2018

Throughout February 2018 Geography was pleased to host Prof Monica Mulrennan,  Visiting Moore Institute Fellow,  from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Monica's research focuses on local knowledge, resource use and management practices, tenure arrangements, and attachments to the coast, particularly as these relate to indigenous communities in coastal settings. Monica is working with Dr Liam Carr and Dr Frances Fahy examining seaweed harvesting practices on the Irish coast. 

Congratulations to Dr Stephen Hynes and all in the Whitaker Research Institute for their successful 'Getting it over the line': writing research proposals workshop for early career researchers, which took place on Monday the 26th of February 2018. Stephen Hynes, Kieran Conboy, Frances Fahy and Aine Ryan all shared hints and tips on research proposal writing.

Frances Fahy and Michelle O Dowd Lohan presented the NUI Galway Sustainability Strategy to the Greenleaf EU delegation in Galway City Hall on Wednesday 21st of February

Whitaker Ideas Forum: Margaret Brehony, Deconstructing Homelessness: Individual Pathologies versus Austerity and Structural Exclusion Date:  March 14 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pmLocation: CA110 (SAC Room), Cairnes Building, NUI Galway, IrelandSpeaker(s): Margaret BrehonyAffiliation: Population and Migration The Irish government’s response to homelessness, set out in an ambitious housing policy Rebuilding Ireland (Department of Housing, 2016), has failed to stem the rising numbers of people becoming homeless. Now a major social problem, the number of people who are counted as homeless in the state has risen steadily since 2014..... [Read More]

Dr. Liam Carr, along with postgraduate students Desiree Farrell and Atalya Peritz, attended the Donegal Marine Tourism Conference: Connecting Our Coastline, in Portnablagh on March 8, 2018 to spread the word about tourism research coming from the Geography department and to speak with stakeholders. They also briefly met with BBC’s Monty Halls, who shared his passion on the transformative benefits of tourism experiences.

Dr Eugene Farrell of MSc staff has been awarded a €1000 grant from the National University Ireland to publish a new version of the work '10 Reasons Why Geomorphology Is Important'. This new version targets case studies on the Irish landscape so that Irish readers will be able to identify and learn about some of our unique landscapes (Burren, Clew Bay, Killary fjord, Conor Pass Dingle, Maharees tombolo, Giants Causeway, Croagh Patrick, etc. This new academic science book will be in two languages (Irish and English) and will be used by third and second level lecturers/teachers and students. It will be available for free online to everyone. [download]

Minister Kevin Boxer Moran announced that the OPW is funding a Coastal Erosion Risk Management Study for the Maharees, Co Kerry [costing €150,000]. This is the first major step in coming up with a fit-for-purpose solution to protect the Maharees from long term climate change impacts. Well done to Dr Eugene JC Farrell and Dr Kevin Lynch of the MSc Coastal and Marine Environments for their ongoing involvement and using their coastal research to support these rural coastal  communities. [full article]  

A case study carried out by Dr Shane Conway, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Discipline of Geography's Rural Research Cluster at NUI Galway and the National Rural Network, aimed at promoting and inspiring generational renewal in agriculture was recently featured on the Agriland website and social media pages.  Agriland is Ireland's largest news portal for farmers and the agricultural sector.

Dr Maura Farrell was recently awarded the Dean’s Award for research undertaken during the Academic Year 2017-2018.  Her award is in recognition of her significant research achievements and societal impact in the area of rural development policies and strategies.  Maura is currently Principal Investigator and lead Researcher with the National Rural Network Project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

First review of newly published book on China by John West, Adjunct Professor at Sophia University, Tokyo. 

Dr Terry Morley has been short-listed for a Presidents award in Teaching Excellence, recognising  his energy, engagement and dedication to teaching and learning at both undergraduate and graduate level.  Both students and colleagues have benefitted from his enthusiasm and expert incorporation of innovative and effective learning methods since he joined the Geography.

Four recent graduates from Geography’s MSc Programme in Marine and Coastal Environments had their work presented as expert evidence to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning & Local Government on the ‘Prohibition of Micro-Plastics Bill 2016’.  Dr Audrey Morley and Dr Kevin Lynch supervised the graduate projects over the last three years. The Oireachtas Committee was very appreciative for the presentation, which highlighted the presence of micro-plastics in shellfish, nephrops and marine sediments on Ireland’s west coast. In conjunction with work frim GMIT it forms an important body of work in an Irish and European context.  See part of the recording here.

Congratulation to Daithi Maguire  on winning the Best Climate Change Presentation sponsored by Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment  at the 28th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (ENVIRON 2018), Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI), 26th – 28th March 2018, Cork Institute of Technology.  The title of his presentation was "The application of satellite-borne remote sensors for monitoring coastal erosion and ecosystems in Ireland"

The College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies offers postgraduate scholarships to support full-time PhD research within the Structured PhD programmes of the College. The 2018-19 scheme is now open. Applications will be accepted until 5.00 p.m. on Monday 16th April, 2018. The application form and supporting documentation are now available, from http://www.nuigalway.ie/colleges-and-schools/arts-social-sciences-and-celtic-studies/phd-research-degrees/scholarships/.

Dr Frances Fahy visited Lisbon as an Advisory Panel member for new #PROSEU#H2020 project - learning how we can all become pros at energy consumption! #energyefficiency@H2020EE

Every day, at every meal, people across Ireland are reliant on a global network of actors to produce, process and distribute the food that they consume. But the dominant system of industrialized food provisioning is unsustainable both from a socio-economic and an environmental perspective. The additional demands that will be made on the food system over the next 30 years and beyond will place additional pressures on an already fragile system. A necessary transformation of the food system requires action from all levels of society, including organizations and institutions that provide food. Organizations such as hospitals, workplaces and educational institutions shape the meal choices of thousands of people every day and have a significant impact on the food system through their procurement and provisioning activities. These activities have a direct impact on people’s health, the economy, social wellbeing and the environment. [download full policy]

Dr Anne Schiffer, The Leeds School of Art, Architecture & Design at Leeds Beckett University visited The Discipline of Geography to speak with the  MA Environment, Society and Development students on ethnography in global South. @ShapeEnergyEU leading to further collaboration! #ethnography#energy

The Geopolitics and Justice Research Cluster together with the School of Geography & Archaeology welcomed John Restakis, Execurive Director, Community Evolution Foundsation, Canada to give a seminar titled 'Humanising the Economy - Political Economy for People & Planet', Thursday 15th March @ 4pm, Seminar Room 113, Discipline of Geography. [download]

Dr Frances Fahy attending a fantastic weekend for The Irish Fulbright Alumni Association  as  alums descended upon NUI Galway for some art and culture. 

