ATU Magazine, Issue 5

Editor:

Design:

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK: email: anne.donnelly@atu.ie

Welcome from the Editor University Updates

- Integration of St. Angela’s College into ATU

- Higher Education Authority (HEA) Allocates €5.55m to ATU

- Transforming Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Research News

- Research Spotlight –ATU researchers listen to whales and dolphins

- ATU Research Projects Receive €5.2m Funding from SFI Frontiers for Partnership Awards

- Research SpotlightATU Lecturer Dr Brigid

Hooban Researches

Antibiotic Resistance

- ATU collaborates with Ulster University (UU) on Innovative Student Mental Health Project

Cover photo: ATU Outdoor Education student Zach Wright climbing Mahjong on a recent climbing trip to Spain. Photo credit: Alex Russell, ATU Outdoor Education student.

Photo Credits: Mike Shaughnessy, James Connolly, Fennell Photography, Seán Lydon, ATU Staff.

Anne Donnelly

Seán Clancy

Upcoming Conferences

- ATU to Host “Invent for the Planet 2023” Aimed at Solving Global Challenges

- Evidence and Plans Towards Transitions to a Sustainable Future

Innovation and Engagement Activities

- ATU Partners with Medtronic to Enhance Employee Learning and Development

- Donegal County Council Partners with ATU to Offer Civil Engineering Work Placements

- ATU Innovation Centres –Highlights for 2022

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Recent Conferences

- ATU Host Asia Matters

- ‘Coming Together,’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference

- ATU MOCHAS Symposium

- Digital Disruption: The Aftershock

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion News

- ATU Sligo, Ireland’s First Technological University Campus to be Designated as Autism Friendly

- Rainbow Walkways

- International Day of Persons with Disabilities

- 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign

- World AIDS Day

ATU Celebrates

- Irish Hospitality Institute Graduate Awards

- ATU Student Wins Top Award for Research on Impact of Menstrual Cycle on Athletes

- ATU Students Win Apprentice of the Year Inaugural Awards

- ATU and MTU Students Win Academic Poster Competition Judged by SAP Labs Ireland

- ATU Building & Civil Engineering Students Win Leadership Challenge

- ATU Host VEX IQ Robotics Competition

- An Taisce Selects ATU Staff as Climate Ambassadors for 2023

- Breaking News

- Snapshots from ATU Conferring Ceremonies

Welcome from the Editor, Anne Donnelly

Dear Reader,

I’m delighted to welcome you to our fifth issue of the ATU Magazine. Our cover photo was taken by Alex Russell, one of our outdoor education students on a recent trip to Spain. The climber is another one of our outdoor education students, Zach Wright.

When I saw the photo, I knew it was perfect for the cover of our ATU magazine. It captures our new university’s activities so well. Only 10 months old, we are scaling new heights every day and we continue to reach even higher as we approach our first anniversary as a technological university on the first of April.

A significant milestone reached in January was an advisory panel visit to St. Angela’s College to evaluate our joint application for incorporation into ATU. Also, in January ATU’s first Academic Council meeting was held at ATU Mayo and work is also underway to formulate our new strategic plan.

We continue to deliver a first-class university learning experience to our students and on page 5, Dr Carina Ginty tells us about an exciting project which is transforming learning, teaching and assessment.

In our research news we have an interesting interview with Cynthia Barile about her work listening to whales and dolphins. Dr Brigid Hooban talks to us about her research into Antibiotic Resistance and we also have a feature on ATU’s collaboration with Ulster University (UU) on an innovative student mental health project.

Our Innovation, Enterprise and Engagement teams continue to support and engage with local and regional industry and on page 21 we bring you the highlights for 2022 for our Innovation Centres and iHubs.

One of the main achievements in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in recent months was ATU Sligo achieving designation as an autism friendly campus. It is Ireland’s first technological university campus to achieve this status. You can read about this on page 35.

Our students continue to do us proud and there were many student achievements in November and December. We bring you news on some of these from page 41 to 46.

Our last feature in this issue is a selection of photos from our conferring ceremonies held in November and December. As you will see from the photos, students, their families, and our staff were in full celebratory mode.

The purpose of this magazine is to keep you updated on our activities and initiatives. So, whether you’re a member of our student or staff body, or are one of our regional, national or international stakeholders, we hope you find something of interest here.

Best Wishes

Anne Donnelly

ATU Open Days

More than 6,000 attended Open Days across ATU in October, November and December.

Events were held in all campuses which started on 5 October in the Mountbellew campus and ended in the Mayo campus on 7 December. St Angela’s College also hosted a joint Open Day with ATU Sligo in November. Prospective students came from all over Ireland with people also travelling from Europe and the United States.

We will have more open days this year in March, April and May.

To find out about our upcoming open days please click here.

Members of ATU’s Academic Council meet at ATU Mayo campus on Friday, 20 January. The council comprises of academic and professional support staff from the three colleges: Galway-Mayo, Donegal and Sligo.

Pictured right student ambassador Lalie Crowley explaining Green Screen technology to Lilian Clancy from Oughterard at ATU Galway-Mayo’s Open Day in November.

University Updates

Incorporation of St. Angela’s College into ATU

ATU and St. Angela’s College, Sligo (STACS) submitted a joint application for incorporation on the 2 November 2022, to Minister Simon Harris. This triggered a formal process under section 44 of the Technological Universities Act 2018 as amended by the Higher Education Authority Act 2022. St. Angela’s College Sligo and ATU hosted a HEA-appointed panel at St. Angela’s campus to review the application on 16-17 January 2023. The panel met with staff, students and stakeholders as part of their evaluation.

The advisory panel members were Michael Horgan, Chairperson, HEA Board; Tony Donohoe, HEA Board, Policy Advisor with IBEC; Dr Judith Eaton, HEA Board, President Emeritus Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Washington DC; and Clodagh McGivern, USI representative (Vice President for Academic Affairs).

Also, in attendance from the HEA were Dr Alan Wall, Chief Executive Officer; Tim Conlon, Head of Policy and Strategic Planning, International Programmes & Gender Equality; Dr Victoria Brownlee, Senior Manager, System Development & Performance Management; and Teresa Gallagher, Senior Executive Officer, System Development & Performance Management.

In preparation for the incorporation of St. Angela’s into ATU, the HEA has approved funding of €1.28m under the Technological Universities Transformation Fund (TUTF) for the period September 2022 - August 2023.

President of St. Angela’s College, Dr Amanda McCloat (fifth from left) and ATU President, Dr Orla Flynn pictured with Advisory Panel Members, HEA and ATU colleagues at the Advisory Panel visit to St. Angela’s Campus.

Higher Education Authority (HEA) Allocates €5.55m to ATU

In November the HEA announced its latest allocation of funding (€23.47m) to support the development of Ireland’s Technological Universities (TUs). ATU was successful in securing the largest allocation of funding.

ATU received 5.27m and in December the HEA allocated ATU an additional amount of €279,500 . Welcoming the announcement, ATU President, Dr Orla Flynn said the funding will have a significant impact on the region.

The funding builds on the first two years of the Technological University Transformation Fund (TUTF) where a total of €60m has already been awarded to the sector since 2020. The TUTF is a threeyear €90m funded project that is designed to assist the development and progression of Ireland’s new TUs.

With support from the TUTF, it is intended that the TUs will advance national priorities, especially in the areas of access to higher education, research-informed teaching and learning, supporting enterprise, and enhancing regional development.

We are delighted to have secured €5.55m in funding from the TU Transformation Fund, which will help deliver our ambitious plans as a new university operating across the west and north-west of Ireland. This funding will enable access to higher education across our unique region, help strengthen research and innovation capacity and stimulate more cohesive engagement with enterprise.”

Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President

Transforming Learning, Teaching and Assessment

The National Technological University Transformation for Recovery and Resilience (NTUTORR) programme

Ireland’s technological sector, combining technological universities and institutes of technology, have formed a partnership to develop and deliver on the National Technological University Transformation for Recovery and Resilience (NTUTORR) programme. This programme, which is EU funded and overseen by the HEA, proposes to utilize the national scale and scope of the sector to deliver a best-practice suite of initiatives and opportunities for the learner, for staff development and supported by necessary enabling technologies.

The NTUTORR programme is designed to transform learning, teaching and assessment by focussing on transforming the student experience and developing the capabilities of all staff to address a sustainable pedagogical and learning environment with particular focus on digital transformation, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

The national programme of work of the project is designed to enable and leverage digital transformations to achieve sustainable and long-lasting change in the higher education student experience. The programme aims to implement and utilise digital technologies and platforms in a manner which will enable and empower students and staff to enhance and develop their higher education experience. ATU staff and students can learn more about the NTUTORR project in ATU by clicking here.

This collaboration will drive change and innovation across all technological universities and institutes of technology under three streams that will support students, staff and our digital ecosystem.”

Dr Carina Ginty, ATU NTUTORR,Institutional Lead

Carina Ginty, ATU NTUTORR Institutional Lead says:

“NTUTORR is a really unique partnership for the TU sector in Ireland, with a funding award of €37m. This collaboration will drive change and innovation across all technological universities and institutes of technology under three streams that will support students, staff and our digital ecosystem. NTUTORR is all about transforming learning, teaching and assessment. The first initiative launched in December, with a focus on student empowerment and partnership. It is titled the Partners in Innovation

Fellowship Programme. A total of 21 of the 100 national fellowship project awards (5,000 euro per fellowship project) will be awarded to the Atlantic Technological University community. We are seeking proposals in the areas of digital transformation, education for sustainability, EDI, UDL or Academic Integrity. All applications must demonstrate a student partnership team approach. Check out our ATU NTUTORR project site to apply. In the coming months, I will visit campuses across ATU to talk about the NTUTORR streams and opportunities through a series of NTUTORR lunch and learn sessions. In addition, various ATU community work groups will be established to support the implementation and rollout of NTUTORR work packages.”

