In the News..

University of Galway Societies celebrated four major wins at the Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) National Awards.   With these latest wins, University of Galway Societies continue to hold the record for the most BICS awards of any third level institution in the country - 85 since the competition began.   The University took home awards in the following categories:   Best Society Civic or Charity: Palestinian Solidarity Society  The Palestinian Solidarity Society were recognised for their powerful activism and raising awareness to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, organising events, demonstrations fundraisers, and high-profile speaker sessions to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. University of Galway was the first Irish university to publicly call for a ceasefire, and the Palestinian Solidarity Society worked closely with other Palestinian Supporting organisations on campus and Galway City to ensure the cause of Palestinian liberation was at the forefront of university life in Galway    Best Intervarsity: - Compsoc (Computer Society) for ‘Capture the Flag’    This year, Compsoc hosted it’s largest-ever Capture the Flag (CTF) Intervarsity, a fast-paced competition where teams solve cybersecurity challenges to uncover hidden “flags” and earn points. These events encourage competitors to think outside the box and find common vulnerabilities or loopholes in the challenges. This year marked a significant milestone, with every challenge designed in-house by the Compsoc committee.   Best Fresher: Kornelia Zach, Dramsoc  Kornelia Zach was recognised for her leadership and contribution to theatre on campus. She coordinated the Jerome Hynes One Act Play Series, which saw five one acts performed consecutively and the winning play awarded a prestigious Druid Theatre award celebrating 50 years of Druid. She concluded the year by travelling to Belfast with Dramsoc to showcase their two productions at the Irish Student Drama Awards (ISDA).    Best Poster - University of Galway Horror Society  Newly established this year, Horror Soc has made an impressive debut by winning the Best Poster Award, quickly building a community of 300 members and hosting 16 events.   University of Galway’s Societies Officer Ríona Hughes said: “The awards are a culmination of a year’s work by our Societies and celebrate the diversity, creativity and contribution our students make to campus life. Congratulations to all of the students who represented us at the BICS National Awards. We are very proud of you all."   With more than 13,000 students involved across 135 societies, University of Galway has hosted almost 3,500 events this academic year alone, providing students with educational, social, and developmental opportunities to enhance their university journey.     The Board of Irish College Societies (BICS), established in 1995, serves as a national platform supporting student societies across Ireland’s universities, colleges, and institutes of education. The annual awards celebrate and recognise the huge effort of the students who lead and contribute to these societies.     Ends 

Two University of Galway academics have been awarded the 2025 ENLIGHT Impact ambassador award for their research endeavours. Dr Pádraig MacNeela and Dr Muriel Grenon have been honoured as part of the University’s membership of the ENLIGHT European university alliance involving 10 research intensive universities. The ENLIGHT Impact Ambassador Awards were bestowed at the ENLIGHT Impact Conference which took place at the University of Groningen. Dr MacNeela and Dr Grenon were recognised for their impactful projects, highlighting the significant positive change their research brings to society and their endeavours in planning for and achieving impact.  Dr MacNeela and the team involved the Active* Consent programme were recognised for their work on consent, sexual violence and harassment. Dr Muriel Grenon and team were recognised for their work on widening participation in STEM with science outreach. Alex Metcalfe, Vice-President for International, University of Galway, said: “These ENLIGHT Impact Awards are a well-earned recognition of the meaningful societal change being driven by the research of Dr Pádraig MacNeela and Dr Muriel Grenon. Their work on consent education and widening participation in STEM exemplifies how thoughtful, committed research can make a difference in people’s lives. Their success reflects the strength of our research community and the University’s commitment to impact across Europe and beyond.” University of Galway had three nominations, including one for Dr Jessamyn Fairfield and her team with their research-led project ‘We Built this City on Rock & Coal’. ENLIGHT includes University of Galway; Comenius University, Bratislava (Slovakia); University of Groningen (Netherlands); University of Bern (Switzerland); University of Bordeaux (France); Ghent University (Belgium); University of Tartu (Estonia); University of Gottingen (Germany); University of the Basque Country (Spain); and Uppsala University (Sweden). The project is supported by the Government and the European Commission. The aim is for the alliance to develop as a platform for the creation of a new type of European university campus where students and staff have increased opportunities for international study, training, teaching, research and sharing of services. ENLIGHT aims to collaboratively transform higher education, addressing societal challenges and promoting equitable quality of life, sustainability and external engagement with the communities of the partner universities. Ends

University of Galway is inviting the public to contribute to a new initiative aimed at exploring important health-related questions and helping shape the future of health research. In celebration of Citizen Science Month, The People’s Review project allows individuals to become citizen scientists, suggesting important health questions, working alongside researchers, and contributing to a systematic review. Systematic reviews gathers all available research on a topic to provide a clear and accurate understanding of what does and does not work in health treatments. These reviews combine findings from multiple studies to ensure healthcare decisions are based on trustworthy evidence and are used by healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the public to make informed health choices. Éle Quinn, The People's Review Project Lead from the University’s School of Health Sciences, said: “We are so excited to open up the world of health research to the wider public with The People's Review. We're living in a time where it's harder than ever to know what health information we can trust. That’s where systematic reviews come in — they help cut through the noise by bringing together all the available evidence about health treatments. The People's Review invites everyone to get involved in the process, opening the doors to research in a way that's accessible, inclusive, and even a little bit fun! It's a unique opportunity for the public to have their say, enjoy science, and contribute to a real-life systematic review."   The People's Review is being led by a diverse team within Evidence Synthesis Ireland in University of Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. The team also includes an International Steering Group hailing from Brazil to Bangladesh and the UK to Canada with various expertise including public partners, experts in systematic reviews, and health communicators.   Derek Stewart, Honorary Professor at University of Galway, Public Partner and member of The People's Review Steering Group, said: “The People’s Review is perhaps the first attempt ever to openly invite the public to identify a health topic for a research review. It shows how research is constantly trying to become more open and transparent. Secondly, it offers a practical opportunity to find out and learn about the different stages and parts of a health research review. It is also designed to be exploratory, interesting and enjoyable, so even if you know nothing about this world, you will be made most welcome by the whole team which includes researchers, reviewers, patients and members of the public. We look forward to learning together.”   Dr Sinéad Hynes  from the School of Health Sciences said: “The power of systematic reviews is extraordinary. Especially in a world where we are bombarded with information 24/7. Finding reliable sources to help make choices, especially health choices is more difficult than ever. The People's Review is an exciting opportunity opening up the world of health research to the wider public in a unique, and even a fun way! People from around the world can suggest a question about health that they want to find the answer to. The public will then vote on the People’s favourite question that we will answer through a systematic review.”   To learn more about The People's Review visit www.thepeoplesreview.ie or watch a video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY7wdD3yQR0. The team welcome any questions via email at thepeoplesreview@universityofgalway.ie, or follow on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Linkedin, and X.   Ends