Research Matters Issue 7 - Winter 2006 by Waterford Institute of Technology

ISSUE 7 WINTER 06/07

Unlocking the economic potential of scientific research at WITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ArcLabs

WIT Conferences

PhD Graduates 2006

New Technologies

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Editorial One of the main themes of this issue is the commercialisation of research. Waterford Institute of Technology has a critical role to play in supporting regional development and in sustaining a competitive economy both in the region and the country generally. It is incumbent upon higher education to provide leadership in fostering a research, development and innovation culture from which indigenous enterprises emerge to create sustainable career opportunities in regionally diverse locations. The Institute has responded to this challenge by developing a dynamic fourth level education programme which is producing PhD graduates across all disciplines. These graduates have the knowledge and skill to become the corporate leaders of tomorrow. A number of its recent PhD graduates are profiled in this edition. The Institute’s philosophy of aligning Research and Innovation is exemplified by its ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre. Funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Enterprise Ireland and AIB, the ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre is the first new building on the West Campus - a 150-acre riverside land bank where much of the Institute's future development will take place. ArcLabs structures scientific research, business incubation and entrepreneurship training at a single site, creating an environment that channels the research output to the marketplace through innovation and entrepreneurship. Indeed, in order to support regional development and economic competitiveness, WIT has forged excellent professional partnerships with industry and leading academic institutions across the world. This strategy is already having an economic impact with research groups such as the Enterprise Ireland funded 3CS group creating high technology start-up companies which are housed in the Arclabs Centre. This, along with a number of WIT’s other industry collaborations are focused upon in this issue.

Dr. Willie Donnelly Head of R esearch & Innovation

Contents ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre officially opened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Future entrepreneurs sign up to SEEPP

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The power of the spin-off company: from research to industry with 3CS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Best paper award at conference: “Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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What If You Had A Universal Remote That Controlled Your Universe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WIT Award for Excellence in Research Supervision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Religion and Technology Dialogue at WIT: SophiaEuropa Local Society Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WIT PhD Graduates 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11 WIT’s Automotive Control Group forms links with Sumitomo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New Macular Pigment Lab at WIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Profile of a reseacher: Dr. June Frisby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Research awards won by WIT staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales (FEIW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Family law precedents: reforming the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Major Tourism Network based at WIT School of Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Managing your research accounts: WIT’s Project Accounting Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bridging Brains through Collaborative Working Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Recent WIT workshops and conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19 Recent WIT publications & conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-23

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ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre officially opened incubation processes is at the heart of ArcLabs’ business development ethos. Similarly, one of the founders of a client company, Rodarim, is currently undertaking the SEEPP programme as a route to developing a new product and possibly a new company.

An Taoiseach opening the ArcLabs Research and Innovation Centre. Included in the photograph are Dr. Willie Donnelly, Head of Research, WIT, Mr. John McConnell, Assistant Principal, WIT, Cllr. Mary Green, Mayor of County Waterford, Mr. Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Transport, Mr. Redmond O'Donoghue, Chairman, WIT Governing Body, An Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D., Senator Brendan Kenneally, Professor Kieran Byrne, Director, WIT The official opening of the Research and Innovation Centre by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, took place on October 16th last, a date that coincided almost exactly with the first anniversary of the move to the new building. The occasion was also marked by the rebranding of the centre as ArcLabs. ArcLabs is featured on the front cover of this issue. The new name is intended to convey the spark of innovation occurring in an experimental, scientific environment and to encapsulate the collaborative environment of the Centre. There has been excellent progress in this past year by all residents of ArcLabs. The Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG) has gone from strength to strength and now has 110 staff. There are also 11 entrepreneurial companies now operating out of the Centre. The sources of these companies reflect a key intent of the Centre; some clients are former Enterprise Platform Programme (www.seepp.ie ) participants; some are spin-outs from TSSG product development teams; other companies have applied for entry based on the reputation that the Centre is building among entrepreneurs and technologists. The Centre for Entrepreneurship, which is part of the WIT School of Business and is based at ArcLabs, has been successful in winning funding and launching two new research projects; FEIW (related to

female entrepreneurship) and CRIPREDE (addressing research and technology development policy). Two companies that are former participants of SEEPP, Nubiq and Taoglas, have been selected as regional finalists for the All-Ireland Seedcorn competition, a business plan competition organised by InterTrade Ireland. It is also fascinating to observe and participate in the enterprise development life-cycle which is at is at the core of ArcLabs’ strategy and to witness the formation of companies and the development of new products and services. Researchers have undertaken the SEEPP programme, have created enterprises and have become clients of ArcLabs on completion. Examples of these ventures are Nubiq, Aceno and Akruu. Combining research with entrepreneurship training and business

The ArcLabs Centre has served as a venue for a number of conferences and research project events and is hosting the Institute’s executive MBA programme at evenings and weekends. The Centre for Entrepreneurship has also commenced the delivery of Enterprise Start, a programme sponsored by Enterprise Ireland. This is aimed at helping prospective entrepreneurs make decisions regarding the feasibility of their business ideas and to gain insights into the essential elements involved in creating a new enterprise. A number of targeted workshops have been run at ArcLabs including “Blogging for Business”, “Selling into North American Markets” and “Legal Issues for Start-ups”. The workshops have been led by knowledgeable, experienced presenters and the sessions have been well attended and received. The Centre will continue to expand the range of workshops offered in the coming months. The focus over the next twelve months will be to continue to build awareness of ArcLabs in the business community, to enhance the links between client companies and the Institute’s broader research resources and to continue to provide an excellent set of support services to early-stage companies.

For more information contact: Tom Corcoran E-mail: tcorcoran@wit.ie www.arclabs.ie

Future entrepreneurs sign up to SEEPP The Centre for Entrepreneurship in WIT’s School of Business welcomed a new cohort of start-up entrepreneurs to the South East Enterprise Platform Programme (SEEPP) on Friday 22nd September. The group, who will spend a year on the programme researching and growing their innovative business concepts, are drawn from the five counties of the South East and counties further afield such as Meath, Kildare, Dublin and Kerry. Their business ideas

cover a broad and diverse spectrum including environmental management, food, manufacturing, health/medical devices, e-learning, ICT and entertainment. Recent academic accreditation of the programme is a noteworthy development. A progressive “Live Learning” educational model has been adapted for this programme, based on the participants demonstrating, via regular documentary submissions and

presentations, that they are integrating and implementing their learning on an ongoing basis in their companies’ operations. Participants who successfully complete the requirements of the programme will now receive a Post Graduate Diploma in Enterprise Development from WIT.

For more information contact: www.seepp.ie

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The power of the spin-off company: from research to industry with 3CS

Despite only coming into existence formally in January 2006, the Centre for Converged Services (3CS) has made rapid advances in several research areas. Director Barry Downes told Research Matters how a focus on end-user services and a keen awareness of technology with commercial potential have helped to fuel this growth. The establishment of a number of spinoff companies by 3CS is rather ironic since the centre itself is a spin-off from the Telecommunications Software Systems Group (TSSG). Established with funds from Enterprise Ireland’s Applied Research Enhancement programme, it has quickly grown to 50 researchers and made significant progress in a number of areas relating to Internet, mobile and next generation TV services. The Applied Research Enhancement programme funding was crucial, explained Downes, since the centre did not receive any baseline funding from Government. “We needed to win a competitive tender for funding and the EUR 1.25 million we received enabled the creation of new research centres for materials management and converged communications services.” Since then the Centre for Converged Services has secured substantial additional Enterprise Ireland funding through proof of concept and technology development programmes and has also received funding from the European Commission’s eTen programme. This has fuelled its rapid expansion and accelerated the development of spin-off companies such as Nubiq and FeedHenry. “The TSSG has a great track record in academic research in areas such as policy management, but we saw a requirement to concentrate on end user services,” said Downes. “For example, we have a product centre that is working with major international companies such as Oracle and BEA Systems on IMS, a next

generation networking architecture for telecoms operators who want to provide both mobile and fixed multimedia services.” IMS is being trialled or installed by mobile operators around the world. However, the capital investment involved is sizeable so operators need rapid access to revenue generating services to justify this investment – which is where centres such as 3CS come in. “We saw an opportunity for turning research into technology that could be licensed or spun-out,” added Downes.

Mr. Barry Downes, Director of 3CS 3CS is dedicated to developing multimodal applications or applications that extend across more than one communication medium. This area has attracted a great deal of interest from telecoms industry vendors and operators – for example, BT has launched a device that operates as a mobile phone when the user is away from his/her landline and as a conventional fixed line handset when in the home or office.

The first commercial result of this research is Nubiq, which is led by Hélène Haughney and which launched its mobile website product Zinadoo in September. Zinadoo began life as a Proof of Concept with Enterprise Ireland funding in early 2005, followed by an innovation partnership funded by Enterprise Ireland and O2. It enables end users to create a mobile website from their PCs, taking existing content and creating, deploying and managing new mobile services and sites. Users do not have to write software, develop and manage connections to operators’ networks and gateways or host, manage and monitor the service. The company has been funded by the eTen programme (where partners include AePONA and Aceno Mobile Technologies as well as the Berlin-based Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS, OTEPlus in Greece and Spain’s Telefonica I&D) and recently secured additional funding from Enterprise Ireland. Operations manager Fiona Haughey said further capital investment would be sought next year as the sales team is expanded and added that the company would consider licensing the product and potentially some software library components. Aceno’s Conor Ryan supported Nubiq with business development for its trial customers, building on the close working relationship the centre has developed with the mobile content distribution company since it emerged from the TSSG in 2003. Nubiq used open source libraries in addition to software developed in-house and is investigating a number of patent opportunities. Refinements are being made to the service as part of the plan to target the UK market, with a formal launch at mobile communications event 3GSM next February. Early 2007 will also see the launch of Hash6, which has developed technology to allow radio stations to link their current playing song to a digital media that can be purchased by listeners. This is a slightly different model to Nubiq in that 3CS researchers Bernard Butler and Colm Dunphy were approached to conduct the research by an external source. Another spin-off business with significant commercial potential is FeedHenry, a system that enables news feed subscribers to receive notifications when there are updates to their

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data mining opportunities.

subscribed services. “Peter Elger, Paul Watson and their team are doing basic research, applied research and commercialisation work at the same time on this project,” explained Downes, who is confident that the centre’s close relationship with Oracle will give the project a major boost.

The Centre is using its expertise in applied research and commercialisation to explore the IMS services space and is particularly active in SCIM (service capability interaction manager), which addresses the issue of how services are deployed rapidly to mobile devices over a network. Under the direction of Product Centre Manager Paul Savage it has developed a SCIM solution that it hopes to publicise at 3GSM and is also contributing to the standardisation process for the technology.