The Three NTUTORR Programme Streams

Stream 1: Empowering Students: transforming the Student Experience through learner empowerment

Stream 2: Building Staff Capabilities: transforming Learning, Teaching and Assessment by Developing Staff Capabilities

Stream 3: Digital Transformation: enabling Digital Ecosystems to transform Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Research News

ATU researchers listen to whales and dolphins. A group of researchers in the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC) at ATU Galway City campus are using acoustic methods to better understand cetaceans and contribute to conservation.

Ireland. I recently completed my PhD and joined the MFRC as a postdoctoral researcher, still focusing on those species, but additionally looking at an important environmental issue: noise. I also take part in outreach initiatives. I want to raise awareness and spark a light of interest into as many people as possible, in the hope they will become voices for our oceans and our planet.

the surface to breathe, which is the moment we could potentially observe them from a boat.

What advantages has acoustic research methods over visual research methods?

Deep-diving cetaceans reach great depths for extended periods. They can dive to a depth of more than two km and can stay there for two hours or more. Their time at the surface is rather limited.

Tell us a bit about your career and research to date?

I come from the south-east of France, where I grew up between the mountains and the sea, with a vivid interest for nature and wildlife. Marine animals have always fascinated me, which drove me towards an International Master’s in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC+). I then pursued a PhD in the MFRC in ATU, focusing on deepdiving cetaceans using acoustic data to investigate how these mysterious animals use their habitats off western

Why do you use acoustic methods to learn more about whales and dolphins?

One might think that the oceans are quiet, but they are filled with sounds. Sounds from the earth, the weather, but also from marine animals. That gives us a great opportunity for scientific research. Instead of using traditional visual methods, we can use passive acoustic methods to listen where we cannot see. From spying, we turn to eavesdropping.

This is even more relevant for deepdiving cetacean species. Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) are mammals, so unlike fish they need to come to

Reaching them in their offshore environments is a challenge because it’s expensive and the weather in the Atlantic further complicates things. Add this to their limited time at the surface and you can quickly grasp how difficult it is to collect sufficient data for scientific research based on visual observations only.

But luckily for us, these animals are chatty and some of them are very loud! So, listening to them is the perfect alternative.

Cynthia Barile, ATU researcher who is investigating deep-diving cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in Irish offshore waters talks to us about her research.

How do you carry out your acoustic research?

We use what we call hydrophones, which are simply underwater microphones. We either drop them in the water for several months at a time or we record in real time by towing them behind research vessels.

What can you learn from listening to deep-diving whales and dolphins?

We can find out where they are in the ocean, when they are there, in some cases how many there are, or what they are doing. We can investigate their preference such as if they prefer warm or cold water by using statistical methods and considering other variables in their environment. That can allow us to predict where they might be under different scenarios.

This was the main focus of my PhD. I exploited archived data, collected in Irish waters as part of the ObSERVEAcoustic and Woodside projects in 2014-2016.

Can human activities at sea affect these deep-diving mammals?

Yes, they can. My current research (LOUDCet project – Listening to Offshore Underwater noise Disturbance and Cetaceans, IRC-funded postdoctoral research) focuses on activities generating

noise in the ocean which we consider to be pollutants in the environment.

Research has shown that cetaceans, including deep-diving species, can be sensitive to noise. Depending on the source and physical properties of the noise, such as the amplitude or the frequency (high vs low pitch), mammals can be affected.

Their behaviour can change. They might flee the noise, or they might need to modulate the way they communicate. Think of yourself in a very loud, crowded pub - you will speak louder so others can hear you. Mammals hearing capabilities might also be affected by noise. It is therefore of utmost importance for species conservation to consider those issues.

How can your research influence our attitudes and behaviour?

For my research, I am also interested in how the general public perceives noise pollution. I believe that each one of us, scientist or not, political figure or not, have a role to play in the environmental issues we are facing today.

Identifying the extent of this lack of awareness is crucial to developing strategies, adapting communication initiatives, and allowing people to make more informed choices. A social perception survey is under preparation for these purposes, and I will soon need all the help I can get!

To listen an interview with Cynthia please click here.

One might think that the oceans are quiet, but they are filled with sounds.”

As consumers, in our everyday life, we have the power to drive change. But that all starts with awareness, which I believe to be lacking when it comes to ocean noise. Afterall, how could one turn the volume down without knowing where the stereo is, or without finding the volume button?”

ATU Research Projects Receive €5.2m Funding from SFI Frontiers for Partnership Awards

Five ATU research projects have been awarded over €5.2m funding from SFI Frontiers for Partnership Awards. The funding will support research in areas such as the development of a traceability tool for seafood, green hydrogen, 3D printing of personalised medical devices, study of gill disease in Irish salmon, and finding new natural remedies from our seabed.

Announcing the funding, Minister Simon Harris said the SFI Frontiers for Partnership Awards would help Technological Universities reach their full potential.

The SFI Frontiers for Partnership Awards support research proposals led by the Technological University (TU) / Institutes of Technology (IoT) sector with partners from the established University sector.

Welcoming the news, Dr Rick Officer, Vice President of Research and Innovation at ATU’s Galway

City campus said: “I’m thrilled that ATU’s tremendous expertise has been so well recognised by these five SFI awards. Each of the projects involves research teams of excellence, and each will

deliver research outcomes of huge relevance and benefit to society. These projects exemplify the type of research impact that ATU strives to achieve.”

Through these new awards we are delivering on several key objectives, including an enhanced focus on research activities within the TU sector. This research will address key areas too, such as healthcare and climate change.”

Minister Simon Harris

The Five Funded ATU-led Projects

Dr Conor Graham (ATU) and Dr Liam Morrison (University of Galway) aim to develop the world’s first scientifically based traceability tool for seafood through the TRACE-FISH project. This will help protect the health of consumers, deter food fraud and enhance the marketing of Irish seafood abroad.

Dr Suresh Pillai (ATU) and Prof Paula Colavita (TCD) are developing low-cost materials to allow commercial hydrogen production from renewable sources including agricultural waste. This project is co-funded by SEAI. The Nano2H2 project aims to develop low-cost materials to allow commercial hydrogen production from renewable sources.

Dr Katie O’ Dwyer, Dr Orla Slattery (ATU) and Dr Jens Carlsson (UCD) will lead a team of biologists, ecologists, veterinary scientists, biochemists, geneticists, and industry partners to improve treatment of gill disease in Atlantic salmon (GIDAS project), striving towards resolving gill disease issues in global finfish aquaculture.

Dr Shane O’Reilly (ATU) and Dr Brian Kelleher (DCU): Bioprospecting of novel marine terpenoids with broad commercial applications (ProspecTER). In this project, researchers will use chemical and genomic tools to discover novel types of compounds called terpenoids and test their use and commercial potential. Terpenoids are known to be the most diverse chemicals in nature, yet largely unexplored in marine settings.

Dr Marion McAfee (ATU) and Prof Gavin Walker (UL): Process Control for Extrusion-based 3D-printing of Personalised Medicine (PROCEED 3D). 3D printing of drug delivery devices, including medical implants, is a key goal to enable fabrication of patient specific devices rapidly at the point of care, for example within the hospital setting. PROCEED 3D aims to progress this vision of personalised medicine by developing new technologies to address challenges in manufacturing next-generation, personalised, drug delivery devices.

We have developed this programme following detailed consultation with the sector. It is important we provide the support to build excellent research capacity in our Technological Universities and Institutes of Technology. Working in partnership with their colleagues in the wider University sector is an excellent way to do this. I wish the awardees every success with these projects.”

Prof Philip Nolan, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland

Research Spotlight

ATU Lecturer Dr Brigid Hooban Researches Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health concern that impacts both human and agricultural health on a global scale. Dr Brigid Hooban tells us about her research into the role of the environment in this area.

Why is there an increasing need to better understand the role of the environment as a reservoir and transmission route for antibiotic resistance to protect public health?

Antibiotic resistance is a ‘One Health’ problem meaning that it impacts both humans, animals and our shared environment. All three components are interlinked, making them of equal importance. Antibiotic resistance can spread from humans and animals to the environment through wastewater discharges and agricultural runoff, and vice versa through recreational interaction with environmental waters.

What did the research project you were involved in examine?

As part of the EPA and HSE funded AREST project lead by Professor Dearbháile Morris, this research examined both environmental waters and sewage sources for the presence of clinically significant antibiotic resistant bacteria on a national scale in Ireland. Samples were collected across Dublin, Cork and Galway including coastal and inland freshwaters, in addition to sewage from healthcare facilities and wastewater treatment plants.

The AREST Project (Antimicrobial Resistance and the Environment -Sources, Persistance, Transmission and Risk Management).

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health. By 2050, it is estimated that 10 million deaths per year will be attributable to AMR. The ‘One-Health’ concept recognises that human health is connected to animal health and the environment.

What was the aim of the project?

The aim of this work was to analyse what types of clinically significant antibiotic resistant bacteria are residing in our waters and try to link them back to their original source, through comparing the bacteria from natural waters to those detected in different wastewaters.

