the lid on artistic projects taking place on campus. This year there is an emphasis on the historic Anatomy and Physiology Departments, dating from the Victorian beginnings of NUI Galway, in the Quadrangle, circa 1847. Art and installation will feature heavily throughout the week including: Ananya Gupta’s paper cut-out ‘Silhouettes of Life’, which will hang in the glass cubes outside the James Hardiman Library. Live art performer Áine Phillips will recreate her performance ‘Bag Lady’ and Fou Scarf will perform ‘Re: Search’. Artist James Fleming will present his exhibition ‘Sculptures from a Mobile Home’, made entirely from the recycled furnishings of his now ex-mobile home. Artist-in-Residence Aideen Monaghan will project drawings onto the side of the Anatomy Building and Alan-James Burns, a photographer and video-artist, was given free reign to document Physiology, in its iconic position above the Archway. Catch a glimpse of some of their work in ‘Victorian Echoes’, a combination of photography and drawings exhibited in the Arts Millennium Building. There will be interactive and improvised outdoor entertainment by Madame Fou and the Funfair which includes a gramophone, a fortune-teller, circus performers and troubadours, and a travelling kiosk/time-machine. In a new departure, the Arts Office has commissioned a short dance film, 'Ciúnas', directed by Bernadette Divilly, that explores the place, power and presence of women at NUI Galway. This will be shown on screens throughout campus with a talk and screening of the film in the Bank of Ireland Theatre. One of the festival highlights will feature a performance/lecture with music entitled ‘Portrait of the Nation,’ celebrating 100 years since the publication of James Joyce’s most autobiographical novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Performed by Darina Gallagher and Sinéad Murphy, it will take place in the 100 years old Anatomy Lecture Theatre. Rogha Bhríde, the award winning Irish language/multi-lingual radio music show on Flirt FM, will present MC/Ceoltóir Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin and a musical and storytelling treat with well-known Galway artist Little John Nee and guests. Other events taking place throughout the week include: ‘Ponder’, a group exhibition of paintings and drawings; ‘Focus 17’, a selected exhibition from the Photo Society; and ‘Metamorphosis’ by the Art Society. Art meets science events includes ‘Research Use Only’ by Bioscience student Patrizio Mancuso; and ‘Culture-itis’, knitted works in petri dishes by NUI Galway Knit and Crochet group ‘Moodboosters’, a new comedy by Áine Gallagher and fellow comedian Pearl O’Rourke Curator Katherine Waugh will present film-clips entitled ‘Altered States’ Dr Mags Mannion, Artist/Archaeologist will present an illustrated talk on Medieval Glass Beads Dráma Nua ‘Streets & Stages’, performed by Caroline Morahan as part of Arts in Action series Commenting on this year’s progamme, Fionnuala Gallagher, NUI Galway Arts Officer, said: “Múscailt embraces all artforms and strands of creativity. It creates a safe and nurturing platform for new work and an opportunity for play, fun and improvisation. Everyone is welcome to participate and all events are free.” For more information on the festival visit www.nuigalway.ie/muscailt, or phone 091 493766 or 091 495098. You can also follow the event on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Muscailtarts or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Artsofficenuigalway. -Ends- Seolann an Bhean Ghrinn Áine Gallagher Clár Múscailt OÉ Gaillimh 2017  Inniu sheol an bhean ghrinn Áine Gallagher an clár do 17ú Féile Ealaíon bhliantúil OÉ Gaillimh, Múscailt. Beidh an Fhéile ar siúl idir an 6-10 Márta agus cuimseofar clár iontach, saor in aisce d’ealaín, ceol, taibhléiriú, ealaín bheo, greann, taispeántas, amhránaíocht, dealbhóireacht, scannán, damhsa agus cainteanna. Is í an chiall atá le Múscailt spreagadh, dúiseacht agus cruthú. Chuile bhliain déanann an fhéile coimisiúnú ar shaothar nua ó ealaíontóirí agus ó choimeádaithe agus tarraingíonn sé aird chomh maith ar ealaíontóirí atá ag obair agus ag staidéar san Ollscoil. I mbliana, cuirfear tús leis an bhféile le Taispeántas nua ilmheán Múscailt i Scoil an Oideachais ar Oileán Ealtanach, áit a mbeidh saothair le mic léinn ó OÉ Gaillimh, ó Choláiste Iognáid agus ó Choláiste Sheosamh. Cuireann Múscailt deis ar fáil chun aird a tharraingt ar thionscadail ealaíonta atá ar siúl ar an gcampas. I mbliana táthar ag leagan béime ar Ranna stairiúla na hAnatamaíochta agus na Fiseolaíochta, atá ar an bhfód ó ré Victeoiriach OÉ Gaillimh sa Chearnóg, thart ar 1847. Beidh páirt lárnach ag ealaín agus ag taispeántán le linn na seachtaine, lena n-áirítear: Gearrthóg pháipéir de chuid Ananya Gupta dar teideal ‘Silhouettes of Life’, a bheidh crochta i gciúbanna gloine lasmuigh de Leabharlann Shéamais Uí Argadáin. Athchruthóidh an taibheoir beo ealaíne, Áine Phillips a léiriú ‘Bag Lady’ agus cuirfidh Fou Scarf ‘Re: Search’ ar stáitse. Cuirfidh an t-ealaíontóir James Fleming a thaispeántas ‘Sculptures from a Mobile Home’ i láthair, atá déanta go hiomlán as troscán agus fearas athchúrsáilte óna sheanteach soghluaiste. Teilgfidh an tEalaíontóir Cónaitheach Aideen Monaghan léaráidí ar thaobh an Fhoirgnimh Anatamaíochta agus tugadh cead a chinn don ghrianghrafadóir agus ealaíontóir físeáin, Alan-James Burns an Fhiseolaíocht a léiriú, ina suíomh íocónach os cionn na hAirse. Breathnaigh ar a gcuid saothar in ‘Victorian Echoes’, meascán de ghrianghrafadóireacht agus léaráidí á dtaispeáint in Áras Dán na Mílaoise. Beidh siamsaíocht lasmuigh idirghníomhach agus cumtha ar an láthair le Madame Fou agus an tAonach Siamsaíochta áit a mbeidh gramafón, bean feasa, taibheoirí sorcais agus trúbadóirí agus both/meaisín ama taistil. Rud nua atá ag tarlú i mbliana is ea go bhfuil coimisiúnú déanta ag an Oifig Ealaíon ar ghearrscannán damhsa ‘Ciúnas’, atá á stiúradh ag Bernadette Divilly, a bhreathnaíonn ar áit, ar chumhacht agus ar láithreacht na mban in OÉ Gaillimh. Taispeánfar é seo ar scáileáin ar fud an champais agus beidh an scannán ar siúl mar aon le caint in Amharclann Bhanc na hÉireann. Ar cheann de bhuaicphointí na féile beidh taibhléiriú/léacht le ceol dar teideal ‘Portrait of the Nation,’ a dhéanann ceiliúradh ar chéad bliain ón uair a foilsíodh an t-úrscéal is dírbheathaisnéisí le James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Is iad Darina Gallagher agus Sinéad Murphy a bheas ar stáitse agus beidh sé ar siúl i Léachtlann na hAnatamaíochta atá céad bliain d’aois. Cuirfidh Rogha Bhríde, an clár ceoil raidió Gaeilge/ilteangach de chuid Flirt FM a bhfuil duaiseanna buaite aige, an MC/Ceoltóir Bríd Ní Mhaoileoin i láthair agus iontas ceolmhar agus seanchais leis an ealaíontóir cáiliúil as Gaillimh Little John Nee agus aíonna. I measc na n-imeachtaí eile a bheidh ar siúl le linn na seachtaine beidh: ‘Ponder’, taispeántas grúpa de phéinteálacha agus léaráidí; ‘Focus 17’, taispeántas roghnaithe ó Chumann na nGrianghraf; agus ‘Metamorphosis’ leis an gCumann Ealaíne. I measc na n-imeachtaí ina dtagann ealaín agus eolaíocht le chéile tá ‘Research Use Only’ le Patrizio Mancuso, mac léinn le hEolaíocht Bhitheach; agus ‘Culture-itis’, saothair chniotáilte i miasanna petri le grúpa Cniotála agus Cróiseála OÉ Gaillimh ‘Moodboosters’, seó grinn nua le hÁine Gallagher agus an bhean ghrinn Pearl O’Rourke Cuirfidh an coimeádaí Katherine Waugh míreanna scannáin i láthair ar a dtugtar ‘Altered States’ Cuirfidh an Dr Mags Mannion, Ealaíontóir/Seandálaí caint mhaisithe i láthair faoi Choirníní Gloine Meánaoiseacha Dráma nua ‘Streets & Stages’, curtha i láthair ag Caroline Morahan mar chuid den tsraith Arts in Action Bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag Fionnuala Gallagher, Oifigeach Ealaíon OÉ Gaillimh, faoi chlár na bliana seo: “Cuimsíonn Múscailt gach cineál ealaíne agus gach sruth cruthaitheachta. Cruthaíonn sé ardán sábháilte agus cothaitheach do shaothar nua agus deis do spraoi, do chraic agus do chumadóireacht ar an láthair. Tá fáilte roimh chách agus tá cead isteach saor in aisce ag gach imeacht.” Chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil faoin bhféile téigh chuig www.nuigalway.ie/muscailt, nó cuir glao ar 091 493766 nó 091 495098. Féadfaidh tú an imeacht a leanúint ar Twitter ag www.twitter.com/Muscailtarts nó ar Facebook ag www.facebook.com/Artsofficenuigalway. -Críoch-