Discipline of Geography, Rural Studies Cluster Research Seminar: Research seminar by visiting speaker Professor Thoraddur Bjarnason, Professor of Sociology, University of Akureyri, Northern Iceland Title:      Nostalgia, Otherness and Beyond: Changing Ruralities in Icelandic CinemaDate:     Monday 16th April @ 4pmVenue:   Seminar Room 113, Discipline of Geography [download]

Congratulations to Michelle Curran and Daithí Maguire who both received a Networking & Travel Award from the Marine Institute to attend and present at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2018, Vienna, Austria. Presentation titles: A possible analogue for future Ocean-Atmosphere climate Dynamics? (Michelle Curran, Audrey Morley, James Wright, and Yair Rosenthal), Wednesday 11th April The application of satellite-borne remote sensors for monitoring coastal erosion and ecosystems in Ireland (Daithí Maguire, Eugene Farrell), Thursday 12th April Michelle and Daithi gratefully recognise the support of the Marine Institute under the Marine Research Programme with the support of the Irish Government.

ENERGISE researchers Frances Fahy and Gary Goggins were in the US at the AAG in New Orleans in April and organised three sessions exploring social and cultural influences on domestic energy use in international contexts.

An recent article co-authored by Dr Gary Goggins and Dr Frances Fahy has been nominated for the International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS) “Best Sustainable Development Research Article Award”. You can have a look at the selection of the top-10 nominated articles, download, read them, and you can vote for your favourite. The winner will be honoured during the 2018 ISDRS Conference in Italy. Links to the shortlisted articles, and voting procedure, can be found here: http://isdrs.org/journals/best-article-2017/

On April 19 Dr Eugene Farrell (Geography, NUIG) hosted 50 planners from the Irish Planning Institute at his field site in The Maharees, Co. Kerry to discuss the challenges of (1) the local coastal community faces from human/natural pressures and (2) the planners face in the implementation of new climate legislation, such as the National Adaptation Framework, and the changes that are occurring in Local Authorities for the transition to a climate resilient Ireland. [Read Full Article]

7th EUGEO congress on the geography of europe May 15th - 18th, Galway Ireland, [further info]

Scientists fear that global warming and melting of the Greenland ice sheet will weaken or shut off these warm ocean currents, which could result in much colder temperatures across Ireland, Britain and Europe. [Read Full Article]

Interview with Yutao Sun and Seamus Grimes on their recently published book 'China and Global Value Chains' [Listen]

Dr Eugene Farrell wrote a critical review in RTÉ Brainstorm of the urgent need for better infrastructure for Ireland's coastline communities and the need for immediate funding to develop and support sustainable tourism. [READ]

On May 2nd 2018, Dr Frances Fahy was the recipient of NUIG's inaugural President’s Award for Societal Impact. This is a new award in recognition of the valuable contribution staff members make to society and the broader community, above and beyond routine support and academic activities, on behalf of the University. The aim of the President’s Awards for Societal Impact is to award the outstanding contributions of staff across the whole University who seek to use their skills and knowledge to improve the University’s contribution to society and our various communities, to stimulate excellence and help improve the visibility of the University’s impact on society. Frances was nominated for this Award by the Deputy Director of the EPA for her immense impact on the development of environmental policy, shaping how environmental research is funded on the island of Ireland and for successfully applying her research to influence change beyond the academic sphere. Frances was also nominated by the GSI on the basis of her active service to the Society in a number of committee roles for over a decade and her outstanding contributions to promotion of Geography as a subject across the Island of Ireland.

As part of the “Modelling maerl habitat dynamics in response to increased storminess” project funded by Geological Survey Ireland, Dr Siddhi Joshi and Dr Eugene Farrell carried out fieldwork last week on Trá an Doilín maerl beach in Carraroe, County Galway. They monitored the morphodynamic change in the very dynamic intertidal swash zone using 7 ultrasonic downward-facing distance sensors mounted on a large frame. A Go Pro camera was attached to the frame and high resolution cross shore beach profiles were collected using GPS and UAV. The offshore wave climate in Greatmans Bay was measured using a Nortec AWAC sensor. Results will be combined with coupled models of the maerl beach (XBEACH) and with a nested regional hydrodynamic model of Galway Bay developed by the team. They would like to thank the great support from colleagues in NUIG Geography for their laboratory and field support during the project (Daithi Maguire, Kevin Lynch, Liam Carr, Siobhan Comer and Terry Morley) as well as the support from members of the local community. The results will be presented to the local community during a public talk upon completion of the project.

Congratulations to Dr Richard Scriven who was elected Secretary of the  Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)'s Social and Cultural Geography Research Group at the AGM last week in Cardiff. The group embraces researchers and activists in the UK, Ireland, and beyond interested in the way the world works to produce social and cultural difference, engaging with key social science debates concerning identity, subjectivity, citizenship and belonging.

Dr Richard Scriven's article on contemporary Pilgrimage featured in RTÉ's Brainstorm platform  [Full Article]

Sir, – Your Editorial (“A senseless downgrading”, May 7th) rightly highlights President Michael D Higgins’s concern regarding the removal of history as a core Junior Cert subject. [Read full article]

Dr Frances Fahy and Dr Gary Goggins, together with colleagues working on the Horizon 2020 project ENERGISE, have recently published a chapter in a new book that seeks to advance energy policy through greater integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research.  The book, emerging from the H2020 SHAPE ENERGY project, includes interdisciplinary contributions on a range of issues relating to a sustainable energy transition including energy poverty, justice, political ecology, governance and imaginaries. The book will be officially launched at an event in King’s College Cambridge on September 24.The contribution from ENERGISE, which examines alternative imaginaries for energy policy integration of SSH, is available to download here.