What did your samples reveal?

We detected bacterial species commonly linked with causing clinical infections (e.g., Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species) harbouring antibiotic resistance genes, which significantly limits the arsenal of antibiotics that would work against the organism. Of particular significance,

Brigid taking samples.

one or more carbapenemase producing Enterobacterales (CPE) were isolated from 32 individual sampling sites (23 water, 9 sewage) across all rounds of sample collection. CPE are considered a public health emergency in Ireland, and so their detection in the environment is a significant public health concern.

What did the research findings highlight?

The findings of this research highlight the need for regular monitoring of the aquatic environment for the presence of antimicrobial resistant organisms which is currently lacking on a European scale. The need to

eradicate all raw sewage discharges is also evident. Wastewater discharges and agricultural runoff currently discharge the equivalent of three Olympic size swimming pools of sewage daily across 32 towns and villages in the republic of Ireland (EPA Urban Waste water Treatment in 2021 Report). Little is known about the risk of colonisation and infection due to exposure to the environmental resistance through ingestion of resistant bacteria in water via recreational exposure.

The PIER project (@PierProject) lead by Professor Dearbháile Morris and Dr. Liam Burke is currently addressing this knowledge gap.

Find out more about the research findings

Findings of the initial sampling were published in the Environment International Journal in 2021. Please click here to read.

The subsequent sampling rounds were published in Science of the Total Environment journal in 2022. Please click here to read.

About Brigid Hooban

Brigid graduated from ATU GalwayMayo in 2017 with a BSc. (Hons) in Medical Science. She graduated from University of Galway in 2022 with a PhD in Bacteriology. She has been working in ATU Galway-Mayo since 2021 lecturing in Medical Science.

ATU Collaborates with Ulster University (UU) on Innovative Student Mental Health Project

The Irish Student Wellbeing and ADHD Project (I-SWAP), a collaboration between ATU and Ulster University (UU) commenced in September 2022. I-SWAP is an innovative 12-month, cross-border, student mental health project funded by the HEA North South Research Programme. The project will enhance the successful, longstanding research partnership ATU have with UU.

The I-SWAP team consists of experts in Psychology and Mental Health, Nursing, Health and Social Care, Stratified Medicine and Genetics across the UU and ATU campuses who will work together to improve mental health and academic outcomes for students with ADHD.

I-SWAP Aims:

1. I-SWAP will explore and understand biological and psychological associations between ADHD and increased risk for mental health conditions and a range of suicidal behaviours. Students with ADHD will be asked to anonymously complete a comprehensive survey regarding mental health as well as providing a small five milliliter saliva sample.

2. The project aims to improve mental health and wellbeing, and knowledge around mental health and helpseeking behaviours among students with ADHD on the Island of Ireland.

Worryingly, elevated rates of mental health problems and suicidal behaviour have been reported among college students globally, as well as across the island of Ireland.”

Natasha Brown, Research Assistant, ATU Donegal

Student Mental Health Survey

In September 2019, ATU and UU conducted surveys with almost 1,900 first-year, undergraduate ATU and UU students via the Student Psychological Intervention Trial (SPIT)

The results of the survey showed that 28% of the student surveyed had experienced suicidal ideation, and 15.7% had experienced at least one major depressive episode prior to beginning university. Moreover, SPIT recently reported that 27% of students at UU and ATU screened positively for ADHD.

The SPIT research project also reported that Irish and Northern Irish students with ADHD were between two and three times more

likely to report suicidal ideation, plan and lifetime suicide attempts than their neurotypical counterparts. Many students with ADHD not only experience poor mental health outcomes, but also are more likely to underperform academically and experience high levels of university drop-out, which can have detrimental long-term impacts.

Despite the high prevalence of ADHD among college students there is limited research regarding

the link between ADHD and student mental health. Additionally, there are few, if any, interventions specifically tailored towards supporting the mental health and wellbeing needs of vulnerable students with ADHD. I-SWAP aims to address this considerable knowledge gap regarding ADHD and mental health and begin the development of an evidence-based, tailored wellbeing programme aimed specifically for students with ADHD.

ADHD

ADHD is a neurological disorder which is characterised by a persistent pattern of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity. Adult ADHD symptoms include difficulty with time management, memory, organisation, emotional regulation, and stress management. These symptoms often cause high levels of stress and overwhelm and interfere with college, work, home life, and relationships – especially if left untreated.

Findings from the project will help inform future policy and practice regarding supporting students with ADHD in higher education institutions.

”

Irish Student Wellbeing and ADHD Project Team (I-SWAP)

Chief Investigator ATU

Donegal: Dr Louise McBride

Chief Investigator UU

Northern Ireland: Dr Elaine Murray

Research Fellow UU

Northern Ireland: Dr Margaret McLafferty

Research Assistant ATU

Donegal: Natasha Brown

The I-SWAP Project team has been working closely with the student advisory group who are aiding in the development and design of the research and associated materials, including the new wellbeing programme. I-SWAP is due to begin data collection in early February 2023. The co-developed, mental health literacy and wellbeing sessions will be rolled out and trialled in mid-February 2023.

Innovation and Engagement News

ATU Partners with Medtronic to Enhance Employee Learning and Development

As part of a pilot programme, ATU recently partnered with the Coronary and Renal Denervation (CRDN) Operations department in Medtronic Ireland to enhance their employees learning and development using our new online Mycareerpath.ie platform. This new career and learning pathway service engages with employers and potential ATU students.

The service advises candidates on the learning pathways available and appropriate to them, and how to achieve their career objectives or improve their employability.

Employers see this service as an important part of staff retention and an effective tool feeding into staff development and addressing their organisation’s upskilling, reskilling, and CPD goals. The service customises specific learning pathways for specific industries.

The overall aim of the project is to enhance employee satisfaction in the workplace, encourage the development of career progression pathways, increased engagement in Higher Education and improved regional output.

Medtronic Ireland

Medtronic Ireland has roots in Ireland since 1982, and currently employs more than 4,000 people across four sites based in Galway (Parkmore & Mervue), Athlone and Dublin. Mycareerpath.ie linked into their organisation’s vision and aligned well with their Academic Sponsorship Policy, which supports the company’s mission by recognising the personal worth of all their employees and enables employees to maximise their potential by providing opportunities for growth and development.

Pathways Chosen

Mycareer.ie pathway introduced employees in Medtronic to five distinct pathways, each with its own bespoke learning pathway tailored to suit people at different career stages. Of the 13 participants one person took part in the New Beginnings Path, six took part in the Career Accelerator Path, and six took part in the Mastery Path.

The combination of the e-learning tools and career assessments with the personalised advice provided by the Career and Learning Pathways advisors is second to none. It has given our employees clarity around their career paths and the motivation and confidence to pursue further education and training. We would have no hesitation in recommending mycareerpath.ie and we see it as a valuable resource that should be leveraged by other companies in the region.”

Output from the process

Employees career development plan

Employees receive guidance from a qualified Career Advisor

Employees have clearly defined pathways and skills gaps analysis

Employees now have the right mix of skills for their future business needs

Employees are more engaged

Access to resources to support learning goals

Guided support throughout process RPL information Ultimately

Mary Kearns L&D Consultant, Medtronic

What Medtronic employees and learners say about mycareerpath.ie

The career assessments highlighted my strengths which I had not considered previously. Ultimately you will have the skills, confidence and knowledge to pursue a rewarding career withing your organisation. ”

Careerpath learner, Medtronic

Being responsible for a large diverse Value Stream, Coronary and Renal Denervation (CRDN) Operations with over 1000 direct labour and 36 managers and supervisors in my reporting line it is critical for me as a People Leader to inspire and help all my team to reach their full potential. I realised there was a huge opportunity not just for me but for my team to get involved in this pilot. It had a big impact with the 13 team members of my value stream that participated, again giving them confidence and motivation to bring their education to a higher level. As a mentor, a people leader and participant I would highly recommend onboarding of this valuable resource. ”

Laura O’Donoghue, Manufacturing Director and learner, Medtronic

Mycareerpath.ie path is a free service that will help you streamline staff training and development to ensure your organisation meets its future skills needs. To find out more please click here.

Donegal County Council Partners with ATU to Offer Civil Engineering Work Placements

ATU together with Donegal County Council announced the launch of their Civil Engineering Work Placement partnership last November. Final Year BEng Civil Engineering Students will work one day per week on a range of Donegal County Council projects under this new partnership.

The partnership will provide significant experience to students studying Civil Engineering in ATU Donegal where they will gain on-thejob training one day per week during the winter semester of their final year. The work placement is made possible by the support of Donegal

County Council engineering staff who organise placements throughout the county – including road construction projects, local area offices and the National Roads Office.

We are delighted to expand our partnership opportunities with ATU. They play a vital role in providing a skilled workforce for a wide range of industry and services in the north-west. ATU will help transform third level education in Donegal and the north-west region.”

Donegal County Council Chief Executive, John McLaughlin

Donegal County Council Director of Services, Bryan Cannon says: “Civil Engineering is a key qualification that will be required as part of the Skills base needed to deliver the National Development Plan.

There will be many and varied infrastructural projects in the north-west in the coming years and Donegal County Council is keen to play its part with ATU in developing

young engineers that will play a part in delivering the NDP for Donegal and the north-west.”

Representatives from Donegal County Council, ATU Donegal Civil Engineering Lecturing team and ATU Donegal Civil Engineering students celebrating the recent partnership announcement.

