Education Magazine 24-3

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Volume 24, Issue 3

4-9 News Scan Editor Niall Gormley

10 Mary Immaculate College, Limerick 12 Special feature: Anti-Bullying strategies for secondary schools

Publishers Ard Education Ltd. Email: education@clubi.ie www.educationmagazine.ie

Layout Real Issues, Drumhaldry, Moyne, Co. Longford 086-8986827

Printers Nicholson & Bass Ltd.

15 Church of Ireland and Protestant/ Reformed Christian Secondary Schools in Ireland 16 Computer and science information systems at the University of Limerick 19 College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise, (CAFRE) 21 Slow food on campus 22 Print management

by Brother 24 Special feature: Letting children be children 29 Global Languages and Tours

At the time of press information in Education is believed to be accurate and authoritative. However, some information may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Acceptance of advertisements, does not constitute an endorsement of products or services by the publishers.

Š2011. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

ISSN 0791-6161

30 Research Profile: The Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre at UCC

Letting children be children

Responding to widespread concerns about the early sexualisation of children and marketing aimed at children, the British government has commissioned a wide ranging report on the issue.

Report summary Pages 24-27

39 Green News Scan 41 Kenco Coffee Company 42 Reviews 43 Edco - Leading the way in digital content

Special Feature: How to deal with bullying in secondary schools

33 i-to-i: Teaching English as a Foreign Language 34 Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark 37 Classroom furniture: Increasing productivity, health and well being

How to develop effective antibullying strategies for secondary schools based on the work of SeĂĄn Fallon and Mary Kent who run the website www.antibullyingcampaign.ie Pages 12-13 Education 3

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News Scan...........................................................................................................................

Rise in points at UCD follows economic trend The term SET may become more commonplace as students opt for degrees in science, engineering and technology, with consequent increases in points across these degrees.

Omnibus science (DN200) at UCD is up 20 points to 455. Omnibus engineering (DN150) is up 5 points to 430 and computer science, which was struggling during the boom years of the Celtic tiger, has risen by 35 points to 410, despite an increase in the number of places. UCD has been moving more towards omnibus entries so that students can specialise at a later stage in their studies.

Agriculture (DN250), another degree area closely aligned with the performing sector of the economy, climbed 10 points to 430. With the exception of Horticulture, all of the agriculture and food programmes increased with the BSc in Human Nutrition (DN262) climbing to 520 points.

Commenting on the first round points, the new Acting Deputy President, Professor Mark Rogers said: "We have moved to a common entry for a number of programmes and it appears that students have

responded well to the flexibility that these programmes offer. Demand for science, engineering and agriculture programmes reflect the career focus of many students." climbed again Now in its third year of the HPAT entry route, points in medicine (DN400) have climbed again and now stand at 738 points (up 13). Demand for undergraduate medicine places remains extremely high with tenfold the number of first preference applicants for the places. Graduate entry to medicine (DN401) is becoming increasingly popular and there was a small fall in points from 60* to 58* in this route.

Other healthcare professions such as physiotherapy (DN420) at 540 and radiography (DN410) at 535 also show increases in points (up 5 and 10 respectively).

Nursing continues to require strong points with General nursing (DN450) rising to by 15 to 415 and Children’s & General (DN451) climbing to 500* from final round points of 480* last year. Midwifery

(DN452) dropped 6 points to 455 but had risen by 40 points last year.

The fall in points (355) for the omnibus entry to Arts (DN500) was expected as first preferences for this option were down 10% this year. 1,200 students coming in to this joint honours degree and can choose from within 22 subjects ranging from archaeology to sociology so the range of points tends to be very broad.

Points for denominated language BAs all fell this year and range from 335 to 415.

Points for degrees with languages fluctuate annually, so the decision by UCD to group all language options – including Chinese – under Commerce International (DN660) has resulted in a first round offer of 465 points; 20 points higher than the regular BComm (DN650).

Law (DN600) at 485 points showed a small increase over last year’s 480 points but the Business & Law (DN610) took a reverse pattern, falling by 5 points to (480).

Both Veterinary Medicine (DN300) at 565 and Veterinary Nursing (DN310) at 450 show an increase in points this year.

NDC Milk It Secondary School Advertising Awards Launched

n The National Dairy Council has announced that it will support and organise the NDC Milk it Secondary School Advertising Awards.

Secondary school students throughout the Republic of Ireland are invited to experience the creativity, challenges and thrills of working in their own ‘advertising agency’.

Developed in consultation with teachers, it offers secondary schools a project with cross-curricular linkage potential, of relevance to subjects such as Business, English, Home Economics and Art. It is also an ideal Transition Year or CSPE project. Schools and students can find out more or register at www.milkitawards.

Pictured at the launch the awards, at The National Film School, IADT, Dun Laoghaire were Brian Swords, President IAPA (Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland), Timothy Carley, Tom Lee, Lorna Keating and Nora Dunne, all 6th year students (Previous National winner of the Milk it Awards) from Mount Temple Comprehensive School, Malahide Road, Clontarf with Zoe Kavanagh, Chief Executive National Dairy Council. Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells

4 Education

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New training programme Ireland’s first five star for maths teachers A new training programme for teachers of maths has been announced. The programme forms part of the Government’s overall strategy to improve the teaching and learning of maths in schools.

It will provide unqualified maths teachers with the opportunity to upskill their knowledge of mathematics and study the strategies best suited to the new Project Maths syllabuses.

The Department is developing a competitive process to select provider/s to deliver training in this area.

Tenders will be invited shortly for the programme which will combine on-line learning with lectures provided on a regional basis.

The training will benefit the cohort of teachers that has been identified in a recent survey by the Teaching Council as not hav-

ing maths qualifications.

Minister of State for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock TD noted the results of the survey which shows that out of a total of 2,045 teachers teaching maths in 258 schools, 1,400 teachers are fully qualified to do so, 596 teachers have undergone some studies in maths and only 49 have no third level qualifications/studies in maths.

Commenting on the survey, Minister Sherlock said: "I want to get to a situation where all teachers of maths have a maths qualification and the training programme I am announcing today will help to achieve that.

The Minister also noted that an earlier study shows that few, if any unqualified teachers were teaching higher level maths to final year Leaving Certificate students.

Belfast researcher scoops top UK engineering award A Belfast engineer, who is working to pioneer networks which will carry mobile phone signals between human bodies, has won the UK's premier award for earlycareer engineering.

Dr Simon Cotton, a Research Fellow at The Queen's University of Belfast, has won the Royal Academy of Engineering's Sir George Macfarlane Award for outstanding technical and scientific attainment in his work.

The 34-year-old from Greenisland in Co. Antrim, has made a significant impression on engineering in Northern Ireland and across the UK since starting an HND in electrical and electronic engineering in 2000. He graduated from the University of Ulster in 2004 before taking a PhD in

Wireless Communications at Queen's, where he went on to become a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. He is currently a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow.

Dr Cotton's work is focused on wireless communications, particularly on how wireless signals transmit around the human body; from person to manmade infrastructure and also from person to person. His research has allowed him to develop innovative short-range applications designed to advance society. The goal is to create "body-to-body" networks in densely populated areas, where wireless devices positioned on people could replace mobile base stations to facilitate voice, video and data traffic.

university

University College Cork (UCC) has achieved the unique status of becoming Ireland’s first five star university and has once again improved its position in world rankings announced in the QS World University Rankings.

University President, Dr Michael Murphy, expressing his pride at the announcement, said it reflects the hard work of the entire UCC community, the excellence of teaching and learning and the international recognition achieved by UCC researchers.

The University is now placed at 181 in the rankings compared to 386 in 2006 demonstrating its consistent improvement over the last six years. In improving its position amongst the top two per cent of universities globally, UCC is now ranked in 100th position worldwide by employers. UCC continues to maintain its position as a leader in the international diversity of its staff and has attained 60th position in this category.

“Becoming Ireland’s first five star univ e r s i t y a n d i m p r o v i n g UCC ’ s world-ranking position by 205 places in the last six years is an outstanding achievement. It is a credit to the University as a whole, and to the university academic community in particular, that we have made such an improvement in the world rankings. It takes hard work on the part of the UCC staff to ensure such a high profile,” Dr Murphy said.

The student body at University College Cork now totals almost 20,000 and some 2,800 overseas students are on campus.

Education 5

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NUI Galway lecturers publish new edition Approval to proceed with €35 of economics textbook million Education Campus The Department of Education has given the green light to Co. Monaghan Vocational Education Committee to proceed to the next stage in the construction of a €35 million education campus.

This is one of the first Department of Education projects where responsibility has been devolved to a VEC. Co. Monaghan VEC will manage the provision of the new Education Campus. It is the largest building project to be funded by the Department this year.

The campus will include new accommodation for a 16 classroom primary school (Gaelscoil Ultain), a 400 pupil post primary school (Gaelcholáiste Oiriall) and a 700 student Institute of Further Education.

It will also include a state of the art theatre which will be the new home of The Garage Theatre. The MIFET will also use the theatre in its further education courses.

This facility is being grant-aided by the Department of Education & Skills and the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to the tune of €3.3 million.

The provision of three educational facilities on a 20 acre campus is in line with the Government view that shared campuses are the preferred model for future development

of educational infrastructure in areas of demographic growth. The site is a former army barracks in Monaghan Town.

This is a devolved pilot project and has the potential to offer the Department of Education and Skills another mechanism within which school buildings can be delivered in the future. A central tenet of the “devolved” arrangements is that the VEC, as the project manager and client, is required to manage the project within budget parameters assigned by the Department during the various stages of development and delivery.

The master plan for the site seeks to promote synergies between the various education facilities and will promote the sharing of these facilities, for example the Sports Hall, car parking and playing pitches.

The project for the delivery of three educational facilities on the former army barracks site (approximately 20 acres) in Monaghan town was announced in November 2009.

The three schools that will share the campus are Gaelscoil Untain, Gaelcholáiste Oiriall and the Monaghan Institute of further Education and Training (MIFET).

Proposals to reduce school book costs Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn has announced a range of measures he is seeking from education book publishers to reduce the costs of school books for parents.

The new measures are being sought after meetings held with educational book publishers and representatives of parents’ organisations (the National Parents’ Council Primary and the National Parents’ Council Post-primary) and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Following these meetings, the publishers devised a voluntary Code of Practice.