“We are integrating FeedHenry RSS aggregation as a piece of infrastructure into Oracle’s SDP(Service Delivery Platfrom). We also built a number of services, which are pretty basic at the moment but will be further advanced by the time we demonstrate them at 3GSM.” 3CS is investigating IPTV through FeedHenry and one of the most interesting areas in this market is expected to be custom-built RSS (syndication) services sitting on top of IPTV, allowing viewers to subscribe to

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Internet content via a standard remote control handset. Current research is examining issues such as how news stories are propagated and in the longer term there are likely to be significant

For more information contact: Barry Downes E-mail: bdownes@tssg.org http://www.3cs.info/

Best paper award at conference: “Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference” At the thirty-sixth Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business (EISB) conference held in Solent University, Southampton (UK) in September 2006, the paper “Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference” presented by Bill O’Gorman and Michelle McHugh (both from the Centre for Entrepreneurship, School of Business, WIT) received the conference’s Best Paper Award. The conference theme was Embedding Entrepreneurship Education in Europe: Evaluating Effective Policy and Practice at the Institutional, Regional and National Level and it was attend by over 200 senior academics representing the top-level universities and institutes of research and education from all over Europe. The review panel assessing the papers for the conference included eminent academics in the areas of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, and enterprise development such as David Watkins and Alan Gibb.

Michelle McHugh presenting research findings to Eugene Crehan, Programmes Manager, Centre for Entrepreneurship. Also included in photograph is Joan McDonald, Head of Department, Management and Organisation, and Bill O'Gorman, Head of Research, Centre for Entrepreneurship.

The paper was based on Michelle McHugh’s Masters by Research thesis undertaken at WIT. The purpose of the research was to establish if there are any differences in the types and levels of business issues encountered by entrepreneurs with enterprise education compared to those entrepreneurs without enterprise education. The

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“Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference” continued

research also analysed if entrepreneurs with enterprise education approached business issues differently from those without. In essence, the research was an investigation into the extent to which enterprise education affects how business issues are encountered and handled by entrepreneurs. Since the 1980s, there has been an unprecedented growth in the number of courses offered by academic institutions, enterprise agencies and consultancy groups worldwide. Needless to say, there has been a corresponding increase in the level of research regarding enterprise education. However the vast majority of this research has been focused on evaluating the programmes through appraisal of the programme itself, the modules or subjects offered, the quality of teachers and facilities, the number of students that go on to start their own businesses, and the assessment of changes in attitudes from pre- to postenterprise education tuition. Prior to Michelle’s study, there had been little research into the impact of these courses and even less research into whether business issues are handled differently by entrepreneurs with enterprise education, as opposed to those without. The research involved surveying and interviewing entrepreneurs selected from an original database of over 300 entrepreneurs/owner managers, 98 of which corresponded to the initial stage of the research criteria. These entrepreneurs were from the South East region of Ireland and were operating in the manufacturing, services, information technology, engineering, and pharmaceutical business sectors. The response rate of the 98 entrepreneurs that were sent the survey was 45%. The final phase of data collection for this research was to select nine of the survey respondents for in-depth, face-to-face interviews. The interviewees consisted of those who had been on a year-long, full time enterprise education programme (the South

Table 2 indicates the degree to which the entrepreneurs engaged with key business factors in starting up and developing their businesses. Entrepreneurs with enterprise education are more likely to plan and prepare their business’ development than entrepreneurs without enterprise education. For example, 100% of entrepreneurs with enterprise education (compared to 35% of entrepreneurs without enterprise education) had business plans when starting their businesses. Also, far more entrepreneurs with enterprise education had strategic and marketing plans for their businesses compared to entrepreneurs without enterprise education. Another interesting finding was that entrepreneurs without enterprise education were more likely to manage more than one function in their business at the same time. This leads to the “one person syndrome” which can cause undue levels of stress on the entrepreneur/owner manager to the detriment of the business. Business Practice

Entrepreneurs with Enterprise Education

Entrepreneurs without Enterprise Education

Prepared Business Plans

100%

35%

Prepared Strategic Plans

67%

26%

Conducted Market Research prior to start-up

70%

38%

Conducted Market Research post start-up

57%

39%

Managed the HR function

69%

86%

Managed the marketing function

60%

76%

Managed the accounting function

52%

45%

Table 2 The extent to which entrepreneurs with enterprise education engage with planning and managing their businesses compared to those without enterprise education. East Enterprise Platform Programme (SEEPP) and the Post Graduate Diploma in Enterprise Development), those who had received enterprise education through a short parttime programme, and those who had not received any enterprise education at all. The most significant findings from this research were that differences do exist in how entrepreneurs with enterprise education, and those without, experience and handle business issues. Not alone do entrepreneurs with enterprise education experience have far fewer business issues than their counterparts who have not received enterprise education (see Table 1), they also handle the issues/factors differently

(see Table 2). Overall, the findings from this research highlight that participation in enterprise programmes does play a significant role in the number of business issues encountered by entrepreneurs. In particular, the research highlighted the differences in how entrepreneurs approach and handle these business issues. The research also indicated that the type of enterprise education programme experienced by the entrepreneur also has an impact on how they manage the business issues they encounter. The paper, “Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference”, can be viewed in full by accessing it on the Centre for Entrepreneurship website.

For more information: www.centreforentrepreneurshipwit.com

In Table 1 the “X” indicates that the entrepreneur encountered difficulties with the relevant business issue in the table. NE indicates an entrepreneur without any enterprise education, SE indicates an entrepreneur that has been on the year-long enterprise education programme (SEEPP), and ST indicates an entrepreneur that has been on a short “Start Your Own Business” course. Thus, as can be seen from Table 1, those entrepreneurs that were on the year-long enterprise programme encountered far fewer business issues than those on short-term enterprise courses, and even fewer issues than those that did not receive any enterprise education at all. Business Issues Encountered Planning

NE1

NE2

NE3

Market Research

SE1

SE3

ST1

ST2

ST3

Financing

Business Law

Growth

SE2

X NA NA Table 1 Major business-related issues encountered by entrepreneurs (Source: current research)

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What If You Had A Universal Remote That Controlled Your Universe? Imagine that you are watching a soccer match on your mobile phone or handheld device, while sitting on the bus. As you enter your living room, the match automatically jumps from the handheld to your forty-inch HD TV. You sit back to enjoy the rest of the match in comfort. Then the handheld signals an incoming call. You accept that call. The match is paused and the call goes into video calling mode on the big screen. When you hang up, you are given the choice to continue watching the game where it paused or to pick up the live feed. Using your handheld device, you can select the live feed.

Although this may sound like the stuff of science fiction, it is just one of many types of scenarios made possible through the research and development of technology in the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) at WIT. TSSG is a leading partner in this three-year research project, Daidalos II, which is being undertaken jointly by partners around Europe. As well as leading one of the five research work packages of this project, TSSG is in charge of marketing and dissemination as well as playing an important role in the design of the architecture and in the development of this technology. Additionally, TSSG has involved some of its key people in the testing and evaluation of the project results. Daidalos II looks at the entire networking architecture in order to produce an allencompassing solution that will ultimately transform the mobile phone into a mobile office station and media centre, which will be capable of communicating with many devices in the environment around it. The project is guided by five key concepts. A high-level overview of some aspects of these five concepts are outlined in the table above.

Technology

Practical application

1. Mobility management and the ability to allow service provision across many different technologies and networks

Receiving calls on a mobile network while being able to receive TV transmissions on a broadcast network

2. Individualising services to each user’s needs

Users will be told of services that fall within their interest range at particular times. For example, while in a supermarket you are alerted on your handheld device that there is a 2 for 1 offer on your favourite shampoo, because it knows you are short of shampoo at home. If you are Spanish, the 2 for 1 offer alert may be made in the Spanish language.

3. Maintenance of user’s privacy

The concepts in Daidalos II include the collection of a lot of information about individual users, in order to provide a more personalised service to them. This data must be held in a manner that would not breach a user’s privacy. Technology in Daidalos II separates the data from the user’s identity so the data cannot be linked to the user.

4. Integration of broadcast technology

The ability to access live feeds on broadcast networks is paramount to the future of the convergence of media with mobile technology. Currently it is possible to receive data files of events that occurred in the past, but not live feeds directly from a broadcast network.

5. The provision of a platform that will make it easy for organisations to become service providers on the network.

This will result in an explosion of the number and type of services that will be available to users from their handheld devices. It should be almost as simple to deploy a service as it is to set up a website.

Daidalos II works on all levels of the network to achieve these aims. At the bottom, the project is working on integrating different kinds of networks. Daidalos II aims at achieving an efficient and scalable integration of network technologies including cellular, satellite, broadcast, wired networks, wireless networks and sensor networks. Whereas in the past you could only get television broadcasts from the terrestrial broadcast network, telephone calls on your mobile phone network or fixed line network and cable television on your cable TV network, in the future these will combine so that you can use any of these networks for functionality that was originally designed for the other. Pervasive services are services that can run with very little user intervention. They may not be fully automated, but they will have features that allow them to work for the user in the background until it is necessary for the user to intervene. For example, in the opening scenario, the live feed jumped automatically from the

handheld device to the large screen without the user having to intervene. The TSSG is heavily involved in the research and development of a number of key components of the Pervasive Service Platform (PSP), as well as being the leader for the work package responsible for this platform. The handheld device will be much more than a universal remote control. It will do everything that is now carried out by an array of different devices such as laptops, DVD players, TVs, and mp3 players. Daidalos II envisions multiple types of ‘dumb’ devices that will be embedded in environments everywhere: in shops, bars and workplaces, that will be able to interact with, and expand the capabilities of the handheld device. The TSSG is proud to be part of the research and development of this frontier technology that will shape the future. For more information contact: Fiona Mahon E-mail: fmahon@tssg.org

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WIT Award for Excellence in Research Supervision