We are excited to work with Donegal County Council as partners in this new initiative. Work placement is an important element of the programmes we provide here at ATU Donegal.”

Thomas Dowling, Head of Faculty of Engineering & Technology, ATU Donegal

What our students say about their civil engineering work placements

Work placement has helped enhance my team working and IT skills. I can now apply these improved skills in my college work and final year project. ”

As a student of civil engineering, to see the work of a civil engineer being appreciated by a member of the public gave me a reminder of the real-life impact civil engineering has in society. An occurrence I had not seen before, to see a civil engineer being thanked for public service was inspiring and reassured me of the importance of this work. ”

Seeing in practice the on-site testing carried out on construction projects, that I only read about in class notes, made it easier to understand civil engineering materials, design, and procedures. ”

Practical surveying skills gained in my first and second year have been developed with use of the GPS and total station surveying equipment on this work placement. I think the latest technology can be incorporated into the modules more. ”

Paul Hannigan, Head of College ATU Donegal and John McLaughlin, Chief Executive Donegal County Council, chat with the ATU Donegal Civil Engineering students.

ATU Innovation Centres

2022 was a busy year for the ATU Innovation Centres and iHubs. Here we introduce you to the centres and bring you a selection of some of their activities in 2022.

About the ATU Galway-Mayo iHubs

The iHubs at ATU Galway City and Mayo provide high potential entrepreneurs and innovative startups with the business skills, networks, space and supports necessary to navigate the business start-up process from concept to successful commercialisation.

A critical goal of the iHubs is the number of successful Start-Up companies that emerge from the incubation pipeline. These new companies will have survived the early stages of growth and become independent standalone entities which have successfully developed new products or services for global markets. The iHubs provide entrepreneurs, with a supportive environment as they progress idea from concept to commercial success. Click here to find out more.

ATU iHub Mayo – Highlights from

2022

The EMPOWER Programme run by ATU iHub Mayo rounded up its cycle II in 2022. The Programme is a free initiative run by the ATU iHubs that aims to promote and fast-track female entrepreneurship across the counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.

As part of these supports, ATU iHub Mayo and Údarás na Gaeltachta recently launched a pilot programme called Cumasú helping to fast-track female entrepreneurs in the Gaeltacht areas of Galway and Mayo. This programme gets underway in 2023 and ATU iHub Mayo through EMPOWER is looking forward to growing this initiative. EMPOWER offers two separate programs, TÚS aimed at people who have a business idea they want to explore and FÁS (GROWTH) for entrepreneurs who are already in business and are looking to grow their business and to develop.

Remote Working at iHub Mayo

The new world of remote work is also beginning to grow with people deciding to work locally and commute less. ATU iHub Mayo is part of the Connected Hubs Platform. With support from Connected Hubs and Enterprise Ireland, ATU iHub Mayo offers some hot desking and remote working space.

Castlebar is the best place to work remotely when fibre broadband, house prices, and safety are taken into consideration, according to Switcher.ie’s Remote Working Index.

EMPOWER Programme

We hope that anyone looking to move west will consider Castlebar and ATU iHub as its home base so we can continue to grow high tech start-ups in the west of Ireland.

Digital First Day

On 13 November, 2022, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) and ATU iHub Mayo undertook a joint initiative for Digital First Day. This event explored digital technologies and utilizing these technologies to enhance business efficiency.

New Start-ups

2022 was an exciting year with lots of wonderful new start-ups being created. We had seven finalists in the Network Ireland Business Women of the Year Awards with EMPOWER and three winners: Asumpta Gallagher from Best Practice won the Solo Businesswoman category, Yvonne Commer, Rugby Smarts won the STEM category and Dani Baumgarten, Dani Teal Designs won emerging new businesswoman category.

New Frontiers

Phase Two of the New Frontiers Programme kicked off in late 2022 with five businesses in Mayo selected to participate.

Cubbie, Winners at National Enterprise Awards

Cubbie, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo, were winners at this year’s National Enterprise Awards. Cubbie took home the Innovation Award. The installation, which is in over 200

schools across Ireland, enables students with neurodiversity or sensory challenges to regulate their senses with a bespoke programme to ensure their learning and academic experience is not adversely affected.

Cytidiel to pitch at major European conference

Cytidel experts in the cybersecurity field, were selected to pitch at the European Cyber Security Organisation’s Investor Days conference in association with Enterprise Ireland. Cytidel have partnered with IBM to drive their intelligence and technical capabilities and work with some large financial service organisations to improve their overall security capabilities. They were also selected as a finalist in the National Start-up Awards.

Spraoi agus Sport Benefit from the Late Late Toy Show Appeal

Spraoi agus Sport an award-winning social enterprise in Carandonagh, Inishowen benefited from the Toy Show Appeal in 2021. The company connects people through a variety of enterprises including toddler and baby groups, high-tech digital laboratories and a co-hub working. Helen Nolan from Spraoi agus Sport was a participant on the EMPOWER Growth Programme.

The RTÉ Toy show Appeal (2021) raised over €6.6m in donations and in total 164 charities and organisations received a grant to help children.

ATU iHub Galway

City – Highlights from 2022

InVera Medical secures €4.6m in DTIF funding

ATU iHub Galway City client company InVera Medical is one of two medtech projects set to receive Government funding under the fourth round of the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). The DTIF aims to drive collaboration between Ireland’s researchers and industry and develop disruptive technologies for eventual commercial application. InVera Medical is leading research into vessel wall intervention for vein closure in venous leg ulcerations. The project got €4.6m and will see InVera work with University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University and Innovative Catheter Solutions.

AuriGen Medical crowdfunds over €3m in three weeks

The company, which is based at ATU iHub Galway City has developed a heart implant designed to treat both the stroke and arrhythmia risk associated with atrial fibrillation. The minimally invasive implant aims to revolutionise the management of millions of chronic heart disease patients.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tony O’Halloran, AuriGen Medical.

AuriGen Medical co-founder and CEO Dr John Thompson said that current approaches to treat heart failure and atrial fibrillation - two of the world’s most common chronic cardiovascular diseasesrequire multiple expensive devices and procedures.

To address these challenges, AuriGen Medical has created the first device to integrate stroke prevention, heart failure monitoring and arrhythmia management in a single 30 minute day case procedure.

Rockfield Medical Devices Receives FDA Clearance for the Mobility+ Enteral Feeding System

ATU New Frontiers company ByoWave wins annual InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Awards

Nua Surgical named Ireland’s Best Tech Start-up in 2022 at the National Start-up Awards

The company was one of sixty-eight finalists selected for the awards which were divided into a broad range of categories which celebrate the achievements of startups in Ireland, from hundreds of applications.

Galway-based tech start-up Byowave has been named the overall winner of the prestigious InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition, pocketing a cash prize of €100,000.

NUA Surgical is dedicated to innovating in women’s health, and has developed the STERICISION C-section Retractor to improve access and visualisation during caesarean delivery.

The Mobility+ Enteral Feeding System is a portable, lightweight, non-electronic, enteral feeding system that delivers liquid nutrition formula to an enteral access device (feeding tube) in users aged two years and over, in clinical or home care settings.

This FDA clearance allows Rockfield Medical Devices to market the Mobility+ Enteral Feeding System in the United States and allows the company to deliver on its mission to transform the mobility and quality of life of tube feeders.

Seedcorn is the only competition of its kind on the island of Ireland aimed at improving the investor readiness of innovative new start and early-stage businesses. As well as a substantial prize fund of €300,000 for the winners, participants in the competition benefit from business planning workshops, unique networking opportunities and access to angel investors, and mentorship support throughout the competition. ByoWave makes modular, accessible and customisable video game controllers for people with disabilities. The company has developed a new solution allowing users to build their own controllers based on their own physical needs, and have unrestricted access to the world of video-gaming.

The National Start-up Awards recognise the dedication, resilience and perseverance of entrepreneurs that are contributing so much to the nation’s economy.

Bluedrop Medical wins Digital Health Innovation of the Year at the Irish Medtech Awards

Another start-up based at ATU iHubs Galway City, Bluedrop Medical was the recent recipient of Digital Health Innovation of the Year at the Irish Medtech Awards sponsored by the Ibec Irish Medtech Association, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. The start-up is developing an advanced system that can identify diabetic foot ulcer signs early, which can help to reduce the number of amputations in Ireland linked with the condition.

Eibhlin O’Riordan co-founder of ByoWave holding the Seedcorn overall winner award alongside Margaret Hearty, Chief Executive Officer of InterTradeIreland and Richard Kennedy, Chairman of InterTradeIreland.

About the Innovation Centre at ATU Sligo

The Innovation Centre at ATU Sligo is a 3,000m2 facility established to support local entrepreneurs and start-ups; provide an operational base for international business; and accelerate the commercialisation of advanced research emerging from ATU Sligo.

The Centre provides the following facilities, expertise and supporting services for resident companies and the ATU community:

• Incubation space

• Entrepreneurship training

• Business support, funding and business development advice, Regional Skills Forum

• Assistance with connecting with business mentors and government support agencies

• Networking opportunities

• Skills workshops and courses

• Technology transfer and intellectual property advice and expertise

• Access to ATU research centres and Technology Gateways

• Access to ATU academic, student and graduate communities

The Innovation Centre at ATU Sligo – Highlights from 2022

New Team

2022 saw a complete change in Centre management with three new appointments of a Centre Administrator, Head of Enterprise and Engagement, and Centre Manager. This followed the recruitment of new team members for New Frontiers (the Enterprise Ireland Entrepreneurship Programme) and the Regional Skills Forum Northwest. Both teams are also based in the centre to offer their expertise, advice and support to centre clients.