CÚRAM at NUI Galway win European Research Council grant to support the development of a new medical device to treat high blood pressure that can lead to heart disease and stroke Tuesday, 21 February, 2017: CÚRAM Investigator Dr Martin O’Halloran has been awarded a second European Research Council (ERC) grant. ERC grants are Europe's most competitive and prestigious research funding, and in this case the €150,000 award will support the development of a new medical device for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) that can lead to heart disease and stroke. The project is a collaboration between Investigators Dr Martin O’Halloran and Dr Conall Dennedy at CÚRAM, the Centre for Research in Medical Devices based at NUI Galway. The Investigators aim to bring the novel medical device towards first-in-man trials within the lifetime of the project. Since heart disease and stroke are such major global health problems affecting a large population of patients, the team expect the project to have a very significant societal and economic impact. The widespread presence of hypertension in European countries is currently 28-44%. This amounts to between 200 and 327 million Europeans. Excess production of the hormone aldosterone by the adrenal glands (primary aldosteronism) is the most common endocrine cause and accounts for 8-20% of all hypertension. Current treatment regimens are dissatisfactory and costly, involving either surgery or lifelong drug therapy. Therefore, a cost-effective, minimally invasive and definitive management approach for this underlying cause would present a potential cure for an often undiagnosed and unmanaged disease. This is what is being proposed with the new ERC ‘REALTA’ project. “The REALTA project plan is very similar to that of a start-up medtech company, where as well as technology development, the team will also examine the competitive landscape, the clinical and regulatory pathway, and reimbursement opportunities”, says Dr O’Halloran. “The overarching goal is to gather sufficient technical, clinical, regulatory and commercial evidence over the course of the next 18 months to be able to spin-out a company that is attractive to external investors. Such investment will be required to take the technology through to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and clinical trials.” Dr O’Halloran secured his first ERC Starting Grant in 2015 to examine the electrical properties of human tissue, as a platform for novel medical device development in Europe. Supported by a Science Foundation Ireland ERC Support Grant, he established the Translational Medical Device Lab in Galway, the first medical device lab in Ireland to be embedded in a regional hospital, University Hospital Galway, and co-located within the Health Research Board’s Clinical Research Facility. Working closely with Dr Conall Dennedy, Consultant Endocrinologist at NUI Galway, he began to examine the potential of new technologies to treat primary aldosteronism, the most common endocrine cause of hypertension. Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM said: “The objectives of CÚRAM are to carry out research on the development of innovative ‘smart’ implantable medical devices, which will benefit patients with chronic ailments such as cardiovascular diseases. I would like to congratulate Dr O’Halloran and Dr Dennedy on their continued research success, which is supported by the excellent multidisciplinary team of clinicians, translational scientists and engineers here at CÚRAM and NUI Galway, which reflects the interests and expertise of investigators in CÚRAM.” For more information on the Translational Medical Device Lab in NUI Galway visit: http://www.tmdlab.ie -Ends-

NUI Galway’s Centre for Irish Studies and Comhrá Ceoil have announced details of the first talk in this year’s Martin Reilly Lecture Series, which will be given by Dr Éamonn Costello. Entitled ‘Muintir Chonamara agus Oireachtas na Gaeilge: The role of the Conamara Gaeltacht community in shaping Ireland’s oldest festival’, the lecture examines the engagement of the Gaeltacht community of Connemara with Oireachtas na Gaeilge throughout its history and takes place on Tuesday, 28 February at 6.30pm in the Galway City Library. Established in 1897 by members of the Gaelic League, the Oireachtas is Ireland’s oldest arts festival and is primarily concerned with promoting and celebrating the Irish language. However, for much of its history the native Irish speaking community, an Ghaeltacht, had little impact or input into the festival’s programme of events. This all changed in the early 1970s when the Connemara-based civil rights movement, Gluaiseacht Cearta Siabhialta na Gaeltachta, turned the Irish language issue from being primarily a nationalist cause to one which was primarily concerned with minority rights. The actions of the Gaeltacht civil rights movement inspired the Connemara Gaeltacht community to appropriate the Oireachtas for a period in the 1970-1980s. This period of appropriation and the events leading up to it will be the focus of the talk. Originally from An Cheathrú Rua, Dr Costello is an Irish traditional musician and holds an MA and PhD in ethnomusicology, as well as a BA in Irish Music and Dance. He currently teaches Irish in the Irish language department of the School of Culture and Communication, at the University of Limerick; he is secretary of the International Council for Traditional Music Ireland (ICTMIre); and is a founding member of TradSong, a research cluster based at UL. This series of free talks is dedicated to Martin Reilly, the celebrated Galway uilleann piper, and gives an opportunity to researcher-practitioners in Irish traditional music and dance to present their work in a public forum.  The success of the series thus far confirms the interest in research of this kind in Galway, where traditional music and dance are part of the cultural fabric of the city. For more information on this and other planned talks in the series email Martinreillylectureseries@gmail.com or follow on Facebook at Martin-Reilly-Lecture-Series. -Ends-

NUI Galway publish new mathematical formula on soft ‘dielectric’ membranes Applied mathematicians from NUI Galway have today published a formula which will be of huge benefit to materials scientists and soft robotics engineers. The team have worked out how much voltage and deformation soft ‘dielectric’ membranes can take before they break. Soft ‘dielectric’ membranes are used on the cutting edge of science to develop artificial muscles, soft robotics, energy harvesters and ‘smart clothes’. These lightweight soft materials deploy and stiffen when put under high voltage, but until now, there has been a big challenge in knowing what the breaking point of these membranes is.  Professor Michel Destrade, at the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics in NUI Galway explains: “If you can remember the scene in Batman Begins where this huge bat cape emerges from a tiny folded piece of material, that’s the kind of technology which is being developed currently in some labs around the world, especially in Harvard University and in China. It’s the electric voltage that allows these special membranes to expand. Until now it was not fully understood how much voltage these membranes could sustain. Some are a millimetre thick, but if they thin out too much when they stretch with the voltage, it can lead to a short-circuit and a catastrophic breakdown. We hope our mathematical formula will help advance science in this area.” Dr Giuseppe Zurlo of NUI Galway, co-author of the study, adds: “The very near and real applications for these materials are artificial human muscles, or soft robots which can help organs function.” Together with collaborators at Politecnico di Bari in Italy, the mathematicians worked out a simple formula to link the physical properties of the membrane to the breakdown amount of stretch. “The final equation is very compact”, says Dr Zurlo, “and it will provide most useful safety guidelines for future experiments on these fascinating materials.” The problem had stumped material scientists for years and its solution is published today in the prestigious Physical Review Letters. Professor Destrade and Dr Zurlo are now working on experiments with engineering colleagues at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. To view the full paper in Physical Review Letters visit:  https://journals.aps.org/prl/accepted/5f076Y18Kbb1ac4ed8f93f49a3ee764f0dd938eb8 or http://www.maths.nuigalway.ie/~destrade/Publis/destrade_109.pdf  Video link of a membrane deforming under a voltage: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ybk5am3s7pmcdwd/video.avi?dl=0  -Ends-

NUI Galway’s Discipline of English and School of Humanities will host an evening to celebrate the work and teaching of writer Mike McCormack to mark his recent major successes on the national and international literary scene. The public reception will take place on Wednesday, 22 February in the Aula Maxima, Quadrangle at NUI Galway at 7pm. Last year, McCormack was awarded the prestigious Goldsmiths Prize at the University of London for his novel Solar Bones. The same novel subsequently won the Eason Book Club Irish Novel of the Year and overall Irish Book of the Year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. Speaking on the announcement of the Goldsmiths Prize to Solar Bones Blake Morrison, Chair of the judging panel, said: “Politics, family, art, marriage, health, civic duty and the environment are just a few of the themes it touches on, in a prose that’s lyrical yet firmly rooted. Its subject may be an ordinary working life, but it is itself an extraordinary work.” NUI Galway President, Dr Jim Browne, who will speak at the reception, said: “On behalf of the entire University community I’d like to congratulate Mike on his achievement and his recent success. He is in the vanguard of a new generation of Irish literary talent and we at NUI Galway are very proud of our association with Mike over many years - both as an alumnus and a member of our academic staff. Mike’s most recent success with Solar Bones has brought further international recognition for his writing and is a source of great pride to all of us who know and value his work.” McCormack is the longstanding teacher of fiction on NUI Galway’s MA in Writing, and during the current academic year he has taken up the directorship of the university’s BA with Creative Writing programme, on which he has also been a teacher and mentor. He will be joined on the evening by friends and colleagues from the University including Dr Elizabeth Tilley, Head of the Discipline of English, who said: “Mike’s colleagues in the Discipline of English are delighted to have the opportunity to congratulate him publicly on these wonderful awards. Our students and staff have long been aware of Mike’s creative talent; it is entirely in order for the larger University community to share with us now in celebrating his work.” Professor Felix Ó Murchadha, Head of the School of Humanities, further emphasizes McCormack’s role as a creative-writing educator: “We are so fortunate to have a writer of Mike McCormack’s stature teaching and mentoring in the School of Humanities. Not alone is he an author of international renown as evidenced by his recent awards, but he generously shares his craft with students here at NUI Galway. Mike’s colleagues in Humanities are delighted to celebrate the fitting recognition he has recently received.” Also taking part in the celebrations on the evening will be former students of McCormack’s at NUI Galway who themselves have been enjoying recent successes in the writing and publishing world. Readings from some of McCormack’s previous works will culminate in a reading by the author himself from Solar Bones.  -Ends- 