The 2006 Award for Excellence in Research Postgraduate Supervision is presented to Dr. Anne Jordan, School of Education by the Director of WIT, Professor Kieran Byrne. Also in the picture are members of Anne’s family – her husband Dr. Peter Jordan, Francesca Jordan and Leon Jordan-Milne, Karen Bunyan, Postgraduate Student, WIT, Dolores Gilhooly, WIT and Dr. Venie Martin, Award organiser. In 2005 WIT introduced a new annual award for excellence in postgraduate research supervision in order to recognise the growing importance of research and postgraduate studies for the Institute. Nominations were sought from postgraduate research students and the onerous task of selection was carried out by a panel of senior staff, students and an external expert. This year’s worthy winner was Dr. Anne Jordan, School of Education. The award was presented at a ceremony in WIT and the citation for Anne was read by Dolores Gilhooly, Head of School of Education. Anne has a PhD in Adult Education and has worked extensively in this field, both in Ireland and the UK. In WIT she was responsible for developing one of the first adult access courses in Ireland for adult returners and the first educational guidance service for adults. She is currently co-ordinator of the Masters in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for lecturers. Her primary degree is in Philosophy and she has also lectured in this subject at Trinity College

Dublin. Her current research areas include creativity, innovation, and critical thinking. Another area of interest is that of older learners. Anne is responsible for a research cluster that combines expertise from a number of disciplines: psychology, education, arts and health, to investigate ways of enhancing the quality of life of this target group. Dr. Anne Jordan has contributed significantly to the initiation and development of postgraduate research

and study with the School of Education and within WIT generally. She has successfully supervised 9 postgraduate students to Masters Level and has designed and delivered training programmes on an Institute-wide basis to support both postgraduate supervisors and students. Anne has been instrumental in the development of the new taught Masters in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Institutes, which is run in Waterford Institute of Technology and in other outreach locations such as Limerick Institute of Technology. This serves to embed WIT’s School of Education as a significant player in the continuing professional development of academic staff both within WIT and nationally in other Higher Education Institutes. One of Anne’s postgraduate students describes her as “a very generous, supportive and encouraging supervisor. Her approach to research supervision was collaborative. She invested a considerable amount of time working with me to generate ideas, challenge my attitudes and develop the depth and breadth of my knowledge of the research topic and related areas. In addition, Anne’s excellent links with other postgraduate supervisors and her networking abilities facilitated strategic links with key people who could assist me in my research.” Anne’s emphasis on publishing and disseminating research findings also enabled her students to gradually build a research profile, and to develop confidence when presenting. For more information contact: Dr. Anne Jordan E-mail: ajordan@wit.ie

Religion and Technology Dialogue at WIT: SophiaEuropa Local Society Initiative The WIT Local Society Initiative (LSI) is a project that comprises a number of disciplines, from Theology and Philosophy, to Sociology, Law, Visual Design, Science and Technology. The project is based in the Centre for Social and Family Research and is funded through the Philadelphia-based Metanexus Institute by the Templeton Foundation. The exploration of the research area (Information and Communications Technology in a post-secular society) by group members from their own perspectives and disciplines is leading to the development of a coherent research project focusing on the immediacy, functionality, problematics and meaning of

ICT in present day Irish society. ICT is both medium and message, metaphor and spirit. The focus of this group has been on the impact of Information and Communications Technology (particularly handheld devices) on religion and its practice, values, identity and creativity and vice versa. In the first year of the project, the group initiated a dialogue between scientists, social scientists, theologians, philosophers, librarians and pastors through a series of public discussions and seminars in WIT. This has created a platform from which to generate and share research ideas and has enabled the group to grow to more than 12 people. Recent public talks have included guest lecturers George Wright,

from the Department of Architecture, WIT, and WLR FM’s Billy McCarthy. A report on the Metanexus Conference 2006, attended by Dr. Michael Howlett and Jonathon Culleton, was the basis for another seminar in September. Recently, four members of the Waterford group also attended an international interdisciplinary philosophy conference on Action Theory in Rome’s Salesian University. A number of further seminars are envisaged for the second year of the project, and will be facilitated by international researchers in the areas of theology, spirituality, religion and new media. For more information contact: Dr. Michael Howlett E-mail: mhowlett@wit.ie

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WIT PhD Graduates 2006 Department of Chemical & Life Sciences

Emma Harte PhD special interest to the electronics industry as these particles may be capable of being magnetised and could be used for storing information.

Emma Harte recently received her Doctorate award for research taken under the supervision of Dr. Sheila Donegan with the Surface and Interfacial Science Research Group. Emma successfully produced nanoparticles of iron-oxide using microemulsion systems. Most people have heard of emulsions where a liquid (oil or water) is dispersed in a second immiscible liquid (water or oil). Milk is an everyday example where fats are dispersed in water. As people know oil and water do not mix well so a third component - an emulsifying agent is needed to stabilise the system and prevent the two phases separating. Emulsions appear turbid (cloudy) as the particles of the dispersed phase are large enough to scatter light. A microemulsion is a special type of emulsion where the dispersed phase droplets are very small, thus the light is not scattered to the same extent and the solution appears clear. Micro-emulsions can be produced with either tiny droplets of oil or water using surfactants as the

emulsifying agent. Some chemical reactions can be carried out only in oil and some only in water so it is possible to carry out reactions inside these droplets, which in effect become tiny reaction chambers. This ingenious technique means that the reacting molecules will bump into each other faster, increasing the reaction rates. This increased speed of reaction means that other possible (and unwanted) reactions may not have a chance to occur. The production of nano-particles with a narrow particle size distribution has many promising applications and is of

Emma also studied the effect of surfactant systems on the crystallisation of a fatty acid called glutamic acid. Emma discovered that by crystallising glutamic acid in a micro-emulsion system, one crystal form could be produced in preference to the other. This has important implications for the pharmaceutical industry where one polymorph of a drug substance may have different pharmaceutical activity than another. Emma Harte completed a degree in Chemistry with Quality Management at WIT in the Department of Chemical and Life Sciences. She obtained a first class honours degree and was awarded an IRCSET (Irish Research Council Science Engineering and Technology) scholarship to complete her PhD. Emma has recently taken up a position in Genzyme, Waterford. For more information contact: Dr. Sheila Donegan E-mail: sodonegan@wit.ie

Mark Statham PhD Mark Statham received his PhD award this year, completing his research under the joint supervision of Dr. Catherine O’Reilly and Dr. Peter Turner. Mark had previously earned a Bachelors degree in Zoology from the University of Dundee. Many wild mammals justifiably avoid man. This is particularly true for carnivorous species such as the mustelids, which have been persecuted, making them very difficult to survey accurately. The mustelids in Ireland are the stoat, badger, otter, mink and pine marten. The main species of interest for Mark’s study, the pine marten, is the rarest mammal in Ireland. Much of Mark’s research entailed the development and use of forensic-type genetic techniques to survey and analyse these species. He developed methods to investigate species and sextype samples of unknown provenance, such as tissue, faeces and hair.

regions leave genetic “signatures” in their descendants. These signatures were used to uncover the colonisation history of Irish mustelids. A particularly interesting story was uncovered regarding the badger and research in this area is ongoing in collaboration with Dr. C. Edwards, at TCD. Mark’s research was presented at national and international conferences and published in the Irish Naturalist’s Journal. He won best talk in section at the Institutes of Technology colloquium. A major aspect of his research involved illuminating the colonisation history of Irish mustelids. As Ireland is an island on the Western edge of Europe there is much debate on the origins of many “native” species. The earliest sub-fossil remains of many of these species are found after the arrival of man, 9,000 years ago. Therefore the intervention of man cannot be ruled out. Animals originating from different geographic

Mark is now a postdoctoral researcher at Kansas State University, where he is continuing his research on rare mammals, including the black-footed ferret, the most endangered mammal in North America.

For more information contact: Dr. Catherine O’Reilly E-mail: coreilly@wit.ie

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Department of Chemical & Life Sciences continued

Wayne Cummins PhD

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Department of Computing, Maths & Physics

Paul O’Kelly PhD

to that of the template species. These imprinted media displayed a preferential binding of the original template relative to a number of closely related materials.

Wayne Cummins graduated this year with a PhD, having completed his research under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Duggan and Dr. Peter McLoughlin. His area of research was based on the characterisation of molecularly imprinted polymers. A series of template (drug) species were imprinted in polymeric media leaving behind a cavity that was complementary in size, shape and chemical functionality

These materials have been examined by a number of characterisation techniques, including one that was developed within the scope of this work. The area of molecular imprinting is a rapidly expanding technology that can potentially offer huge benefits to the pharmaceutical sector among others. The findings of Wayne’s research have been presented at both national and international conferences and published in a number of scientific journals. Wayne has recently taken up a position in Pfizer in Cork. For more information contact: Dr. Peter McLoughlin E-mail: pmcloughlin@wit.ie

Kevin Flavin PhD Kevin Flavin was recently conferred with his PhD, having completed his research under the supervision of Dr. Peter McLoughlin and Dr. Helen Hughes of the Department of Chemical and Life Sciences at WIT. Funded by Enterprise Ireland and Merck, Sharp & Dohme (Irl.) Ltd., Kevin's PhD project was related to the development of novel extraction media for sensing and pharmaceutical separations. Kevin's work focused on the production process of montelukast sodium, which is a chiral pharmaceutical generically known as Singular®, manufactured by Merck, Sharp & Dohme (Irl.) Ltd. for the treatment of asthma. The primary objective of this research was the development of novel polymeric extraction media, which may be utilised in the analytical determination of residual waste solvents and in the preparation of a selective purification medium related to the montelukast sodium production process. The main body of the work was related to the online monitoring of environmentally harmful residual waste solvents utilised during the preparation of montelukast sodium. Further work included the preparation of a selective molecularly imprinted polymer phase for the separation of montelukast from its

related substances. Kevin's PhD research resulted in several peer reviewed publications in reputable journals including Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, the Analyst and the International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, as well as presentations at number of international conferences. Kevin has recently secured a highly regarded Postdoctoral Marie Curie Fellowship and is currently based in Queen Mary University of London. Here, he is pursuing research relating to work performed for his thesis; synthesising molecularly imprinted microgels, in order to closely mimic the physical properties and actions of enzymes and antibodies. For more information contact: Dr. Peter McLoughlin E-mail: pmcloughlin@wit.ie

Paul O’Kelly graduated with a PhD this year in the domain of consensus building in complex management decisions. Specifically, the project defined a framework for identifying which (non-financial) metrics of performance are leading indicators for the long term viability of companies. The project was supervised by Dr. Micheál Ó’ hÉigeartaigh, Head of Department of Computing, Maths & Physics. A series of Delphi groups, consisting of leading professionals and academics, were constituted for a number of management functional areas. A mediation process based on the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and Pairwise Comparison was used to identify the indicators in each functional area and to provide weights for their importance. An additional (higher order) Delphi group integrated the findings into a global organisational model and validated the findings on real world data. The research work has wide ranging applicability and has already been incorporated (and extended) into a number of Doctoral research projects underway at WIT. Due to Paul’s research, he was invited to attend the Leaders for Tomorrow programme in January of this year at the JFK School of Politics, Harvard University, Boston. The findings of the research are of interest to individual companies and public administration bodies, as well as institutes concerned with the development of consistent measures of corporate performance, such as The Institute of Directors, The Institute of Corporate Governance, The Institute of Accounting and Auditing and the Institute of Ethics. Paul is now working as the Corporate and E-Marketing Manager for Iarnród Éireann. For more information contact: Dr. Micheál Ó’ hÉigeartaigh E-mail: moheigeartaigh@wit.ie

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WIT PhD Graduates 2006 WIT School of Business

Mary T. Holden PhD Mary T. Holden, the first WIT student to obtain a Government of Ireland Scholarship, completed her research under the supervision of Dr. Tom O’Toole, Head of the WIT School of Business. Her work was examined by Prof. Christine Ennew of Nottingham University and Dr. Christine Domegan of NUIG, resulting in a recommendation without modifications. Mary’s work is located specifically within the field of inter-organisational governance, but also spanned several disciplines: communication, organisational behaviour, management, and marketing. Today, many firms are pursuing a relationship strategy with their business customers. A relationship strategy requires that managers move from utilising authoritative governance mechanisms to normative ones (i.e., norms – defined as mutually agreedupon rules for behaviour). Norms are considered an optimal governance mechanism as they act as ‘an invisible hand’ to govern the inter-firm relationship.