The Centre is operating at capacity with a mix of businesses at various stages of development along with commercial/industry-led research groups and graduate student researchers. This mix of academia and industry is one of the cornerstones of the ATU Sligo innovation strategy: to establish and facilitate a thriving, creative environment through diversity, thought and purpose.

About ATU Donegal – Colab

Colab began as an incubation space in ATU Donegal and has grown into a widely respected ‘innovation ecosystem’ for technology and export start-ups. CoLab companies are leading the way in exciting innovation. Some of the ideas under development include: life-saving drone software; sensory wearable technologies; digital creativity; and toy manufacturers promoting a positive body image.

The centre provides flexible office space, and outstanding facilities, for high-potential start-ups. CoLab is a community of entrepreneurs and promotes a culture of collaboration.

We are now a team of seven hard-working, engaging and enthusiastic individuals determined to support the innovation and commercialisation strategy of ATU. We are developing a new website so stay tuned for more information on this and all the activities being conducted at the Innovation Centre at ATU Sligo. In the meantime, follow us on social media or email us at innovation.sligo@atu.ie ”

Ceola McLynn, Innovation Centre Manager at ATU Sligo

The Innovation Centre @ ATU Sligo team, left to right: Margaret Killeen (Regional Skills Admin), Hilary McPartland (Regional Skills Manager), Rory Nevin (Innovation Centre admin), Geraldine Beirne (New Frontiers Programme Manager), Ceola McLynn (Innovation Centre Manager), Finola Howe (Head of Enterprise and Engagement) and Grace Latham (New Frontiers Admin).

Colab at ATU Donegal –Highlights from 2022

The Wireless Sensor and Applied Research Lab (WiSAR Lab) is based in Colab. WiSAR develops products and industry solutions using expertise in Wireless, Embedded Systems and related software. To find out more about WiSAR please click here.

WiSAR hosted many visits in 2022 including representatives from Zinkworks Ireland. The telecoms tech company plan to recruit 50 senior and mid-level software developers at their new software engineering hub at Colab, ATU.

Dr William Scanlon, CEO of the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork also visited the centre. During the visit, Dr Scanlon explored a range of WiSAR industry projects and scoped out collaborative research opportunities.

In early December WiSAR hosted Daniel Coen, Founder and CEO of Irish start-up, Skippio. Daniel has been working alongside WiSAR engineers under the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher programme in developing his innovative technology solution to cut queuing times and improve the customer experience when purchasing refreshments at large scale events. The Skippio/WiSAR research collaboration recently featured in the Sunday Times and the company has secured significant seed capital funding.

Interreg EuropeWeSTEMEU

WiSAR Lab has been named as partner in the new €1.9m Interreg Europe project, WeSTEMEU (Women for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

in Europe). WiSAR Lab will work alongside a host of international partners, from academia to regional and national authorities, across Europe including Spain, Lithuania, Romania, Greece, and Poland. WeSTEMEU will aim to address the gender imbalance in STEM

by facilitating the exchange of experience, knowledge, and good practices in advancing policy instruments that encourage and facilitate women’s employment in the sectors.

Interreg NPA - CHANGE

WiSAR Lab has also secured funding for a new Northern periphery and Arctic Programme (NPA) preparatory project, CHANGE, with international partners Mid Sweden University and Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Finland. The key focus of CHANGE will be to develop and mobilise strategic networks with policy makers throughout the NPA region, in influencing attitudes and behaviours towards renewable energy and energy efficiency.

North-West Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (NWCAM)

The NWCAM consortium gathered at Catalyst in Belfast in May 2022, to mark the completion of a project, which delivered 16 world-leading R&D projects involving more than 50 university researchers and 10 innovative companies.

Established in 2017, NWCAM created an Advanced Manufacturing virtual cluster focused on bringing new technologies to products and processes within the Life and Health Sciences sector. Led by Catalyst, the academic capabilities of the project were facilitated through the WiSAR and PEM research gateways at ATU alongside Ulster University and University of Glasgow.

Under NWCAM, WiSAR Lab, ATU worked with global manufacturing firm, Leckey, in the research and development of a pressure seating solution for people confined to a wheelchair.

SMARTrenew Closing Conference

In March 2022, a delegation from the WiSAR Lab travelled to Oulu, Finland for the final SMARTrenew conference, Energy Innovation in the Arctic Region. SMARTrenew is a renewable energy and energy storage project funded under the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme (NPA) 2014 – 2020 with an allocated budget of €1.6m.

The two-day event, held at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, attracted an international audience of energy experts, academia, local and national authorities and industry representatives across a wide range of energy technologies including nuclear, wind, geothermal and more.

Dr William Scanlon, CEO of Tyndall National Institute (pictured third from left) visits the WiSAR Lab at ATU Donegal.

Recent Conferences

ATU Host Asia Matters

Creative and Cultural Industries Roundtable Discussion

ATU Galway City campus hosted the opening of Asia Matters Business Week in the School of Design and Creative Arts, on 28 November 2022. The event examined the global importance of Creative and Cultural Industries in driving social and economic development. The morning session focused on the Cultural and Creative Industries across the west and north-west region.

Speakers included ATU President Dr Orla Flynn; Dr Patrick Tobin; Alan Dukes, Chairman of Asia Matters; HE Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra and many other external stakeholders. Akhilesh Mishra acknowledged the outstanding cultural landscape across Ireland and the power of people and hospitality on this island. The event also showcased student work from these disciplines across all campuses.

ATU President Dr Orla Flynn welcomes HE Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra, and Chairman of Asia Matters Alan Dukes to ATU.

‘Coming Together,’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference

Global, national and regional economies have been disrupted by several shocks and crises in recent times, including Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently by Russia’s war against Ukraine. These are in addition to the challenges brought about by digitalisation, the green transition, demographic change, and globalisation.

The ‘Competing Together’, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE) Conference held on 5 December 2022, brought international, national keynote speakers and panel members together to explore how we in this region can collectively lead the way in innovation, technological development, entrepreneurship teaching, entrepreneurship research and public-private co-creation to sustain and accelerate an inclusive and resilient economy.

Keynote speakers included:

• Prof. Peter Kawalek, Loughborough University who spoke on the topic of ‘New Models of Disruption’ which looked at how enterprises should consider their value propositions off the back of industry disruptors.

• Warren Bramley from the University of Sheffield spoke on ‘What Happens When Everyone Designs’ and invited the audience to consider opportunities to pivot from traditional business models and to discover why collaborative innovation and co-creation is so valuable for enterprises.

• Prof. Stephen Kinsella from the University of Limerick spoke on ‘“An Economists Perspective on a changing world in the Future,” which explored what the tech crisis says about Ireland’s economic development model, what the major forces of change in the economy are, and what all of this means for Irish Enterprises in our region as they strive to succeed.

The ATU DICE Research Centre and the ATU Donegal Faculty of Business hosted the IE conference. The hybrid event invited individuals and businesses of all sizes in the west and north-west to join in the discussion around key issues facing industry across the region.

The conference focused on the twin pillars of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and discussed the challenges brought about by digitalisation, the green transition, demographic change, and globalisation.

Panel members included representatives from Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Alpha Innovation Centre, Enterprise Ireland, Donegal County Council, Western Development Commission, and the Local Enterprise Office.

Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President welcomes attendees to the ‘Coming Together,’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference.

Left to right: Kevin Sexton, Head of Innovation, Alpha Innovation Centre; Michael Margey, Head of Faculty of Business, ATU Donegal; Eve-Anne McCarron, External Engagement Officer, ATU Donegal; Padraic Lynch, Lecturer, ATU Donegal and Micheal Ó Duibhir, Údarás na Gaeltachta at the Innovation at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference.

Panellists Anne Marie Collin, Méabh Conaghan, Allan Mulrooney and John Magee explore how to build resilience in a time of disruption at the ‘Coming Together,’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference.

ATU MOCHAS Symposium

ATU Galway City campus hosted the inaugural symposium in Modelling and Computation for Heath and Society (MOCHAS) on 16-17 January 2023.

MOCHAS is an exciting new interdisciplinary, cohort-based research training programme. It aims to produce high-level, multidisciplinary research graduates who can develop, communicate, and exploit modelling tools for the solution of real-world problems relevant to societal needs.

The symposium presented the work of MOCHAS’s 15 doctoral candidates, and 23 other ATU research students and staff working in related fields. The MOCHAS projects researchers are collaborating with nine public enterprises, 11 private enterprises and 14 national and international research partners.

Dr Liam Morris, Co-Programme Lead of the Modelling & Computation for Health and Society (MOCHAS) postgraduate research training programme.

Applying an array of computational and modelling techniques in collaboration with various partners can give a unique insight by providing novel solutions for various environmental, healthcare and societal issues.”

ATU Research Colleagues at the MOCHAS Symposium.

Dr Rick Officer, VP for Research and Innovation speaking at the MOCHAS Symposium.

ATU MOCHAS

Postgraduate Student Award Winners

Poster winner: Seyed Mahdi Akbarimoosavi, pictured with Dr Liam Morris.

Project Title: Modelling Heat and Mass Transfer in Additively Manufactured Injection Moulds with Lattice-Based Cooling Channels.

Supervisors: Dr. John Lohan, Dr. Denis O’Mahoney, Dr. Gerard McGranaghan.