The proposals include: • reducing the cover price of the most popular textbooks, those used to support the teaching of English, Irish, maths and other popular subjects • schools which purchase textbooks in

bulk should be given a significant discount, in line with the discounts given to retailers of textbooks • combined conventional textbooks and workbooks are no longer published in a single volume, to allow students to re-use a textbook, which could also be supplied through a rental scheme • support materials are provided to teachers online, to minimise ancillary printing costs The Minister has also asked Department officials to contact all primary and second level schools to determine which schools operate book rental schemes. He has requested the National Parents Councils to provide him with examples of best practice of book rental schemes in operation in order to encourage more schools to operate such schemes.

NUI Galway lecturers, Dr Gerard Turley and Maureen Maloney of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, have just completed the fourth edition of the successful textbook Principles of Economics: An Irish Text, with co-author Dr Francis O'Toole of Trinity College Dublin.

Principles of Economics: An Irish Text introduces the theory and practice of economics within an Irish and European context. There is reference to both recent and current economic conditions, including reflections on the post Celtic Tiger years, the economic downturn caused by the international recession, the banking crisis and the property crash, and the latest on the eurozone and sovereign debt crisis.

Marion O'Brien, Educational Publisher at Gill & Macmillan, said: “Principles of Economics: An Irish Text is an extremely accessible and popular text with both students and lecturers alike. As a bestselling text, it continues to provide the reader with a solid theoretical grounding in both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, and is extensively prescribed in all Institutes of Technologies, in many Universities and Private Colleges throughout Ireland.”

New topics in the fourth edition of Principles of Economics: An Irish Text include: new material reflecting the changed economic conditions of the Irish economy resulting from the banking and fiscal crises that began in 2007; revised chapter on economic growth and the Irish economy, which includes the banking crisis and the property crash; reflections on the Celtic Tiger era, including causes and consequences; new section on the eurozone and sovereign debt crisis; and new case studies and questions, with answers now available online.

Published by Gill & Macmillan, it is accompanied by a free interactive CD, and additional lecturer resources.

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Secondary School Programmes at Castlecomer Discovery Park Co. Kilkenny The Footprints in Coal Experience. A valuable educational aid for students of biology, geography and history. Suitable for all ages. Supporting activities and worksheets available.

Ecology. Leaving Cert and Junior Cert Ecology fieldwork. Invertebrate collection, Line transect, Quadrat survey and Small mammals (Leaving Cert only) TransitionYear. Practical group based activities. Half day and full day programmes available.

LCVP Visit a Community Enterprise and learn about structure, management and community links.

Call us for further information or to request a brochure.

All courses available September – November and January – April

For more information visit www.discoverypark.ie or phone 056 4440707

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65% consider flexible learning as a way to strengthen job prospects BlueBrick.ie, the education website allowing users to compare courses has announced a complete site 'refresh' in order to improve user-friendliness. This refresh coincides with a survey conducted on behalf of BlueBrick.ie, focusing on people’s attitudes to flexible learning.

The website recently registered a 15-fold increase in traffic since courses on the Springboard initiative were made available.

There were over 57,000 visitors to the site in July.

The survey found that 65% of respondents had considered flexible learning as a way to strengthen their job prospects, showing that the general public is acutely aware of the importance of upskilling in the current employment market.

The survey also found that 37% of respondents cited family commitments as a constraint in any decision to pursue flexible learning, while 36% cited financial constraints.

Just over 50% of respondents stated that

they would prefer a mixture of classroom and online learning should they pursue further education, showing that flexibility is a key consideration for those interested in further education.

BlueBrick.ie is a information tool which allows visitors to find a course to best fit their life and work schedule, and offers hundreds of courses from a variety of higher education providers.

The site will include an increased number of courses in the coming months from higher education providers nationwide, and the refreshed site will allow visitors to navigate, search and compare courses with ease.

The website currently facilitates the Springboard initiative, the governmentfunded scheme offering free higher education courses to long-term unemployed.

Dr. Richard Thorn, Director of Flexible Learning from the Institutes of Technology Ireland who are a key driving force behind

the site said: “We’re confident that the newly refreshed BlueBrick.ie will make it even more attractive to those interested in flexible learning to come visit the site and see if there is a flexible learning course that’s suitable to them. We’ve put a considerable amount of time into conducting research among users as to how the site could be improved, and have incorporated these changes. The improved site will make it easier for visitors to choose from a significantly increased number of courses.”

BlueBrick.ie includes information on hundreds courses which either allows the individual to continue in their chosen career path by upskilling, or to change career completely through reskilling opportunities.

The site has won numerous accolades and user acclaim for being extremely userfriendly, with the focus being on part-time and flexible learning courses, allowing learners the opportunity to study at a time and place that suits them, as opposed to traditional classroom learning.

Enterprise should play a major role in the future of Irish education - DCU President Brian MacCraith Crisis in maths and science needs support from industry as calls for Leaving Cert reform become inevitable The formation of a National Enterprise Education Partnership to address the growing crisis in the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM subjects) has been recommended by the president of Dublin City University, Prof Brian MacCraith.

The Partnership would see representatives from industry, the education sector and government formally working together to tackle key issues within Irish education with a particular focus on STEM subjects.

“We can no longer operate in an isolated manner. Business and education leaders must work together in a structured, considered and formal way to achieve a major system change rather than delivering multiple projects which are often ad-hoc and localised," says MacCraith.

"The formation of this Partnership would mean we could develop innovative, technology based platforms for the teaching and learning of mathematics in the classroom as well as addressing other key issues such as the small number of specialist maths teachers. We welcome the announcement made by Minister Ruairi Quinn on the appointment of Minister Sean Sherlock to examine this issue and we hope that this will provide an opportunity for all of us to work together in a combined and focused manner.”

The Partnership recommended by Professor Brian MacCraith follows a similar US initiative, The Education Business Round Table, launched in July 2011 and facilitated by President Barack

Obama. The Round Table comprised global business leaders and educators whose primary goal is to transform the American education system.

Following the meeting more than 100 million dollars was committed by participating companies to support education programmes with Microsoft contributing over 15 million dollars towards educational initiatives.

MacCraith said: "At a time of national austerity it is important for us to leverage all possible resources in a coherent fashion.

Employer groups such as IBEC have already indicated their support of this Partnership proposal."

This year's Leaving Cert results show once again, he noted, a similar trend to previous years: a high failure rate in maths and science subjects and small numbers of students opting to take the higher level options in these subjects.

“Nothing has really changed. The Leaving Cert does not prepare students adequately for a third level education” says MacCraith.

“It doesn’t test or reward students for the more rounded skills that are necessary for work and life today, like critical thinking and independent learning and it highlights once again the major deficiencies in the acquisition of basic skills like numeracy and literacy.” he says.

"Long term solutions are no longer sufficient, urgent action is required. And this time next year we need to start seeing a difference.” MacCraith added.

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Mary Immaculate College, Limerick

MIC – the place to be!

M

ary Immaculate College is a university-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts, academically linked with the University of Limerick.

The College has a diverse and growing student population of almost 3500, enrolled in undergraduate programmes for B.Ed. and BA degrees, and in a range of postgraduate programmes at Diploma, MA and PhD level.

The College is situated in the southern suburbs of Limerick City and is within ten minutes' walk of the city centre, the main rail and bus terminus and a few miles from Shannon International airport. The city has a thriving cultural scene and is famous for its sporting tradition both in rugby and Gaelic games.

The campus has undergone much change over the past few years with the recent construction of two new buildings - a stateof-the-art multi-purpose sports complex named Tailteann which was voted Leisure Building of the Year 2008 by the RIAI and more recently Teamhair /TARA which consists of large lecture theatres, computer and teaching laboratories and a 500-seat theatre.

The College has an active and inclusive Students’ Union and has a range of clubs and societies including an equestrian society, a drama society and a radio society with its own radio station – Wired FM! On-campus and off-campus residential accommodation is available.

Find OUT MORE Mary Immaculate College, South Circular Road, Limerick.

Tel: + 353 61 204300.

W: www.mic.ul.ie E: admissions@mic.ul.ie

BA in Liberal Arts: (MI004) This four-year honours degree programme offers a wide range of Arts subjects (English, Gaeilge, French Studies, Geography, German Studies, History, Léann Dúchais, Mathematics, Media and Communication Studies, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Theology and Religious Studies).

BA in Early Childhood Care and Education: (MI007) This four-year honours degree programme is designed to provide an exciting and challenging programme for those interested in working with young children in a range of educational settings.

B.ED: (MI005 and MI006) This three-year honours degree programme is a recognised qualification for primary teaching. The course comprises theoretical education, pedagogy of curricular areas, and teaching practice in primary schools.

B.ED in Education and Psychology: (MI008) This four-year honours degree programme is a joint degree in Primary Teaching and Psychology (B.Ed.) Graduates of this programme will be eligible to practise as primary school teachers and also have the option of pursuing postgraduate studies in Psychology. The course would be particularly suitable for, though not confined to, students who wish to specialise subsequently in the field of Educational Psychology.

10 Education

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Anti-Bullying Strategies

How to deal with bullying in secondary schools

By Mary Kent & Seรกn Fallon www.antibullyingcampaign.ie Q. Is school bullying too rare a phenomenon for schools to worry about it?

A. No! Research indicates that bullying is very common in Irish schools and that it is very damaging for students. Since it is so widespread, then, Boards of Management and school Principals with a duty of care in respect of students, and teachers who act in loco parentis, should indeed be very worried about it.

Both have a responsibility to do what they can to minimise bullying in their schools and deal with it effectively when it arises.

Q. Is bullying not just part of the roughand-tumble of growing up that includes horseplay and even occasional fights, something inevitable that helps students to grow up and toughen up for life?

A. No! Bullying is persistent deliberate hurtful behaviour targeted at vulnerable students that continues to upset and undermine them, making their school lives miserable, damaging their self-esteem and self-confidence, causing serious deterioration in their academic performance and even, perhaps years later, leading to their death by suicide.

It's deliberately hurtful nature and persistent pattern make it very different from normal horseplay. Luckily, for vigilant observers these also make it recognisable.

Q. If bullying is so serious and damaging why is it still widespread in schools?

A. Bullying usually takes place out of sight of teachers. As well as obvious physical bullying it can involve such covert subtle gestures as a look, a sharp intake of breath, a facial expression, a whispered "namecall" or a sneer and these are difficult for teachers to detect.

Even if a teacher sees one incident, without further investigation s/he cannot conclude from this that there is an ongoing pattern of bullying though it may have been going on for weeks or months.