Focusing on the governance of close inter-organisational relationships (IORs), Mary’s work, which is the first in her field, concentrated on the identification and examination of the primary determinants of relational norms (norms specific to close IORs), particularly the underlying sociopsychological dynamics. An integration of research streams led to her work’s overarching hypothesis: that the relationship between interorganisational commitment and relational norms is mediated by the interpersonal relationships between the

firms’ interacting personnel and the inter-firm communication patterns. Utilising structural equation modelling, three rival models were rejected in favour of the hypothesised model; 74% of the variation in relational norms was explained by the model’s predictors. The major theoretical and managerial implication of results is support for the potent role of interpersonal relationships and inter-organisational communication patterns in developing and maintaining relational norms; although inter-firm communication patterns are a major predictor of relational norms, a pivotal determinant of these patterns is an affiliated interpersonal relationship between the firms’ personnel. Mary is currently lecturing in the Department of Management and Organisation at WIT.

For more information contact: Dr. Tom O’Toole E-mail: totoole@wit.ie

Pat Lynch PhD While it would be erroneous to attribute new product success to any single factor, convergent evidence does suggest that interacting with industrial users in stages prior to any actual development can provide firms with a competitive advantage, through the provision of innovative and appealing new product concepts, accelerating the development process, reducing costs, stimulating inter-functional communication and making the development process more effective and efficient. However, despite considerable research examining industrial user involvement in product development activities, studies investigating the content and process of intense user involvement in those critical predevelopment stages have been insufficiently explored empirically. This knowledge deficit meant that academics were unable to provide practitioners with the solutions needed to

that enable manufactures to successfully interact and involve industrial users in their predevelopment process.

implement the user involvement concept effectively, and so, the effort of actually cooperating with users in practice was even more difficult to achieve. Under the supervision of Dr. Tom O’ Toole, Head of the WIT School of Business, Pat’s research closed this significant gap in our understanding by developing a scale to measure the breadth and depth by which users are involved in predevelopment activities. Through detailed case descriptions, he provided practitioners with substantial insights into the dynamic sub-processes

Pat’s research findings have being published in academic journals and also at national and international conferences. He has also received a number of accolades including the WIT School of Business Research Student of the Year Award (2006) and also the Marketing Student of the Year Award (2002). Pat is currently lecturing in the Department of Management and Organisation in the WIT School of Business.

For more information contact: Dr. Tom O’Toole E-mail: totoole@wit.ie

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WIT’s Automotive Control Group forms links with Sumitomo Technology, was the first Irish third-level research group dedicated to advanced automotive software and electronic systems research. Since that time all graduates from the group have gone on to employment in the international automotive industry.

From Left: Dr. Mícheál Ó hÉigeartaigh, Eamonn McDonnell (Sumitomo), Paul Eustace (Sumitomo), Jim Duffin (Sumitomo), Brendan Jackman, Frank Walsh and David Power. WIT’s Automotive Control Group has been chosen by Sumitomo Electrical Wiring Systems Europe to research the technologies and processes required to implement FlexRay in customer systems. FlexRay is an emerging vehicle communications network that will be used for safety-critical vehicle systems such as brake-by-wire. BMW will be the first to use FlexRay in a production vehicle this year when it uses the technology to control the BMW X5’s Active Suspension system. Sumitomo will fund the MSc. research at the Automotive Control Group over a two-year period. The research activities will be carried out at both Sumitomo’s European Research and Development Centre, located in Swansea, Wales, and at the Automotive Control Group’s facilities at Waterford Institute of Technology. Sumitomo Electrical Wiring Systems Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries. Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, with an £11 billion turnover, the group’s global interests include electronics, automotive, telecom and datacom, and electric utilities. The Sumitomo Electric Industries Group Automotive products include electrical and electronic systems, brake systems and activator components, manufactured and distributed through a

global network in over 24 countries worldwide, employing over 60,000 people. Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems is responsible for supplying around 20% of the world's automotive electronic design services market. Two postgraduates from the Automotive Control Group, Eamonn McDonnell and Fergal Keating, are currently employed by Sumitomo in the UK. The Automotive Control Group, founded in 2000 at Waterford Institute of

This latest announcement of research collaboration with Sumitomo brings the total funding secured by the Automotive Control Group to almost €100,000. This includes a recent success in securing funding under the TSR Strand 1 programme to investigate software requirements analysis techniques for use with AUTOSAR, a new automotive software development platform. Commenting on the latest collaboration agreement, Brendan Jackman, founder of the group stated that “this alliance endorses the international reputation of the group and strengthens our good working relationship with Sumitomo.” Paul Eustace, Engineering Manager at Sumitomo commented ''Collaborative research is very important to Sumitomo's future European R&D strategy and this joint project will enable us to enhance our links with the Automotive Control Group, who are already highly regarded by our company. The 'knowledge transfer' provided by this project will help Sumitomo strengthen its capability in the design and development of whole vehicle electrical and electronic systems architecture for the European market.'' For more information contact: Brendan Jackman E-mail: bjackman@wit.ie www.wit.ie/automotive

New Macular Pigment Lab at WIT

Dr. Audrey Hearne using the maculometer to measure macular pigment in a volunteer

The Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG), founded in 2002, has recently opened a new laboratory located in the main building of the Waterford Institute of Technology’s Cork Road Campus. The group seeks to enhance the current understanding of age-related macular degeneration, with an emphasis on the role that nutrition might play in the prevention, delay, or modification of this disease. Since its inception, five postgraduates, two postdoctoral researchers and one project manager have been recruited to the MPRG and they continue to actively pursue further

funding in order to attain critical mass. The laboratory will allow the group’s scientists to carry out examinations in a fully equipped environment that houses instruments such as the maculometer and fundus camera, while remaining a comfortable and welcoming environment for the volunteers. The novel feature of an aquarium ensures the volunteers feel relaxed at all times. The MPRG Laboratory will be officially opened in January 2007. For more information contact: Leigh-Anne Maddock E-mail: lmaddock@wit.ie

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Profile of a reseacher: Dr. June Frisby Dr. June Frisby’s research career began when she graduated from WIT in 2001 with a degree in Applied Chemistry & Quality Management. That same year she joined Professor Dermot Diamond’s research group at the National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, where she obtained her PhD in 2005. June returned to WIT in March earlier this year to join Dr. Peter McLoughlin’s Separation Science Research Group (SSRG). She is currently coordinating the SWINGS initiative (Separations, Wales & Ireland – Novel Generation Science) that was secured by funding under the European Union’s INTERREG IIIA Programme. Dr. Chris Allender from the School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University is a collaborating partner in this project. The key objective of the SWINGS initiative is to identify and carry out laboratory research in emerging separation science techniques. This research involves the development of novel extraction and purification media for pharmaceutical and environmental applications.

provides an ideal platform from which to further develop her career: “Together with my colleagues, Dr. John Nolan & Dr. Brian Murphy, we have recently set up the Postdoctoral Research Business Centre at WIT. The centre provides us with the facilities to carry out postdoctoral activities and allows us to work together on research issues and opportunities. This would not have been possible without the support of Dr. Venie Martin for which we are extremely grateful. We hope this will form the basis of a research community that will continue to grow and expand over the coming years.”

Dr. June Frisby, Seperation Science Research Group, WIT. Dr. Frisby is delighted to have been given the opportunity to return to WIT and continue her career here as a postdoctoral researcher. She believes that WIT has opened many doors for her and

For more information contact: Dr. June Frisby E-mail: jfrisby@wit.ie

Research awards won by WIT staff Dr. John Nolan, Senior Scientist, and Ms. Siobhan Ryan, Post-Graduate Researcher, of the Macular Pigment Research Group have been awarded the Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) Grant and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) Scholarship, respectively. Siobhan Ryan received her IRCSET Postgraduate Research Scholarship approval from the Embark Initiative in May 2006. Siobhan’s study, “Changes in macular pigment optical density, and serum concentrations of its constituent carotenoids, in response to weight loss”, is the first study of its kind to be carried out in Ireland. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of controlled

weight loss on macular pigment optical density and serum concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin (the two carotenoids which make up macular pigment). This study will recruit 120 volunteers over the age of 18 with a body mass index (BMI) greater or equal to 30. Each volunteer will be asked to attend Waterford Institute of Technology’s Macular Pigment Laboratory for a period of one hour, on 5 separate occasions. If you are interested in being considered for entry into this clinical trial or would like some more information, please contact Siobhán Ryan (sryan@wit.ie) Dr. John Nolan received the Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) grant, which is co-funded by the Health Research Board (HRB). His colleagues Dr.

Orla O’Donovan, Dr. Jim Stack and Ms. LeighAnne Maddock are co-applicants, while Mr. Stephen Beatty, Director of the Macular Pigment Research Group, is Principal Investigator. The MRCG have undertaken a sustained and focused campaign to secure statutory funding for medical research. Dr. Nolan is now able to offer a PhD Studentship and the study involved will allow the group to establish whether the total level of macular pigment, or the pattern of distribution of this pigment, is important for disease risk.