NUI Galway’s O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance will stage its first ever play in March, the classic American drama Machinal. Sophie Treadwell’s 1928 play was inspired by true events, and follows a young woman suffocated by a restrictive, unfeeling machine-like society. Haunting and provocative, Treadwell’s expressionistic play is made immediately relevant in this new production that updates the piece to reflect our contemporary technology-saturated age. Produced and performed by undergraduates of Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway, this production will showcase the talents of a new emerging generation of exciting theatre-makers. The play is directed by Dr Ian R. Walsh, a Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway. His books include Experimental Irish Theatre and The Theatre of Enda Walsh. His professional directing credits include Purple Path to the Poppy Field, The Magic Flute, Orfeo ed Eurydice, The Wandering Scholar and Riders to the Sea. Speaking ahead of the production, Dr Walsh said: “This will be the first full production in the new state-of-the-art O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, home to Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway. Our students are delighted to stage this innovative play for Galway audiences.” Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway, Patrick Lonergan stated that the production of Machinal is part of the University’s commitment to staging new work: “We are staging four new productions this year with our students, two written by women and two written by men – with further details to be announced in the months ahead. Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is a famous but rarely seen play that will showcase the best of our facilities and our students’ talents. As Galway moves towards 2020 and the European Capital of Culture, we are delighted to play our part in contributing to the cultural richness of Galway and the wider region.” The show runs from 1-3 March at 8pm with a special Saturday matinee on Saturday, 4 March at 3pm. Tickets are available for €5 from the SocsBox at NUI Galway in Áras na Mac Léinn or phone 091 492852. -Ends-              

Professor Robert Lahue of the Centre for Chromosome Biology and the Galway Neuroscience Centre at NUI Galway, has received a newly launched research grant to provide new science findings that will underpin his research on identifying potential treatments for Huntington’s disease. The BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council UK) - Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) joint research grant awarded funding of almost €700,000 between NUI Galway and the University of Leicester. Professor Lahue is just the second NUI Galway researcher to be funded under this new award scheme. Professor Lahue will co-lead a research programme in conjunction with Professor John Schwabe, which will focus on the regulation of proteins that are responsible for causing neurological disease. Huntington’s disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that causes serious cognitive and movement defects. It is debilitating, untreatable and relentlessly fatal. It is a particularly cruel disease as children are sometimes affected more severely than their parents. Current research into Huntington’s disease has identified a potential therapeutic target, an enzyme called histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3). This enzyme is thought to dysregulate a number of important biochemical mechanisms in the brain of Huntington’s disease patients, leading to disease. Professor Lahue’s recent research also links HDAC3 to the genetic mutation that afflicts Huntington’s disease patients. The BBSRC - SFI joint research programme will focus on the molecular mechanism of how HDAC3 exacerbates the genetic basis of Huntington’s disease. Importantly, this project will use basic science approaches to explore the novel idea that HDAC3 causes genetic mutations. Speaking about the new research grant, Professor Lahue said: “The BBSRC-SFI joint funding offers a wonderful opportunity for discovery research that is linked to human health. We now have the chance to combine the expertise of Professor John Schwabe on HDACs with my group’s expertise in Huntington’s disease genetics. Together, we aim to answer important questions about how HDAC3 is connected to the disease.” Science Foundation Ireland and the BBSRC have entered into this new agreement to welcome, encourage and support research applications that cut across national boundaries involving collaborative teams led by researchers from the UK and Ireland. -Ends-

Two NUI Galway graduates, who were among the 2016 Highly Commended Entrants at the Undergraduate Awards (UA), presented their papers at the recent UPresent: Island of Ireland 2017. The event saw students and recent graduates from all around Ireland and Northern Ireland gather to present their innovative research in under three minutes to their peers, lecturers and notable academics from various institutions on the island. Law graduate Mahmoud Abukhadir from Drogheda, Co. Louth presented his paper The Case for the Establishment of an International Patent System, which was Highly Commended in the Law category in the 2016 Undergraduate Awards. Bachelor of Science graduate Claire Dooley presented her paper Targeting Fibrinogen as a Factor Contributing to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Originally from Bouladuff, Co. Tipperary, Claire’s paper was the highest ranked paper from the Island of Ireland in the Life Sciences category in the Undergraduate Awards. The Highly Commended Entrants are students and recent graduate who were placed in the top 10% of their field globally in The Undergraduate Awards 2016. Keynote speaker at UPresent: Island of Ireland, Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, Policy Advisor to the Higher Education Authority (HEA), spoke on the topic of ‘The Role of Higher Education in the Age of Populism’. She has worked as higher education policy consultant and specialist with international organisations and governments for over 15 years. -Ends-

Acmhainn Nua Oideachais do Bhéaltriail Ghaeilge na hArdteistiméireachta. Tá TG4 i gcomhar le hOllscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh tar éis suíomh nua físe a chur ar fáil ar www.tg4.ie/foghlaim do dhaltaí iar-bhunscoile atá ag ullmhú do Bhéaltriail Ghaeilge na hArdteistiméireachta. Beidh an file clúiteach as Dún na nGall, Pádraig Mac Suibhne (‘Colscaradh’), ag seoladh an tsuímh go hoifigiúil an 02 Féabhra 2017 ag 1.30 in Áras na Gaeilge in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, i gcuideachta daltaí Ardteiste ó Choláiste na Coiribe, Gaillimh.  Is acmhainn nua oideachais closamhairc TG4 Foghlaim, atá curtha in oiriúint do riachtanais dhaltaí na hArdteistiméireachta, ach is féidir le foghlaimeoirí ar leibhéal ar bith an t-ábhar seo a úsáid lena gcuid scileanna Gaeilge a fhorbairt. Tá an acmhainn seo ar fáil saor in aisce do dhaltaí agus d’fhoghlaimeoirí eile in Éirinn agus ar fud an domhain. Is furasta an suíomh gréasáin nua seo a úsáid agus beidh ábhar nua á chur ar fáil ann go leanúnach; ag tús gach seachtaine i rith na scoilbhliana, cuirfear cleachtaí nua in airde ann atá bunaithe ar mhíreanna físe ó scoth na gclár ar TG4. Tá na ceachtanna féin bunaithe ar thopaicí an tSiollabais Ardteistiméireachta agus ar fáil saor in aisce. Lena chois sin, beidh léiriú físe ar fáil ar TG4 Foghlaim ar bhrí liteartha agus ar bhrí mheafarach na ndánta atá ar an Siollabas, mar aon le próifíl iomlán ar na filí agus cur síos ar chúlra na ndánta. Is comhpháirtíocht idir TG4 agus Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh an togra seo agus táthar ag súil go rachaidh sé chun tairbhe do dhaltaí agus do mhúinteoirí araon. Deir Leascheannasaí TG4, Pádhraic Ó Ciardha, go bhfuil an togra seo curtha le chéile mar thoradh ar iarratais go leor atá déanta ag múinteoirí (agus a gcuid daltaí) ar an gcainéal le beagán blianta: “Is cóir agus is deas linn togra oideachasúil mar seo a sheoladh mar chruthúnas breise ar an leas poiblí a dhéanann TG4 ag cur na Gaeilge chun cinn ar fud na cruinne.” Leagann Príomhfheidhmeannach Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, Dónall Ó Braonáin, béim ar thábhacht an togra: “Is iontach go bhfuil taighde ceannródaíoch ar an sealbhú teanga á roinnt ar mhúinteoirí agus mic léinn ardteistiméireachta a bhuíochas d’acmhainní foghlama den chéad scoth.” Tuilleadh eolais ó caroline.ni.dhubhchoin@tg4.ie nó 091 505050. -Críoch- TG4 FOGHLAIM Oral Irish Leaving Certificate Examination Resource TG4 has teamed up with NUI Galway to create TG4 Foghlaim, an innovative and attractive  new audiovisual resource website that will prove of great assistance to postprimary students preparing for the Oral Irish Leaving Certificate Examination. Renowned poet, Pádraig Mac Suibhne, whose poem ‘Colscaradh’ features on the Irish Leaving Certificate Syllabus, will launch the site officially on Thursday the 2nd of February at 1.30 in Áras na Gaeilge in NUI Galway. Pádraig will be joined by TG4 presenter Fiona Ní Fhlatharta and TG4’s Deputy CEO, Pádhraic Ó Ciardha. Dónall Ó Braonáin, CEO of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge will also be present together with Leaving Certificate students from Coláiste na Coiribe, Gaillimh. TG4 Foghlaim aims to ensure that students are well-informed on topics relevant to the Oral Irish exam, which is worth 40% of the overall subject grade. Other learners of all levels and ages, both nationally and internationally, are also encouraged to avail of the website free of charge to improve their oral Irish fluency.  The free, user-friendly site encourages both teachers and students alike to engage with audiovisual content and downloadable lesson plans. TG4 Foghlaim has been careful to maintain a balance between the three major dialects that are represented in its content. This has been extracted from popular TG4 programmes or created exclusively for TG4 Foghlaim. The new aid also offers visual interpretations of the poetry set for the Oral Exam. These interpretations not only explore the literal and metaphorical meanings of the poems, but also feature video profiles of the five poets who composed the works in question. This new project is the latest is a series of partnerships between TG4 and NUI Galway for the benefit of both students and teachers alike. TG4’s Deputy CEO,Pádhraic Ó Ciardha, has revealed that this project has been the result of regular and increasing feedback from  both teachers and students  over recent years: “We are delighted to launch this important and highly visual project which illustrates the importance that TG4 places on the development of Irish throughout the world.” CEO of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, Dónall Ó Braonáin, points to the relevance of the project: “It is terrific that Leaving Certificate students and teachers will benefit directly from leading research in language acquisition through first-class learning resources.” More information from caroline.ni.dhubhchoin@tg4.ie or 091 505050  -Ends-