For many years, too, there was little training for teachers and a scarcity of tried and trusted tools and systems to help them identify bullying and deal effectively with the problem.

Q. What is the most fundamental thing that targeted students or their parents want in bullying situations?

A. They want the bullying to stop without further negative repercussions for targeted students.

Q. What is the Department of Education and Skills' position on bullying?

A. The aims included in the 1993 D.E.S. anti-bullying guidelines are to: (a) " . . . increase the awareness of bullying behaviour in the school community as

a whole . . ." (b) " . . . assist schools in devising schoolbased measures to prevent and deal with bullying behaviour . . . " While the latter aim may seek a change in current bullying behaviour of a student, the former, if carefully planned and implemented, has the potential to change both individual student attitudes and the whole school culture, which in turn can have a sustained impact on future student behaviour. This offers the best chance of delivering a long-term benefit.

Q. To achieve this, should schools not just hire in outside experts to explain about bullying?

A. No! Getting in experts can be very worthwhile, particularly at the time of launching a new school response to bullying, and experts are available to do this.

However, if that intervention is not followed up, in the rollercoaster of student consciousness it can soon be forgotten.

Q. So how can this aim be fulfilled in a school?

A. To change the school culture so as to minimise bullying requires an ongoing programme of activities and events that continually raise awareness about bullying, its unacceptability and its awful consequences.

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Over time, these work like advertising to change attitudes and ultimately to change behaviour. Awareness takes away perpetrators' excuses, used to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, like "I didn't know!"

It can also remove bystanders' excuses like "I didn't do anything," helping them realise that everyone has a responsibility to prevent bullying and thereby encouraging them to report it when they are aware of it.

One-off interventions cannot achieve this. Neither can the current S.P.H.E. and CSPE programmes. If these worked there would be less bullying in schools now.

Q. Will students report bullying once they are aware of it and the damage it does?

A. No! If reported bullying is then dealt with in a school by punishing the perpetrators, students may be reluctant to report it either out of fear of repercussions for themselves or others or out of misguided loyalty.

Q. Is there any way to overcome this problem?

A. Yes! A "Reform, not Blame" approach by the school avoids this problem. When alleged perpetrators are interviewed, in return for honesty and for complying with a signed promise not to re-offend, they can legitimately be offered confidentiality (unless a legal requirement dictates otherwise) and amnesty.

This approach is considered fair by the general body of students who support it and cooperate with it, especially when it comes to reporting bullying. Since students observe almost all bullying in schools, this makes it easier for teachers to get information when dealing with specific cases of bullying. This approach has the added benefit that there is less likely to be resentment against either the targeted student or those who report the bullying though they too are protected by confidentiality. This approach has a high success rate, which fully satisfies the wishes of targeted students and their parents.

www.antibullyingcampaign.ie This website was developed

by Seรกn Fallon and Mary Kent.The site grew out of a programme they developed in a Dublin secondary school since 2003.

Seรกn Fallon is a retired secondary teacher after 33 years of teaching. Mary Kent is a Doctoral student in the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin, having completed an M.Ed (Aggression Studies) there.

a "win-win" situation for both targeted student and bullying student as well as a significant reduction in bullying in schools.

Q. Would such a campaign involve much additional work for teachers already under a lot of pressure?

Q. Does the perpetrator not deserve punishment?

A. Students are children and children make "mistakes" in their dealings with other children as well as in other areas of their lives. Indeed, they may have "baggage" of their own.

If perpetrators come to an understanding of the wrong they were doing and promise not to do so again and keep that promise (which is what the traditional word "repentance" means) this is the best possible outcome for all concerned.

If they break their promise, however, there may be "consequences" for breach of promise and failure to comply with school rules. In these circumstances perpetrators can forfeit the confidentiality and the amnesty and must accept the outcome.

Q. Should any particular form of bullying be treated differently, e.g. cyber-bullying, homophobic bullying or racism?

A. No! All forms of bullying are expressions of an underlying "bullying attitude" based on a power imbalance between the bullying student and the targeted student.

This is the real problem that needs to be resolved. If this "bullying attitude" is effectively dealt with, so perpetrators come to treat others fairly, equally and respectfully, then all particular expressions of it, like cyber-bullying, homophobic bullying or racism, will disappear too.

For this reason, any specific kinds of bullying behaviour that occur are dealt with in the same way as any others.

Q. If carefully planned and implemented what impact does this kind of AntiBullying Campaign have?

A. A culture of the three "R"s is developed in schools, a culture where bullying is 'Recognised' for what it is, 'Rejected' for what it does and 'Reported' so it can be effectively dealt with.

When bullying is dealt with the result is

A. Being actively involved in the AntiBullying Campaign in a school involves some extra work.

To minimise this we offer our AntiBullying Campaign programme to schools "ready made" as a "going concern." To save some time, Awareness-Raising classroom exercises can be arranged between teachers on a class-swap basis and an AntiBullying Team of six or more teachers will normally be able to reach all classes on this basis a few times a year within the constraints of the school timetable.

Ideally, some time for coordinating the programme and interviewing alleged perpetrators would be linked to a post of responsibility, though schools are experiencing difficulties in relation to such posts due to education cutbacks.

We hope schools will prioritise an AntiBullying Campaign, when identifying the "needs of the school," for allocation of posts of responsibility. We believe that there is nothing teachers do that is more important than creating a safe happy environment for their students and that a programme to deal effectively with bullying is essential if this is to be achieved.

This is fundamental to the ethos of our schools and the values of our teachers as well as being enshrined in school mission statements and anti-bullying policies so it seems logical that everything that needs to be done to achieve this should be done.

Q. How can teachers set about implementing the Anti-Bullying Campaign in their schools?

A. Teachers can register on our website www.antibullyingcampaign.ie to get access to the free resources and the guidelines for using them.

Then, using these resources as well as our free DVD that all secondary schools received in February 2010 and the "Silent Witnesses" DVD from the Anti-Bullying Centre in Trinity College, Dublin, a group of teachers, identifying itself in the school as the Anti-Bullying Team, can implement the campaign.

We believe that once you try it and see the difference it makes to the lives of your students you will never want your school to be without it again.

Find OUT MORE www.antibullyingcampaign.ie Education 13

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Education

Church of Ireland and Protestant/Reformed Christian Secondary Schools in Ireland

O

ptions for parental choice at post-primary level in Ireland usually means parents seeking a second level school for their child which is accessible and has a good reputation in academic achievement and student development. However, for parents from a Protestant background the issue of choice is often significantly limited by geographic factors.

Most parent/s identify a particular school as being right for their child by talking to family or friends who already have a child in the school or through a family link.

Sometimes, all or some of the children in their child’s primary school class are going to a particular school and the child wants to join them. In other words, a number of factors combine for parents and their child to determine which post-primary school they will attend. The type of school (seco n d a r y, v o c a t i o n a l , c o m m u n i t y, comprehensive) will be part of that process of determination. accessibility challenge

For parents from a Protestant background accessibility can be an additional challenging dimension to this decision. Of the 739 post-primary schools in the state, only 26 (3.5%) are Church of Ireland or of a Protestant/Reformed Christian denomination.

Membership of Ireland’s Protestant churches is approximately 200,000 and is spatially dispersed across the State. For the Protestant parent, their right to send their child to a school of their own religious denomination and/or ethos is a valid choice that is reflected in the spirit of Article 42 of the Irish Constitution and in the historic provision of education in the Irish State.

Choice becomes limited at secondary level for Protestant families. There are no Protestant schools in 14 of the 26 counties.

The solution to this is to provide boarding facilities to Protestant/Church of Ireland students whose family home is not in proximity to a Church of Ireland/Protestant school and who wish to attend a second

n The Church of Ireland College of Education in Rathmines in Dublin is one of five colleges of education in the Republic of Ireland

By Dr Ken Fennelly Secretary, Church of Ireland General Synod Board of Education and Education Officer (RI)

level school of their own religious denomination or ethos. 21 of the 26 Church of Ireland and Protestant/Reformed secondary schools offer boarding accommodation and 20 charge fees for both boarding and day pupils. The community has always been grateful to the Irish state for the allowances/grants made to necessitous families to enable children to attend a school of their own ethos. faith discovery Within Protestant schools, the ethos encourages young people, regardless of their particular religious background, to embark on a journey of faith discovery during these key developmental years. This openness has proved attractive to families from many denominations over the years.

Schools seek to support the individual student in their journey towards adulthood.

Home school liaison and parental involve-

m e n t a re c o n s i d e re d a n i m p o r t a n t dimension of that growth. Strong parental involvement and strong student support strengthen the whole school-life experience for the young person. Many schools enjoy receiving successive generations and this nurtures strong links between school and community. third level education One measure of the success in this approach is the high ranking achieved by many Church of Ireland and Protestant schools in the list of top ten feeder schools for third level education published annually in The Irish Times. The majority of students in our schools go on to third level/university courses, putting them on the first steps of their future career.

While parents value the educational success of schools and the personal development of their child, Church of Ireland and the other Protestant/Reformed schools, have at their core the work of stirring up an awareness of the Divine so that, in the words of Psalm 78, “generations to come might know - that they in turn may tell it to their children - to put their trust in God”.

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College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise, (CAFRE)

Grow your career at Greenmount

G

reenmount Campus is part of the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise, (CAFRE), situated just a few miles from Belfast International Airport near the town of Antrim. The superb nationally recognised horticulture facilities include 18 hectares of landscaped grounds, a modern horticulture production nursery and a recently completed golf driving range.

The college offers a wide range of courses, both full-time and part- time, to meet the needs of school leavers and career changers. For those studying full time very competitively priced accommodation is available on site.

Increasingly employers are looking for students who are ‘good to go’. This is why, at CAFRE, the students not only study horticultural

theory but also get involved in practical projects.

They have just completed a project making up, marketing and selling a range of Christmas baskets. Later this year they will be growing plants and designing and building gardens for shows.

All the courses at Greenmount include a period of work experience, at home or abroad, with landscaping businesses, historic gardens, nurseries or garden centres.

Greenmount Campus has been educating and training members of the industry since 1924, so to grow your career come along to our taster day or open evening and find out what we can offer you; Greenmount Campus Open Days: Thursday 6 October 2011 and Wed 25 April 2012

CAFRE Career Profiles Philip Reid - HNC in Agriculture "Part-time study gave the best of both worlds being able to further my education as well as working on the home farm. I found the course really challenging and could relate the subjects taught, such as Animal Production, IT and Farm Management back to my home farm situation. It also gave me the opportunity to meet new people and I would strongly recommend the course to anyone interested in part-time study".