For more information contact: www.wit.ie/mprg

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Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales (FEIW)

Pictured at the FEIW Conference, "Moving Centre Stage-Giving a Voice to Women-Led Business" held on November 8th is Margaret Durand FEIW Project, Dr. Colette Henry of Dundalk Institute of Technology (Speaker), Majella Ryan of Ivowen Ltd (Speaker), Sue Lawton of Prowess UK (Speaker), Professor Kieran Byrne Director WIT, Elaine Aylward of the FEIW Project (Speaker), Margaret Tynan, FEIW Project and Bill O'Gorman Head of Research, Centre for Entrepreneurship WIT".

Women business owners are increasingly recognised as having an important impact on the economy, both as a source of employment and of potential growth (OECD, 2004; GEM, 2004; and Henry and Kennedy, 2002). As a result, the Centre for Entrepreneurship, School of Business, WIT has developed an INTERREG IIIA-funded education and development programme with their partners from the School of Business and Management, University of Wales, Aberystwyth. The programme is the first of its type to be run in South East Ireland. The programme’s aims are to facilitate the growth and development of women-owned businesses in South East Ireland and South West Wales. The research for the programme determined the level of women-led businesses in both regions, the type of businesses women set up and the challenges they face. The research also identified the specific training needs of women in business.

Percentage of women-led businesses in the South East region Part of the research involved a questionnaire sent out to 129 women-led businesses in the South East. From the chart above it can be seen that Waterford and Wexford have the highest levels of female entrepreneurs in the South East region. Overall however, the South East has an above average level of female entrepreneurial activity compared to the rest of Ireland. For example 16% of businesses in the South East are owned by women. This compares favourably with the average for Ireland which is estimated to be anywhere between 7.5% to15% (Henry and Kennedy, 2002).

Also contrary to previously published research about the ambitions and attitudes of female entrepreneurs towards growth, this current research identified that the majority of women in the South East wish to grow their businesses. Previous research suggested that women intentionally start low growth, low potential businesses. For example, according to researchers such as Buttner and Moore (1997); Cliff (1998); Henry et al (2004), women favour slower growth and actually place a limit on the extent to which they are willing to grow. The FEIW research also established that

there appears to be a lack of awareness of the business supports available to women and that women who had availed of these supports rated them as “fair.” This low level of awareness and assessment may be due to the fact that most supports and enterprise training and development programmes are ‘menstreamed’ as opposed to gender neutral and as such, fail to take account of the needs of women business owners (OECD, 2004). In fact many programmes are viewed as being male dominated and patronising, with little evidence of ‘female management styles’ in programmes (Fielden et al, 2003). The expectation is that women should conform to male behaviours (Carter, 2000). Thus the enterprise development programme developed by the FEIW team is unique in that it is based on the needs of women who have the desire to grow their businesses. The programme, with twenty participants representing a broad spectrum of industry sectors, was launched in September 2006 and will run on a pilot basis for 12 months. Another major recent success for the FEIW team was the well-supported, extremely successful one-day conference, ‘Moving Centre Stage – Giving A Voice to Women in Business’, held in the Faithlegg House Hotel, 8th November 2006. The conference was opened by Professor Kieran Byrne, Director, WIT, who emphasised the contribution women in business currently make to the economy in the South East, and encouraged the Centre for Entrepreneurship to continue developing programmes to both support women in business today as well as to encourage other women and female graduates to consider entrepreneurship and business as a career. The presenters at the conference were a good mix of academics from Ireland and the UK such as Dr. Colette Henry, Head of Centre for Enterprise, DKIT, Elaine Aylward, Research Assistant on the FEIW Project, Dr. Sue Lawton, Director, PROWESS UK; and successful women entrepreneurs such as Maree Morrissey, MD, Irish Entrepreneur, and Majella Ryan, MD, Ivowen. Senator Mary O’Rourke closed the conference, providing the audience with insights into balancing family priorities with a career in politics.

For more information contact: Ms. Louise Dalton E-mail: ldalton@wit.ie www.whysofeiw.com

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Family law precedents: reforming the system In law, a precedent is a legal case establishing a principle or rule that a court may need to adopt when deciding subsequent cases involving similar issues or facts. It also refers to a collective body of case law that a court should consider when interpreting the law. In all legal proceedings that are heard in court, such as criminal and civil cases, precedents of previous judgements aid in what may be the final outcome for either party, and either party may depend on such precedents to win their case. Due to confidentiality and the delicate nature of family law issues, almost all family court proceedings are heard ‘in camera’ or in private. This is largely to protect parties and their families from the disclosure of confidential and sensitive details. There is no information available at present as to how decisions are reached in the family law courts and persons facing litigation do not know what to expect. This situation, where rumour and anecdote abound, can only be counteracted by the release of comprehensive information. For instance, domestic violence statistics that are collected by the Gardai and Court Services are extremely limited and a more detailed breakdown of information is needed. In relation to custody and access issues, there has been evidence that violent men use access to children to further abuse and control former partners. A study carried out in 1 2003 by Women’s Aid on custody & access proceedings in relation to domestic abuse against women, found that there seemed to be a general trend in Irish Courts to grant very liberal access and shared custody to men that are abusive to their partners. The issue of violence was often not taken into account when children were involved, and the question of custody and access was seen as a totally separate issue to the abuse being experienced. Men that had been violent to their partners had been granted unsupervised access to children, due to the lack of information available to the family courts in child custody proceedings regarding levels of risk and criminal prosecutions. A welcome development has been the introduction of Section 40 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act, 2004, which has amended the operation of the in camera rule in family law proceedings, to allow limited reporting from family law courts.

Section 40(3) allows for classes of people (such as bona fide family law researchers) to attend the family law courts for the purpose of the preparation and publication of a report of the proceedings. Additionally, the researcher must be nominated by a body specified in the Schedule to the regulations and be approved by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In March 2006 according to the District and Circuit Court Directorate, no one had yet availed of this legislation and Elaine Lonergan, a postgraduate student of WIT, was granted full approval to attend both Circuit and District Court family law in camera proceedings. The relaxation of the in camera rule is being availed of in order to review and reform current practice in such cases. At present, the District Court is empowered to make orders on issues such as maintenance, guardianship, access, custody and domestic violence. It must be ensured that the legal system deals effectively with these issues while prioritising the safety of women and children. The main purpose of this research is to analyse and access the impact of court proceedings on children and the family, while looking at the family law jurisdiction of the District Courts. It involves an analysis of family law proceedings in both Cork and Waterford Districts in order to create a precedent for dealing with family law issues and to gauge the court’s impact on the family unit. As the researcher, Elaine

Child Custody and Access in the context of Domestic Violence: Women’s Experiences and the 1 Response of the Legal System, (2003) Women’s Aid, Dublin.

has attended both Courts regularly since March and has gathered information on almost one thousand cases. A standardised form will be used to interpret the information and to get statistical data on court proceedings regarding children and their families. It is hoped that the final report will be ready in summer 2007. In the past, Women’s Aid and other voluntary organisations have gathered information through surveys from frontline service providers and studies of individual cases. There is scant information on the actual decisions reached in the family courts, and this leads to myths about its workings. The information gathered from analyses of court cases is extremely important, as the current absence of systematic, consistent and reliable data means that both practitioners and their clients do not know what to expect in court, as there is no knowledge of judgements being built up in this area. Thus, it is imperative that the way in which our courts deal with such issues be open to the public for scrutiny and debate. This research will add to the knowledge available for professionals within the legal system, and will help to create a more reliable framework allowing them to better advise their clients. Elaine Lonergan is a postgraduate student in the Department of Applied Arts (Law) and is being supervised by Dr. Sinead Conneely. For more information contact: Elaine Lonergan E-mail: elonergan@wit.ie

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Major Tourism Network based at WIT School of Business The School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology has been engaged by Fáilte Ireland to develop and implement an active learning environment for tourism enterprises across a seven-county region stretching from Wexford to Kerry. The aim of the project is to assist the small tourism and hospitality enterprise owner in developing his/her business through providing access to a range of training and development supports at a flexible and local level. The mergo project is concerned with four aspects of knowledge transfer: local networks, regional events, research and web communications resources. Tourism providers will, through this project, be able to co-operate on issues such as county-based research and marketing. Up to 675 enterprises are set to benefit from the programme by the end of 2008. Workshops (called Best Practice Forums) covering issues such as people management, product bundling, product innovation, co-operative marketing, pricing, and regulatory environments are currently carried out by mergo across the regional networks. All participants were asked to compile a Learning Needs Analysis and to develop a Business Action Plan and the topics were chosen based on this feedback. At a practical level, the regional events provide an opportunity for attendees to meet and cooperate with other providers outside their own counties.

The mergo office at the WIT School of Business has since become a source of information for tourism enterprises interested in finding out more about access to the region, funds and support available for product innovation,

Fergal O'Byrne CEO of Irish Internet Association with Neil Lucey, Gougane Barra Hotel at the mergo On-line Marketing Training Seminar in October 2006 marketing and investment in local infrastructure. Businesses across all sectors are now very much aware of the benefits of collaboration, rather than having a narrow adversarial approach. Through mergo, the School of Business at WIT has pioneered a very effective model for facilitating effective learning networks. It has developed its own best practice model to manage all elements of a learning network (including managing learning sets), and to develop a full learning programme, both online and offline, thereby building on earlier initiatives from the School such as Finestra and Enact. The programme is anchored by trained facilitators (including a number of WIT staff) who are a key link to local tourism service providers in the network. The mergo project also showcases a best practice project management resource at the School of Business, led by Anne-Marie Frampton, which is clearly meeting the development needs of the Irish tourism sector. Mergo is based at the Waterford Crystal Centre for Marketing Studies, and is facilitating important research activity across a number of key marketing themes in branding and reputation management, marketing strategy, product development, and learning networks.