Oral Presentation Winner: Abdul Fatah Jamro pictured with Dr Liam Morris.

Project Title: Classical and Quantum Computing Techniques for Dihedral Error

Correcting Codes.

Supervisors: Dr. Saim Ghafoor, Dr. Iulia Anton, Dr. Marion McAfee, Dr. Ian McLoughlin.

Symposium

Digital Disruption: The Aftershock

ATU Digital West conference

On 31 January, ATU Mayo and ATU iHubs hosted its popular annual Digital West conference titled “Digital Disruption: The Aftershock” on the Mayo campus with the Mayo Local Enterprise Office.

Academics from the ATU School of Business and guest speakers from a range of companies shared new and emerging digital technologies and future predications for SME innovations at this, the fifth annual Digital West Conference.

Speakers looked at how organisations benefitted from rapid digitalisation and anticipated the next emerging digital trends for regional enterprise.

Chairperson of the Digital West Committee, Dr Noreen Henry, ATU lecturer, says: “Digital West is the first innovative event of the year, and has gained a reputation across the region and nationally for anticipating and informing local and regional

enterprises of the key technologies and important emerging enterprise development trends. Following on from previous events on homeworking, cybersecurity and innovation, this year’s conference explores the digital aftershock.”

Now that the SMES and regional enterprises are up and running online, and trading virtually, what is the next competitive edge? What is the next strategic step and who is taking it? ”

Dr Noreen Henry, ATU Lecturer

Left to right: ATU Lecturers Sharon O’Boyle, Dr Noreen Henry, Laura Hegarty and Dr Janine Mc Ginn at the launch of the Digital West Conference.

Digital disruption and the impact of coronavirus will bring the 2030 technological advancement earlier than predicted.”

Enamul Haque, The Ultimate Modern Guide to Artificial Intelligence

Digital West 2023

A One Day Focus On Digital Disruption

Upcoming Conferences

ATU to Host “Invent for the Planet 2023” Aimed at Solving Global Challenges

today. The event starts on Friday, 10 February, 2023, at the Galway City campus, where the event was successfully piloted in 2022 and ends on Sunday, 12 February, 2023.

ATU will host the global event, “Invent for the Planet 2023”, engaging first-year students through to PhD candidates in a 48-hour Intensive Design Experience (IDE) to solve a challenge affecting the planet

As part of a competition, the participants must develop innovative sustainable solutions, build a working prototype, and sell it to a panel of judges.

The top five teams globally will be notified by March and invited to Texas A&M University College of Engineering for the global competition held in April.

A minimum of $3,000 US will be provided to each of the top five teams for travel stipends and to cover expenses while they are in the USA. 2022 global sponsors were Chevron and RS Components. 96 students have expressed interest in participating from Atlantic Technological University, University College Dublin, Maynooth University, Dundalk Institute of Technology, University of Galway, TUDUBLIN and University of Limerick.

Evidence and Plans Towards Transitions to a Sustainable Future

ATU will host the 33rd Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (Environ 2023) on 3-5 April this year. The event is organised by ATU and the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI).

Environ is the longest running and most prominent forum for environmental researchers in Ireland. It provides a high-visibility platform for young and experienced researchers to present their findings to an audience drawn from academia, government bodies and agencies, as well as industry. Building on last year’s successful event, this year, ESAI and ATU have joined forces to deliver an exciting and engaging conference experience.

The theme of Environ 2023 is “Evidence and Plans Towards Transitions to a Sustainable Future.”

The science of climate change and a global energy crisis is now more widely accepted and agreed upon. Timely active engagement is now required to provide us with a clear opportunity to deliver strong outcomes by investing in transition leaders and climate solutions that can help transform our world using sustainable solutions.

Environ 2023 Conference highlights will include an afternoon of workshops on Monday, 3 April. followed by an evening reception and expert Panel–Public Open Discussion. This is a public event where four short keynotes will

be followed by an open discussion and Q&A session focused on

“The implications and solutions of future climate actions on agriculture.” Keynote plenary sessions, parallel oral sessions and poster sessions will be delivered on Tuesday, 4 April. The event will conclude on Wednesday, 5 April with a morning of parallel oral sessions, a poster session and an ESAI student prizegiving ceremony.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Updates

ATU Sligo, Ireland’s First Technological University Campus to be Designated as Autism Friendly

ATU became the first TU to have one of its campuses designated as Autism Friendly at a ceremony on 7 December 2022 with ATU Sligo receiving this accolade. ATU Sligo joins DCU and NCI in being designated as Autism Friendly and are the first in the west of Ireland to achieve the award.

ATU’s Disability and Inclusion Officers, Dr Shelley Brady and Linda Mulligan have worked with the national autism charity, AsIAm’s international accreditation committee in developing a threeyear action plan for the university. These actions will bring the nine principles of an autism friendly campus into practice to help remove barriers in day-to-day campus experiences for students with autism.

The nine principles include additional supports, provision of quiet spaces and securing employment after third-level.

Speaking at the official launch, Adam Harris, CEO and Founder of AsIAm said the designation of ATU Sligo as an Autism Friendly Campus was a significant occasion for autistic students who face challenges others do not experience.

More than half of autistic young people have experienced bullying at school and 85% are either unemployed or under-employed when they leave education.

Pictured left to right: Brigid MacMurrough, student (ATU Sligo); Dr Michele Glacken, VP Academic Affairs & Registrar, ATU; Adam Harris, founder and CEO of AsIam; Dr Shelley Brady, Disability Officer (ATU Sligo) and Linda Mulligan, Inclusion Support (ATU Sligo).

It is a momentous occasion for this campus to be formally recognised as an autism friendly university. Autistic people face barriers not experienced by other people. All autistic people want is the same chance as everyone else, but the reality is that in many areas of life at present autistic people do not enjoy the same chance. What we recognise with our nine-principle framework for the Autism Friendly University Award is that autistic students face barriers across campus life, from transitioning into university to thriving on campus and accessing a job after university. What’s important about this initiative is that it is an invitation for higher education institutions to take a whole campus approach and to really try to embed autism friendly practices across every aspect of university life.”

Adam Harris, CEO and Founder of AsIAm

Brigid L MacMurrough was one of ATU’s students to help in achieving the award. In collaboration with several other students, she was instrumental in the planning and creation of a dedicated space for autistic people on campus, officially named the “Regulation Station”. This area has enclosed softly furnished booths that allow autistic students to escape the hustle and bustle of the main campus areas for short periods.

Spaces such as these are a critical part of any autism friendly environment, supporting students who are overloaded or fatigued to rest and recover on campus, rather than at home, positively impacting their attendance, their ability to engage with their studies, and to thrive at university.

I am delighted to announce that ATU’s Sligo campus has achieved designated autism-friendly status, with accreditation from Ireland’s national autism charity, AsIAm. We are critically aware of the unique challenges faced by autistic students and believe in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. We are on a journey which will continue to include making more adaptations, being more accessible and continuing to have the needs of autistic students at our forefront. My congratulations to our Sligo team and I look forward to achieving this designation across all campuses of ATU!

Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President

ATU is committed to being a university without walls and the designation of ATU Sligo as an Autism Friendly campus is an outward sign of this commitment. The process of becoming an Autism Friendly campus has challenged us to reflect on how inclusive our policies/environment were and make the necessary steps to be truly inclusive and a college where neurodiverse students feel welcome, supportive and empowered. We will continue to make improvements and will work now to become an Autism Friendly University informed by our students’ voice and needs.

Dr Michele Glacken, Registrar & Vice President Students, Teaching & Learning at ATU

To find out more about ATU’s autism friendly campus please click here.

The Induction for autistic students really helped me learn about the campus before starting my studies.

My sensory needs are recognised. Sensory alerts on the student website warn me about crowded or noisy events on campus.

Staff understand that I’m not being rude when I don’t make eye contact – it’s just how I listen best.

It’s great to have a smaller location other than the library for studying and eating when I need them.

There are activities just for autistic students that help me connect with others who understand.

There’s a space I can use that is safe and quiet, a place where I can regulate in peace without fear of judgement.

Rainbow Walkways

We have now installed rainbow walkways in support of our LGBTQ+ community at our campuses in Sligo, Killybegs, Letterkenny, Galway and Mayo. We installed these walkways to show that our campuses are places which will be welcoming and safe for all staff, students, and the local community, regardless of any aspect of their identity.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

ATU celebrated International Day of Persons with Disabilities with a panel discussion for staff and students on 2 December.

The focus of this international day is to promote understanding of disability issues including the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Ruth Lennon, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead, ATU Donegal chaired the discussion and the panel members included, Sean Paul Lafferty, Graduate of ATU Donegal, Eilis Boileau, Neurodivergent Support Worker with The ADHD Learning Curve and Marcie Roth, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, World Institute on Disability.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign

25 November is dedicated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, which runs until Human Rights Day on 10 December.

To mark these days of action, we lit up some of our ATU buildings in orange every evening to join in the campaign known as “Orange the World”. This campaign uses orange as the unifying colour throughout such activities to symbolise a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls. We also raised and flew the Orange Flag on some of our campuses for the duration of the 16 days of Action.

World AIDS Day

World AIDS day falls on 1 December and ATU marked the day with information stands on campuses promoting Sexual Health Clinics and Services. A free rapid HIV Testing Clinic was provided.

Mayo Women’s Support Services visit ATU Mayo to raise awareness of violence against women and their delivery of support services in rural communities.