NUI Galway has announced the winners of the 2017 Alumni Awards to be presented at the 17th annual Alumni Awards Gala Banquet on Saturday, 4 March, 2017 in the Bailey Allen Hall located in Áras na Mac Léinn on campus. The Alumni Awards recognise individual excellence and achievements among the University’s more than 90,000 graduates worldwide. The Awards programme will this year boast an impressive roll call of 100 outstanding graduates who have gone on to honour their alma mater, including, for example, President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins; Olympian Olive Loughnane; Rugby great Ciarán FitzGerald; RTÉ broadcaster Sean O’Rourke; Attorney General, Máire Whelan; former Creganna CEO, Helen Ryan, Tony Award-winning actress, Marie Mullen and broadcaster Gráinne Seoige. The winners of the six alumni awards to be presented at Gala 2017: Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies - sponsored by Galway University Foundation  - Mike McCormack, Irish novelist and short story writer. Alumni Award for Business and Commerce – sponsored by Bank of Ireland   -  Tara McCarthy, CEO of Bord Bia. Alumni Award for Law, Public Policy and Government – sponsored by Ronan Daly Jermyn   -  Dr Tom Courtney, Corporate Partner in Arthur Cox. Alumni Award for Engineering, Science and Technology – sponsored by AIB  - Anne Marie Farrell, Head of Behavioural Economics Research Global SMB Marketing, Google. Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences – sponsored by Medtronic  - Dr Eileen Naughten, Retired Consultant Paediatrician. Joint Alumni Award for Contribution to Sport – sponsored by Bank of Ireland  - Dr Eoghan Clifford, Paralympic medal winner and NUI Galway Lecturer  - Deirdre Mongan, Paralympic Athlete                        Speaking on the announcement of the Award recipients, President of NUI Galway, Dr Jim Browne said: “Our Alumni Awards programme recognises the many Galway alumni who are leaders in their professions and excel in their pursuits at national and international levels. These awards celebrate the life-long value of an NUI Galway education and recognise individual achievements among the University’s more than 90,000 graduates worldwide. I congratulate each of the Award winners and look forward to welcoming them back to their alma mater for the Gala Banquet in March.” For ticket and booking information contact the Alumni Office on 091 494310 or email alumni@nuigalway.ie. Online bookings at www.guf.ie   -Ends-

€945,000 funding over four years through Horizon 2020 programme Industry-academia research consortium will enhance intersectoral and transnational cooperation CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices based at NUI Galway is one of the partners involved in a new international industry-academia consortium. The 3D-NEONET consortium aims to accelerate the development of therapeutic interventions for cancer and eye disease through enhanced intersectoral and transnational research cooperation. The consortium is bringing together a unique group of microbiologists, cancer biologists, chemists, material scientists, mechanical engineers, ocular pharmacologists, geneticists and toxicologists from nine academic and nine non-academic partner organisations in seven countries. Through staff exchanges of periods ranging from one month to one year, participants will learn new skills, share knowledge and have the opportunity to work on joint research and innovation projects in oncology and ophthalmology in academic and commercial institutions across Europe. The aim is to accelerate the development of therapeutic interventions for oncology and ophthalmology. The Drug Discovery and Delivery Network for Oncology and Eye Therapeutics (3D-NEONET) consortium has been awarded €945,000, over four years, under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (MSCA-RISE). Dr Breandán Kennedy, Associate Professor in the UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and a Fellow of the UCD Conway Institute will lead the 3D-NEO-NET consortium. Dr Kennedy said: “Through 3D-NEONET, we will address key challenges facing research and innovation in Europe today. University graduates can struggle to transit smoothly into industry employment; research SMEs may have limited capacity to capitalise on new technology or find suitably experienced staff; and there is often unnecessary duplication of resources across Europe due to individual institutions working in isolation.” He added: “This programme is a fantastic opportunity to enhance career development, facilitate knowledge sharing and enable new skills acquisition. Ultimately, this will form a sustainable network of academics and SMEs who can collectively overcome obstacles in the development of therapeutics for oncology and ophthalmology.” Spanish consortium partner ZeClinics will exchange staff with QUB and CÚRAM at NUI Galway, providing these two academic partners with tools and expertise to test in vivo efficacy and safety of their drug delivery systems. Dr Javier Terriente, CSO, ZeClinics, said: “The goal of all 3D-NEONET institutions is to have an impact on people’s health. This initiative will allow sharing knowledge and bridging experts from areas and sectors that otherwise would never meet. We are eager to share our experience in drug discovery with top students in the ocular and oncology fields. For ZeClinics students, it will be great to learn from the best minds in these relevant therapeutic areas.” Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM, NUI Galway, said: “Our goal at CÚRAM is to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from chronic illness. We are delighted to be part of this consortium and we hope that the continued sharing of expertise and knowledge will lead to efficient translation of research results that benefit the patient as well as upskilling Irish researchers involved in developing the next generation of medical devices.” Over the next four years, the proposed programme of work will include multiple staff exchange interactions among the 18 partners. Professor Orla Feely, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, said: “This new pan-European ophthalmic and oncology research consortium, which UCS is leading, will not only provide individual researchers with skills that can improve their career prospects, both in and outside academia, but will also boost research and innovation capacity and output among participating universities and industry partners, and ultimately impact Europe's economy and society.” Professor Feely added: “It is very encouraging to see the involvement by UCD researchers from across so many disciplines in the College of Science, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences and College of Engineering and Architecture in this new consortium.” ENDS

Henry Glassie, Professor of Folklore at Indiana University will give the Third Annual Jean Ritchie Memorial Lecture on ‘The Southern Mountain Music of Ola Belle Reed (1916-2002)’. The lecture will take place on Thursday, 2 February from 1-2pm in The Cube, Áras na Mac Léinn. Bella Reed was an American folk singer, songwriter and banjo player whose work engaged with Appalachian life and traditions. She was one of the greatest ever performers of Appalachian music. Professor Glassie has co-authored of Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line, which includes rare recordings of Reed’s music. In 1966, Professor Glassie first heard her play in the town of Oxford, Pennsylvania, where Alex and Ola Belle Reed and the New River Boys and Girls performed Southern mountain music live, on the air, in the back of the Campbell’s Corner general store. Over the next two years, he recorded her repertoire of folk ballads, minstrel songs, country standards, and originals. He also chronicled the remarkable story of the migration of communities from the Blue Ridge Mountains toward the Mason-Dixon Line prior to WWII. Professor Glassie’s work has received many awards, including the Chicago Folklore Prize. In 2010, he was given the ‘American Folklore Society’s Award for a Lifetime of Scholarly Achievement’, and the prestigious ‘Charles Homer Haskins Prize of the American Council of Learned Societies’ in 2011. -Ends-  

Researchers in NUI Galway have issued a call for patients and healthy volunteers to participate in a scientific study to unlock some of the mysteries around schizophrenia. iRELATE is a European Research Council funded project examining the impact of genes, early life experiences and the immune system on the brain. A particular focus of the iRELATE study is to understand how genetic and environmental factors impact on social thinking and interaction, a key factor in schizophrenia related disability. A chronic and severe mental disorder, schizophrenia (which affects between 0.5-1% of the  population) usually manifests between the ages of 18 and 30, affecting how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Among that age group, the World Health organisation lists schizophrenia among the top five most disabling conditions, ahead of blindness and paraplegia. Gary Donohoe, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Neuroimaging and cognitive Genomics (NICOG) at NUI Galway, is heading up the research project. “Schizophrenia is poorly understood by society as a whole, and there is also an incredible amount that we as clinicians and scientists have yet to understand. In this study we are trying to better understand schizophrenia by looking at how our brains process the social information that allows us to negotiate social situations. We know that there are genetic and environmental factors involved, but how these combine is uncertain. One idea is that these factors may influence brain development via our immune system – a biological system increasingly implicated in schizophrenia risk.” iRELATE will use a combination of state of the art neuroimaging, cognitive testing and molecular and genetic techniques to examine differences in genes and immune function across research participants, and how these may affect the brain. Research will be carried out across two sites in Galway and Dublin: at University Hospital Galway’s HRB Clinical Research Facility  and St. James’s Hospital’s Wellcome-HRB Clinical Research Facility and Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging (CAMI), in collaboration with colleagues from Trinity College Dublin’s Department of Psychiatry. The iRELATE project is currently recruiting research volunteers, including patients with  schizophrenia, and healthy volunteers. “We are asking people to reach out to our team to find out a little bit more about the project and how they may possibly be part of us and help us better understand this condition. Learning about this condition will better inform treatments of the future.” To find out more about volunteering for iRELATE, e-mail: iRELATE@nuigalway.ie ,  telephone 091 495 953, or visit us on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/irelateproject/  or at https://www.nuigalway.ie/nicog/irelate/ -Ends-