The three-year, €1.8m project is in existence for ten months, and has already achieved most of the strategic objectives set for the initiative. Fáilte Ireland has indicated its commitment to mergo with the awarding of two additional projects: the development of a national website for the Fáilte Ireland County-Based Tourism Learning Networks and a special learning networks programme in Kerry.

mergo tourism network

Recruitment to the 2007 mergo Tourism Network has now commenced. Small businesses with a tourism remit are eligible to apply to become part of this exciting initiative. The team would be delighted to discuss your participation at 051 845636/845635. Additional information is available on the mergo website. WIT is partnered in this initiative by Fáilte Ireland, Cork Institute of Technology, and the LEADER groups (rural development organisations supported by EU and national funding). For more information contact: Mr. Anthony Foley E-mail: afoley@wit.ie www.mergo.ie

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Managing your research accounts: WIT’s Project Accounting Team In line with the Institute’s stated strategy it has seen a very substantial year-on-year increase in the number of self funding initiatives, including research, with a concomitant increase in the level of annual income and expenditure. In the academic year 2005/2006, self funding income of €9.4m was generated by the Institute. With such significant sums involved the Institute has dedicated two accountants to deal solely with the financial aspects of research and other self-financing initiatives. This small team is made up of Susan Green, Project Accountant, and Melissa Hanly, Assistant Project Accountant. They report directly to Elaine Sheridan, Management Accountant. The team works closely with the Research Support Unit (RSU), the Telecommunications & Software Group (TSSG), teams of researchers, individual researchers and Project Managers. Research funding comes from a wide range of sources, each with its own financial rules and regulations. Examples of funding bodies include the European Commission, Enterprise Ireland, the Higher Education Authority, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Science Foundation Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. Some of the bodies have different streams of funding and, indeed, financial rules and regulations may differ not only between bodies but also between streams. Many require quarterly reporting, some annual and others monthly. It is our responsibility to work with researchers to ensure that the appropriate rules and regulations are applied rigorously. With increased research funding coming into the Institute from a diverse number of sources it is important to consistently update the internal financial knowledge base to incorporate new funding agencies and their particular rules and regulations. So, how do we know which rules and regulations to apply to which project? For every research project a contract is agreed between the Institute and the funding body. The contract, inter-alia, establishes the basic financial rules and regulations that the funding body expects the Institute to adhere to. Reporting requirements and the need for Audit Certificates are also reflected in the contract. The Project Accounting team

Ms. Susan Green and Ms. Melissa Hanly, WIT Project Accounting Team. works with the research team to ensure that the project-specific financial rules and reporting requirements are clearly understood. This is very important as it helps to ensure that resources can be dedicated in a well planned and timely manner. The Project Accounting team works with research and RSU colleagues throughout the life of a project, from proposal to final report, to ensure that the financial management of a project meets the following requirements: • Compliance with appropriate rules and regulations. • Financial probity. • Transparency of financial transactions. • Accountability of officers for financial decisions. • Clear audit trails. It is important that these standards are met as the majority of selffunding initiatives are funded from public monies. We must also bear in mind that all funding bodies expect that internal rules, regulations and procedures, for instance, procurement procedures, be followed. As well as reviewing proposals, providing advice and guidance on the interpretation and implementation of what can be complex financial regulations, and preparing the external

financial reports for funding bodies, the Project accounting team monitors expenditure against budget. Monthly management reporting packages are being enhanced and it is hoped that regular reporting will make it easier for researchers to financially manage their projects. As well as monthly reports, each project leader is scheduled to meet at least 3 times per year with their named project accountant. It is important that the team is involved with the budget costing of projects at proposal/submission stage. This interaction with the project accountants at proposal/submission stage is critical as it provides an opportunity for the researcher to avoid any potential financial pitfalls which otherwise may not come to light until after the project has been approved. It is essential that we meet with project leaders early in the life of the project in order to get an understanding of the project and assess what support we can give. We are here to provide you with dedicated financial support throughout the project life cycle from proposal to final report.

For more information contact: Susan Green E-mail: sgreen@wit.ie Melissa Hanly E-mail: mhanly@wit.ie

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Bridging Brains through Collaborative Working Environments Collaborative Working Environments (CWE) can be viewed as the tools, technologies, infrastructure and people that encourage individuals, either remotely or on site, to be innovative in their working lives. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society, work is not carried out in one single place, but often by utilising a network of resources (other people, equipment etc). The question of distance also brings obstacles into the working process. The knowledge society requires access to knowledge and alternative views and experiences in

order to fully leverage creativity and innovation. Therefore, the focus on CWEs has become both timely and important. The Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) is currently participating in a European project, BrainBridges, funded under the European IST Framework 6. This is a coordinated strategic European research programme in the area of Collaborative Working Environments (CWE) and enabling technologies. The objective is to develop a vision for a European research

programme that aspires to enable CWEs. Within the BrainBridges project, CWEs are further defined as integrated (networked, connected and loosely coupled) collections of hardware, software, network communications and procedures, which enable collaborative innovation and support distributed actors. By enabling distributed researchers to openly collaborate, new channels for innovation can be explored. For more information contact: Claire Fahy E-mail: cfahy@tssg.org

Recent WIT Workshops and Conferences EU/US Summit Series on Cyber Trust: System Dependability & Security The first workshop of the EU / US Summit Series on Cyber Trust: System Dependability & Security was held in Finnstown Country House, Dublin, Ireland on 15th and 16th November, 2006. The aim of this workshop, and a planned subsequent workshop to be held in Illinois in April/May 2007, was to gain a shared understanding of priority critical issues and promising dependability and security research

directions, and to foster collaboration between EU and US research teams. Application areas and characteristics of interest included critical information infrastructures, e-commerce, egovernment and e-voting, the future of the Internet, scalable and self-regulating systems, and ubiquitous and pervasive computing. In particular, the workshop identified and initiated some ideas for joint actions. One example of this is the

establishment of interconnected testbeds constituting international largescale experimental facilities for supporting the testing and evaluation of emerging systems. This could lead to a significant increase in the extent and effectiveness of transatlantic cooperation in this research domain.

For more information contact: http://www.securitytaskforce.eu

Manweek Conference The Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) hosted the Manweek 2006 event in Dublin from the 23rd to the 27th of October. The event comprised five academic workshops (DSOM 2006, MMNS 2006, IPOM 2006, MACE 2006 and IPOM 2006) each addressing aspects of the management of communications networks and services. The event was attended by over 200 academic and industrial researchers from Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, north and south America and Asia. The programme included a number of stimulating keynote speeches from well-

Delegates attending the 2006 Manweek Conference known figures including Dr Hamid Ahmadi (Chief Architect of Motorola Inc.), Martin Creaner (CTO of the TeleManagement Forum) and Ulf Dahlsten (Director, Directorate F, DGINFSO, European Commission). A particular success was the 1st IEEE Workshop on Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments (MACE 2006), which was conceived and

organised by the TSSG, and which was very well attended, with lively and stimulating debate.

For more information: http://www.manweek2006.org

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Recent WIT Workshops and Conferences continued

BrainBridges Conference Last September, a successful workshop on Collaborative Working Environments (CWE) took place at the Enterprise Ireland premises in Dublin. The event was hosted by the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (http://www.tssg.org ) at Waterford Institute of Technology as part of the research project, BrainBridges. The workshop was attended by representatives from Eircom, Vodafone Ireland, Intel Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. Project co-ordinator, Michael Nilsson (Centre for Distance Learning, Luleå Technical University, Sweden) introduced the project and its findings. Claire Fahy, TSSG, discussed a technological vision for a secure, inclusive and seamless infrastructure that supports distributed collaboration. This included an Open Service Architecture for adaptable creation, validation and deployment applications that support a variety of multi-modal interfaces, context sensitive applications, automatic resource and service discovery within a secure, trusted and dependable environment. Patrizia Hongisto (Centre for Knowledge and Innovation Research, Helsinki School of Economics) introduced the concept of the “Living Lab” which is recognised as an enabling infrastructure for CWE. The Living Lab is an idea that originated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and refers to a multi-site, multi-stakeholder research and development infrastructure which provides an experimental platform for researching, prototyping and validating innovations in a real life context such as in a community or region. For more information: http://www.brainbridges.info

Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference

Building on the success of the inaugural Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference hosted by the University of Ulster in June 2005, the Department of Languages, Tourism and Hospitality were pleased to host the second Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference in Waterford Institute of Technology on 13th and 14th June 2006. The theme of this year's conference was ‘Addressing the Challenges’. The event proved an invaluable opportunity to present research on the current and future challenges facing the Irish tourism and hospitality industry. For more information contact: Ms. Noelle O’Connor E-mail: noconnor@wit.ie

Entrepreneurial Regions Conference One of the major goals and areas of research for the Centre for Entrepreneurship, WIT School of Business, is its role in the development of Entrepreneurial Regions. This is very much evidenced by its role as project leader of the EU Regions of Knowledge 2 funded project CRIPREDE. The aim of CRIPREDE is to develop an Adaptive Model for the development of RTD investment policies and strategies for regions in emerging and developed economies. A major output from this work was the successful international conference held in Kilkenny on 25th October last. Delegates to the conference listened to and debated the content of insightful research papers presented by international speakers, two of which (Mr. Kjell-Erok Bugge and Dr. Borut Roncevic) are involved in the CRIPREDE Project.

Guest Speakers at the 'Developing a Spirit of Enterprise' conference, pictured from left: Mr. Kjell-Erik Bugge, Senior Scientist and lecturer, Sustainable Development of Areas Group, Saxion Universities, The Netherlands; Dr. Clive Winters, Programmes Director, Coventry University Enterprises Ltd.; Dr. Borut Roncevic, Head of Dept. of Development, Novo Mesto Municipality, Slovenia and Ms. Maria Ginnity, Manager of the Enterprise Policy and Communications Department, Forfás.

In addition a very significant development at the conference was the launching of the South East region’s Spirit of Enterprise Logo. The logo has been adopted by the South East Enterprise Forum and is the umbrella under which entrepreneurial and enterprise development across the region will continue to be nurtured.

