Research Matters Issue 8 - Summer 2007

ISSUE 8 SUMMER 07

Eureka!

WIT Wins European Prize for Science Communication

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Welcome from the Head of Research This issue focuses on the number of accomplishments and achievements by WIT researchers in recent months. The Institute has continued to prosper, drawing attention to itself as a site of expertise and innovation.

The lead article in this issue focuses on the outstanding achievement by Dr. Sheila Donegan and Mr. Eoin Gill in winning the highly prestigious Descartes prize for science communication. This is one of Europe’s most distinguished prizes in this field and it brings great pride to the Institute.

We also commend the work of a team of researchers from the School of Humanities who received a European languages award in recognition of their work in the field of content and integrated language learning. Furthermore we congratulate Mr. Bruce Wardrop on his appointment as sports physiologist to the Irish Paralympics team who will be competing in Beijing next year.

Supporting individuals in their research is of great importance in any Institute or University and in recent months, two new doctoral candidates at WIT have received their awards. Dr. Felicity Kelliher and Dr. Richard Hayes have submitted their PhDs to the Luke Wadding Library, further enhancing our cohort of experts in diverse fields of research. In addition, the Institute has honoured outstanding graduate students with its Advanced Scholars awards. These scholars are the life blood of future research in Ireland and are integral to the pursuit of research excellence at WIT. Research in health is a prevalent issue and this is evidenced in a number of articles on healthcare - how we manage and market our healthcare system, the impact of weight loss on eye health and the role that art plays in healing the sick.

Above all, the issue reminds us of what WIT researchers are capable, and we look forward to the collaborations and innovations yet to come.

D r. W i l l i e D o n n e l l y H e a d o f R e s e a r ch & I n n o v a t i o n

Contents Editorial Board

WIT’S CALMAST wins major European prize for science communication . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 WIT sports physiologist prepares team for Paralympic Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Dr. Paula Carroll (School of Health Sciences)

Addressing the needs of our ageing population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Ms. Philomena Carton (Research Support Unit)

Managing and marketing our healthcare system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Dr. Sinead Conneely (School of Humanities)

The role of art in healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-8

Dr. Willie Donnelly (Head of Research)

Understanding the effect of stress on fibres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Mr. David Kane (WIT Luke Wadding Library)

Making high performance computing available through PC clustering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Ms. Kathryn Kiely (Industry Services Manager)

‘Seeing’ the value of weight loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Dr. Mohamed Medjaou (School of Engineering)

Meet the Internet’s new “buddy”: TSSG’s IMIS messenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Ms. Geraldine Mernagh (School of Education)

Measuring progression in adult guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Dr. Cormac O’Raifeartaigh (School of Science)

WIT hosts International Manufacturing Conference (IMC 24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Dr. Susan Whelan (School of Business)

Onwards & upwards for Nubiq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Edited by Ms. Jenny Murphy (School of Humanities)

PhD theses presented to WIT library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Do mass events make people more active? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Visualising collaboration through art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Learning from the best at the WIT School of Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

“European Language Label” awarded to WIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

SEEPP Business Plan Competition 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

€750k funding for digital ecosystem research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Advanced Scholars honoured at WIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Depositing knowledge: the WIT institutional repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Profile of a Researcher: Dr. Michael Howlett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

ArcLabs Innovation Centre update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Recent WIT publications & conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-23

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Eureka! WIT’S CALMAST wins European prize for science communication engineers and scientists to fill the high quality jobs of the future.”

“The work undertaken by Sheila and Eoin has been invaluable to widen the understanding of science and to bring it to a mass audience. The award is well deserved and I hope they will continue their efforts and bring the wonders of science to many more children.”

Dr. Sheila Donegan and Eoin Gill awarded the Descartes prize in Brussels Dr. Sheila Donegan and Eoin Gill of Waterford Institute of Technology’s Centre for the Advancement of Learning of Maths, Science & Technology (CALMAST) have been named as this year’s winners of the Descartes prize. Celebrations were held on March 7th in Brussels and were attended by European Council President, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and the European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso. The Descartes prize for science communication is awarded to organisations or individuals having achieved outstanding results in science communication.

The judges for the Descartes Prize for Science Communication hailed Dr Donegan and Mr Gill for the exceptional talent and commitment shown to communicating complex scientific issues to a wide public. A high level expert panel of leading scientists and media professionals, chaired by Suzanne de Cheveigné of the prestigious French research institute CNRS, examined projects from across Europe.

The success for the Irish team came in the ‘Popularising science through the written word’ category and related to ‘Eureka!’ a schools science magazine that CALMAST produced for publication with the Irish Independent. This beat the competition from other shortlisted projects in this category from Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and France.

Eoin Gill and Sheila Donegan had previously won the Waterford Crystal Gal Greine award and this allowed them go forward for the Descartes award.

Speaking from the awards presentation in Brussels, Prof. Kieran R. Byrne, Director of WIT paid tribute to Dr Donegan and Mr Gill who jointly manage CALMAST. “Sheila and Eoin believe passionately in the importance of stimulating public interest in mathematics, science and technology and do Trojan work in the whole area of science communication, work that is clearly valued by their partners in industry who are acutely conscious of skills shortages in these fields. CALMAST’s track record and the significant contribution they made to the promotion of science in Ireland make them very appropriate winners of a Descartes Prize for Science Communication.