Our Sustainability Journey, an event that will showcase NUI Galway Sustainability, will be held in O’Donoghue Theatre on Wednesday 26th September from 9.30am to 1.30pm. It is being organised by the Community and University Sustainability Project Team (CUSP) as part of the ‘Loving Galway’ festival and will feature a number of Ryan Institute researchers.   Loving Galway is a sustainability festival that will run from the 20-30th of September 2018 in celebration of the ‘Green and Blue’ spaces in Galway City. Loving Galway is a collaboration between Galway City Council, NUI Galway, and a number of community and environmental groups across the city.  CUSP is leading the roll-out of the NUI Galway Sustainability Strategy 2017-2020.  The vision of the strategy is to establish NUI Galway as a top class green smart and healthy campus.  The CUSP team is composed of more than 30 students and staff, from across the campus community.  The event will feature stories, music, comedy and coffee.  This is a free, public event, but due to space restrictions, registration is required.    We very much hope you will be able to join us on Wednesday morning September 26th.    Please book your ticket here.

New research exploring the impacts of volunteerism on the development and sustainability of rural communities was launched in NUI Galway on 16th May in the Institute of Lifecourse and Society.  Further details can be found at: https://bit.ly/2IoT4vy

Climate change scientists base findings on what happened to Scotland’s last glaciers.  Read full article [here]

A group of international female geoscientists from universities all over the world including NUI Galway, have taken a close look at their profession and discovered the barriers to success, while also pinpointing the sometimes simple changes that can be made to attract more women into innovative industries. The revealing results are published in Nature Publishing Group’s social sciences journal, Palgrave Communications.  To read the full study in Palgrave Communications, visit:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0154-0

Congratulations to Dr Chaosheng Zhang who has been appointed as the Adjunct Professor of Chengdu Technological University

On Thursday 27th September, Geography's Palaeoenvironmental Research Unit will be hosting a guest lecture by former postgraduate student, Dr Michelle McKeown. Michelle will be presenting her new research on assessing the integrity of New Zealand's wetlands using testate amoebae at 12.30 PM in Room 113, Discipline of Geography, Arts/Science Building, NUI Galway. [Further Info]

The Geographical Society of Ireland and Department of Geography, Maynooth University hosted the 50th Conference of Irish Geographers which took place from Thursday 10th of May to Saturday 12th of May 2018.  There were 18 representatives from the Discipline of Geography, NUIG in attendance.

Dr. Chaosheng Zhang was granted the title of “10 Leading Chinese Talents on Science and Technology in Europe 2018” during the 10th European Forum of the Federation of Chinese Professional Association in Europe (FCPAE) held in Helsinki on September 26, 2018, in recognition of Dr. Zhang’s outstanding research work on spatial analysis in environmental sciences.

Dr. Gordon Bromley, NUIG addressing young people today at the 2nd Youth Summit on Climate Change#lovinggalway #youthworkirelandgalway#climatechange

Congratulations to Michelle Curran on receiving the 'GSI Postgraduate Fieldwork Award'.  The Geographical Society of Ireland Travel Fund Award part-funded Michelle's attendance at the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, where she presented her research, “The Holocene Thermal Maximum: A possible analogue for future Ocean-Atmosphere climate Dynamics?” to the international scientific community. 

Dr Karen Molloy, Discipline of Geography, NUIG presenting at the ‘Pint of Science’ which took place from the 12th – 14th May, Karen was part of the session ‘Innovating women in geoscience’ which took place in the Roisin Dubh.

MSC in Coastal and Marine Environments students at work aboard the Celtic Voyager @SeaShoreNUIG

Dr. Mary Greene was awarded the Geographical Society of Ireland Doctoral Research Award for her critical geographical research on consumption biographies. GSI president Dr. Niamh Cherry Moore presented Mary with her prize and certificate at the Conference dinner held in the historic Pugin Hall on the evening of May 11th.  Pictured with Mary is her PhD supervisor Dr Frances Fahy.

Day two of MSC fieldwork aboard the Celtic Voyager as it heads off around Inismor, @SeaShoreNUIG

Dr Shane Conway, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Discipline of Geography's Rural Studies Research Cluster was awarded the Geographical Society of Ireland (GSI) Postgraduate/Early Career Network (PECN) poster prize at the 50th Conference of Irish Geographers recently held at Maynooth University. The poster was titled 'Till death do us part: Exploring the Irish farmer-farm relationship in later life through the lens of ‘Insideness’. 

Meanwhile back on Inismor our MSc students are assessing machair (an Annex I habitat), an important grassland for both grazing and native plants and animals, @SeaShoreNUIG

Day two aboard the Celtic Voyager 

Dr Kevin Lynch and Dr Audrey Morley talked to 6th class and Junior Infants from Galway Educate Together about Plastics in the Ocean and microplastics [Read More]

Since its opening up 40 years ago, China has benefitted hugely from its integration into the global economy and particularly since WTO accession in 2001, it has become one of the most significant manufacturing and assembly locations for technology global value chains. [full article]

Dr Frances Fahy travelled to Brussels this week where she presented insights from the H2020 ENERGISE project at the European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). EU Sustainable Energy Week is the annual flagship event uniting policy makers, authorities, industry, stakeholders, NGOs, researchers and academia in the European sustainable energy sector. At the event, Dr Fahy launched the ENERGISE online database which maps over 1000 sustainable energy initiatives across Europe. You can browse the Open Access Dataset at: http://energise-project.eu/projects

Dr Eugene Farrell received the 2018 President’s Award for Societal Impact from NUIG President Prof Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh. This award stems from his work with local communities in The Maharees (Co. Kerry) to find solutions to coastal pressures from storms and human activities that have led to the chronic destabilization of the fragile dune ecosystems and increased erosion and flooding risks.

Dr Frances Fahy at Dublin Castle on Friday the 9th of June, as Treasurer of the Irish Fulbright Alumni Association, opened the 23rd IFAA  Scholars Dinner with a welcoming address for the incoming 2018/19 Fulbright Scholars.  The Fulbright Irish Awards provide grants for Irish citizens, and E.U. citizens who have been resident in the Republic of Ireland for three or more years, to research, study, or lecture in the U.S. on an annual basis. Frances was a 2013/14 Fulbright Scholar at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA, USA, researching the experiences of academics involved in policy-relevant research in the field of sustainability.