For more information contact: Mr. Bill O’Gorman E-mail: wogorman@wit.ie www.criprede.com

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Recent WIT publications & conferences ■ ■ ■ PUBLICATIONS ■ ■ ■ Agoulmine, N., Balasubramaniam, S., Botvich, D., Strassner, J., Lehtihet, E., & Donnelly, W. (2006) Challenges for Autonomic Network Management. Proceedings of 1st IEEE International Workshop on Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments (MACE). Barry, M. & Pitt, I. (2006) Interaction Design: a Multidimensional Approach for Learners with Autism. Proceedings of 5th International Conference for Interaction Design and Children (IDC). University of Tampere, Finland, June 7-9. Balasubramaniam, S., Barrett, K., Strassner, J., Donnelly, W., & van der Meer, S. (2006) Bio-inspired Policy Based Management (bioPBM) for Autonomic Communication Systems. Proceedings of 7th International IEEE Workshop on Policies for Distributed Systems and Networks (Policy). Balasubramaniam, S., Botvich, D., Donnelly, W., & Agoulmine, N. (2006) Applying Blood Glucose Homeostatic Model Towards SelfManagement of IP QoS Provisioned Networks. LNCS 4268 – Proceedings of 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations and Management (IPOM) Balasubramaniam, S., Donnelly, W., Botvich, D., Agoulmine, N., & Strassner, J. (2006) Towards Integrating Principles of Molecular Biology for Autonomic Network Management. Proceedings of 13th HP Open View University Association Workshop (HP-OVUA) Caracy, M. Long, G. Remenyi, D. (2006) A First Evaluation of a New Student Management Information System (MIS) at an Institute of Technology in Ireland - A Case Study. Proceedings of European Conference on Information Technology Evaluation (ECITE), Genoa Italy pp. 121-129. Carroll O., O'Driscoll I, Hegarty S.P., Huyet G., Houlihan J., Viktorov E.A., Mandel P. (2006) Feedback induced instabilities in a quantum dot semiconductor laser Opt. Express, 14 (12),10831. Carroll, R., Fahy, C., Lehtihet, E., van der Meer, S., Georgalas, N., & Cleary, D. (2006) Applying the P2P paradigm to management of largescale distributed networks using a Model Driven Approach. Proceedings of 2006 IEEE/ IFIP Network Operations & Management Symposium (NOMS) Carroll, R., Strassner, J., Cox, G., & van der Meer, S. (2006) Policy and Profile: Enabling Self-knowledge for Autonomic Systems. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/ IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations and Management (DSOM) Cowman, M. and McCarthy, A. (2006), Evaluating HRD in the Health Care Sector – Towards a Conceptual Model. Proceedings of 7th International Conference on HRD Research and Practice Across Europe, Tilburg University.. Cowman, M., McCarthy, A. (2006) Modeling Training and Development Outcomes: A case study in the health care sector. Proceedings of Irish Academy of Managers Annual 2006 Conference Cork University. Davy, A., Botvich, D., & Jennings, B. (2006) An Efficient Process for Estimation of Network Demand for QoS-aware IP Network Planning. Proceedings of 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations and Management (IPOM) Davy, S., Barrett, K., Balasubramaniam, S., van der Meer, S., Jennings, B., & Strassner, J. (2006) Policy-based Architecture to Enable Autonomic Communications. Proceedings of IEEE Consumer Communications and Networking Conference (CCNC) Davy, S., Jennings, B., & Strassner, J. (2006) Conflict Prevention via Model-driven Policy Refinement. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/ IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations and Management (DSOM) Donnelly, W., Popescu-Zeletin, R., Strassner, J., Jennings, B. & van der Meer, S. (2006) Multicon Lecture Notes, Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments. Proceedings of 1st IEEE International Workshop on Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments (MACE).

Drohan, S., Stapleton, L. & Stack, A. (2006) Problem Solving Skills in Information Systems Development Curricula. Proceedings of AISHE Conference on Creating and Sustaining an Effective Learning Environment, NUI Maynooth. Drudy D, Quinn T, O'Mahony R, Kyne L, O'Gaora P, Fanning S. (2006), High-level resistance to moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin associated with a novel mutation in gyrB in toxin-A-negative, toxin-B-positive Clostridium difficile, J Antimicrob Chemother. Oct 3. Drudy D, O'Rourke M, Murphy M, Mullane NR, O'Mahony R, Kelly L, Fischer M, Sanjaq S, Shannon P, Wall P, O'Mahony M, Whyte P, & Fanning S. (2006) Characterization of a collection of Enterobacter sakazakii isolates from environmental and food sources. Int J Food Microbiol.110(2):127-34. Feeney, M., & Frisby, R. (2006) Autonomic Management of Smart Spaces, Proceedings of 3rd International Workshop on Managing Ubiquitous Communications and Services Fewer, T. G. (2006) From mitcher to skater: some school-day reminiscences and life thereafter Newtown Review 2005-6, p.92. Foley, S. N., Fitzgerald, W., Bistarelli, S., O'Sullivan, B., & Ó Foghlú, M. (2006) Principles of Secure Network Configuration: Towards a formal basis for Self-Configuration. Proceedings of 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations and Management (IPOM). Galvin, L. (2006) Managing Stakeholders in IT investment evaluations Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on IS Management: Leadership and Governance, Paris. Harrington, D., & Keating, M., (2006) Quality Management Issues in Irish Hotels - Emerging agendas in a changing environment. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research. Hayden, H., & Blount, C., (2006), Library student shelvers at Waterford Institute of Technology, New Library World 107, 5/6 pp.247257 Helmy, A., Jennings, B., Murphy, L. &Pfeifer, T. (2006). Autonomic Management of Mobile Multimedia Services. Proceedings of 9th IFIP/ IEEE International Conference on Management of Multimedia and Mobile Networks and Services (MMNS). Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science, 4267. Hurley, T., Hegarty, N., & Bolger, J., (2006), Crossing a Bridge: the challenges of developing and delivering an information literacy course for international students, New Library World 107, 7/8 pp.302-320 Issa S, Nolan J, & Beatty S. (2005), A novel index for predicting intraocular pressure reduction following phacoemulsification cataract surgery, Br J Ophthalmol;89:543-6. Jennings, B., & Malone, P. (2006) Flexible Charging for Multi-provider Composed Services using a Federated, Two-phase Rating Process. Proceedings of 2006 IEEE/ IFIP Network Operations & Management Symposium (NOMS). Kelliher, F. & Henderson, J.B. (2006), A learning framework for the small business environment, Journal of European Industrial Training, 30(7): pp.512-28 Khan, M I., Flynn, T., O’Connell, E., Stack, J. & Beatty, S., (2006), The impact of new regulations on the incidence and severity of ocular injury sustained in hurling, EYE. Koh H-H., Murray I.J., Nolan D., Carden D., Feather J., & Beatty S. (2004), Serum and macular responses to lutein supplement in subjects with and without age-related maculopathy: a pilot study. Exp Eye Res, 79:21-27 Lehtihet, E., Strassner, J., Agoulmine, N., & Ó Foghlú, M. (2006) Ontology-based Knowledge Representation for Self-governing Systems. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/ IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations and Management (DSOM) Liew S.H.M., Gilbert C.E., Spector T.D., Mellerio J., Marshall J., Van Kuijk F.J.G.M., Beatty S., Fitzke F., & Hammond C.J., (2006), Heritability of macular pigment: a twin study.” Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.

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McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S., Power, J. & Marsh, A. (2006). Recent Advances in the Development and Application of Microemulsion Electrokinetic Chromatography. Electrophoresis – CE and CEC Special Edition. Wiley Interscience.

Tynan, M., O’Gorman, B., Aylward, E., Sinnott, E. & Durand, M. (2006). Women in business – Exploding some myths about entrepreneurship education for female entrepreneurs. Proceedings of 36th EISB Conference, Solent University, UK.

Moran, S. (2006) Do we deal in knowledge in science lessons? School Science Review. 88(322) pp.113-117

van der Meer, S., Davy, A., Davy, S., Carroll, R., Jennings, B., & Strassner, J. (2006) Automonic Networking: Prototype Implementation of the Policy Continuum, Proceedings of 1st IEEE Workshop on Broadband Convergence Networks (BcN)

Neelam K., Nolan J., O'Gorman N., O'Donovan O., Au Eong, K-G., & Beatty S.(2005) Measurement of macular pigment: Raman spectroscopy versus heterochromatic flicker photometry, Curr Eye Res. Invest Ophth Vis Sci; 46: 1023-32. Neelam K., O'Donovan O., Nolan J., O'Gorman N., Kavanagh H., & Beatty S. (2005), Macular pigment levels following successful macular hole surgery, Br J Ophthalmol; 89:1105-1108. Nolan J, O'Donovan O, Kavanagh H, Harrison M, Muldoon A, Mellerio J, & Beatty S. (2004), Macular pigment and percentage of body fat, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science; 45:3940-3949. O’ Gorman, B. & McHugh, M. (2006). Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference. Proceedings of 36th EISB Conference, Solent University, UK. Osmani, V., Balasubramaniam S., Gu, T., (2006), A Distributed Hierarchical Structure for Object Networks Supporting Human Activity Recognition, Proceedings of 9th IFIP/ IEEE International Conference on Management of Multimedia and Mobile Networks & Services (MMNS), vol. 4267/2006, pp.128-133.

van der Meer, S., Donnelly, W., Strassner, J., Jennings, B., & Ó Foghlú, M. Emerging Principles of Autonomic Network Management, Proceedings of 1st IEEE International Workshop on Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments (MACE ) Viktorov, E.A., Mandel, P., O’Driscoll, I., Carroll, O., Huyet, G., Houlihan, J., Tanguy, Y. (2006). Low frequency fluctuations in twostate quantum dot lasers. Optics Letters, 31, 2302. Walsh C, Duffy G, O'Mahony R, Fanning S, Blair IS, McDowell DA. (2006) Antimicrobial resistance in Irish isolates of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli)—VTEC, Int J Food Microbiol. Jun 15; 109(3):173-8. Wohlfiel, M. & Whelan, S. (2006). Consumer Motivations to Participate in Event-Marketing Strategies. Journal of Marketing Management, Vol. 22, No. 5-6, pp.643-669.

■ ■ ■ CONFERENCES ■ ■ ■

Parr, G., Malone, D. & Ó’Foghlú, M. (2006). Autonomic Principles of IP Operations and Management. Proceedings of 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations and Management (IPOM). Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science (LNCS), 4268.

Birney, R., Barry, M & Ó hÉigeartaigh, M. (2006), ‘The Use of Weblogs as a Tool to Support Collaborative Learning and Reflective Practice in Third-Level Institutions’, EdMedia World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications. Orlando, FL.

Pfeifer, T. (2006) Autonomic Position Management, Proceedings of 2006 IEEE International Symposium on Wireless Pervasive Computing (ISWPC)

Birney, R., Barry, M & Ó hÉigeartaigh, M. (2006), ‘Blogs: Collaborative Learning for the Next Generation’, ALT-C. Edinburgh, Scotland

Quinn T, O'Mahony R, Baird AW, Drudy D, Whyte P, & Fanning S. (2006), Multi-drug resistance in Salmonella enterica: efflux mechanisms and their relationships with the development of chromosomal resistance gene clusters, Current Drug Targets. (7):84960.

