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NUI Galway student makes Forbes 30 Under 30 pitch in Boston By Sorcha O’Connor
FREE STUDENT NEWSPAPER | VOL 18, ISSUE 04 | 25 OCT 2016
No to student loans Students across Ireland arrive in their droves to the capital to have their voices heard By Georgia Feeney ON OCTOBER 19 students from colleges
around the country gathered together to demand publicly funded third level education. This was the Union of Students of Ireland (USI)’s fourth national demonstration. The March for Education began at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Street. This event saw an estimated 10,000 students stand up for their human right to education and say a firm no to student loans. During the summer, the USI began their campaign against the introduction of a student loan scheme, which is one of three options from the Cassells Report being considered by the Government. The other options are to remain using the current system or to publicly fund third-level education. The fear for many students is to leave University after a number of years with with up to an estimated €20,000. As the situation stands, many students are already heavily reliant on SUSI grants to attend and remain in college. If the government were to implement the loan scheme this would see the abolishment of the SUSI grants system and may leave many individuals unable to attend third level education and receive a degree. USI President Annie Hoey says publicly funded third level education is the better option; “In the ‘70s it was quite a big political decision to make second level education publically funded and accessible to anyone who wants it.” “So publically funded education is not pie in the sky, it is an option that is laid out in the report and it is a matter of political will whether the Government go down this particular route.”
NUI Galway march on at the USI Demonstration Wednesday 19 October. Photo: Cathal Sherlock
Team effort Over the past few months the NUI Galway Students’ Union have been informing students about the march and the vote. Taking off from the Cathedral and Gort na Coirbe at 9am on the day, there was palpable excitement amongst the students hoping to leave an impression on the people of Dublin and Ireland to get the public to stand behind them. SIN spoke to NUI Galway Students’ Union Education Officer Cathal Sherlock on the day, who expressed his strong sense of pride for the college and the participation of over 500 NUI Galway students in the march. “It’s amazing the crowd of people that have turned out,” he said. However while he was thrilled with the turn out Cathal wants to ensure everyone still understands that there is a way to go yet, and the importance of the message of the day. “Everyone should have the equal opportunity to come to college with their own free will,” he said. He believed leaving college and coming out with a gross amount of debt means “a debt for life”. The Education Officer feels that students should not be held back by disability, age, finance or anything other from achieving a
third level education and that this is imperative that the government understand. He spoke of his own experience and explained the important role the SUSI grant played in his college experience. “I wouldn’t have been able to attend University if it weren’t for me receiving a SUSI grant. If the loan scheme is introduced by the government it would mean the end of grants and student financial support from the government. The strain of putting €5000 fees on students and their families is unacceptable; students should not be expected to take out loans to pay for their future,” he said. Before beginning the march students from all participating colleges gathered together. Chants such as “Student loans have got to go” and “What do we want? Free education! When do we want it? Now!” were heard across the crowds. The students also held placards with strong messages in the air: “Buy college? Bye College.” and “Education shouldn’t be a debt sentence!” amongst the many slogans used. The March concluded at Merrion Square where a rally was organised by the USI where a varied group of individuals addressed the crowd. Continued on page 2
Third year biotechnology student in NUI Galway Edel Browne was recently selected to pitch at the Forbes 30 Under 30 conference, held in Boston on 16 – 19 October. She pitched as part of the Blackstone LaunchPad global network showcase. Miss Browne is the founder of Free Feet Medical. The company is developing an aid to help those with Parkinson’s disease. The device helps sufferers overcome the symptom of gait freezing, something that affects 70% of people with the disease. Gait freezing can be described as a temporary inability to move, with the feeling that the feet are unable to lift from the ground. Miss Browne spoke on the Matt Cooper show on Today FM in September. She explained how the device is a small laser which one can attach to their shoe. The laser acts as a visual cueing system for the brain. It shines a red light onto the ground which the user can follow. This helps in reducing the length of time the freezing lasts as the user focuses on following the light and moving again. What started as a young scientist project, the company has been going from strength to strength in recent months; Miss Browne’s trip to Boston came after the launch of a successful crowdfunding campaign that has garnered €9,000 to date and after the company was nominated for a Best Newcomer prize in Women Mean Business Awards. Miss Browne at the age of 19 is the CEO of the company and she was picked through a competitive process to represent the Blackstone LaunchPad at the conference. In advance of the trip to Boston, Executive Director of Blackstone LaunchPad NUI Galway Mary Carty explained how this was an outstanding achievement for Miss Browne. “I am thrilled for Edel. Her hard work and passion is inspiring. It’s a fantastic opportunity to drive her business forward,” she said. “The exposure and opportunities this event will bring to Free Feet Medical is incredible.” Miss Browne wasn’t the only representation of NUI Galway in Boston however. Another NUI Galway start up Crono Labs also attended the conference. Crono Labs have designed a case to carry a computer monitor, reducing desk clutter. The venture, the brainchild of NUI Galway students Ruairi McNicholas and Oliver Burke, is still in the prototype phase. “Having two teams, Free Feet Medical and Crono Labs attend Forbes 30 Under 30 is a fantastic achievement for NUI Galway,” said Ms Carty. “It’s testament to the creativity and ambition of our students and the supports available to them on campus. Seeing our start-ups recognised on a global stage, bodes very well for the future of the next generation of entrepreneurs in Ireland.” Blackstone LaunchPad at NUI Galway, on campus since February, has to date supported over 2,000 students. Their ethos is to support and empower each student by creating supports specific to individual needs and personal development, with the aim of assisting students to shape their pathway and celebrate their own unique talents and strengths.