Invited by UNESCO International Centre on Global-Scale Geochemistry (ICGG), Dr. Chaosheng Zhang gave a plenary talk at the Seminar on the International Scientific Cooperation Program – “Mapping Chemical Earth” held in Langfang, China during October 15-17, 2018 with about 150 delegates. The presentation title was “Towards machine learning for identification of hidden spatial patterns and relationships in big data of environmental geochemistry”. The “Mapping Chemical Earth” program aims to produce maps for chemical components on the earth surface by collecting catchment sediment samples from all over the world.

Geography is delighted to host Prof Erika Wolters (Oregon State Uni) and Prof Donna Lybecker (Idaho State University) this July. Erika is a Moore Institute Visiting Fellow and Director of Oregan State University’s Policy Analysis Laboratory. Donna is Professor of International Relations, Environmental Politics, Comparative Politics and Chair of the Political Science Department in Idaho State University. She is currently a Visiting Researcher with the Planning and Sustainability Cluster in Geography at NUIG. Both colleagues are working with Dr Frances Fahy this summer to develop a cross cultural analysis of the CONSENSUS data (@consensusIre @EPAIreland) that has been gathered by her CONSENSUS research team in NUI Galway and in Oregon State University.

Dr John Morrissey has won the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence for a second time. Programme Director of the MA in Environment, Society and Development and Lecturer in Geopolitics and International Development, John previously won the award in 2011. He is pictured here receiving his award from NUIG President Prof. Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh at the recent College of Arts conferring in the Bailey Allen Hall.

Congrats to Prof Erika Wolters (NUIG Moore Visiting Researcher) on the recent publication of When Ideology Trumps Science: Why We Question the Experts on Everything from Climate Change to Vaccinations. The book examines how proponents of scientific findings and the scientists responsible for conducting and communicating the applicable research to decision makers are encountering direct challenges to scientific consensus. Using examples from high-stakes policy debates centered on hot-button controversies such as climate change, GMO foods, immunization, stem cell research, abstinence-only education, and birth control, authors Wolters and Steel document how the contested nature of contemporary perspectives on science leads to the possibility that policymakers will not take science into account when making decisions that affect the general population. In addition, the book identifies ways in which liberals and conservatives have both contested issues of science when consensus diverges from their ideological positions and values. It is a compelling must-read for public policy students and practitioners.

'The Business End of Climate Change' with Dr. Gordon Bromley, School of Geography & Archaeology, NUI Galway.The evening will include lab tours, the display of archival materials such as meteorological data and scientific materials and the launch of an exciting new art exhibition -'Art of the Edge - Glimpses of a Changing World', which runs in the Hardiman Building from 1st -30th November 2018 . [further info]          Date: Thursday, November 1st         Time: 5.30pm         Place: G010, Moore Institute, Hardiman Building, NUI Galway

The latest publication from the ENERGISE project (coordinated by NUIG) seeks to broaden our understanding of how sustainable change can come about in the residential energy sector. The paper focuses on the complex interactions of everyday life that underpin our energy use. It thereby goes beyond dominant individualistic approaches that are primarily grounded in narrow behavioural economic theory. The paper is co-authored by Dr Gary Goggins  and Dr Frances Fahy from the Department of Geography and Ryan Institute. Access the full publication here

This year our annual GeoWeek (Geography Awareness Week) will focus on the role and potential of geography and geographers, academic and in practice,  in delivering on the SDG's. We will highlight the geographic research already being done in relation to the 17 goals and the potential for geographers and those interested in geography in contributing in the future   [further info]

Dr Eugene Farrell successfully applied to Enterprise Ireland for the H2020 Co-ordinator Proposal Preparation Support Scheme. The scheme facilitates preparation and submission of competitive proposals to the European Research Council Starting Grant. Dr Farrell is building on his current Earth Observation research funded by Geological Survey Ireland. The title of his project is ‘The Coastal Data Cube: frontier research to transition to climate resilience’. High resolution EO (satellite) and Unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) mapping are both ground breaking but we are only just beginning to establish how these technologies can supplement and/or replace conventional ground-based and aerial survey techniques. To date, there has been very limited effort to fuse all these approaches to combine the strengths and negate the limitations inherent to each. The Coastal Data Cube is designed to generate validated OBTE boundary conditions (Oceanography, Bathymetry, Topography, Ecology) at temporal and spatial scales not previously possible.

In collaboration with researchers in NUIG Geography, Dr Elly Walsh is delivering energy workshops in secondary schools as part of Galway Science Festival. Dr Walsh is pictured here delivering a workshop in Calasanctius College, Oranmore in November 2018. 

Twelve female scientists will take to their soap boxes and bring science to the streets of Galway as part of NUI Galway’s second annual, Soapbox Science Galway. The event will take place from 11am-2pm at the Spanish Arch, Galway on Saturday, 7 July and is free and open to the public. More Info

Welcome to the first issue of our new School Newsletter, Gortscéala! The School of Geography & Archaeology is a wonderfully vibrant and inspiring place to work and study, and this new newsletter captures some of our core passions: fieldwork, public scholarship and making critical knowledge count. [Newletter]

Dr Shane Conway, Postdoc Researcher in the Discipline of Geography's, Rural Research Cluster was recently interviewed on Connemara Community Radio about generational renewal in agri, women in farming and the work carried out by the NRN on Ireland's RDP 2014-2020 [Listen]   

Dr Eugene Farrell recently participated in the 10th International Conference of Aeolian Research (ICAR X), Bordeaux, France 25-28 June. Eugene and his colleagues from Canada and USA presented research on ‘Temporal patterns of aeolian saltation from field deployment of a vertical array of high frequency laser particle counters’. This small-scale sediment dynamics work is based on field research conducted in Jericoacoara, Brazil. During the conference there was a delegate fieldtrip to the largest coastal dune in Europe called Dune du Pilat located in Arcachon Bay 60 km from Bordeaux. The dune is around 500 m wide, 2.7 km in length, and up to 130 m above sea level. The dune is a famous tourist destination with more than one million visitors per year. Eugene reports that they seem to provide the appropriate amount of facilities and services to accommodate this volume of visitors through very strategic management practices. He hopes that Ireland can learn from these types of case studies to develop sustainable tourism economies that can support rural communities and provide impetus for the young people to stay at home.