ATU Celebrates

Irish Hospitality Institute Graduate Awards

Three graduates from the Galway International Hotel School at ATU were selected among five finalists for the Irish Hospitality Institute Graduate of the Year 2022; Róisín Corrigan and Max Reid from Co Wicklow, and Hannah Smyth from Co Waterford.

The competition is open to all higher education institutes in Ireland to nominate their graduates, who went through an initial rigorous online screening process. A panel of industry judges selected five finalists for interview in Dublin in October, with the winner announced at the event.

Established in 1966, the Irish Hospitality Institute (IHI) is the professional body for the Hospitality Industry in Ireland. The IHI Hospitality Management Awards is a prestigious annual event that recognises the contribution to the industry by hospitality professionals.

The gala event was held in the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin on 24 November 2022. Over 550 attendees from across the Irish tourism and hospitality industry witnessed 13 awards being distributed and four individuals enrolled as Fellows of the Irish Hospitality Institute (FIHI).

Left to right: Hannah Smyth from Tramore, Co. Waterford; Max Reid, Bessington, Co. Wicklow and Rósin Corrigan, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.

Being selected as a finalist was a great honour for me. It allowed me to reflect on my achievements from ATU and from working in the tourism and hospitality sector. It was thoroughly rewarding to be recognised for my years of dedication and has given me confidence in continuing my efforts of building my career in this dynamic and exciting industry. ”

Hannah Smith, ATU Graduate

ATU Student Wins Top Award for Research on Impact of Menstrual Cycle on Athletes

ATU science graduate Colette Collins won the award for best oral presentation at this year’s Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network Conference for her research presentation entitled, “Exploring the relationship between the menstrual cycle and markers of physical performance in intercounty Ladies Gaelic Football player.”

For her research project Collette recruited 20 inter-county players during the pre-season training phase. All players completed a detailed online survey. Two distinct phases of the menstrual cycle were subsequently identified, the early follicular phase (day 1-5) and the mid-luteal phase (20-25). Over the next month, the participants were tested during these two phases, via a 20m sprint test and a maximal jump height test. Overall, the participants had a significantly slower sprint time in the early follicular phase in comparison to the mid-luteal phase with no difference in jump height observed.

“Qualitatively, all players reported experiencing menstrual cycle symptoms and 50% believed that these symptoms affected their playing performance,” says Colette. “In addition, the qualitative survey analysis highlighted the lack of player awareness or understanding of the potential impact of the menstrual cycle on sport. Furthermore, despite the prevalence of symptoms, only 15%

of players had previously discussed this issue with their coach.”

Colette completed her final year B.Sc. (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science in June 2022 and graduated in November. She was one of 61 students from six different Higher Education institutes around Ireland to present their research projects to a national audience of over 400 final year undergraduate students.

Completing this research was an eye opener from start to finish. The taboo surrounding the menstrual cycle is still evidently present in today’s society at all levels in sport. It has spiked a major passion within me for menstrual cycle specific research in sport and I hope to continue to progress the literature in this area going forward. A huge thank you to my supervisor Dr Siobhan Leahy for her help and guidance throughout this process. ”

Collete Collins, ATU Graduate and SURE Award Winner

About the SURE conference

This was the Fifth annual SURE Network undergraduate research conference and the first to return to an in-person format following two national virtual conferences in 2020 and 2021. The SURE Network was formed in 2016 by academics from 11 different Institutes of Higher Education (HEI’s) around Ireland interested in the promotion of research awareness and practice at third level in STEM.

Collete Collins receives her award from Dr Ciarán O’Leary from TU Dublin.

ATU Students win Apprentice of the Year Inaugural Awards

Two ATU Apprentices Brendan Giles and Mairíde Bennis were among the winners of the inaugural Apprentice of the Year Awards. Over 180 apprentices were nominated from around the country.

Brendan is an apprentice in Manufacturing Engineering, currently posted at Abbott Diabetes Care in Donegal. Mairíde Bennis

from Castletown Conyers in County Limerick is also an apprentice in Manufacturing Engineering and is based at DesignPro Automation in Limerick.

Speaking at the awards, Minister Simon Harris said: “I want to warmly congratulate each nominee this evening on their hard work and commitment to their apprenticeship, and also thank their employers,

educators and families for their ongoing support. Apprenticeship is a vital lever for the continued economic prosperity of this country - it not only unlocks the skills and expertise necessary for leading Irish businesses, but also will help us to achieve critical aims in the Programme for Government, including on housing.”

This is a huge achievement for me and will hopefully stand to me in all my future endeavours as an engineer and an avid supporter of apprenticeships.

I would like to thank the whole team at DesignPro Automation, as without them this wouldn’t have been possible, alongside all family and friends who have supported my journey from the very beginning. As a woman in STEM more specifically engineering, it’s so important to highlight that anyone can pursue a career they’re passionate about.

I had my heart set on an apprenticeship from 2nd year because of the advantages they provide and my love for practical hands-on work. ”

I am both grateful and thankful for the opportunity which Abbott Donegal has given me to pursue this apprenticeship in ATU. I hope this award will reaffirm their belief in my ability and I look forward to repaying that belief in the future with them.

I would like to thank all my lecturers in the manufacturing engineering department in ATU Sligo and my academic mentor Paul Ferry for his encouragement and support to date. A special word of thanks to my family for their unwavering support. This apprenticeship will enable me to work in an industry which I am passionate about. I am really enjoying the blend of academic learning and hands on work with my experienced mentors in Abbott. ”

Brendan

Giles, Apprentice of the Year Award Winner

Mairíde Bennis, Apprentice of the Year Award Winner

Minister Simon Harris presents Mairíde Bennis with her award.

Minister Simon Harris presents Brendan Giles with his award.

ATU and MTU Students win Academic Poster Competition Judged by SAP Labs Ireland

Students from Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and Munster Technological University (MTU) recently won recognition from SAP Labs Ireland for their sustainable ideas for addressing contemporary business challenges, at an academic poster competition and exhibition hosted by ATU Galway City campus.

The students, supported by academic staff from both universities, displayed their ideas in an academic poster format on three themes: Sustainability in Digital Media, Mobile Application Design, and Contemporary Management. Staff from SAP Labs Ireland kindly adjudicated the competition.

The winners in three themed categories were:

• Conor Bourke, Liam McKiernan, Alan Owens and Cillian Donnellan, all BBS (Hons) degree students from ATU for their project titled, “Challenges for contemporary management.”

• Grainne Harte, ATU student on the post graduate programme in Digital Media and Marketing for her project titled “Digital media for organisations, individuals, and society.”

• Diarmuid Lucey, Cathal Molloy and Adam Murphy, all MTU third year students on the BIS (Hons) degree programme for their project titled “Mobile application design for sustainable development goals.”

A special ATU/MTU Business Award for the best presentation of an idea was awarded to Saul O’Brien and Ryan O’Keeffe of the MTU Cork Campus.

The inaugural ATU-MTU-SAP poster competition and exhibition was organised by lecturers in the School of Business, ATU Galway-Mayo and MTU including Dr Miriam McSweeney, Dr Michael Moran and Laura Hegarty, ATU Galway-Mayo, and Dr Fred Creedon, MTU Cork.

This collaborative event offers our students a unique opportunity to meet with and learn from senior managers and technical experts from SAP Labs Ireland. Our students get to showcase their research work, express their ideas, and network with SAP personnel – one of the world’s top software companies and a potential employer for our graduates. ”

Dr Miriam McSweeney, School of Business, ATU Galway-Mayo

SAP academic poster competition winners, Cilllian Donnellan, Liam McKiernan, Conor Bourke and Alan Owens with Dr Orla Flynn and Liam Ryan, Managing Director of SAP Labs Ireland.

SAP academic poster winners, Adam Murphy, Diarmuid Lucey, and Cathal Molloy pictured with Dr Orla Flynn and Liam Ryan, Managing Director of SAP Labs Ireland.

Dr Orla Fynn and Liam Ryan, Managing Director of SAP Labs Ireland with Grainne Harte winner of SAP poster competition.

ATU Building & Civil Engineering Students Win Leadership Challenge

Students from three ATU campuses have won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)’s Student Challenge competition.

The CIOB “Tomorrow’s Leaders” annual challenge attracts teams from universities across Ireland and was held in Thomond Park, Limerick, this year. Teams of four were given a brief to analyse a proposed commercial development project and provide a report to six experienced industry judges within four hours. Their report dealt with design, delivery, cost and time planning, risk management, value engineering, sustainability, accessibility, and modern methods of construction.

The ATU Galway City team who took first place are: Kara Earle, an Architectural Technology

student; Kenneth Hynes, a Quantity Surveying student; Liam McDonagh, a Construction Management student and Simon O’Grady, also a Construction Management student. The mixture of built environment disciplines in the Galway team was key to their success. They were mentored and supported by their lecturers John Hanahoe and Dr Martin Taggart.

The win was made even sweeter when students and colleagues from ATU Donegal and an all-female team from ATU Sligo were placed 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The ATU Donegal team, who took second place, comprised of Maria McShane, Mark Siewer, Adam Stewart and Donagh McGowan, all final year Construction Management students. They were mentored by their lecturers Antoin MacGabhann and Anthony McElwee.

The Sligo team, who won third place, comprised of Quantity Surveying students Amy Donohoe and Maryann McCann, and Construction Project Management students Meghan Hasselfelt and Stephanie Cardenas. They were mentored by their lecturer Lisa Brennan.

