FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
VOL 13, ISSUE 12
02 APR 2012
NUIG Celebrates Non-academic Achievement By Louise France As term draws to an end a series of events were held across campus last week to celebrate students’ extracuriccular achievements. Prizes and certificates were awarded for volunteering, society involvement, sporting excellence, and the highlight of the week: the coveted Student Enterprise Award, worth €10,000. The Enterprise awards were held on Friday 30 and one Dragon’s Den star, Bobby Kerr was brave enough to face “tomorrow’s entrepreneurs”. The dragon was impressed by the NUI Galway entrepreneurial spirit; “the drive, determination and enthusiasm of the students is fantastic,” he said. “It is heartening to see that within NUI Galway the
essence of the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. I would also like to congratulate the University and the Students’ Union for their vision in fostering the talents of tomorrow’s entrepreneurs,” he added. Eight finalists were chosen from hundreds of applicant across the college but it was Sligo student Niall O’Connor, that was awarded the coveted prize of €10,000 for his brain child: Sonarplex. The aim of Sonarplex is to improve the overall experience of delegates at conferences by using “smart” technology such as tablets and smart phones to enhance their learning and interaction. SonarPlex will merge these services using a cloud-based system to store, and manage access to conference content and
data. The two runners up; Tunes in the Church and An Mheitheal Rothar (The Bicycle Gang) scooped €5,000 each for their innovative ideas. Tunes in the Church is a project centred on showcasing traditional Irish music in churches around the country. Kerryman and PhD phycology student, Cormac Ó Beaglaoich is the founder on this project. An Mheitheal Rothar aims to set up a free, student-run bicycle workshop in the college to promote the benefits of bicycling. The team includes Paul O' Donnell, Mary Green, Sarit O'Donovan and Senan Mac Aoidh. The ALIVE ceremony took place on Tuesday 27 and 956 students received certificates in recognition of their volunteering work throughout the year. Mayor Hildegard
Naughton, Pat Morgan Vice President for student experience, and Lorraine Mc Irath were guest speakers at the event. Mayor Hildegarde Naughton, a former student of the college spoke of how the community is benefitting from the volunteer work of NUI Galway students: “This is a fantastic turn out here today and a great celebration of volunteerism at NUI Galway and I must say during my year as Mayor going around the city it was very apparent all the work that students in NUI Galway are doing throughout the city and it’s great to celebrate that here today.” “I just want to congratulate all the students who received their ALIVE cert here today,” she added.
MBA Celebrates 40 Years in NUIG
4
Marine Robot Technology in UL
5
Highlights of the 11 2011/2012 Academic Year NUIG Campus: Four Students’ Perspectives
16-17
Rory Kavanagh: A Legacy
18
ROPES Journal Review
22
NUIG Students To Take On All Ireland Yacht Race
29
Continued on Page 2
The NUI Galway Societies Ball 27 March. Photo by Joe Hyland, PhotoSoc.
NUI Galway Wants it That Way By Cormac O’Malley BizSoc treasurer Conor Mulloy was the source of an idea that was almost an overnight success, resulting in a donation of €10,000 to 1Life Suicide Helpline. Along with We Session, Supermacs sponsored of the video, having agreed before production to give 50c to the suicide intervention charity for every view of the video up to
20,000 views in the first week of the video’s uploading. The production of ‘NUIG wants it that way’ took place over a couple of weeks throughout February and March. It was filmed across a wide range of venues including the Engineering building, the Kirwan theatre, inside and outside the library and even in the Kingfisher swimming pool. The College Bar was also included,
appearing at the beginning of video, when we hear the whistling of none other than DJ Byrno. The filming did not just happen on campus however, a bit of the clip shows some participants, including myself, Michael Talty and Conor Mulloy, dancing outside Supermacs in Eyre Square to the bemusement of passers-by. Their curiosity was of no surprise, as four
young men robed in white and dancing during the daytime is not very regularly seen outside of Supermacs. It was not only those mentioned above that were involved in the project. So too were Johny West, Rory Kitt, Oisín Robbins, Shane Reilly and SU President-Elect Paul Curley. A few members of the outgoing Students’ Union also took part in the project, including: President
Emmet Connolly, Welfare Officer Brian Grant and Arts Convenor Kevin Donoghue. As the video shows, there was most certainly an equality of enthusiasm among participants, but that was of no surprise, given the good cause the project is raising funds for. However, what was surprising for many was that after much persuasion, President Jim Browne got involved in the project. He
can be seen three minutes in to the video clicking his fingers. As one YouTube user commented: “Jim Browne is all about the money fingers”. Many believed that were the video not for such a good cause then his appearance would not have happened. However, our President’s moves add to the uniqueness of the video. Continued on Page 2