Seminar by Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, University of Murcia, Spain will give a lecture titled:  Human Security and International Human Rights Law in the Mediterranean Crisis, the seminar will takep place Thursday November 22nd at 4pm in Room 113, Discipline of Geography, Arts/Science Building, NUI Galway. [Further Info]

The School of Geography and Archaeology hosted over 150 Transition Year students from seven schools in Co. Galway for work placement training on the data rescue portion of a collaborative project between Met Éireann and NUI Galway. [Read More]

Geo Week Talk by Duncan Stewart on Sustainability, Wednesday 21st November 2018 at 6pm, AC216, Arts/Science Building, NUI Galway.

Congratulations to Daithi Maguire on receiving the Geological Remote Sensing Group (GRSG) annual student award, Daithi will receive £1,000 to support his studies and research work and an invitation to the 2018 Annual Conference in London to present his winning paper. [Further Info]

A 'Generational Renewal in Agriculture' case study carried out by the NRN team at NUI Galway, Dr Shane Conway and Dr Maura Farrell, is featured in the September-October 2018 edition of the European Landowners' Organization (ELO) CountrySide Bimonthly Magazine (p.14-15).Created in 1972, the ELO, is a unique federation of national associations from the EU28 based in Brussels, which represents the interests of the landowners, land managers, rural entrepreneurs and family businesses at the European political level. The organization contributes to close cooperation between rural communities, and in doing so aims to counter the challenges of rural depopulation brought about by urbanization and globalisation. 

Congratulations to our MA Environment, Society, Development 2017/18 cohort who received their masters degrees last week, pictured here with MA Coorindator Dr. Mary Greene. Wishing you all the best of your next chapter!

Dr. Chaosheng Zhang, School of Geography and Archaeology, was recently elected as co-Chair of International Medical Geology Association, for the service term 2018-2021. Dr. Zhang served as a councillor of IMGA for two terms during 2013-2015 and 2015-2017. The purpose of IMGA shall be to facilitate and promote co-operation between geoscientists, biomedical researchers, decision-makers and professionals to address human and animal health problems caused by geologic materials or processes.

SEGH 2018, the 34th Conference of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health on Sustainable Geochemistry was successfully held at Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia during 2-7th July 2018. Dr. Chaosheng Zhang attended the conference, assessed presentations for student prizes, and made an oral presentation on use of hot spot analysis to reveal spatial patterns and hidden information in environmental geochemistry. Dr. Zhang is the immediate past President of SEGH (2015-2017).

Dr Mary Greene, NUI Galway coordinator of the ERASMUS PLUS Decoding the Disciplines research project, attended the Decoding Education transnational meeting in Roma Tre University last week. This project provides a forum for interdisciplinary learning for progressing pedagogical innovations in teaching complex socio-environmental issues at higher education across European Universities. Dr. Greene presented work relating to her application of the decoding methodology to teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels in the Discipline of Geography.

INQUA Congress 2019 (theme: Life on the Edge) takes place in Dublin during the final week of July 2019. Various deadlines are fast approaching including that for submission of abstracts (9/01/2019). In addition to the Congress lecture programme (there are sessions devoted to most aspects of the Quaternary), several interesting excursions in Ireland and Britain are also on offer. These excursions take place before, during (mid-Congress) and after the main Congress.  For full details, including financial support available to students, check the Congress web site, http://www.inqua2019.org/.

Dr Maura Farrell, Lecturer in Rural Geography at NUI Galway, and Lead Researcher with the NRN, was an invited guest speaker at the Government of Ireland's Project Ireland 2040 'Creating Stronger Rural Economies and Communities' event held in Westport, Co. Mayo. on Friday the 13th of July 2018. Dr Farrell was included in the ‘How do we create stronger rural communities?’ session at this event and spoke in detail about the potential of family farm diversification in leading rural Ireland forward over the next 20 years. The full text of An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's inspiring speech at this event, co-hosted by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Agriculture, can be found here. Source: NRNImage Credit: NRN

This Newsletter gives a good overview of open-data resources that provide the foundation for the reconstruction of various aspects of environmental change involving climate, human impact, sea-level change, pollution studies, etc., and the possibilities afforded by such resources.  [READ]

Three ‘Farm Viability and Competitiveness’ case studies carried out by the NRN team at NUI Galway, Dr Maura Farrell and Dr Shane Conway have been included in the Government of Ireland's Project Ireland 2040 report entitled ‘Strengthening Rural Economies and Communities’. The NRN case studies included within this report detail a young trained farmer named Leo Morrissey’s successful farm transfer experience with his parents and older brother in Co. Galway, another about farm diversification on the Mulhall’s Coolanowle Country House and Organic Farm, situated along the Carlow and Laois border, and finally a case study on Glen Keen Farm and Visitor Centre in Co. Mayo. This publication, prepared by the DAFM and DRCD, was launched at the Government of Ireland's 'Creating Stronger Rural Economies and Communities' Project Ireland 2040 event held in Westport, Co. Mayo on the 13th of July 2018. Source: National Rural Network

ISEH 2018, the 4th International Symposium on Environment and Health was held in Shanghai during December 4-6, 2018, where NUI Galway was recognised as a co-organiser and Dr. Chaosheng Zhang was a co-Chair. The ISEH conference series was initiated by Dr. Chaosheng Zhang, School of Geography and Archaeology, NUI Galway in 2012 where the SESEH (Sino-European Symposium on Environment and Health) conference was held in Galway as the 1st one of this conference series. ISEH 2020 will be held in Dublin during August 2-8, 2020, to be organised by NUI Galway.

Rebecca Windemer, PhD researcher at the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University, has been awarded Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Overseas Institutional Visit funding to spend time as a visiting researcher in Geography at NUI Galway from November to December 2018. Rebecca’s research is exploring end-of-life decision making (repowering, life extension and decommissioning) for onshore wind and solar farms. Her research aims to understand how the temporary nature of planning consents and the duration of the impacts of the infrastructure influences decision making. During her visit Rebecca will be working alongside Dr Frances Fahy and the ENERGISE team to discuss her research findings and explore the planning policy, temporality and end-of-life options for windfarms in Ireland. 

Geography PhD candidate Mr Daithi Maguire presented his recently accepted research manuscript in Irish Geography at the Irish Earth Observation Symposium 2018 (An Teagasc, Dublin, December 06). Congratulations to Daithi for winning “Best student paper” for his oral presentation (“A Comprehensive Roadmap to 50 Years of (Satellite) Earth Observation Resources for the Island of Ireland (1972 – 2023)”) at the 6th Irish Geomorphology Scientific Workshop (University Ulster, Coleraine, December 07).