Christopher Holden. Job Title: River Watcher Christopher graduated from the Foundation degree in Rural & Countryside management course at Greenmount Campus in June 2008. He successfully gained employment with the Loughs Agency as River Watcher; his duties included patrolling Lough Foyle and coastal waters, investigating pollution incidents and undertake survey work. Chris comments ‘Modules such as Environmental Science and Habitat Management and are really useful in my new job, I’m now putting the theory I learnt into practice.

Shelley Annan - BSc in Equine Studies Shelley completed the National Diploma in Horse Management at Enniskillen Campus and then progressed onto higher-level courses before graduating with an Honours Degree in Equine Studies. Shelley has worked for a large yard in North Carolina working with show jumpers, attending shows on the Florida Circuit. ‘I really enjoyed the variety of life at Enniskillen Campus, I was involved with the equitation, racing and breeding yards.

I developed my equitation skills, rode the racehorses every morning and during my third year of the HND gained valuable experience running the breeding unit.’

Open Days: Thursday 6 October 2011 and Wed 25 April 2012

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Student Nutrition

Encouraging slow food on campus S

low Food on campus is a part of a global grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Slow Food on Campus is a student-led initiative which encourages university and higher education students with an appetite for influencing their local food systems both at their institution and within their local community - from food growing and production to how the food is served.

It is well known that students often fail to eat well, with young people sometimes leaving home with a lack of nutritional knowledge, thus ill equipped to cook healthy meals. Often students simply eat unhealthy food as they’re living on a tight budget and they wrongly believe readymade meals and ‘junk’ food offer better value for money.

Slow Food on Campus is helping to change this with student groups embracing a fun way to stay healthy, and alter the way they and other young people think about food. Through on-campus barbeques, farmers markets, film screenings, debates, talks, and the growth and development of

‘Slow Food on Campus’ gardens, members become part of a global network spreading the Slow Food ethos, ‘good, clean, fair’ food.

All activities are organised and run by students themselves, with the central Slow Food office offering guidance where needed. By liaising between the universities and the students themselves, Slow Food UK helps each group get its feet off the ground, recruit members, and organise exciting events throughout the academic year.

Membership is free, and on joining, every student is provided with an information pack full of tips and ideas. Members are

encouraged to keep in touch through social media, with the Slow Food on Campus Facebook page providing a platform for interaction where events can be announced and recipes shared.

Find OUT MORE Further details, how to join, and information on how to start a group is all available on the Slow Food on Campus website, www.slowfood.org.uk/slowfood-on-campus.

The Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/#!/Slow.Food.UK.

What is 'Slow Food' Slow Food is a global, grassroots organisation with supporters in 150 countries around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to the community and the environment.

A non-profit, member supported association, with charitable educational programmes, Slow Food was created to counter the rise of fast food and fast life.

The Slow Food movement works to reconnect people with where their food comes from and how it is produced so they can understand the implications of the choices they make about the food they put on their plates. They encourage people to choose nutritious food, from sustainable and local sources.

n Signing up for Slow Food

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Child and adolescent welfare

Letting children be children After taking office in the UK in 2010 the coalition government commissioned Reg Bailey (CEO, Mothers' Union) to examine the impact of early sexualisation in the lives of children and to make recommendations on what to do about it. The report was published in the summer of 2011 and this is the summary of the report

Theme 1 – The ‘Wallpaper’ of Children’s Lives WE are all living in an increasingly sexual and sexualised culture, although it is far from clear how we arrived at this point.

Many parents feel that this culture is often inappropriate for their children and they want more power to say ‘no’.

Some parts of the business world and sections of the media seem to have lost their connection to parents and this is compounded in some new media where there is limited regulation. Where regulation does exist, regulators need to connect better with parents and encourage businesses to comply with the ‘spirit of the regulation’.

Where regulation does not exist, businesses need to behave more responsibly.

What we would like to see That sexualised images used in public places and on television, the internet, music vid-

eos, magazines, newspapers and other places are more in line with what parents find acceptable, and that public space becomes more family-friendly.

retailers and retail associations in the news industry, including the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and the Association of News Retailing

Recommendations

2. Reducing the amount of on-street advertising containing sexualised imagery in locations where children are likely to see it.

The advertising industry should take into account the social responsibility clause of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code when considering placement of advertisements with sexualised imagery near schools, in the same way as they already do for alcohol advertisements.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) should place stronger emphasis on the location of an advertisement, and the number of children likely to be exposed to it, when considering whether an on-street advertisement is compliant with the CAP code.

The testing of standards that the ASA

1. Ensuring that magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on their covers are not in easy sight of children.

Retail associations in the news industry should do more to encourage observance of the voluntary code of practice on the display of magazines and newspapers with sexualised images on their covers.

Publishers and distributors should provide such magazines in modesty sleeves, or make modesty boards available, to all outlets they supply and strongly encourage the appropriate display of their publications.

Retailers should be open and transparent to show that they welcome and will act on customer feedback regarding magazine displays. ACTION: Publishers, distributors,

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What we would like to see That retailers do not sell or market inappropriate clothing, products or services for children.

Recommendations 6. Developing a retail code of good practice on retailing to children.

Retailers, alongside their trade associations, should develop and comply with a voluntary code of good practice for all aspects of retailing to children. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) should continue its work in this area as a matter of urgency and encourage non-BRC members to sign up to its code. ACTION: Retailers and retail associations, including the BRC

undertakes with parents (see Recommendation 7) should also cover parental views on location of advertising in public spaces. ACTION: Advertisers, advertising industry bodies, and the ASA

5. Making it easier for parents to block adult and age-restricted material from the internet: To provide a consistent level of protection across all media, as a matter of urgency, the internet industry should ensure that customers must make an active choice over what sort of content they want to allow their children to access.

To facilitate this, the internet industry must act decisively to develop and introduce effective parental controls, with Government regulation if voluntary action is not forthcoming within a reasonable timescale.

In addition, those providing content which is age-restricted, whether by law or company policy, should seek robust means of age verification as well as making it easy for parents to block underage access.

ACTION: Internet industry and providers of age-restricted content, through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS)

3. Ensuring the content of pre-watershed television programming better meets parents’ expectations.

There are concerns among parents about the content of certain programmes shown before the watershed. The watershed was introduced to protect children, and prewatershed programming should therefore be developed and regulated with a greater weight towards the attitudes and views of parents, rather than ‘viewers’ as a whole.

In addition, broadcasters should involve parents on an ongoing basis in testing the standards by which family viewing on television is assessed and the Office of Communications (Ofcom) should extend its existing research into the views of parents on the watershed.

Broadcasters and Ofcom should report annually on how they have specifically engaged parents over the previous year, what they have learnt and what they are doing differently as a result. ACTION: Ofcom, broadcasters

Theme 2 – Clothing, Products and Services for Children

4. Introducing Age Rating for Music Videos.

Government should consult as a matter of priority on whether music videos should continue to be treated differently from other genres, and whether the exemption from the Video Recordings Act 1984 and 2010, which allows them to be sold without a rating or certificate, should be removed.

As well as ensuring hard copy sales are only made on an age-appropriate basis, removal of the exemption would assist broadcasters and internet companies in ensuring that the content is made available responsibly. ACTION: Government

Sexualised and gender-stereotyped clothing, products and services for children are the biggest areas of concern for parents and many non-commercial organisations contributing to the Review, with interest fanned by a sometimes prurient press.

The issues are rarely clear-cut, with a fine balance on a number of points – taste, preference, choice, affordability, fashion and gender preferences.

Retailers are aware of the issues and sensitivities and are responding. They need to be explicitly and systematically family friendly, from design and buying through to display and marketing.

Theme 3 – Children as Consumers We all live in a commercial world and children are under pressure from a range of sources to act as consumers. We do not want to cut children off from the commercial world completely as we believe that it brings benefits and parents tell us that they want to manage the issue themselves, supported by proportionate regulation and responsible businesses.

While adults may understand that companies might look to ‘push the boundaries’ when advertising to them, children are especially vulnerable and need to be given special consideration. Special measures already exist in advertising and marketing regulations to protect children but some gaps exist.

Regulators cannot realistically be expected to anticipate detailed developments in the new media. However, an absence of regulation does not absolve businesses from acting responsibly by themselves.

What we would like to see That the regulations protecting children from excessive commercial pressures are comprehensive and effective across all media and in line with parental expectations.

That marketers do not exploit any gaps in advertising regulation in order to unduly influence the choices children make as consumers.

That parents and children have a sound awareness and understanding of marketing techniques and regulation.

Recommendations 7. Ensuring that the regulation of advertising reflects more closely parents’ and children’s views.

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as an extra gauge of parental views. Results of regulators’ decisions, and their reactions to any informal feedback, should be published regularly on the single site. ACTION: Regulators

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) should conduct research with parents and children on a regular basis in order to gauge their views on the ASA’s approach to regulation and on the ASA’s decisions, publishing the results and subsequent action taken in their annual report.

ACTION: ASA 8. Prohibiting the employment of children as brand ambassadors and in peer-to-peer marketing.

The Committee of Advertising Practice and other advertising and marketing bodies should urgently explore whether, as many parents believe, the advertising selfregulatory codes should prohibit the employment of children under the age of 16 as brand ambassadors or in peer-to-peer marketing – where people are paid, or paid in kind, to promote products, brands or services.

ACTION: Committee of Advertising Practice, the Advertising Association and relevant regulators 9. Defining a child as under the age of 16 in all types of advertising regulation.

The ASA should conduct research with parents, children and young people to determine whether the ASA should always define a child as a person under the age of 16, in line with the Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice codes.

ACTION: ASA 10. Raising parental awareness of marketing and advertising techniques.

Industry and regulators should work together to improve parental awareness of marketing and advertising techniques and of advertising regulation and complaints processes and to promote industry best practice. ACTION: Advertising and marketing industry, with the ASA and the Advertising Association 11. Quality assurance for media and commercial literacy resources and education for children.

These resources should always include education to help children develop their emotional resilience to the commercial and sexual pressures that today’s world places on them.

Providers should commission independent evaluation of their provision, not solely measuring take-up but, crucially, to assess its effectiveness.

Those bodies with responsibilities for promoting media literacy, including Ofcom and the BBC, should encourage the development of minimum standards guidance for the content of media and commercial literacy education and resources to children.