President

I was particularly impressed to see ATU Sligo’s all-female team on the podium. Given the significant shortage of graduates entering the construction sector, it is even more important to see a better gender balance emerging so that teams can be more diverse and inclusive, and we will eventually see an increase in overall numbers entering this sector. ”

Dr Orla Flynn, ATU

ATU Building & Civil Engineering Student Award Winners at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Student Challenge Competition.

ATU Host VEX IQ Robotics Competition

ATU hosted the VEX IQ Robotics regional finals for both primary and secondary schools on our campuses in Galway, Donegal and Sligo.

The competition includes awards for excellence and teamwork. Sponsored by Trane Technologies – Thermo King, the VEX IQ Teamwork Challenge comprises of a series of matches where participating schools design and build a robot to play with other teams in a game-based engineering challenge. The competition also includes awards for driving and coding skills.

Gail Quinn, HR Leader Ireland for Trane Technologies – Thermo King, says: “Events like VEX IQ Robotics play an important role in helping to increase student interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by engaging students

in hands-on, affordable, and sustainable robotics engineering programs.”

Dr Carine Gachon, VEX coordinator for ATU Galway-Mayo, says: “Each year, the challenge is different which requires creativity and problem-

solving to overcome the difficulties of the game. This year we saw some amazing designs and were impressed with the pupils’ ability to troubleshoot their robot during the competition.”

We loved every minute of the thrilling competition in ATU Galway City campus. We knew little about technology a few months ago and now we’re off to Cork to compete against the best in the country.”

The Vex IQ competition is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn and experience all aspects of STEM education. It both challenges and engages all the children and makes learning coding, designing, and testing fun and educational. This is one of the best initiatives our school ever took part in.”

Primary school students at the VEX IQ Roboticscompetitionregionalfinals at ATU Galway City.

Primary schoolstudents atthe VEXIQRobotics competition regional finals at ATU Sligo

Leah Cunningham, a pupil from St. Mary’s NS Mountbellew

Colin Murray, a teacher from St. Mary’s NS Mountbellew

Carnmore NS, Design Award recipients, pictured with ATU Galway-Mayo Head of Engineering Prof Graham Heaslip; ATU Galway-Mayo VEX Coordinator Dr Carine Gachon; Vex National Coordinator

David Hodge from MTU; Offaly County Council VEX Coordinator Ray Bell; sponsors

Isobel Foye, Colm Mitchell and Gail Quinn from Trane Technologies International – Thermo King.

The teamwork champions (left side)

Scoil Muire Gan Smal Claremorris and their teacher Laura Prendergast, and (right side) St Vincent NS Coolarne with their teacher Marc Goldric.

St Mary’s NS Mountbellew, and teacher Colin Murray and Principal Michael Kelly, Excellence and Robot Skills Awards recipients.

Glencastle NS and their teachers

Roseleen Ruddy and Declan Brady, recipients of the Judges award.

An Taisce Selects ATU Staff as Climate Ambassadors for 2023

and the interrelated social and environmental impacts.

This is Ireland’s first ever initiative to train and support individuals who are taking action on climate change. The programme is co-ordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce with support from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications. For more information please click here Davy Walsh says: “One of my goals as climate ambassador is to move the focus away from big data, statistics, and facts, and more towards a meaningful dialogue

where we can start to really appreciate and understand where we currently are and what we can do to help.”

“We have spent so much time discussing the rise in sea levels, the loss of biodiversity, the burning of rainforests, the increase in CO2, but we have failed to discuss the biggest degradation of all: the destruction of our relationship with nature and each other. This destruction leads to the abstraction of nature as if it were something

‘over there’ that we must study and fix.

“I’ve heard far too many students adopt a defeatist attitude saying that their individual efforts are not going to solve anything, and that change must happen on a largescale. But every large-scale change in history started with one person’s actions and ideas. We need to move the conversation away from pessimism and fatalism and more toward a resurging optimism.”

We are the ones writing our story, not our ancestors or the generations to come; as of now, our story is not yet complete. I don’t know how this story will end but overcoming environmental degradation will require a multifaceted approach involving personal, local, and global actions all working toward the same goal. Like any healthy habitat, our response needs to be diverse and colourful, engaging and reciprocal.”

Dr Davy Walsh,

As an ambassador the greatest challenge will be in creating opportunities to facilitate engagement to overcome inertia and help others see the role, they may play in helping address some aspects of the climate issue.”

Kevin O’Callaghan, Climate Ambassador

Kevin O’Callaghan and Dr Davy Walsh both lecturers at ATU Mayo campus have been selected by An Taisce as Climate Ambassadors for 2023. Kevin and Davy are committed to creating an awareness of climate change

Climate Ambassador

Breaking News

ATU Student Wins National Boxing Title

Congratulations to Bethany Doocey, ATU Mayo student on her recent success. Bethany retained her National Elite Boxing Title with a convincing 5-0 victory over World and European Medallist Dearbhla Tinelly of Clann Naofa.

ATU Sport to host the Yoplait Ladies Gaelic Football Higher Education Colleges (HEC) Championships

In March of this year ATU will host the finals of the Yoplait Ladies HEC championship at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan, Co. Mayo. Teams from universities and third-level education institutes from all over Ireland will compete for the seven cups on offer.

The Yoplait Donaghy, Lagan and HEC cup finals will be played on Wednesday, 8 March to coincide with International Women’s Day. On Friday, 10 March the Yoplait Moynihan Cup Final will be played, along with Yoplait O’Connor Cup, Giles Cup and Lynch Cup semi-finals. The finals of the Yoplait O’Connor Cup, Giles Cup and Lynch Cup winners will be played on Saturday, 11 March.

ATU Sport, Sports Officer Nigel Jennings said: “On behalf of everyone involved in ATU Sport, I’d like to say how delighted we are to be hosting this year’s Yoplait HEC Championships. When we came together last year to form Atlantic Technological University, we said we would like to put our combined energies behind a significant event – and in third-level sport, they don’t come any more significant than these finals.”

ATU student Elaine Ni Niadh pictured at the launch of the 2023 Yoplait HEC Third-level Level Ladies Football Championships in Croke Park on Thursday, 26 January.

Snapshots from ATU Conferring Ceremonies

November and December 2022

Over 5,000 Graduates Across 8 Campuses

Disciplines

Business, Tourism, Hospitality & Heritage, Engineering, Science, Computing, Design & Creative Arts, Furniture Design, Health Sciences, Technology and Education.

Graduates at ATU Galway City Conferring Ceremony.

Paul Hannigan, Head of ATU Donegal College at ATU Donegal Conferring Ceremony.

BSc Hons Intellectual Disability Nursing Clinical Excellence Award recipients Lee Doherty and Cathal Morrison with back from left Joanne Gallagher, Head of the Science Department; Billy Bennett, VP for Academic Affairs and Registrar ATU Donegal; Sheila Duffy, Director of Nursing Ard Greine Court & Associated Services; and Dr. Louise McBride, Head of Department of Nursing & Health Care at ATU Donegal Conferring Ceremony.

Conor McDaid, Masters of Business by Research with Dr. George Onofrei, Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management and Dr. Amir Azadnia, Lecturer in supply chain and operation at ATU Donegal Conferring Ceremony.

BSc (Hons) in Construction Project Management Graduate, Marc Milton and his family.

Dr Rachel Parkes received her Doctorate in Philosophy at ATU Sligo Conferring.

Finn Melon, ATU Sligo Sports Scholar at his conferring in ATU Sligo.

ATU President Dr Olan Flynn presents the first ATU Sligo graduate, Maadh Al Balushi, from Oman, BEng in Civil Engineering with his parchment.

Graduates from the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Education (Design, Graphics and Construction), ATU Connemara. Also pictured are lecturers Kevin Maye, Thomas Sheppard, Des Kelly, Seán Breen,Anthony Clare, Dr Ann Foley along with Paul Leamy, Head of Department, ATU Connemara; Michael Hannon, Head of the Galway-Mayo College & Registrar at ATU; Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President; Dr Billy Bennett, VP for Academic Affairs and Registrar ATU; Dermot O’ Donovan, Head of Department of Creative Education.

ATU Connemara graduates at their conferring ceremony in November.

Hats off as ATU celebrates its first graduation in Sligo.

Our first ATU Galway City graduate, Jamie Byrne, Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology & Biopharmaceutical Science receiving her parchment from Dr Orla Flynn.

Master of Arts in Creative Practice Graduates pictured with: Dermot O’ Donovan, Head of Department of Creative Education; Celine Curtain, Head of Department, Creative Arts and Media; Dr Billy Bennett, VP for Academic Affairs and Registrar ATU; Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President; Dr Paddy Tobin, Head of School of Design & Creative Arts; Michael Hannon, Head of the Galway-Mayo College & Registrar at ATU.

Our first ATU Mayo graduate, Andzelika Burda, Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care receives her parchment from Dr Orla Flynn.

The first ever graduates of the Diploma in School Age Childcare at ATU Mayo pictured with Dr Billy Bennett, VP for Academic Affairs and Registrar ATU; Louise Kilbane, lecturer; Dr Justin Kerr, Vice President ATU Mayo & Head of School of Health Science; Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President; Dr Christina Larkin, ATU Mayo and Michael Hannon, Head of the Galway-Mayo College & Registrar at ATU.

At Atlantic TU we serve a diverse group of learners, staff, communities and organisations in the west and north-west and further afield. We offer a rich combination of academic and research excellence, quality of life and opportunity - all of which can be experienced in the most beautiful part of Ireland.