Latest publication by the ENERGISE geographers! Congrats to Dr Eimear Heaslip and Dr Frances Fahy on their latest article, Developing Transdisciplinary Approaches to Community Energy Transitions: An Island Case Study. Focusing on Eimear's PhD field site location of Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, the paper discusses the design, development and implementation of a transdisciplinary methodological framework for community energy planning which combines conventional energy engineering techniques with in-depth qualitative approaches.

Dr. Eugene Farrell presented research with MSc students Ms. Hatty Dundon (“An Investigation of Digital Surface Model accuracy from UAVs within coastal environments”) and Ms. Niamh Connolly (“Historic and contemporary dune inventories to assess dune vulnerability to climate change impacts”) at the 6th Irish Geomorphology Scientific Workshop (University Ulster, Coleraine, December 07).

Dr Richard Scriven wrote a blogpost for the Geographical Society of Ireland outlining the continuing social and cultural role of the annual Reek Sunday pilgrimage. He demonstrated how geographical themes can help provide new insight into this tradition. [Read]

Dr Eugene Farrell (guest editor) launched the special issue of Irish Geography  “The vulnerability of Irish landscape systems to climate change and human activity” at the 6th Irish Geomorphology Scientific Workshop held in University Ulster Coleraine 06-07 December. The special issue contains 14 research manuscripts focussed on Irish case studies from 33 authors located in 13 different institutes in Ireland, UK, Spain, Portugal, and South Africa. 

Dr Shane Conway, Dr John McDonagh and Dr Maura Farrell in the Discipline of Geography’s Rural Studies Research Cluster at NUI Galway, have recently published a paper in the International Journal of Agricultural Management entitled ‘Till death do us part: Exploring the Irish farmer-farm relationship in later life through the lens of Insideness’.   Applying Rowles’ concept of ‘insideness’ as a theoretical framework, this paper brings into focus the suitability and appropriateness of previous and existing farm transfer policy strategies, by presenting an insightful, nuanced analysis of the deeply embedded attachment older farmers have with their farms, and how such a bond can stifle the necessary hand over of the farm business to the next generation [READ]

The MSc in Coastal and Marine Environments has secured four days of ship-time aboard the R/V Celtic Voyager from 10-13 October 2019. The research cruise, led by Geography's Drs Liam Carr and Audrey Morley with research support from the Ryan Institute's Dr Rachel Cave and Clynton Gregory, is the fifth consecutive year where the MSc cohort will design and conduct at-sea research in the waters off the west coast of County Galway. The 2019 cruise will provide important updates for Galway Bay's benthic community dataset while also collecting baseline data on the amount and distribution of microplastics in the water column. The 2019 research cruise will again be based out of Cill Rónáin, Inis Mór, and is made possible through funding from the Marine Institute.

RTE Brainstorm by Dr Pat Collins, Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway [READ]

Dr Eugene Farrell received grant funding from EPA Ireland and the Marine Institute to conduct a 2 year research project entitled "Achieving Resilience in the Marine and Coastal Environment of Ireland" (Ref: 2018-CCRP-MS.59; EPA Research Programme 2014-2020). Dr Farrell will work with colleagues based in UCC and the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, Cork.

Dr. Mary Greene participated as a panel discussant at the recent Geographical Society of Ireland Postgraduate and Early Career Research Network event on socially engaged scholarship. The event was held at Trinity College Dublin on December 7th and was well attended by early career Geographers from throughout the country. 

Congratulations to Dr. Chaosheng Zhang  who received the Fáilte Ireland National Conference Ambassador Award on November 23 at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin. Dr. Zhang successfully organised three major international conferences in the area of Environment and Health on campus of NUI Galway: ISEH 2010, SESEH 2012, and ISEH 2016. A forthcoming conference ISEH 2020 organized by Dr. Zhang will be held in Dublin during August 2-8, 2020.

Congratulations to Dr Liam Carr and Dr Frances Fahy, members of the new IFAA Board for 2018/19. Members of the new Executive Board are pictured at Dublin Castle in June 2018 with Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Reece Smyth and Dr Dara FitzGerald, Executive Director of the Irish Fulbright Commission.

Book review of Dr Seamus Grimes book 'China and Global Value Chains' [Read Reviw]

Dr. Chaosheng Zhang has been appointed as an Adjunct Professor in Chengdu and Honorary Director of Centre of Big Data for Smart Environmental Protection. Pictured: Dr. Chaosheng Zhang (left) receiving certificate of Adjunct Professor from President Yusong Yan (right) of Chengdu Technological University

An up-coming event on Wed June 20th (7pm, The Strand Hotel, Dugort, Achill) will shed some light on how Achill’s coastal communities respond to storms and provide some initial ideas around solutions to potential future weather risks for the island. [Read More]

It’s been a busy June for Dr Frances Fahy who was presenting at venues ranging from the European Parliament in Brussels, Dublin Castle, Aalborg University, Copenhagen Business School to the fields of Mullingar! Frances was performing at the Living Labs at Body and Soul Music Festival which took place last weekend June 22nd and 23rd in Westmeath. On the festivals new ‘green stage’ Frances was debunking some myths about sustainability and presented on her pan-European research on sustainable energy (www.energise-project.eu) as well as NUI Galway’s new plans for sustainability.