ACTION: Media and commercial literacy providers, with Ofcom and the BBC

Theme 4 – Making Parents’ Voices Heard Parents have told us that they feel they cannot make their voices heard, and that they often lack the confidence to speak out on sexualisation and commercialisation issues for fear of being labelled a prude or out of touch. Business and industry sectors and their regulators need to make clear that they welcome, and take seriously, feedback on these subjects.

Given the technology available, regulators and businesses should be able to find more effective ways to encourage parents to tell them what they think, quickly and easily, and to be transparent in telling parents how they are responding to that feedback.

Once parents know that their views are being taken seriously, we would expect them to respond positively towards companies that listen to their concerns.

What we would like to see That parents find it easier to voice their concerns, are listened to more readily when they do, and have their concerns visibly acted on by businesses and regulators.

Recommendations 12. Ensuring greater transparency in the regulatory framework by creating a single website for regulators.

There is a variety of co-, self- and statutory regulators across the media, communications and retail industries.

Regulators should work together to create a single website to act as an interface between themselves and parents. This will set out simply and clearly what parents can do if they feel a programme, advertisement, product or service is inappropriate for their children; explain the legislation in simple terms; and provide links to quick and easy complaints forms on regulators’ own individual websites.

This single website could also provide a way for parents to provide informal feedback and comments, with an option to do so anonymously, which regulators can use

13. Making it easier for parents to express their views to businesses about goods and services.

All businesses that market goods or services to children should have a one-click link to their complaints service from their home page, clearly labelled ‘complaints’.

Information provided as part of the complaints and feedback process should state explicitly that the business welcomes comments and complaints from parents about issues affecting children. Businesses should also provide timely feedback to customers in reaction to customer comment. For retail businesses this should form part of their code of good practice (see Theme 2, Recommendation 6), and should also cover how to make it easier and more parentfriendly for complaints to be made in store.

ACTION: Businesses, supported by trade associations

Conclusion The Government should monitor implementation and formally review progress in 18 months’ time. A stocktake, to include an independent assessment of progress, should report on the success or otherwise of business, regulators and Government in adopting the recommendations of this Review.

If the stocktake reaches the conclusion that insufficient progress has been made, our view is that the Government would be fully entitled to bring forward appropriate statutory measures to ensure action is taken.

What we want to see That the actions recommended in the report are implemented by broadcasters, advertisers, retailers, other businesses and regulators within a reasonable timescale.

Recommendation 14. Ensuring that businesses and others take action on these recommendations.

Government should take stock of progress against the recommendations of this review in 18 months’ time. This stocktake should report on the success or otherwise of businesses and others in adopting these recommendations. If it concludes that insufficient progress has been made, the Government should consider taking the most effective action available, including regulating through legislation if necessary, to achieve the recommended outcome.

ACTION: Government © Crown Copyright

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NCBI is the national organisation working for people with sight loss. We are a not-for-profit charitable organisation which offers support and services nationwide to people of all ages experiencing difficulties with their eyesight.

Around 95% of people using NCBI’s services have varying degrees of usable, while 5% are completely blind. NCBI was established 80 years ago in 1931 to promote the full independence of people who are blind or vision impaired and now provides a range of services to over 15,000 people.

NCBI offers a range of services to assist people with vision impairments to maintain their independence. These services can be provided at home or in one of our resource centres, which are situated throughout the country.

Services offered include: UÊ *À>VÌ V> Ê> `Êi Ì > ÊÃÕ«« ÀÌ° UÊ ÜÊÛ Ã ÊÃiÀÛ ViÊ ÊV> ÊLiÊÛ Ã Ìi`ÊLÞÊ> Þ iÊ experiencing significant difficulties with their eyesight.

UÊ Õ `> ViÊ ÊV à }Ê> `ÃÊ> `Ê>«« > Við UÊ L ÌÞÊÌÀ> }ÊqÊ i «ÃÊ«i « iÊÌ ÊÕÃiÊÌ i ÀÊÀià `Õ> Ê vision or mobility aids to get around independently.

UÊ > ÞÊ Û }Êà ÃÊÌÀ> }ÊqÊi >L iÃÊ«i « iÊÌ ÊV>ÀÀÞÊ ÕÌÊ iÛiÀÞ`>ÞÊÌ>à ÃÊÃ>vi ÞÊ> `Ê `i«i `i Ì Þ° UÊ Õ Ãi }Êv ÀÊ ` Û `Õ> Ã]ÊV Õ« iÃÊ> `Êv> iÃ°Ê UÊ « Þ i ÌÊ>`Û Vi UÊ >Ì > Ê À> i]Ê >À}iÊ«À ÌÊ> `Ê>Õ` Ê LÀ>ÀÞ UÊ Ãà ÃÌ ÛiÊÌiV }ÞÊ>`Û ViÊqÊ}Õ `> ViÊ ÊÃi iVÌ }Ê> `Ê using technology.

Contact NCBI Head Office, Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

Lo call: 1850 33 43 53 Email: info@ncbi.ie Web: www.ncbi.ie 28 Education

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Global Languages and Tours

The experience and knowledge of different languages

G

lobal Languages and Tours (GLT) was previously known as A p p re n d re e t Vi v re , a n d changed its name in 2010 to more accurately reflect the wide variety of destinations to which we offer school tours and individual programmes. The company was established in Ireland in 1976, and has firmly established itself as the leading provider of high quality Homestay Programmes and School Tours for Irish students.

GLT has developed highly valued relationships with our foreign agents, institutions, and facilities over many years and thus can offer unrivalled service in terms of how each individual student is looked after during their time way from home.

Who? We have programmes designed for Groups (Schools, Youth Clubs etc) and programmes for Individuals, from school going age and upwards.

What? GLT offer a wide range of highly developed programmes, including School Tours, School Integrations, Summer Programmes, Classic Home Stays, and A d u l t P r o g r a m m e s & Te a c h e r s Programmes Where? We currently offer Tours and Programmes in a wide variety of cities in France, Germany, and Spain. If you are interested in visiting a city which you do not see advertised in our brochure, please contact us, as we can create tailor made tours upon request, at no extra cost.

“A whole world of learning�

When? Tours and Programmes are available all year round. During the summer months of June, July and August, we run extra programmes.

Why? Many individuals, students, parents and teachers are now aware of the benefits of learning a foreign language and experiencing a different culture. As European and global barriers fall, employers are increasingly looking to those with the experience and knowledge of different languages. The best way to gain this knowledge and experience is to travel abroad and speak and live with the people. Individuals also benefit from experiencing the culture, habits, foods and lifestyles of different nationalities.

For over 30 years, Global Languages and Tours have been organising high quality, great value language programmes across Europe. Whatever your motivation; learning, fun, or personal development, we have a programme to suit you. Perhaps you fancy a group tours to see the sights with your friends, or a school integration to immerse yourself in a different culture and language, or maybe a 2 or 3 week summer programme with a mixture of language lessons and fabulous activities and excursions.

For more information, please see our website or call us today, the world is waiting for you!

www.glt.ie - 1800 948 353 Education 29

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Research profile

The Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre A centre of excellence within Ireland for Ocean Renewables and Coastal Engineering based at UCC

T

he Hydraulics and Maritime R e s e a rc h C e n t re ( H M R C ) a t University College Cork was established in 1979. It is a centre of excellence within Ireland for Ocean Renewables and Coastal Engineering providing support to the maritime industry as well as fundamental R&D. The staff at the HMRC have been selected from a wide range of engineering backgrounds; including civil, environmental, electrical and electronic, mechanical, aeronautical and oceanographic. This provides a diverse assortment of experience and skills to explore the multi disciplinary technology. Further growth is expected over the next few months, taking on a number of Post-doctoral researchers, engineers and PhD students.

The Centre, which is principally a dedicated research facility, also offers a teaching and education function. It houses the only facilities for wave simulation in Ireland with a Wave Flume and an Ocean Wave Basin.

Research Activities Around two thirds of the earth’s surface is covered in water, it is therefore logical to look here for usable energy. The power contained in the world’s oceans is enormous, in the region of 2 TW. The annual accessible electrical energy around Ireland is broadly equivalent to that supplied annually by the ESB at present with an annual market value of approximately €2.7billion.

This resource needs to be harnessed and effectively exploited.

All research undertaken at the HMRC attempts to take into account the impact upon the environment. It is generally perceived that wave power is less environmentally degrading than some other forms of power generation, especially in relation to atmospheric emissions. Wave energy devices represents a free, 'clean' source of energy - they produce no greenhouse gases or other atmospheric pollutants whilst generating electricity.

Ocean Wave Basin

The Ocean Wave Basin at the HMRC is 25m long, 18m wide and 1m deep. The wave generation sytem includes 40 flap type wedge shaped aluminium paddles attached to the 18m side of the tank.

Each of these paddles has a hinge depth of 0.75m and is fitted with an active absorption system. The paddles are dry backed and sealed with a rolling fabric gusset seal, which allows each paddle to move independently. An electric servomotor drives each paddle via a belt.

The wave generating system is capable of directional irregular seas up to a sig-

nificant wave height of 0.18m and period of 2.5s. Active absorption is incorporated into the paddle system, this uses a feedback signal to adjust paddle motion.

To further minimise the amount of reflected waves in the tank an artificial Enkamat absorption beach is located at the opposite end to the paddles.

Monochromatic, panchromatic and recorded time series can be applied to the device undergoing testing. This allows for the fundamental characteristics of the device to be obtained as well as modelling the device in real sea condition.

The centre aims to continue to move forward particularly in the area of applied research and product development.

Wave Energy Technology Development in Ireland The main drivers for Ocean Energy research stem from the need for a secure, affordable and environmentally sound energy supply. Mandatory emission limitations further steer us away from our heavy dependance on imported oil, gas and coal.

All new technologies need to be proven and scaled up in order to provide a considerate, secure and responsible energy source.

Research at the HMRC is thoroughly carried out on in order to achieve and enhance new technologies.

Wave Rider buoys are used to measure wave heights and transmit this information to shore. A bank of such information allows waves to be forecasted, therefore devices can be rated to their deployment area. An important feature of Ocean Energy Devices is that they will usually perform best when operating in waves that match a particular area of their scatter diagram.

The intermittent nature of renewables and the subsequent need for back-up power is an aspect which needs to be considered. The advantage in the case of wave energy is that its peak electrical production is during the winter months when Irish consumer demand is greatest.