NUI Galway’s Centre for Irish Studies has announced Sarah Ghriallas as the Sean-nós Singer-in-Residence for 2017. Originally from Muiceanach, Co. Galway, Sarah has long been acknowledged as a sean-nós singer of exceptional talent, winning the coveted Corn Uí Riada award at the Oireachtas for the first time in 1984. That same prize has also been taken home by her son Michael, her sisters Nóra and Nan, and her niece Celia Ní Fhátharta. Sarah’s was a household full of singing and music-making and she credits her parents, Pádraig and Máire, and her wider family for instilling her first love of singing. Some of the songs which are most associated with Sarah include ‘Sagart na Cúile Báine’, Condae Mhaigh Eo’, ‘Táilliúir an Mhagaidh’ agus ‘Eileanóir na Rún’. To begin her residency, Sarah will give a series of five sean-nós singing workshops at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway, beginning on Wednesday, 8 February at 7pm. Workshops are free and open to all. This scheme is run with support from Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta, An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. For further information contact Samantha Williams in the Centre for Irish Studies at 091 492051 or Samantha.williams@nuigalway.ie. -Ends- Sarah Ghriallais Ceaptha mar Amhránaí Cónaitheach ag OÉ Gaillimh Is cúis mhór áthais é d’Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh, OÉ Gaillimh go bhfuil Sarah Ghriallais ceaptha mar Amhránaí Cónaitheach Sean-nóis i mbliana. Is duine de chlann Ghriallais as Muiceanach-idir-Dhá-Sháile í Sarah Ghriallais a bhfuil cáil na hamhránaíochta sean-nóis uirthi le blianta fada. Ocht n-uaire ar fad atá Corn Uí Riada buaite ag na Griallaiseacha, idir Sarah, a mac Michael, a cuid deirfiúracha Nóra agus Nan agus a neacht Celia Ní Fhátharta. Is sa mbliain 1984 a thug Sarah féin léi duais mhór an Oireachtais, Corn Uí Riada. Is óna hathair, Pádraig Ghriallais, agus a máthair, Máire, a phioc Sarah suas na hamhráin an chéad lá riamh. Baile an-cheolmhar a bhí i Muiceanach ina hóige, dar le Sarah, le bosca ceoil i ngach teach agus bhí na damhsóirí ar an sean-nós chomh fairsing ann is a bhí na hamhránaithe ag an am. Is iad na hamhráin is mó a chasann agus a thaitníonn le Sarah ná ‘Sagart na Cúile Báine’, Condae Mhaigh Eo’, ‘Táilliúir an Mhagaidh’ agus ‘Eileanóir na Rún’. Beidh sraith ceardlann á reachtáil ag Sarah san Ollscoil agus in áiteanna eile san Earrach agus arís sa bhFómhar agus beidh a chuid amhrán á dtaifeadadh aici don gcartlann sean-nóis atá á cur le chéile le blianta beaga anuas ag Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh. Cuirfear tús leis na ceardlanna i seomra seimineáir an Ionaid ar Bhóthar na Drioglainne, Dé Céadaoin, 8Feabhra, ag 7pm. Tá na ceardlanna saor in aisce agus fáilte roimh daoine a bhfuil spéis acu san amhránaíocht. Is iad Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta, An Chomhairle Ealaíon agus Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh, OÉ Gaillimh, a mhaoiníonn an tionscnamh seo. Tuilleadh eolais ó Samantha Williams, Ionad an Léinn Éireannaigh, OÉ Gaillimh, ag 091 492051 nó Samantha.williams@nuigalway.ie. -Críoch-

NUI Galway will hold its Postgraduate Open Day on Tuesday, 7 February, from 1-5pm in the Bailey Allen Hall, Áras na Mac Léinn. The Open Day is an important event for professionals and graduates who are focusing on their future, with an aim of upgrading their qualification, broadening their skills-set, increasing their specialist knowledge and ultimately improving their job prospects. The Open Day will showcase over 160 of NUI Galway’s full-time and part-time postgraduate programmes, and an extensive range of research Masters and doctoral research options. Over 100 information stands will provide details on postgraduate opportunities at the University, with academic staff and current students on hand to answer questions about specific courses. The event will not just highlight the pathways for attendees to progress in their current career track or area of study but will also present the growing number of options for graduates and professionals who want to change track and pursue an alternative career. Sarah Geraghty, Student Recruitment and Outreach Manager at NUI Galway, said: “In addition to a variety of interdisciplinary conversion courses, many of the Masters on offer are open to graduates from multiple undergraduate courses. The Open Day will include a panel discussion on the topic ‘Changing Direction’ with expertise from all corners of the University available to give advice and answer questions for those exploring their options in new fields of study.” A key part of the decision to pursue a postgraduate qualification is finding out as much as possible about the application process and the funding options available. The upcoming Open Day brings together all the key people and organisations that provide support to postgraduate students. The recent announcement by the Department of Education and Skills on increased investment in maintenance grants in 2017/2018 will benefit over 1,000 students. SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), the national awarding authority for all higher and further education student grants, will be giving talks at the Open Day and on hand to answer queries about grants and funding. NUI Galway offers a wide range of fourth level courses, developing programmes based on its traditional academic strengths of Arts, Social Sciences, Celtic Studies, Commerce, Medicine, Nursing, Health Science, Law, Engineering, Informatics and Science. These areas have been augmented with innovative research centres in areas as diverse as Biomedical Science and Engineering, International Human Rights, Digital Media and Film Studies and Regenerative Medicine. The Open Day will showcase new programme offerings for 2017 including Masters programmes in Cellular Manufacturing, Astronomical Instrumentation and Technology, Politics and Sociology and Computational Genomics. To view NUI Galway’s suite of new and unique postgraduate programmes and to book your place at the Open Day visit www.nuigalway.ie/postgraduate-open-day  or simply call in on the day. To apply for an NUI Galway postgraduate course visit www.pac.ie/nuigalway. -Ends-

CÚRAM Investigator, Dr Manus Biggs, is one of three Irish researchers to receive a newly launched Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - Science Foundation Ireland joint research grant of over €1 million, awarded between NUI Galway and the University of Glasgow. The BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland have entered an agreement to welcome, encourage and support research applications that cut across national boundaries involving collaborative teams led by researchers from the UK and Ireland. Dr Biggs will co-lead a research programme in conjunction with Professor Matthew Dalby, Professor of Cell Engineering (Institute of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology) at the University of Glasgow. The programme will focus on the development of nanobiomimetic electrically active scaffolds for bone regeneration, with an aim of producing rapid, large area bone grafts in the laboratory environment. Bone tissue regeneration remains an important challenge in the field of tissue engineering and sees a transplantation frequency second only to that of blood. Bone grafting is the current standard treatment; however, given the inherent limitations of this approach, bone tissue engineering and advanced biomaterials that mimic the structure and function of native tissues hold potential as alternative strategies to regeneration. Current studies in regenerative bone scaffolds suggest that further biomimicry is required before a complete solution to bone regeneration can be delivered. Further evidence has been gathered on the importance of minute electrical and mechanical cues on cell differentiation and function. “This project will further our current understanding of the joint role of electromechanical stimulation on stem cell function. We need to focus on understanding the cellular response to these subtle electrical and mechanical cues,” says Dr Biggs “We can then understand more fully how these influence cell function and tissue regeneration.” This joint programme will focus on combining piezoelectric regenerative scaffolds, (piezoelectric materials have the ability to generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical stress) with nano mechanical stimulation to develop new bone cells from stem cells. CÚRAM is the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices, based at NUI Galway. Supported by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and industry partners, CÚRAM’s goal is to radically improve quality of life for patients with chronic illness by developing the next generation of smart, implantable medical devices. The Centre’s innovative approach incorporates biomaterials, drug delivery, cell based technologies, glycosciences and device design to enhance, develop and validate both traditional and new combinational medical devices, from molecular design stage to implant manufacturing. CÚRAM's devices are being developed with strong clinical collaborations to enable rapid translation of research findings to clinical application. -Ends-