The latest Whitaker Institute Policy Brief entitled 'The Farmer-Farm Relationship Impact on Generational Renewal' was written by Dr Shane Conway Postdoctoral Researcher in the Rural Studies Research Cluster at the Discipline of Geography.  You can read this brief here  

Really interesting findings from Dr Maura Farrell,  Rural Volunteerism study from NUI Galway, conducted with Volunteer Ireland,  Etownz and Galway Volunteer Centre. You can read the report here 

An thought-provoking article on the topic of ‘Generational Renewal in Agriculture’, specifically as it relates to older farmers, written by Dr Shane Conway at NUI Galway, is featured in Teagasc's Summer 2018 TResearch Magazine [Read] 

Recommendations set forth in a paper published in the International Journal of Agricultural Management by Dr Shane Conway, Dr John McDonagh and Dr Maura Farrell in the Discipline of Geography’s Rural Studies Research Cluster at NUI Galway, in collaboration with Anne Kinsella, Senior Research Officer with Teagasc, calling for the establishment of a Macra-style organisation geared specifically towards the needs of the older generation of the farming community, were featured Farming Independent. [READ]

Recent research carried out on the ‘Farmer-Farm Relationship in Later Life’ by Dr Shane Conway, Dr John McDonagh and Dr Maura Farrell in the Discipline of Geography’s Rural Studies Research Cluster at NUI Galway, in collaboration with Anne Kinsella, Senior Research Officer with Teagasc, was recently featured in the Connacht Tribune. ‌[READ]

Maeve McGandy, winner of the Neil Smith Graduate Research Award 2017, pictured at Lá na nGradam with NUIG President, Prof. Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, and Programme Director of the MA in Environment, Society and Development, Dr John Morrissey. Maeve is currently working for UN-Habitat for the Asia-Pacific Region in Japan.

Great article in RTE Brainstorm today by @GeogNUIG & @RyanInstitute post doc Dr Siddhi Joshi who is co-PI with Dr Eugene Farrell on a @GeolSurvIE funded field #experiment to study maerl beaches @EOS_NUIG @SeaShoreNUIG [read article]

A ‘Young Trained Farmer’ case study carried out by Dr. Shane Conway, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Discipline of Geography's Rural Research Cluster at NUI Galway and the National Rural Network, was featured in last week's edition of the Galway Advertiser, Tuam Herald and Roscommon Herald. This educational and enlightening case study aims to inspire young farmers throughout the country to actively engage with, and avail of the various schemes and supports available to them under Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and has now been featured in 7 leading local and regional Irish newspapers over the past 3 weeks. The case study has also recently been added on the Farm Viability section of the National Rural Network website: http://www.nationalruralnetwork.ie/young-trained-farmer www.nationalruralnetwork.ie

Congratulations to Dr Liam Carr and Dr Frances Fahy (NUI Galway) on the launch of the new MOSES project - Maritime, Ocean Sector and Ecosystem Sustainability. MOSES a 2.2 million Euro, three year INTERREG Atlantic Area Programme led by NUI Galway (PI Stephen Hynes). Liam, Frances and PhD candidate Desiree Farrell will be examining the Wild Atlantic Way in the context of the European Blue Growth Agenda and Dr Carr leads a large Work Package developing the MOSES Marine Sustainability Assessment Toolkit. The project runs until 2021.

Dr Frances Fahy and Dr Gary Goggins (Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway), with their colleague Dr Henrike Rau (LMU Munich), were invited to write a contribution for the London School of Economics Impact Blog about their recent publication on measuring the impact of research. The LSE Impact Blog is a widely read resource for researchers, students, think tanks, government, and anyone else interested in maximising the impact of academic work in the social sciences and other disciplines. The blog is based on the article “From invisibility to impact: Recognising the scientific and societal relevance of interdisciplinary sustainability research” published in Research Policy.You can read the blog here.

From Immediate Need to Sustainable Solutions: Preventing Homelessness in Galway City A solutions-focused event bringing together the Community & Voluntary sectors with key statutory agencies and the Local Authority to explore innovative solutions to the prevention of homelessness in Galway City, now and into the future.   The Harbour Hotel, Monday 26th February, 9.30am – 4pm. Further information:  info@galwaycitycommunitynetwork.ie

Sustainability in Festivals, Meetings and Events Featuring: Chris Johnson, Kambe Events/Shambala Festival Ben Twist, Creative Carbon Scotland Rob Rankin, Vagabond Tours Dr Frances Fahy, NUI Galway Karen Foley, Clare County Council Andrew Mullen Radisson Blu Cork Mary Walsh, Cork City Council Samantha Harding, Elevate Clare Who should attend:  anyone involved in event/conference/festival/meeting management and organisation; arts/music organisations, hotels, venues, local authorities:  Further information  

On Monday February 26th 2018 Dr Kathy Reilly presented an overview of her on-going research project entitled ‘Deconstructing Homelessness: Finding a Place for Geography’ at an event organised by collaborating community, voluntary and statutory groups working in Galway City. The solutions focused event brought together key agencies and Local Authority representatives to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to the prevention of homelessness in Galway City. Dr Reilly’s work is funded by an Irish Research Council Policy and Society Award. Further information on the event can be found at: http://galwaycitycommunitynetwork.ie/from-immediate-need-to-sustainable-solutions-preventing-homelessness-in-galway/

Finding Your Way to Education On Friday February 23rd 2018 Dr Kathy Reilly provided a keynote address at an event held at GMIT’s Castlebar campus entitled ‘Finding your Way to Education’. The event included academics, community stakeholders and representatives from migrant communities across the West of Ireland and particularly included information for refugees and asylum seekers who are looking to access third-level education. Drawing on research completed with Dr Valerie Ledwith (also Geography, NUI Galway), Dr Reilly presented findings on migrant educational experiences in Galway City and urban-fringe, focusing specifically on issues of educational access, achievement and aspiration. Further details of the event can be found at: http://www.gmit.ie/news/open-event-finding-your-way-education-migrants-fri-23-feb-2-pm

Dr Mary Greene is awarded RIA Charlemont Scholar Dr Mary Greene was awarded the 2018 Charlemont scholarship award. Attending the Royal Irish Academy Charlemont Ceremony in Academy House, she was joined by a cohort of fellow scholars who had travelled from various universities in Ireland to receive their Award from RIA President, Prof Michael Kennedy. Awardees spanned a wide diversity of disciplines in the social, natural and engineering sciences. Recognising the importance of travel and cross-pollination of ideas, the Charlemont scholarship scheme awards high impact travel grants to early career postdoctoral researchers. Dr Greene will use this grant to travel to New Zealand during the 2018 summer period to expand the geographical range of her research. There she will conduct novel research to further explore the intersections of social change and daily consumption and facilitate cross cultural comparisons to be drawn between Ireland, The Gambia and New Zealand. More information can be read here: https://marygreene.blog/2018/02/28/becoming-a-charlemont-scholar/

Dr Liam Carr and Geography MSc student Jeff Black used their winter holiday to document the plastic load present on the island of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Over a 10 days and nearly 4km of beachfront, they collected nearly 1,500 items of litter, most of which plastic, from nine beaches within St. Croix’s East End Marine Park. They also sieved 135 litres of sand for microplastic fragments. This research is part of a larger project funded by St. Croix Science and Conservation, which focuses on educating local residents on how they can help reduce local contributions of coastal and marine plastic pollution.