The HMRC has expertise in instrumentation and data acquisition at a number of scales from tank tests through to full scale deployment. The HMRC is responsible for Find OUT MORE Phone: (+353) (0)21 4250021 Address: Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.

Email: hmrc@ucc.ie http://hmrc.ucc.ie/index.html

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producing a test and evaluation protocol standard that has been adopted as part of Ireland’s Ocean Energy Strategy. The HMRC has extensive tank testing experience on national, European and international projects through research as well as commercial contracts.

Coastal Projects In order to achieve a proper understanding of coastal processes comprehensive full scale data sets, proper information on wave climate and beach responses is required.

Such an understanding allows for design optimisation. Long term monitoring of environmental conditions is vital.

Shoreline managment plans are built into all coastal managment strategies developed at the HMRC. This is to ensure that resolving problems at one point on the coast does not result in them merely being transfered elsewhere.

Beach Erosion: Factors influencing coastal erosion include wave breaking, nearshore currents, sediment motion and sea level rise. Wave action cause the beach material to be continuously reshaped, resultant finer particles can get carried offshore into deeper water or transported by wind.

Human activities such as sand removal and construction work can further starve the beaches. Changes in water level relative to land can have a significant effect especially on beaches with a low gradient as waves can affect areas that were previously unreachable.

Conservation & Protection Coastal protection measures include measures such as groynes, offshore breakwaters, sea walls, artificial nourishment and dune protection.

- Groynes: run perpendicular to the coastline to intercept longshore drift

at which ocean energy can contribute towards Ireland meeting its renewable electricity generation targets. The strategy, proposed to the DCMNR by Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Marine Institute in October 2005, was detailed in the 2006 Annual Report. It is a four phase strategy incorporating the following elements: Phase 1 – support for Irish device developers testing at 1/4 scale; support for research facilities; development of a 1/4 scale test site; Phase 2 – support for Irish device developers testing full scale prototypes; support for research facilities; development of a grid connected open sea test site; price support for electricity generated by ocean energy; Phase 3 – support for Irish device developers testing an array; support for research facilities; multi-device grid connected open sea test site; price support for electricity generated by ocean energy; Phase 4 – price support for electricity generated by ocean energy.

Ocean Energy is a relatively new technology, development began in earnest in the late 1970's after the oil crisis. In April 2006 the Irish Government launched an Ocean Energy Strategy. This sets out a 4 phase development programme for ocean energy

in Ireland.

An open sea test site has been established in Galway Bay by SEI and the Marine Institute for testing large scale prototypes.

This encourages steady development in order to evaluate the devices potential as regards survivability, performance and cost.

Access to this test site is subject to compliance with a number of safety and operational criteria. All devices designs, including mooring and installation procedures are subject to a mandatory independent structural sea worthiness evaluation process before achieving site access. The HMRC offers independent advice and support to developers through model testing, concept design, computer modelling, design performance validation, resource assessments and offshore data recording.

Many prominent international projects have used the facilities and knowledge of the HMRC at some stage in their development. The HMRC have also outlined a protocol for how wave energy devices should be developed, providing a useful guideline for developers and investors.

The HMRC aims to become an international centre of excellence for Ocean Energy research, training, consultation and support, growing from an existing strong national integrated base.

Ocean Energy Projects - Field Testing An open sea test site has been established in Galway Bay by Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Marine Institute for testing large scale prototypes. The HMRC offers independent advice and support to developers through model testing, concept design, computer modelling, design performance validation, resource assessments and offshore data recording.

Access to this test site is subject to compliance with a number of safety and operational criteria. All devices designs, including mooring and installation procedures are subject to a mandatory independent structural sea worthiness evaluation process before achieving site access. Testing at this scale is an important step in the development and evaluation protocol.

The site does not include a grid connection, however the Marine Institute have deployed a WaveRider buoy to provide wave measurements at the site.

- Offshore Breakwaters: run parallel to the shore to intercept wave energy from reaching the shore - Sea Walls: run along the coastline to absorb incoming waves - Artificial Nourishment: material is imported to replace the native material lost - Dune Protection: salt resistant grasses are planted in order to maintain and protect the surface Ocean Energy Po;icy In 2006, Ireland’s Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) adopted and launched Ocean Energy in Ireland, a document laying out Ireland’s strategy to advance the speed

n The HMRC carried some initial testing on Ocean Energy's wave power platform

Education 31

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Food for Mixed Bean Chilli with thought Rice and Cottage Cheese!

Quick Meals for Students These recipes are devised by students for use for other students.

This recipe was supplied by Fran Legge (SFOC Leeds Met)

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

• 1 Red Onion - chopped • 2 cloves of Garlic - chopped • 1 Red Pepper - sliced • 1/2 punnet of Mushrooms - halved or quartered • 1 can of Mixed Beans • 1 can of Chopped Tomato • 1/2 tin of Sweet Corn • 1 big hand full of frozen peas • 2 tbsp Tomato puree • Glug of Worcester Sauce • 1 tbsp of Dark Chocolate - chopped or grated • 2 tsp Chilli Powder (or as spicy as you like) • Salt • Pepper • 1 Stock Cube

1) Heat the pan and chop the onion and garlic.

2) Fry the onion and garlic until soft, then add the chopped pepper and sliced mushrooms.

3) Add the chopped tomatoes, and then fill the empty can with hot water. Add this to the pan, and squeeze in the tomato puree, then crumble in the stock cube.

4) Drain the beans and Sweet corn and add to the mix along with the rest of the ingredients.

5) Leave to simmer for 10-20 minutes 6) Serve with boiled rice or a jacket potato, and a spoon full of cottage cheese or Soured Cream makes a great addition.

The above recipe will serve 2-3 people generously!

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32 Education

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i-to-i TEFL

South Korea: a paid adventure teaching English Seoul. She teaches young students English and in return the school provides her with a competitive monthly salary and free accommodation.

So far, in her spare time the County Waterford native has attended the World DJ Festival, Busan Sandcastle Festival, shopped ‘til she dropped, been introduced to Korean sauna’s and most recently has been stuck in the middle of the Boryeong Mud Festival where she met lots of other travellers enjoying the unique cultural event.

Fiona explains ‘In the mud area, there were bouncy slides, a pool and obstacle courses – so we dove right in! We were covered! Since the festival was beside the sea, we cleaned off every so often.’ n Fiona with star pupil Harry

J

ust five short months ago Fiona McCullagh from Abbeyside, Dungarvan arrived in South Korea to start the adventure of a lifetime.

Having graduated from DCU in 2010, she decided to spend a year working and travelling abroad. Accompanied by two friends, each month abroad offers new and unique experiences for the 23 year old.

Fiona’s 12 month contract sees her based in Uiwang, south of the Korean capital,

n Fiona’s crazy Mud Festival Adventure

interactive methods and games Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) uses lots of fun and interactive methods and games. Fiona’s outgoing personality is well suited to the world of TEFL and she also takes part in extra curricular school activities. This month she was involved in a Friday night sleep over camp for the kindergarten kids.

As part of her 12 month contract, Fiona is entitled to a summer vacation break so she chose to jet off to the famous Jeju

n Sea View from Jeju Island

Island with friends. ‘First we went to the waterfalls which were so beautiful, we went swimming in a river where local families were hanging out and then we went to the beach.’

Continuing with her island escape, the friends then visited to Yakcheongsa Temple and enjoyed freshly caught squid from some locals down on the pier, washed down by the native drink soju.

After a week of travel, hiking, eating and adventure, Fiona summed it up by saying ‘Jeju was a brilliant holiday, I saw as much of the island as possible, experienced Korean life and met a lot of really nice, friendly people, We will soon be having a reunion in Seoul with those from Jeju – I can’t wait!’

Fiona obtained her job through i-to-i TEFL who also provided the training course that she needed to secure her job. No teaching experience was necessary. Courses are run nationwide and start from €269.

If you think you’ve enough energy to become a TEFL teacher speak to an i-to-i Advisor about teaching English abroad call 01 5269506 quoting ‘Ed Mag’ or visit www.teflcourses.com.

Find OUT MORE To speak to an i-to-i TEFL Advisor about teaching English abroad call 01 5269506 or visit www.teflcourses.com.

Education 33

i-to-i Feat 24-3.indd 1

20/09/2011 10:50:12

Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark

What is a Geopark?

A

Geopark is an area with really special rocks and landscapes.

These may be special because they are good for education, or because they are of great scientific value.

They may also be special because the rocks and landscapes are very rare, or simply because they are exceptionally beautiful.

Geoparks aren’t just about rocks and landscapes though, they also include places that have important history and archaeology, fascinating plants and wildlife, and often intriguing folklore. After all, many of these are intimately linked with the ground beneath our feet.

About the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) endorsed Geopark status was first awarded to the Marble Arch Caves and adjoining Cuilcagh Mountain Park in 2001 and since this time the Geopark has expanded rapidly from these two original sites.

In 2007 and 2008, the Geopark underwent two phases of expansion first into public access lands in west Fermanagh and secondly into west Cavan making the

Geopark not only one of the largest in the world but, also the first cross-border Geopark in the world. The Geopark now stretches from the northern shores of Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh to Lough Ougher in County Cavan. The Geopark is jointly managed by Fermanagh District Council and Cavan County Council.

Educational Initiatives 1. Primary & Post-Primary The Geopark offers many environmental educational packages including site specific packages for both primary and post-primary school pupils. A number of workbooks and guided education programmes are on offer for primary and post-primary school pupils.

These are delivered at the Marble Arch Caves Visitor Centre, Cuilcagh Mountain Park or at the Burren Forest. Key curriculum components covered focus on the topics of geology, biodiversity, archaeology and history.

Indeed, specific programmes can be tailored to suit individual needs upon request.

An Earth Science Education field Guide is available for Leaving Certificate and AS/A2 level Geography teachers. This is a self-led study guide with information on sites to

visit and the features of interest within them.

For primary school pupils Earth science workshops are organised as part of Science Week every March and November. Training courses are also offered for both primary and post-primary teachers in how to teach Earth science more effectively and these are typically delivered twice a year at the Marble Arch Caves Visitor’s Centre.

Education Activities and learning areas • Cave Tours • Woodland and Habitat studies • Vegetation Studies • Sustainable Tourism • Glacial Processes • Rock cycle and Resources • River Studies • Sustainable living 2. Tertiary Education & Lifelong Learning The Geopark has produced a small booklet with information on areas of study within the Geopark. The Geopark employs a Geologist and Education Officer whom are both on hand to provide information prior to or during a visit. Where possible, programmes can be tailored to suit individual requests. A number of university accredited courses are offered within the Geopark.