The finals of the Independent.ie Higher Education Fitzgibbon Cup senior hurling championship will be hosted by NUI Galway on 24-25 February, and were officially launched today at the University. It was announced that the final of the Independent.ie Fitzgibbon Cup will be held in Pearse Stadium, Salthill. The semi-finals of the competition will be held in Dangan, the NUI Galway Sports Grounds, along with the semi-finals of the Ryan Cup and the Fergal Maher Cups. The final of the Cup, which is sponsored by Independent.ie for the third year, will also be broadcast live on TG4 and takes place on Saturday, 25 February, 2017. The annual Independent.ie Fitzgibbon Cup dinner will take place on Friday, 24 February in the Westwood Hotel, where the late Joe McDonagh’s association with Gaelic Games at the University will be celebrated on a night I gCuimhne ar Joe. While in college, Joe played for the UCG football and hurling teams, winning a Fresher’s hurling medal in 1972 and featuring in several Sigerson and Fitzgibbon campaigns. As a postgraduate student in 1977 he finally collected his Fitzgibbon Cup medal, having beaten Maynooth in the final, 1-14, 1-12. In the history of the Cup, NUI Galway has won the title 10 times, the last in 2010 when hosted by the University. Previous to that that was 37 years ago in 1980 when also hosted in the west. In the 2016 championship, Mary Immaculate College hurlers were crowned title holders for the first time after defeating their local rivals University of Limerick in extra time. Trinity College Dublin took in the Ryan Cup, and IT Sligo took the Fergal Maher Cup. Commenting on the upcoming championship, Mike Heskin, NUI Galway Director of Sport, said: “NUI Galway is delighted to host the Fitzgibbon Cup sponsored by Independent.ie at the NUI Galway Sport Complex in Dangan. It will be a great festival of hurling with inter county players from all over the country. We are very grateful for the assistance provided by Galway GAA, Croke Park and our sponsors Bank of Ireland in hosting this event.  NUI Galway have won the competition on ten occasions and we hope 2017 will see the University back in the top flight of third level hurling. I would especially encourage all hurling lovers in the West of Ireland to come and support the teams over the weekend.” Arlene Regan, Marketing Manager, Independent.ie said; “We are delighted to be sponsors of the Independent.ie Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cups for the third year running. These competitions showcase the best of the young GAA talent in the country and as a media organisation that is steeped in GAA tradition, we value our partnership greatly. Best of luck to all the participants this year - if last year is anything to go by, there is a very exciting few months ahead.” -Ends- Corn Mhic Giobúin Independent.ie á reáchtáil ag OÉ Gaillimh in 2017  Reáchtálfaidh OÉ Gaillimh craobhchomórtas Chorn Mhic Giobúin Independent.ie, an craobhchomórtas ardoideachais iománaíochta sinsir, an 24-25 Feabhra, agus seoladh go hoifigiúil an comórtas san Ollscoil inniu. Beidh cluiche ceannais Chorn Mhic Giobúin Independent.ie ar siúl ar Pháirc an Phiarsaigh i mBóthar na Trá.  Beidh na cluichí leathcheannais ar siúl sa Daingean, Ionad Spóirt OÉ Gaillimh, mar aon le cluichí leathcheannais Chorn Uí Riain agus Chorn Fergal Maher. Craolfar beo ar TG4 cluiche ceannais an Choirn, atá urraithe ag Independent.ie don tríú bliain anois, Dé Sathairn, an 25 Feabhra 2017. Beidh dinnéar bliantúil Chorn Mhic Giobúin Independent.ie ar siúl Dé hAoine, an 24 Feabhra in Óstán an Westwood, áit a ndéanfar ceiliúradh ar an gceangal a bhí ag Seosamh Mac Donncha leis na Cluichí Gaelacha san Ollscoil ag an ócáid I gCuimhne ar Joe. Sa choláiste, d'imir Joe ar fhoirne peile agus iománaíochta COG. Bhuaigh sé bonn iománaíochta sa chéad bhliain i 1972 agus bhí sé páirteach in go leor comórtais Sigerson agus Mhic Giobúin. Mar iarchéimí i 1977, bhuaigh sé bonn i gCorn Mhic Giobúin sa deireadh, nuair a bhí an bua ag COG ar Mhá Nuad sa chluiche ceannais, 1-14, 1-12. Tá an Corn buaite ag OÉ Gaillimh deich n-uaire. Is in 2010 a bhuaigh an Ollscoil go deireadh é nuair a bhí an comórtas ar siúl san ollscoil. Tá sé 37 bliain ó shin, i 1980 ó reáchtáladh an Corn san iarthar. I gcraobh 2016, ba iad iománaithe Choláiste Mhuire gan Smál a bhuaigh an corn den chéad uair riamh nuair a fuair siad an ceann is fearr ar a gcomharsana Ollscoil Luimnigh in am breise. Ba iad Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath a bhuaigh Corn Uí Riain, agus ba iad IT Shligigh a bhuaigh Corn Fergal Maher. Ag labhairt dó faoin gcraobhchomórtas, dúirt Mike Heskin, Stiúrthóir Spóirt OÉ Gaillimh: “Cúis áthas do OÉ Gaillimh Corn Mhic Giobúin a reáchtáil, urraithe ag Independent.ie in Ionad Spóirt OÉ Gaillimh sa Daingean. Ócáid iontach iománaíochta a bheas inti agus beidh imreoirí contae as fud fad na tíre páirteach. Táimid an-bhuíoch as an gcúnamh ó CLG Chontae na Gaillimhe, Páirc an Chrócaigh agus ónár n-urraitheoirí Banc na hÉireann chun an ócáid seo a reáchtáil.  Tá an comórtas buaite ag OÉ Gaillimh deich mbabhta agus tá súil againn go mbeidh an Ollscoil ar ais i mbarr a réime in 2017 ó thaobh iománaíochta ag an tríú leibhéal de. Mholfainn do dhaoine ar spéis leo an iománaíocht san iarthar tacú leis na foirne ag an deireadh seachtaine.”  Dúirt Arlene Regan, Bainisteoir Margaíochta, Independent.ie; “Tá an-áthas orainn urraíocht a dhéanamh ar Chorn Sigerson agus Mhic Giobúin Independent.ie don tríú bliain as a chéile. Léiríonn na comórtais seo na himreoirí óga CLG is fearr sa tír agus mar eagraíocht atá báite sna meáin agus i dtraidisiún CLG, is mór againn an chomhpháirtíocht seo.  Go n-éirí an t-ádh leis na rannpháirtithe ar fad i mbliana - má bhíonn sé cosúil leis an mbliain seo caite, tá cúpla mí iontach romhainn.”  -Críoch-

NUI Galway’s Theatre Week returns to Galway City from 20-25 February celebrating Drama in many forms. This year’s programme contains a diverse programme that will appeal to a variety of people, whether you are a college student or just a Galway theatre lover and showcases the many talents of NUI Galway students through theatre, literature and film. Dramsoc’s flagship for the week is John Steinbeck's classic Of Mice and Men, directed by Naoise O'Beirn. The play dazzled audiences during its Broadway revival in 2014 which starred Chris O'Dowd and James Franco. This show will run for three performances, on the 20, 21 and 22 February at 8pm in the Bank of Ireland Theatre on campus. Featured in this week-long theatre extravaganza will also be the Jerome Hynes One Act Series, hosting five original plays by Dramsoc’s own writers. The plays will have varying themes from comedy to drama and will take place from 22-24 February. Since the inauguration of the series in 2001, many of the playwrights have gone on to win national and international awards and acclaim, and have seen their work produced professionally, and many new theatre companies have also emerged from the process. NUI Galway Societies Officer, Ríona Hughes said: “The week is the perfect showcase for our students, many of whom are studying drama, and we are delighted to invite back our dramatic alumni and feature their work during a week dedicated to theatre. We really hope the public will come onto campus and celebrate with us.” Dramsoc is delighted to support the newly formed Cáca Dána Theatre Company for their second production. The company was founded last year by Dramsoc alumni, Niamh Ryan, Katie Reid, Marie Hegarty and Dara O’Donnell. After a highly successful run in the Town Hall studio with their first play All the World’s a Cage, the company are returning with a new play starring and written by Niamh Ryan entitled Eternal Youth, which made its debut in North Carolina, produced by Lab Theatre. The production resulted in Ryan receiving the Sam Seldon Playwriting award. The play was performed in Dramsoc as a rehearsed reading in 2016 and will now take to the stage in the Town Hall studio. Tickets can be bought from the Town Hall Theatre. Other events taking place during the week include a devised theatre performance, a dance performance, and a variety show hosted by NUI Galway GIGSoc. Full details of each event can be found at http://www.nuigstudents.ie/theatreweek17 or follow the NUI Galway Theatre Week on Facebook for all information. Information and tickets are available from The SocsBox, Áras na Mac Leinn, on 091 492852 or socsbox@socs.nuigalway.ie. -Ends-

NUI Galway’s School of Law will host a public seminar on sports-related concussion and the law on Tuesday, 21 February. Guest speaker, sports law expert Professor Jack Anderson, will speak about brain injury litigation arising from concussion in sport. The seminar is being organised by NUI Galway law lecturer Dr Brian Tobin, who said: “Reports of controversial in-game concussion incidents or of players being forced to retire because of repeated concussion seem all too frequent nowadays in pro rugby, in particular. The seminar will explore what might occur if the controversial issue of concussion in sport was to ultimately collide with its greatest opponent, the law, in the form of brain injury litigation.” Jack Anderson is a Professor of Law at Queen's University Belfast, where he specialises in sports law. He is a member of a number of sports dispute resolution bodies, including those established for the GAA and the FAI. He was recently appointed as an arbitrator to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. The seminar will take place at Áras Moyola, NUI Galway, at 6pm and is free to attend. To register for the concussion seminar visit www.conference.ie. -Ends-