Professor Ulf Strohmayer, Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway gave a lecture titled 'Sustainable Transport for Galway'.  February 5th, The Studio, Town Hall Theatre, Woodquay, Galway.  [see lecture here]

The closing conference for a creative momentum project is on April 12th from12-2pm, Electric Galway, 36 Upper Abbeygate Street, Galway.  This free event will be an opportunity to network, explore the outcomes of project activities and resources developed.  [Further info and to register for the event]

A ‘Young Trained Farmer’ case study carried out by Dr Shane Conway in the Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway for the National Rural Network has been featured in last week's edition of the Connacht Tribune, Leitrim Observer, Clare Champion [NEWS]

A recent Irish Farmers Journal Podcast (episode 150) with Mairead Lavery, Editor of Irish Country Living speaking to Dr Maura Farrell (Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway and the National Rural Network) can be found here: [listen to podcast]

Tommy Marren from Midwest Radio interviewed Dr Shane Conway (Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway and the National Rural Network) live on air on Tuesday the 30th of January. You can listen to this interview here: [listen here] 

A piece about a presentation given by Dr. Maura Farrell (Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway and the National Rural Network), at the recent West Women in Farming Ireland (WWFI) Farm Diversification & Enterprise Event is featured on page 3 of last week's Farming Independent (30/01/18). [NEWS]

Dr Maura Farrell and Dr Shane Conway (Discipline of Geography, NUI Galway and the National Rural Network) are pictured at the recent West Women in Farming 'Farm Diversification & Enterprise' event on page 9 of Irish Country Living in last week's Irish Farmers Journal (03/02/2018). [Irish Country Living Article]

Dr Mary Greene has published a new chapter on the dynamics of energy demand over the lifecourse in the exciting new book ‘Demanding Energy:  Space, Time and Change’ (edited by Dr. Alison Hui, Dr. Roise Day and Prof. Gordon Walker’). As outlined on the books website “Demanding Energy: Space, Time and Change" critically engages with an important but rarely-asked question: what is energy for? This starting point foregrounds the diverse social processes implicated in the making of energy demand and how these change over time to shape the past patterns, present dynamics and future trajectories of energy use.” Dr Greene's chapter in the book explores the value of a biographical scale of analysis for revealing insights into complex experiences and processes of change. In treating individuals’ energy practice as dynamically evolving through the lifecourse within the context of a changing socio-technical landscape, she discusses innovative approaches for improving understanding of the ways in which lives, practices and contexts intersect in energy systems change.

Dr Frances Fahy presenting at the Planning and Environment Reserach Group of the RGS, New Researchers Event held in Exeter Community Centre in January 11th and 12th, 2018

Comhghairdeas to Dr Frances Fahy on her appointment to the Board of the European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption & Production #ERSCP17 General Assembly / https://t.co/CVikQJ70Mj

The School of Geography and Archaeology is running another Spring Lunchtime Lecture Series this year, with the first lecture starting on Monday, January 15th.  The lectures this year will take place in the Town Hall Theatre, Woodquay, Galway.  Please note, while the event is free it is advisable to come early to ensure a seat as pre-booking is not available.  Download full programme here:  Spring Lunchtime Lecture Series (PDF)

The Carl von Ossietzky Universität in Oldenburg, Germany hosted a talk by Geography’s Dr Kevin Lynch in December 2017. The talk outlined challenges faced by Ireland in planning for climate change. The seminar series being run by Prof. Dr. Ingo Mose is funded through the EU’s Erasmus programme and has proved to be an excellent platform for international exchange of good practices. Recent developments in Ireland as outlined at a recent EPA event were also discussed during Dr Lynch’s talk. 

Dr Eimear Heaslip receiving her PhD award from GMIT in November 2017. Her research supervised by Dr Frances Fahy and Dr Gabriel Costello, employed A Transdisciplinary Approach to explore Low Carbon Energy Transitions in Irish Islands

Pictured at the launch of NUI Galway’s Sustainability Strategy are l-r: Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh, Registrar and Deputy President, NUI Galway, Dr Frances Fahy, School of Geography and Archaeology, NUI Galway, Senator Alice-Mary Higgins, Seanad Éireann and Professor Colin Brown, Ryan Institute, NUI Galway. Photo: Paul Fennell

The cruise aboard the #CelticVoyager for the incoming MSc class of 2018/19 has been scheduled for October 4th to 7th 2018

Congratulation to Dr Frances Fahy pictured here receiving her Presidents Award for Research Excellence 2017 from the President, Dr Jim Brown

Dr. Mary Greene expands her research to explore the lived experience of energy transitions in Global South contexts As a successful applicant of the H2020 SHAPE ENERGY Research Design Challenge, Dr. Mary Greene, collaborating with Dr. Anne Schiffer (Leeds Beckett University), travelled to Africa over the Christmas break to conduct novel ethnographic research on past and ongoing energy transitions in The Gambia ....... [Read More]

First year students from Coláiste Iognáid in Galway win two BT Young Scientist awards for their project, ‘Think Before You Drink: Microplastics’  Three young Scientists Aoibhe Briscoe, Ellie Concannon, and Kate Owens, first year students at Coláiste Iognáid in Galway, competed for this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Awards in the Category Biological and Ecological Sciences with their project ‘Think Before You Drink: Microplastics’. Mentored by NUI Galway, the students won first place in their category and a special award issued by the Environmental Protection Agency for Best Environmental Project presented at the BT Young Scientist 2018....[Read More]

In 2017 Dr. Patrick Collins received and Aarhus University Visiting Fellowship. The Fellowship supported a four month research visit to Aarhus, Denmark where Patrick worked with colleagues in the Department of Culture and Communications. Patrick also worked closely with the team tasked with the monitoring and evaluation of Aarhus 2017 European Capital of Culture.During his sabbatical Patrick also spent a short research visit in Hull, the 2017 UK City of Culture.In December 2017, Patrick launched his new book “Creative Economies in Peripheral Regions” the first book to explore the nature and extent of creative economic activity in Europe’s northerwestern periphery,. Detail: http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319521640