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TCD student wins Biomedical Research Medal 2010
The prestigious award, sponsored by Georgia Tech Ireland, is made annually by Engineers Ireland to a final year PhD student, judged by a select committee, to have made a significant contribution to the field of biomedical engineering research in Ireland. Four finalists were selected on the basis of research papers submitted to the Biomedical Engineering Division of Engineers Ireland.
The paper was assessed on five criteria: the importance of the topic, the technical depth of the papers, their technical novelty, and overall presentation of the papers and appropriateness of the papers for the competition.
The Biomedical Research Medal event, which was held in conjunction with the 16th Annual Conference of the Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, included highly effective presentations of their papers by each of the finalists.
The winner received a €1000 honorarium, sponsored by Georgia Institute of Technology, from Dr. Barry Dolan Chartered Engineer, Associate Director, Georgia Tech Ireland, in addition to the Biomedical Research Medal which was presented to Kevin by John Power Chartered Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland.
The other finalists were:
- Grainne Cunniffe, Queen’s University Belfast & Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland: Gene-activated collagen-nanohydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration
- Michael Early, Trinity College Dublin: An investigation into the high rates of restenosis in peripheral arteries following stenting
- Ross Ormsby, Queen’s University Belfast: Augmentation of PMMA-based cement using carbon nanotubes
Engineers Ireland plays key role in promoting maths - Taoiseach at Engineers Week launch
At the launch of Engineers Week, Engineers Ireland Director General, John Power; An Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen T.D; and Engineers Ireland President, Chris Horn spoke about the importance and relevance of the week-long initiative in heightening awareness of engineering, and, in particular, they emphasised the importance of increased participation and stronger performance by students in mathematics subjects.
In his speech Mr. Cowen highlighted the steps being taken by the innovation task force, that is looking for ways to increase the number of people employed by innovative, export focused companies.
Continuing, he commented on the vital part mathematics has to play in equipping young people for the twenty-first century jobs market: "Enhancing the mathematical ability of the population is a challenge faced by most developed countries. I do not want Ireland to have to rely solely on imported talent for its future engineers. We must all work together to impress on students and parents the importance of mathematics education for the jobs of the future, and we must work together to find ways to improve mathematical attainment. I believe that Engineers Ireland has a key role to play in that regard, and I am committed to that agenda".
Engineers Ireland and IEEE sign MOU
Tánaiste announces new IDA chairman
Mary Coughlan TD, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, recently announced the appointment of Liam O’Mahony Chartered Engineer, FIEI, as the new chairman of IDA Ireland. Announcing the appointment, the Tánaiste said: “I am delighted to welcome Liam as chairman and wish him every success in his new position. He takes up this position at a time when we are facing significant challenges in the global economic environment. I have every confidence that Liam’s valuable experience and knowledge will contribute greatly to the further development and enhancement of foreign direct investment in Ireland.”
Liam O’Mahony is a former group chief executive of CRH plc and has over 37 years experience in a variety of senior management positions, including that of the company's chief executive of US operations and as managing director of the Republic of Ireland and UK group of companies.
Annual Ball 2010
The Engineers Ireland Annual Ball was held recently in the Burlington Hotel with over 630 in attendance for this annual black-tie event.
A good night was enjoyed by all and Engineers Ireland wishes to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended and especially the companies who donated spot prizes on the night.
Pictured at the Annual Ball (left) were Dr Chris Horn Chartered Engineer FIEI, President, Engineers Ireland; Domhnall Blair, Chartered Engineer FIEI and John Power, Chartered Engineer FIEI, Director General, Engineers Ireland. Domhnall was presented with an award in recognition of his services to Engineers Ireland for the past forty years.
NUIG wins transports awards
The Eastern Section of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Ireland (CILT) recently announced the winners of its three prestigious annual awards in the following categories: the ‘Idea of the Year’, ‘Innovator of the Year’and ‘Lecturer of the Year’.
This year’s event marked the 25th anniversary of the awards, which are held annually to recognise creative and innovative ideas in the area of logistics and transport, and was held in the Burlington Hotel on Thursday, February 11.
Through the Eastern Section Student Idea of the Year Awards, the CILT gives recognition to students who have developed Innovative ideas which can make a significant contribution to the logistics and transport industry in Ireland.
This year has seen the biggest amount of submissions in the history of the awards from colleges and universities all over Ireland. Monica Murphy announced that the winners of the Student Idea of the Year Award were; Kane O’Shea, John Mitchell and Eoin Leonard from the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) for their entry, Electronic warnings on dangerous bends. The winners and runner-ups students are currently studying Energy Systems Engineering and are in their first year.
The runners-up were also from NUIG – they were; Joey Martin, Richie Walsh and Edward Tynan for their entry Inter-Vehicle Communication System (IVCS).
The night also saw the inaugural ‘Lecturer of the Year Award’ which aims to recognise the work of a lecturer who aims to promote innovation and creativity in the areas of logistics, transport and commerce. This year’s award was presented by Minister of Education Batt O’Keeffe, TD, to Mary Dempsey, B.E., M.Eng.Sc., MIEI, of NUIG.
Monica Murphy (eastern section chairperson) announced Cab Call Communications as the Winner of the 25th ‘Innovator of the Year Award 2010’, with the award being presented by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe, TD, to the two directors of the company; Paul O’Loughlin Kennedy and John O’Loughlin Kennedy (father and son).
Third national summit on renewables
The third national summit on renewable energy, Creating a vision for Renewable Energy in the new economy, will be held in the Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin on March 4.
Speakers at the conference include Paul Dickerson, partner, Haynes & Boone, former chief operating officer of energy and efficiency and renewable energy, Dept. of Energy, USA; John Campion, executive director, sustainability, ESB; Katrina Polaski, head of low carbon technologies, Sustainable Energy Ireland; Dermot Byrne, chief executive, EirGrid; and Jim Gannon, associate director, RPS Group.
The event is organised by iQuest and sponsored by ESB.
German academy elects past president as fellow
In recognition of his contribution to the field of innovation in technology and engineering, Professor Gerry Byrne has been elected as an International Fellow of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (Deutsche Akademie fuer Technikwissenschaften, acatech).
This is the first time an expert from Ireland or the United Kingdom has been elected to the Academy. The German Academy of Science and Engineering represents the interests of science and technology in Germany and internationally. It supports policy makers and society with technically qualified evaluations and far-sighted recommendations.
In addition, it works to promote sustained growth through innovation and acts as an advisor to the German Government on innovation.
Gerry Byrne is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering. He is a graduate of the Technical University Berlin where he gained a summa cum lauda doctorate degree (Doktor-Ingenieur) in mechanical engineering in 1989.
He also holds an honorary doctorate (Dr h.c.) from DIT, which he was awarded in 2006 for his international contribution to the engineering profession. Following 12 years as head of the former Department of Engineering at UCD, Professor Byrne served as dean of engineering in UCD.
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