Other Services Geopark staff members can carry out visits to schools and also organise special education events at various times throughout the year.

n Educational activities on lower slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain

Find OUT MORE Further information please contact: Martina Magee, Geopark Development Officer, Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark, Marlbank Scenic Loop, Florencecourt, Co. Fermanagh. BT92 1EW. Tel: 028 6634 8855 (NI) Tel: 048 6634 8855 (RoI) E-mail:mac@fermanagh.gov.uk www.marblearchcavesgeopark.com

34 Education

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Marble Arch Caves

The Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark is host to one of Europe's finest showcaves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating, natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers.

Lively and informative guides conduct tours past a bewildering variety of cave formations – stalactites glisten above stream ways and chambers while fragile mineral veils and cascades of creamy calcite coat walls and spread as shimmering terraces across rock strewn floors. Spectacular walkways allow easy access while powerful lighting reveals the stunning beauty and grandeur of the caves. Electrically powered boats glide through huge caverns carrying visitors along a subterranean river.

Tours last for 75 minutes and are suitable for people of average fitness.

Comfortable walking shoes and a warm sweater are recommended.

The caves have good parking, a souvenir shop, restaurant, exhibition area, an audio-visual theatre and are located in a National Nature Reserve. Education Services are available for schools and colleges.

The Shannon Pot

The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and the UK with a length of 280km.

The river flows from its source in the Cuilcagh Mountains to its estuary below Limerick. This important river and its tributaries drain some 15,500 sq km or about one fifth of the island of Ireland.

The traditional source of the river is a large spring called the Shannon Pot, about 16m in diameter and has been explored by divers to a depth of over 9m. The spring flows around the year and is fed by streams that disappear into limestone rock higher up the catchment area.

The reason why the Shannon Pot should be regarded as the source of the Shannon, as opposed to any of the streams that flow into the Pot has been lost in time, although it probably relates to the mystical nature of the pool.

Water tracer experiments have shown that other streams sink below ground and flow underground to join the Shannon Pot.

Cuilcagh Mountain Park Cuilcagh Mountain and the Marlbank area provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Fermanagh.

At 665m, Cuilcagh is the highest point in Fermanagh, and the only true mountain. Its distinctive table-top profile is easily identified across the region and forms the focus of an area rich in geology, archaeology, folklore, flora and fauna. The mountain itself is topped by gritstone, exposed in places as dramatic cliffs sweeping down to the lower sandstone and shale slopes.

The middle slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain are covered with a thick layer of peat and form one of the best examples of a blanket bog ecosystem in the north of Ireland. The lower slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain are formed of limestone with its associated (karst) landforms and complex cave systems.

Education 35

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letsomeoneknow.ie

HSE 24-3.indd 1

14/09/2011 15:23:22

Classroom furniture

Increasing productivity, health and well being

W

elcome to perch.ie. This project is aimed at rectifying the fundamental problems associated with the current selection of school furniture being used in primary schools in both Ireland, and globally. Currently, very few credible design solutions exist.

Intensive research into this subject matter has pinpointed serious areas for concern, and particular attention has been focused on the relationship between the posture of the student, chair height and work surface.

Perch is the result of a design process which hopes to alleviate poor posture in school children thus increasing productivity, health and well being. There is a high level of discomfort, pain, injury and musculoskeletal disorder experienced by students currently. Back pain is no longer a condition specific to adults. Teenagers are suffering from problems that once afflicted only their elders. prolonged periods The school curriculum requires sitting at a desk for prolonged periods of time daily.

As students graduate, it is normal to expect them to find work where sitting all day is required. The implications of poor posture are not limited to illness and discomfort, but can seriously impede the learning process.

Lower back and neck pain are the most recognisable afflictions but many other illnesses are linked with poor posture. Poor

n Example of common poor postures adopted by students

By Simon Dennehy Perch.ie digestion, nausea, deep vein thrombosis, headache, poor circulation, obesity, and lack of concentration are but a few sideeffects. Epidemiological studies indicate that excessive sitting times can be linked to rates of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and CVD. Schools are the breeding grounds for long term and serious injuries that emerge in middle aged adults as the result of poor posture. Sitting is not natural to humans, and doing so incorrectly can cause irreparable damage.

By creating a solution for primary school students where better task furniture can be attained and a new standard of acceptability reached, this thesis can begin to address this global problem.

Research

n Flexible seat encourages movement

There are many aspects of the education system that I have studied

in the process of this design project. From storage, to cleaning, stackability, aesthetics, safety and cost, the final design is a direct result of careful consideration and acknowledgement from many important influences.

The photos on the website, albeit quited detailed, do no justice to the data collected and reported on during this project. If you would like to receive any information pertaining to the design, please contact me directly using the information in the drop down contact menu above.

While the testing has been carried out to assess the qualitative attributes of the designs, it is my contention that the approach has lead to a significantly better and more appropriate design solution for primary school children.

There is much development through further ergonomic quantitative and longer term testing, but I am hoping to continue developing the designs into the future.

Find OUT MORE Tel: 087-9402224 Email: simon@perch.ie Web: www.perch.ie Education 37

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Tech News Scan....................................................................................................................

First phase of €300m UCD Science Centre opens

The first completed phase of the UCD Science Centre has been officially opened. When all three phases are complete, it will be the largest capital investment in science in the history of the Irish State.

The total estimated investment of some 300 million comes from government, matching funds from the university, and philanthropic donations.

Phase one of the UCD Science Centre (the UCD Centre for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery) opened

by An Taoiseach was funded through the Programme for Research in Third Level Institution (PRTLI). It provides 6,300 square metres of scientific research space for 300 researchers working in pharmaceutical sciences, food and health, and nanomedicine.

Phase two of the UCD Science Centre has recently been given government approval and is expected to be completed by the middle of 2012. It will provide a further 32,000 square meters of new and refurbished scientific facilities for 2,500 undergraduate and postgraduate science students, and 2,000 scientific researchers.

The planning for phase three, the final phase of the UCD Science Centre development, is expected to begin during 2012.

“When complete, the UCD Science Centre development will be the largest capital investment in science in the history of the State, and with more than 200 industry partnerships already in place, will contribute towards job creation and national economic recovery,” said UCD President Hugh Brady.

“Investment in research is a necessity, not a luxury,” he said. “It is the foundation for the discoveries and technology developments that will help build the economy of the future.”

Phase one of the UCD Science Centre - the UCD Centre for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery - houses three areas of scientific research: the UCD Centre for Pharmaceutical Sciences; the UCD Institute of Food and Health; and the UCD Centre for Nanomedicine.

It was officially opened on 09 Sept 2011.

HCL Technologies to create 80 graduate jobs in Dublin HCL Technologies, a leading global technology and IT enterprise company, is to establish a Software Delivery centre in Dublin. The company, which is an IDA Ireland client, will create 80 jobs over 3 years for IT graduates.

HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company, with over 85,000 employees working across 31 countries and leverages its extensive global offshore infrastructure to provide holistic, multiservice delivery in key industry verticals including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Services, Public Services and Healthcare.

With this center HCL will service a growing number of HCL clients and prospects in the Financial services, Insurance and Healthcare/Pharmaceutical industries. The plan for the development center was also influenced by the growing economy and rapidly increasing demand forecasted for IT services in this region.

This together with the availability of high local IT skillsets and strong graduate programs has made Ireland one of the top countries for HCL to invest in. HCL

Technologies also has established global delivery centers in UK, Poland, Finland, US, Brazil, China, India, Malaysia and Northern Ireland.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said "The real economic success story of Ireland in the mid/late 1990s was based in part on tapping into the global IT boom going on at that time. If we are to get out of the crisis we're in and create the jobs we so badly need, a key part of that will be to build on our established strengths and once again now take advantage of the rapid growth in the global IT industry - particularly coming from countries like India and China.

"HCL is one of India's leading IT companies and a significant player the global industry, and I met them as part of my recent trade mission to India to discuss the possibility of them locating in Ireland.

Today's announcement that they are creating 80 graduate IT jobs here is extremely welcome, and I am determined to build tirelessly on this to ensure that similar announcements can be made across the economy in the coming years".

University of Limerick student wins Irish James Dyson Award Chris Murphy, a student at the University of Limerick has been awarded the Irish James Dyson Award. Chris, from Westport in Co Mayo, designed an innovative access system for swimming pools which was inspired by his work as a lifeguard called the ‘Open Pool Transfer’.

The electronic lift device gives people of all mobility levels a safe, comfortable and dignified way of transferring from poolside to water. Along with being awarded this accolade, the twenty-three year- old- student will also receive €2,000 and a place at the international stage of the competi-

n Chris Murphy with his 'Open Pool Transfer' hoist

tion with a chance to win €12,000 in prize money and €12,000 for the University P r o d u c t D e s i g n a n d Te c h n o l o g y Department.

The ‘Open Pool Transfer’ is controlled by the user themselves or an assistant. Users sit facing parallel to the pool wall as they are lowered into the water so they can see both the device itself and the pool wall.

Controls in the armrest are used to lower the seat into the water.

Chris, who has just completed the BSc. Product Design and Technology programme at UL, developed the Open Pool Transfer’ design as his Final Design project and carried out months of research, generated a wide range of solutions, tested and refined his ideas before deciding on the final, product which was exhibited with his 15 classmates at DesignED11, the UL end of year show for the Product Design and Technology class.

Chris will see his invention compete with designs from 17 other countries for the prestigious International James Dyson Award.

38 Education

News 24-3.indd 5

20/09/2011 16:36:02

...................................................................................................................Green News Scan

Clean technology at Ulster addressing global challenges Pioneering Clean Technology research at the University of Ulster's Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC) could provide a cost-effective way of using sunlight to provide safe drinking water for people in developing countries.

It is believed that 50% of the population in the developing world are exposed to polluted water sources, resulting in a higher risk of waterborne disease transmission, including typhoid, hepatitis and cholera.

Each year, an estimated 2.2 million, the majority of them children under the age of five, die from these diseases.

Dr Tony Byrne is a researcher in the School of Engineering based in NIBEC where Clean Technology is a key theme.

His research focuses on the solar photocatalytic treatment and disinfection of water and he is involved in a number of international collaborative research projects with partners in the USA, India, Spain, the UK and Ireland.

Dr Byrne explains that nanomaterials can be used to harness the sun’s energy to

provide clean safe water which is particularly applicable in meeting the needs of the developing world.