Public Lecture at NUI Galway on McGahern Literary Influences NUI Galway’s Hardiman Library and Moore Institute will host a guest keynote lecture from Professor Frank Shovlin, Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool to mark the publication of a major new book on McGahern’s literary influences. The public lecture will take place on Thursday 2 February in the Moore Institute Seminar Room, NUI Galway at 4pm. The lecture, entitled “Prospecting for Gold – a Year with the McGahern Papers”, will reveal the extent to which the McGahern Archive at NUI Galway influenced the writing of this book and the extent of literary influences in McGahern’s own work. Touchstones: John McGahern’s Classical Style by Professor Shovlin examines the ways in which John McGahern became a writer through his reading. This reading, it is shown, was both extensive and intensive, and tended towards immersion in the classics. As such, new insights are provided into McGahern’s admiration and use of writers as diverse as Dante Alighieri, William Blake, James Joyce, Albert Camus and several others. Evidence for these claims is found both through close reading of McGahern’s published texts as well as unprecedented sleuthing in his extensive archive of papers held at NUI Galway. Dr John Kenny, John McGahern Lecturer in Creative Writing at NUI Galway, who will launch Touchstones following the public lecture, emphasises the importance of this new study: “Frank Shovlin’s book is a milestone for new approaches in McGahern criticism – forensically immersed in our McGahern Archive, and attentive to the depths beneath the realist surface of McGahern’s published work, Touchstones demonstrates that layered reading can add formidably to the sheer enjoyment of the art of fiction.” Frank Shovlin is Professor of Irish Literature in English and Head of Department, Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool and the author of Journey Westward: Joyce, Dubliners and the Literary Revival (LUP, 2012). ENDS

NUI Galway today (27 January, 2017) welcomed confirmation from the Department of Education and Skills that eligible students from the UK who enrol for eligible courses for the 2017/18 academic year will be able to avail of the Department’s Free Fee Schemes as in previous years. This means that students from Northern Ireland eligible under the Free Fees Initiative for 2017/18 will be entitled to avail of the initiative for the duration of their course. This clarification addresses concerns that the triggering of Article 50 could impact on students should the UK leave the European Union before the student completes her or his degree. Registrar and Deputy President of NUI Galway, Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh said: “NUI Galway has been working closely with key stakeholders and relevant partners to ensure that students from Britain and Northern Ireland studying here are not disadvantaged in the event of withdrawal from the European Union. We are pleased that Northern Irish students now have certainty that they will be able to avail of free fee schemes in the event of Article 50 being triggered over the course of their studies.” Ms Grainne Dunne, NUI Galway’s Northern Ireland School Liaison Officer added: "The recent initiative by the Irish Universities Association to revise the model for converting A-Level grades to Leaving Certificate points, thereby increasing the CAO points awarded for A Level grades, saw a significant rise in students applying to NUI Galway in 2016. We anticipate a similar upward trend this year and our prospective students from Northern Ireland will certainly be encouraged by this news on the status of the fees." ENDS

Dr Andrew Smyth, NUI Galway, has secured a prestigious Wellcome Post-Doctoral Training Fellowship award through the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Partnership to carry out a clinical trial to determine the effect of dietary modification on kidney disease. The award is worth €486,492 and will be co-funded by Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board and Wellcome. Using the award, Dr Smyth will also form collaborations with international researchers in McMaster University in Canada and the University of Oxford in the UK to help reveal the risk factors for, and impact of, kidney disease. They will also look at the effect of kidney disease on other aspects of health. Commenting on the award, Dr Smyth said he is: “Very privileged to be given the opportunity to continue to further develop his clinical research skills.” Speaking about the achievement, Dr Graham Love, Chief Executive at the Health Research Board said: “Securing this award is a real testament to Andrew’s research capability. These awards are not easy to get and we are delighted to work with SFI and Wellcome to help make them accessible to Irish researchers.” Commenting on the award, Dr Darrin Morrissey, Director of Programmes at Science Foundation Ireland said: “Science Foundation Ireland would like to congratulate Dr Andrew Smyth as the first recipient in Ireland of this award. I hope that his success will encourage other clinician researchers to explore the opportunities available to support excellent and impactful research through the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Partnership.” Head of Research Careers in Wellcome, Dr Anne-Maire Coriat, commented on the award saying: “We are delighted that Andrew was successful in his application for a Clinical Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowship, he is the first successful applicant from Ireland that Wellcome has supported since we launched the scheme for early postdoctoral fellowships in 2011. Research-active clinicians have an overwhelmingly positive impact on patient care but there are still many challenges facing clinicians who juggle clinical work and research. Our recent support for the Wellcome – Health Research Board Irish Clinical Academic Training (ICAT) Programme is a further example of our support for clinical academic research in Ireland – this award provides support for an all-Ireland cross-institutional, comprehensive national programme for Clinician Scientists based at six major Irish universities and their affiliated hospital groups.” Wellcome’s existing schemes for postdoctoral clinical academics (the Clinical Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowship and Intermediate Clinical Fellowship) have recently been consolidated to establish a new scheme, the Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship. This offers the possibility of longer term support, and much greater flexibility in balancing research and clinical training. Those interested in finding out more, or applying, should visit: https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/clinical-research-career-development-fellowships. Further Irish success in securing funding Recently, three more Irish researchers were successful in obtaining seed funding, worth over €350,000, from Wellcome through the same SFI-HRB-Wellcome Partnership. The Seed Awards are once-off awards of up to £100,000 (or euro equivalent) designed to help researchers develop a novel research idea, which could form part of a larger grant application in the future. The three recent successful awardees are using their funding to understand the function of a novel molecule in killing breast cancer cells, to model the transport of drugs into diseased heart tissue and to generate models of motor neuron diseases using fruit flies. Among the recipients was Dr Ellen Roche, based in NUI Galway also, will work on modelling the transport of drugs into diseased heart tissue using a novel, implantable device that is attached to the outer surface of the heart. Dr Roche’s work has the potential to ultimately improve treatment for patients with heart failure. Seven researchers based in the Republic of Ireland have been successful in securing Seed Awards since the scheme opened in 2015. The closing date for the next round is 13 March 2017, with outcomes due in May 2017. Anyone wishing to apply can find more information on the scheme here: https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/seed-awards-science -ends-

The official opening of the newly established Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia at NUI Galway takes place on Tuesday, 31 January. Professor Eamon O’Shea, Director of the new centre, which is funded by the Health Research Board, will give an inaugural lecture entitled Bringing it all back home - Re-imagining Dementia Care in Ireland. The Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia has been funded through a €1.6 million award from the Health Research Board. The vision is to provide transformative research and policy frameworks that will support personhood within dementia care through an integrated, holistic and person-centred approach to resource allocation for people with dementia. The Centre’s research programme will investigate optimal, person-centred pathways to care, and placement for people on the margins of home care and residential care. “We want to examine the economic, social and emotional costs of caring for people with dementia, with a particular emphasis on non-pharmacological approaches”, explains Professor O’Shea. “We also want to fully explore the concept of personhood in dementia, which in essence means treating the person with dementia as a person in the first instance. Unfortunately, people with dementia have long experienced instances and behaviours which have denied their personhood, for example being ignored, disrespected or not treated with dignity.” “The centre is committed to a partnership approach with all dementia stakeholders, particularly with people with dementia and their carers,” said Professor O’Shea. In addition, the Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia will focus on the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy. It will also promote and build capacity in economic and social research on dementia, develop the next generation of research leaders in the area, and engage directly with health policy makers and practitioners. The Centre’s mission is to: Support economic and social research on dementia in Ireland. Develop and facilitate new thinking on dementia in Ireland that focuses on personhood within dementia. Develop research capacity and facilitate collaboration and networking opportunities in relation to social research on dementia. Provide the research framework for critical appraisal of the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy in Ireland. Include people with dementia and their informal carers in the research process. The work will be hosted at the Institute for Lifecourse and Society at NUI Galway and will complement the University’s existing investment in social gerontology and health economics. The lecture will take place in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society Building, NUI Galway at 5pm.  For more info email cesrd@nuigalway.ie or phone 091 495461 or follow @CESRD_NUIG -ends-