Coffey A.B., (2006), ‘Transcrystallinity-A Method for Assessing Interfacial Stress Transfer in a Thermoplastic Composite?’ Materials Congress 2006 (IOM3), London, UK (April)

Raymer, D., Strassner, J., Lehtihet, E., & van der Meer, S. (2006) Endto-End Model Driven Policy Based Network Management. Proceedings of 7th International IEEE Workshop on Policies for Distributed Systems and Networks (Policy) Serrano, J., Serrat J., Strassner, J., & Carroll, R. (2006) Policy-Based Management and Context Modelling Contributions for Supporting Autonomic Systems, Proceedings of IFIP/ TC6 Autonomic Networking 2006 ñ SMARTNET 2006: Tools for Autonomic Networking State, R., van der Meer, S., O’Sullivan, D. & Pfeifer, T. (2006). Large Scale Management of Distributed Systems. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/ IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations and Management (DSOM). Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science (LNCS). Strassner, J. (2006) Convergence Seamlessly: A Look Inside Motorola's Seamless Mobility Initiative, Proceedings of 1st IEEE Workshop on Broadband Convergence Networks (BcN) Strassner, J. (2006) A Context-Aware, Policy-Based, Autonomic Architecture for Dependable and Secure Telecommunications, Proceedings of 2nd IEEE International Symposium on Dependable, Autonomic and Secure Computing (DASC) Strassner, J., Agoulmine, N., & Lehtihet, E. (2006) FOCALE - A novel Autonomic Networking Architecture, Proceedings of 1st Latin American Autonomic Computing Symposium (LAACS) Strassner, J., & Menich, B. (2006) Fusion of Sensory Information, Internal Models, and Policy in Autonomic Computing Systems, Proceedings of Modeling Decisions for Artificial Intelligence (LNAI)

Coffey A.B., (2005), ‘Interfacial Stress Transfer in an Aramid Reinforced Thermoplastic Elastomer.’ International Conference on Interfaces and Interphases in Multicomponent Materials, Lyon, France, 13 Sept. Crosbie, V., Kennedy, F., Pechenart, J., Sudhershan, A., (2005) '(Self)assessing the intercultural dimension of language learning: the experience of the Language On-Line Portfolio Project (LOLIPOP) as a New Tool for Language Learners in Higher Education Contexts'. EUROCALL conference, Integrating CALL into Study Programmes, Granada, Spain (4-7 September) Dowling, F. (2006) ‘The Value and Values of Visual Design in a Digital Age: A Framework for Debate on Visual Culture and Design Communities in a Global Context’. Limerick SophiaEuropa Conference, Limerick (May) Felicia, P. & Pitt, I.J. (2006) ‘5 Keys to More Effective Educational Games: A systematic Approach to Emotionally Sound Games’. 9th International Conference on Computer Games: AI, Animation, Mobile, Educational & Serious Games, Dublin (22-24 November). Fewer, T. G., (2006) ‘Conserving space heritage: the case of Tranquillity Base’, Archaeology in Space Symposium, British Interplanetary Society, London (10 May). Ford, M., Stevens, J., Ronan, J., (2006) ‘Initial Results from an IPv6 Darknet13’ International Conference on Internet Surveillance and Protection (ICISP'06) Côte d’Azur, France. Heynen, M. (2005). ‘Providing Accredited Courses for Literacy Practitioners in Ireland.’ Conference on Training Language, Literacy and Numeracy Teachers: A European Perspective. Lewisham College, London. Howlett, M. (2006). ‘Handheld Devices and Cultural Change.’ SophiaEuropa Conference, Limerick (April).

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Howlett, M. (2006) ‘A Cultural Critique of ICT led Irish Society: Religious and Historical Perspectives.’ Continuity + Change: Perspectives on Science and Religion. Philadelphia, PA, USA (June). Paper available on: www.metanexus.net/conference2006/papers Keating, M., (2006) ‘Narrating the experience of Middle Management in the Implementation of Change Initiatives’. 2nd Annual Conference of Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland, Waterford Institute of Technology (13 - 14 June). Keating, M., (2006) ‘Narrating the experience of Middle Management in the Implementation of Change Initiatives - a methodological perspective’. 5th European Conference on Research Methods in Business and Management. Trinity College Dublin, (17-18 July). Kelliher, F. (2006) ‘A critical analysis of the power relationship between the independent community pharmacist and software vendors: assessing the potential for a cooperative construct among small firms’. 2nd Workshop on Competition strategy: toward a new kind of interfirm dynamics Proceedings, SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, Italy, (14 – 15 September). Lally, A. & Fynes, B., (2006) ‘Articulating Service Concept to enhance Tourism Experience Design’. Academy of Management Conference, University College Cork

■ ■ ■ BOOK CHAPTERS ■ ■ ■ Connolly, R., O’Gorman, B.& Bogue, J. (2006). An Exploratory Study of the Process by which Recent Graduate Entrepreneurs (RGEs) Become Self-Employed. The Irish Journal of Management, Vol. 26. Blackhall Publishing, Dublin, pp.185 – 210. McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S. & Power, J. (2006) Capillary Electrophoresis for Pharmaceutical Analysis. CRC Handbook of Capillary Electrophoresis 3rd edition. James Landers (Ed.). CRC Press. McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S. & Power, J. (2006) Capillary Electrophoresis: Microemulsion Electrokinetic Chromatography. Encyclopedia of Separation Science, Update 1. Elsevier. McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S. & Power, J., Marsh, A. (2006) Liquid Chromatography: Microemulsion Based HPLC Methods. Encyclopedia of Separation Science Update 1. Elsevier Neelam K & Nolan J., (2006) Vitamins. Nutrition and Vision. 2006; Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Neelam K & Nolan J., (2006) Minerals and Trace Elements. Nutrition and Vision, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Maher, J. (2006). ‘Consumer Savings or Saving Consumers: a Consumer Perspective.’ Conference of Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors. Frankfurt am Main, Germany (14 November).

Nolan J & Neelam K. (2006) Carotenoids. Nutrition and Vision Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Maher, J. (2006). ‘Policy Submission to the Dept. of An Taoiseach in response to the public consultation on Regulatory Appeals.’ PRNA6/ 1047 (31 October).

O'Donovan O. (2006) Proteins. Nutrition and Vision. ButterworthHeinemann, Oxford, UK.

Mulhall, C. (2006) Lexical Variation in Idiomatic Expressions in Bilingual Italian-English dictionaries, Australex 2006, Linguistics in Queensland, University of Queensland, Brisbane (6 July). Murphy, A. and Garavan, T., (2006), ‘A Conceptual Model to Explain Adoption and Diffusion of Excellence Through People’, Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, Waterford Institute of Technology, (13 14 June). Murphy, A. and Garavan, T., (2006), ‘A Conceptual Model to Explain Adoption and Diffusion of A National HRD Standard’, Irish Academy of Management Conference, University College Cork, (6 -8 September)

Nolan J & Neelam K.( 2006) Oxidative Stress. Nutrition and Vision. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

O'Donovan O. (2006) Lipids. Nutrition and Vision. ButterworthHeinemann, Oxford, UK. O'Donovan O. (2006) Carbohydrates. Nutrition and Vision. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. O'Donovan O & Beatty S. (2006) The Lutein - 'Evidence that macular pigment protects against AMD and the relationship between macular pigment and serum and dietary levels of lutein and zeaxanthin. The Lutein - Prevention and Treatment of Age-Related Diseases, a review book series of Chem. Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPS), Noboru Motohashi (Ed). Transworld Research Network, Chapter 9.

O'Connell, B. (2006) ‘Newfoundland and Irish Fiddle Styles: A Comparative Study’. European Seminar of Canadian Studies, Graz, Austria. (28 – 31 September).

Spillane, M., O’Gorman, B., Birdthistle, N. (2006) Family Business and Consultation to them in Ireland. Handbook of Family Business and Family Business Consultation – A Global Perspective. F. Kaslow (Ed.) International Business Press, New York. pp. 165-178.

O’ Duill G., (2006) ‘Sir Samuel Ferguson (1810-1886) and his engagement with Irish language and culture’ Ceangal Dha Chultur Conference - Celtic Revival Summer School in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin (July).

Taie R Al, Neelam K & Nolan J., (2006) Age-related macular degeneration. Nutrition and Vision. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK

Walsh, A., Foley, A. & Lally, A.M (2006) "An Application of Service Typologies within a Hospitality Context", 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Conference, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford (13-14 June) Walsh, A., Lally, A.M & Foley, A. (2006) "Towards further Understanding of Relevant Service Typologies for the Hospitality Industry", Irish Academy of Management Annual Conference, University College Cork, Cork (6-8 Sept) Wohlfeil, Markus and Susan Whelan (2006), "Confessions of a Movie-Fan: Introspection into the Experiential Consumption of Pride & Prejudice", Proceedings of the 9th Irish Academy of Management Conference, University College Cork, Cork: on CD-Rom.

■ ■ ■ OTHER ■ ■ ■ Beatty S. “Epidemiology and pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration.” http://www.eyetext.com Fewer, T. G. Various entries in Bobby Hitt (ed.), Pen & Paper: R PG [Role-Playing Game] Database (http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php). O’Duill , G. (2006) The Watch Disturbed, The Black Mountain Review, Raw Brae; Beast, his Mark; Crows; 14, ed. Niall Magrath, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim. O’Duill , G. (2006) Nua, a journal of contemporary Irish writing, Arrest; Spring; Bales; Burial; ed. Shawn O’Hare, Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tennessee, October. O’Duill , G. (2006) Inattention in the ProCathedral; The Surface; Making Tracks; Outward and Return, Cork Literary Review 11 ed. Fred Johnston, Cork

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Recent WIT publications & conferences cont’d... O’Duill , G. (2006) The Shop 20, versions in Irish and in English, Faoileoir / Glider, eds John and Hilary Wakeman, Schull, Co. Cork. O’Duill , G. (2006) The Blackbird’s Nest, Sionnach/ Fox: an anthology of poetry from Queen’s University Belfast, ed. Frank Ormsby, Blackstaff Press, Belfast. O’Duill , G. (2005) Reviews on Celia de Fréine and on Michael Davitt, ed. Peter Sirr Poetry Ireland Review 84. Simmons, J. (2006) Flycatcher, The flow, Energy to burn A Journey of Poetry, 25 years of Poetry Publishing in Ireland. Salmon Press. Simmons, J. (2006) The Blackbird’s Nest, Salt Carress. Blackstaff Press, Belfast. Simmons, J.,(2005) The Bowsprit, Lagan Press, Belfast, July. Simmons, J. (2006) The Sirens, The Book of Irish America Poetry from The Eighteenth Century to the Present, Notre Dame Univ. Press. Simmons, J. (2006) Heliotrope, Wild Carrot, Susan Sindall (Ed.), NewYork City. Simmons, J. (2005) The Ark, The Independent on Sunday poem, July,

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