“The provision of piped-in water supplies is an important long-term goal for the World Health Organisation. However both the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) acknowledge that we are unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of the people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.

“Conventional interventions to improve water supplies at the source or point of distribution have long been recognized as effective in preventing diarrhoea but more recent reviews have shown householdbased or point-of-use interventions can be significantly more effective. As a result, there is increasing interest in such household-based interventions that deliver the health benefits associated with consumption of safe drinking water via low cost technologies.

Ireland receives award for the Better Energy programme The Government’s grant scheme for home energy efficiency has received the prestigious Stars of Energy Efficiency award from the US-based energy coalition Alliance to Save Energy for its success in improving the energy efficiency of Irish homes.

The programme, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), has supported the upgrade of over 100,000 homes since March 2009 and will generate lifetime energy savings of €700 million.

The Alliance to Save Energy is an international coalition of prominent business, government, environmental and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy and national security.

The Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards have been presented annually since 1973 by the Alliance to individuals and organisations who have strived to advance energy efficiency.

The Government’s Better Energy Homes (formerly Home Energy Saving) scheme is the only non-US initiative to receive an award this year, which will be presented at

an event in Washington this October.

Government funding for energy efficiency upgrades in homes and business in 2011 is over €90M which, when combined with private investment will see close to a quarter of a billion euro spent on energy efficiency, supporting nearly 7000 jobs.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Mr. Pat Rabbitte TD said, “It is a great achievement to be included in the stellar line-up of energy efficiency award recipients this year and strong recognition of Ireland’s position in leading such energy efficiency initiatives. This programme is supporting jobs, improving home comfort, reducing energy bills and reducing emissions. It is heartening how popular the programme has proven, with over 100,000 homes upgraded so far, and demand from the public remains as high as ever. This is a very important national programme, and it is gratifying to see it internationally recognized.”

Further information on the awards is available on www.ase.org and Better Energy Homes information is available from www.seai.ie/betterenergyhomes

Trinity research reveals soil microbes accelerate global warming More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes soil to release the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, new research published in Nature reveals.

“This feedback to our changing atmosphere means that nature is not as efficient in slowing global warming as we previously thought,” said Dr Kees Jan van Groenigen, Research Fellow at the Botany department at the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, and lead author of the study.

The culprits are specialised microscopic organisms in soil, that respire the chemicals nitrate and carbon dioxide, like humans respire oxygen. The microbes also produce methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide, 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Their oxygen-free habit is one of the reasons these microorganisms flourish when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase. Van Groenigen explained: “The higher CO2 concentrations reduce plant water use, making soils wetter, reducing the availability of oxygen in soil, favoring these microorganisms.”

The other reason these microorganisms become more active is that increasing CO2 makes plants grow faster, and the extra plant growth supplies soil microorganisms with extra energy, pumping up their metabolism.

This extra plant growth is one of the main ways ecosystems could slow climate change. With more CO2, plants grow more, soaking up carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

But this new work shows that at least some of that extra carbon also provides fuel to microorganisms whose byproducts, nitrous oxide and methane, end up in the atmosphere and counteract the cooling effects of more plant growth.

Education 39

News 24-3.indd 6

20/09/2011 16:28:40

Kraft 24-3.indd 2

14/09/2011 15:55:04

Kenco Coffee Company

Easy Profit!

K

ENCO Launches New FreshSeal 2Go Hot Drinks System-The Total Solution for Serving Hot Drinks for people on-the-go, in schools, colleges and universities all around the country.

The Kenco Coffee Company is launching a fantastic total solution for serving hot drinks on-the-go with the introduction of the new Kenco FreshSeal 2Go. The simple to operate hot drinks system works in conjunction with Kenco FreshSeal products and makes it possible to serve great quality branded hot drinks even in the most operationally challenged environments!

VISUALLY AND COMMERCIALLY ATTRACTIVE Suitable for use in an extensive range of situations, from campus convenience stores, gyms, schools, sports clubs, outdoor events to freshsers weeks and rag week, leisure sites to outdoor catering, this neat and simple to use system is both visually and commercially attractive.

The unit is simple to use, as well as being quick and easy to clean. It can be plumbed or manual fill and its neat footprint means it can fit into small spaces.

Kenco FreshSeal offers a fantastic range of well-loved brands including ethically sourced Kenco coffee, Lyons Tea ,and Suchard Hot Chocolate all containing ingredient sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms. Also available in the range are other well known brands such as Carte Noire coffee, Twinings

Traditional English tea, Knorr Vegetable soup and Bovril all great tasting drinks served with the look and feel of coffee shop style cups that consumers won’t be able to resist!

Daphne Hosford, Marketing Manager at The Kenco Coffee Company said “The Kenco FreshSeal 2Go is a no-hassle drinks offer that takes up little space and can also be used for self-serve.

It looks striking and should really help many outlets to make the most of the ‘on-the-go’ opportunity” PAID BACK IN ONLY SIX DAYS Daphne goes on to say that “just by selling 50 drinks a day at say €1.50 each you can clear over €18,000 a year in profit. At this rate the boiler would be paid back in only 6 days.”

The Kenco Fresheal product is so easy to use. You just take a cup from the stack, peel off the silver foil seal that keeps the product fresh, add hot water to the fill line and enjoy! If you’re on the move add a Freshseal sip through lid and off you go!

To purchase the system and product call Kenco on (01) 6052600 ask for Anthony Murphy.

EDUCATION 41

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Just Published.....................................................................................................................

Séan Lemass: Democratic Dictator

by Bryce Evans

‘We need another Lemass!’ This refrain has been offered as a popular solution to Ireland’s current economic malaise. So, do we? Seán Lemass enjoys unrivalled acclaim as the Architect of Modern Ireland. To many of today's politicians he is a role model.

To the Fianna Fáil party he is an icon. Yet there remain major gaps in our knowledge of this mythic figure and his golden age.

In a new book, Seán Lemass: Democratic Dictator, published by The Collins Press, author Bryce Evans reveals the man behind the myth and asks questions formerly skirted around.

How did Lemass achieve such power within his party and the Irish State?

How much did he owe to the martyr status of his murdered older brother?

How deep did his relationship with bishops and businessmen run, and did he use his economic powers wisely?

Bryce Evans uses previously unseen archival material to answer these questions. What emerges is the real Seán Lemass – an authoritarian, cunning, workaholic patriot and a shrewd political tactician whose impatience lay not just with the old Ireland, but with democracy itself.

Evans raises key questions over Lemass’s industrial policy before the economic ‘turn’ of the late 1950s. He demonstrates that recent scandals surrounding patronage and ‘jobs for the boys’ have a lengthy pedigree in Irish political culture. He explores Lemass’s chauvinistic attitude towards the ‘plain people of Ireland’ and his penchant for labour camps, as well as exploring his relationship with the shadowy Catholic secret society, the Knights of Colombanus. Critically assessing Lemass’s mistakes – such as his complacency on the supply issue during the Emergency – Evans also reveals how Lemass’s cabinet colleagues came to resent his ‘dictatorial’ exercise of power.

Today, the narrative of ‘boom Ireland’ is undergoing an agonising reassessment. This is the first book to take a deeper, historical look at the political culture so heavily criticised in recent times.

Seán Lemass: Democratic Dictator is a reappraisal of Ireland’s favourite Taoiseach. It is the untold story of Ireland's Democratic Dictator and his lasting impact on a nation's imagination. T Dr Bryce Evans is a historian based in UCD. Born in the south of England, he now lives in Dublin and is the son of a ‘mixed marriage’. His English father is an employee of the British Ministry of Defence and his Irish republican mother hails from Tralee, Co. Kerry. His early influences included Brendan Behan, Lord Byron, Shakespeare and Britney Spears. He graduated from the University of Warwick with a first class honours degree in History and moved to Ireland in 2006, leaving a job in the National Gallery, London.

He now holds an MA and a PhD from the National University of Ireland.

Seán Lemass: Democratic Dictator by Bryce Evans is published

by The Collins Press, price €17.99. It is available in all good bookshops and online from www.collinspress.ie The Collins Press • 18

An Dragan Feasa

by Rhiannon Watson A STRANGE dream, three children and an invitation to the land of the dragons, a land in danger...

A tale of fantasy for children aged 9-12, this book is full of dragons, children, good and evil. A popular genre with this agegroup but not frequently found in Irish.

Laoise and her two brothers will need every ounce of bravery to fight against the big and fierce dragons and to free the Dragan Feasa from the magic spell that he is under.

The full-colour illustrations by Olivia Golden bring us right into the heart of this story.

Published by Cois Life, 'An Dragan Feasa' is the first offering of Rhiannon Watson, a book that will take children on a magical journey to the land of the dragons. Rhiannon attended the National University of Ireland, Dublin where she was awarded an honours degree in Irish and Folklore, She was treasurer of the Irish Folkore Commision and has a diploma in bilingual practice from Dublin City University.

'An Dragan Feasa' is available in shops now or from www. coislife.ie. It also comes with a comprehensive glossary of words and phrases found within the book.

Cois Life • €10

Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape

by F.H.A. Aalen, Kevin Whelan and Matthew Stout.

THIS is a major update of this bestselling work on the Irish landscape. When it appeared in 1997, it was instantly hailed as a pioneering volume in increasing appreciation of the Irish landscape as a crucial component of national heritage.

The sumptuous quality of its design, the cutting edge cartography, and the clarity of its prose ensured that it became an award-winning volume, widely praised inter-nationally as one of the best books ever to appear on a national landscape. This second edition is far from a cosmetic reissue. At least one-third of the content is entirely new.

This includes a complete rewriting of the contemporary section to take account of the Celtic Tiger, and there are six fresh regional case studies - Tory island (Donegal), the Wicklow uplands, Inistiogue (County Kilkenny), Aughris (County Sligo), Clonfert (County Galway) and Point Lance in Newfoundland. There is a new cover, many new maps and photographs, a listing of the top fifty books on the Irish landscape, and a guide to the best websites.

The Atlas of Irish Rural Landscape is a magnificently illustrated, beautifully written and pioneering introduction to the hidden riches of the Irish landscape. Topics include archaeology, field and settlement patterns, houses, demesnes, villages and small towns, monuments, woodland, bogs, roads, canals, railways, mills, mines, farmsteads, handball alleys, and a host of other features. It also explores contemporary changes resulting from the Celtic Tiger.

Cork University Press • 59

42 EDUCATION

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