NUI Galway will launch two new videos produced by children and young people which focus on parental separation and divorce. Dr Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children, will attend the launch of the videos ‘It’s OK’ and ‘Dear Parents, Dear Friends’ at NUI Galway’s Institute of Lifecourse and Society on Saturday, 4 February from 12-2pm. Acclaimed Irish actor and Patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at NUI Galway, Cillian Murphy, has given his support to this project by introducing each of the videos, which resulted from work undertaken by a group of youth researchers aged 9 to 19 years. The young researchers from various parts of Ireland have, since 2014, been involved in research about how children and young people in Ireland experience parental separation, divorce and resulting changes in family life. The youth researchers considered that it was important to highlight the research findings to a wider audience. Over a six month period they, along with Dr Ann O’Kelly, a researcher from the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre worked together, in association with Foróige, Ireland’s national youth development organisation, and a Creative Youth Education Programme, TechSpace, to develop their ideas, write scripts and produce two videos. ‘It’s OK’ is aimed at primary school teachers and children and highlights the need for the subject of parental separation and divorce to be discussed openly with young children in school. In the video ‘Dear Parents; Dear Friends’ the youth researchers identify the difficult aspects of parental separation and divorce and provide positive suggestions, especially for parents, to help children and young people overcome these challenges. They also highlight the importance of having support from their friends when difficulties arise. “We are delighted to have the Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon attend this event which will celebrate the work of the young researchers” said Dr Ann O’Kelly, of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre.  The launch will include a discussion with the youth researchers, the video makers and presentations by Professor Pat Dolan of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, NUI Galway; Dr Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children; and the project’s researcher Dr Ann O’Kelly. The UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre supports young people to lead on and collaborate in research projects believing that it positively contributes to their development, enhances their skill set and empowers them to investigate issues and have their voice heard on matters of relevance to their lives. Details of the Centre’s youth as researchers programme are available at www.childandfamilyresearch.ie/youthasresearchers. For further information contact Ann O’Kelly at 085 7412711 or a.cullenokelly1@nuigalway.ie. -Ends-

Tony award-winning musical focuses on water consumption Galway University Musical Society’s (GUMS) 17th annual show ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ will take place in the Black Box Theatre from 7-11 February at 8pm. This underrated and quirky Tony award-winning musical shows a futuristic world where water is scarce and urinating is expensive. The story, full of hilarious characters, satirical script and catchy songs, focuses on class discrimination, corrupt law enforcement, revolution and above all, love. All water consumption is controlled by the unscrupulously greedy Caldwell B. Cladwell and chaos ensues when his daughter falls in love with revolutionary leader Bobby Strong. Riona Hughes, NUI Galway Societies Officer, said: “Galway University Musical Society never fail to deliver top class performances and attendees at last years ‘Adams Family’ will be able to attest to the professionalism of the cast and crew. This year they have taken on a new musical with an intriguing title which is very relevant to an Irish audience as we ponder the future of our water.” Galway University Musical Society is an amateur society run by students with a passion for musicals. Their productions have been nominated for numerous AIMS awards and received rave reviews throughout their years in NUI Galway.  Tickets for Tuesday, 7 and Wednesday, 8 February are €13 or €10 for concession (students or OAPs). Tickets for 9-11 February are €15 or €12 for concession. Tickets are on sale from Wednesday, 25 January, online at www.tht.ie and from the Town Hall Theatre and from the Socs Box in NUI Galway. -Ends-

 A new robotic device could aid failing hearts by mimicking healthy cardiac muscles An innovative soft robotic sleeve which can help a heart to beat has been developed by researchers including Dr Ellen Roche of National University of Ireland Galway. The soft robotic sleeve wraps around the organ, twisting and compressing in synch with the beating heart, potentially opening new treatment options for people suffering from heart failure. The research has been published in the journal Science Translational Medicine today. Dr Roche is the paper’s first author and former PhD student at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and The Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. The research took place at Harvard and at Boston Children’s Hospital. While other therapeutic systems known as ventricular assist devices (VADs) are already used to sustain end-stage heart failure patients awaiting transplant, they extend lives albeit at a high risk due to the number of complications that can occur resulting from their design. Complications include the risk of clotting requiring patients to take potentially dangerous blood thinner medications. Unlike VADs, the soft robotic sleeve does not directly contact blood, avoiding that risk. With heart failure affecting 41 million people worldwide, the hope is the device may one day be able to bridge a patient to transplant or to aid in cardiac rehabilitation and recovery. “This research demonstrates that the growing field of soft robotics can be applied to clinical needs and potentially reduce the burden of heart disease and improve the quality of life for patients,” explains Dr Roche, now a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Peter McHugh in biomedical engineering at National University of Ireland Galway, where she also previously studied for her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering. To create an entirely new device that does not come into contact with blood, the researchers took inspiration from the heart itself. The thin silicone sleeve uses soft pneumatic actuators placed around the heart to mimic the outer muscle layers of the mammalian heart. The actuators twist and compress the sleeve in a similar motion to the beating heart. The device is tethered to an external pump, which uses air to power the soft actuators. "The sleeve can be customized for each patient", said Dr Roche. If a patient has more weakness on the left side of the heart, for example, the actuators can be tuned to give more assistance on that side. The pressure of the actuators can also increase or decrease over time, as the patient’s condition evolves. More research needs to be done before the sleeve can be implanted in humans but the work is an important first step towards an implantable soft robot that can augment organ function. “This research is really significant at the moment because more and more people are ending up with heart failure,” said Roche. “Soft robotic devices are ideally suited to interact with soft tissue and give assistance that can help with augmentation of function, and potentially even healing and recovery.” Senior authors on the study are Professor Conor Walsh, director of the Harvard Biodesign Lab, and Dr Frank Pigula, who was at Boston Childrens Hospital when the research was conducted. The study was co-authored by Markus A. Horvath, Isaac Wamala, Ali Alazmani, Sang-Eun Song, William Whyte, Zurab Machaidze, Christopher J. Payne, James Weaver, Gregory Fishbein, Joseph Kuebler, Nikolay V.Vasilyev and David J. Mooney. It was supported by the Translational Research Program grant from Boston Children’s Hospital, a Director’s Challenge Cross-Platform grant from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Science Foundation Ireland. -ends-

‘Engage ‘17’ will focus on employability, job categories and specific skill sets NUI Galway, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) and the Galway Technical Institute (GTI) will hold a free information day for adult learners on Saturday, 28 January in the Connacht Hotel from 10am -1pm. ‘Engage ’17’ is suitable for those who need some careers advice; whether it’s to upskill, change career, or find out about study options.  This event focuses on adult learners and brings together career advisors and educational providers in the Galway region. “By reviewing what your current skills and interests are, our advisors can explore learning pathways with you, which can help you achieve your goals whether your direction is a work or study-based one”, explains Nuala McGuinn, Director of the Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development at NUI Galway. This one-stop-shop event also engages employers with representatives from eight key industry sectors providing careers advice on the various roles and career options in their area. Sectors represented at the event include Business, Sales & Languages, Construction, Creative Arts and Humanities, Information Technology, Science and Engineering, Social Impact Careers and Tourism/Hospitality. The event is a perfect opportunity to hear first-hand, about job categories and specific skill sets that these sectors are actively looking for.  One-to-one consultations are available for those who wish to speak directly with a career counsellor.  Bridie Kiloran, Guidance Counsellor at GMIT, said: “These sessions, which are free of charge, can be pre-booked online. Each consultation will focus on the individual’s personal work and education history and will explore future study and career options with the assistance of a qualified counsellor.” The event is being hosted by the Regional Skills Forum West, a network which supports the development of businesses and their employees through training programmes, research projects and entrepreneurship activities.  “This unique event brings together further and higher education providers with representatives from GMIT, GTI, GRETB and NUI Galway. All will be available to discuss study options, apprenticeships and support services for adult learners”, highlights Claire Hurley, Regional Skills Forum West Manager.  Siobhán Brangwyn of the Adult Education Guidance and Information Service at GRETB, said: “Meeting people who work every day in these industries provides a valuable insight for adults who are either seeking work or considering a career move.” For more information on speakers, or to register for a one-to-one consultation, visit engagegalway.com. Additional information is available at 091 494066, engagegalway17@gmail.com or on social media at #engagegalway. -Ends-

For the second year running NUI Galway will host a regional heat for FameLab 2017, one of the biggest science communication competitions in the world. If you think you can explain a scientific concept to a general audience, in just three minutes, then why not enter? You could become the new face of science, represent Ireland at the 2017 FameLab International finals in the UK, and open doors to global opportunities in science communication. The competition is open to: people who apply science, technology, engineering or mathematics in industry or business; those who work on applying science, engineering, technology or mathematics (e.g. patent clerks, statisticians, consultants to industry); lecturers and researchers in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, including specialist science teachers with a science degree; university students of science, technology, mathematics or engineering aged 18 and over; and those who apply science, technology, mathematics or engineering in the armed forces or government bodies. Training for entrants will take place in Galway on Tuesday, 31 January, with the regional heat scheduled for Tuesday, 21 February. The event will be held at the Taibhdhearc Theatre, Galway. The application deadline to enter the competition is Tuesday, 7 February, 2017. Successful candidates who make it through the initial regional heat stage, will be invited to attend an all-expenses paid ‘Communication Masterclass’, which will take place in Dublin on the 25-26 March, to help develop invaluable STEM media and presentation skills. The FameLab Ireland Final will be held at the Science Gallery, Dublin on Thursday, 13 April 2017. The aim of each presentation is that the audience and judges should be left inspired and enthused about science. The winner will be a charismatic presenter who makes the science easy to listen to, entertaining, exciting and who is not only able to communicate the science but who can share their passion for it. To see terms and conditions and to register your interest and take part in the Famelab Galway competition please visit http://www.britishcouncil.ie/famelab/enter-competition/apply Please contact famelab@ie.britishcouncil.org if you are unsure about your eligibility and check http://www.britishcouncil.ie/famelab/prepare-heats/regional to learn more about regional heats. Follow Famelab Galway on twitter @FameLab_Gaway. -Ends-