“One gets a sense of just how prestigious the Descartes Prizes are when considering some of the previous winners. These include author Bill Bryson in 2005 and filmmaker Sir David Attenborough in 2004. In addition, their importance was reflected in the presence of Chancellor Merkel and EC President Barroso at the event while HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium, the German Federal Minister for Education & Research, Anne Schavan and EU Commissioner for Science & Research, Janez Potoãnik hosted a celebration that evening along with leading European scientists and science communicators.”

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, TD, congratulated both Dr Donegan and Mr Gill. “Getting our young people interested in the sciences is one of the greatest challenges we face. It is important that we have a new generation of technicians,

A delighted Dr Donegan said, “We’re thrilled to receive this recognition at EU level for the work on ‘Eureka!’ and the wider maths, science and technology promotion agenda. The prize is of course named after René Descartes, the French mathematician, philosopher and scientist who was himself a champion of scientific literacy and awareness.”

Eoin Gill added, “Descartes Prizes are the European Union’s highest awards for outstanding transnational scientific research and science communication and this is a highly prestigious win for CALMAST and Waterford Institute of Technology. It is also an endorsement of our work which is to excite young people about the world they live in and stimulate a spirit of enquiry and discovery.

“In accepting the award, we also gratefully acknowledge the role played in the Eureka! success by John Walshe, Education Editor, and his colleagues in the Irish Independent; our colleagues in Waterford Institute of Technology; the Institute’s Director, Prof Byrne for his continued support and Colin McGookin of Waterford Crystal who nominated us for the original Irish award that was the springboard to this European honour. We would also like to thank the industries we work with, the educators but - perhaps above all - the young people that CALMAST works with. We learn a great deal from them.”

Recognising the importance of communicating science to the public, the Descartes Prize for Science Communication was introduced in 2004, and is designed to reward outstanding achievements in bringing science and technology to wider audiences in Europe.

Five category winners, including CALMAST, and five runners-up share the €275,000 prize fund.

For more information contact: Dr. Sheila Donegan E-mail: sdonegan@wit.ie Mr. Eoin Gill E-mail: egill@wit.ie

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WIT sports physiologist prepares team for Paralympic Games In February of this year, Bruce Wardrop, exercise physiologist with the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science at WIT was appointed Team Sports Physiologist to the Paralympic Council of Ireland. Bruce will be responsible for the physiological preparation of all the athletes and will formulate strategies to help Irish competitors at the Paralympics to better cope with heat, humidity, pollution and jetlag.

Since his appointment, Bruce has been working on generic coping guidelines for the Irish delegation (potential competitors, coaches and support staff), which will form the basis of their preparation for Beijing 2008. These guidelines were presented to the delegation at a Paralympic training camp over Easter. In order to establish the effects of these factors likely to be experienced by the athletes in Beijing, baseline data was collected from the athletes at this training camp to gain valuable information about respiratory function, weight, hydration status, mood and quality of sleep. This procedure will be replicated at the Familiarisation Camp in Beijing in August 2007, which will allow the effects of heat, humidity, pollution and jetlag to be taken into account for each individual athlete.

Pictured (l-r): Mr. Liam Harbison (Performance Director of the Paralympic Council of Ireland) Ms. Teresa Hurley (Head of Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science) Mr. Bruce Wardrop of WIT (Irish Paralympic Team Sports Physiologist) Commenting on the Familiarisation Camp, Bruce says ‘this is a fantastic opportunity for the Irish Paralympic Team. Taking the squad out to Beijing and familiarising them with the environment and culture offers a huge advantage to the athletes at the Games in 2008. The shock factor will be removed by the time they go out there to compete, allowing them to focus purely on their performance. The data collected by the Sports Science Team at home and in

Beijing will allow us to create extremely individualised preparation strategies for the athletes. I am confident that this research will allow Ireland to have one of the best prepared squads at the Paralympic Games in 2008’.

For more information contact: Mr. Bruce Wardrop E-mail: bwardrop@wit.ie Web: www.pcireland.ie

Addressing the needs of our ageing population Many of the current debates around older adults are related to the changing demographics of the population. Worldwide, the proportion of people aged 60 and over is growing faster than any other age group (WHO, 2002). The 2006 Preliminary Census Statistics indicated that there were 470,000 older people in the country, representing 11% of the overall population (Central Statistics Office, 2006). In Ireland, the number of people aged 65 years and over is expected to increase significantly in the next 30 years to represent almost 25% of the total population (Central Statistics Office, 2004). Thus, an increase in the old age dependency ratio is inevitable (National Council on Ageing and Older People, 2005).

In light of the predicted demographic changes, a growing health promotion objective is to prolong patient independence in order to maintain a desirable quality of life and to avoid the increased financial burdens associated with dependency. It has been recognized that social activity in older adults is a determinant both of health and quality of life. Moreover, involvement in social activity has been clearly correlated with self-efficacy and independence in later years (WHO, 2000). Bowling et al (2002) found that engagement in social activities is a main building block in the development of quality of life in later years.

Irish research on the quality of life of older people is desirable in the light of future demographic changes in the society, leading to increased numbers of older people. The impact that these demographic changes will have on our healthcare systems will be significant. It is important that key factors in the way that these systems impact on people’s lives be identified. As it is, there is sustained public interest in the way that such healthcare systems affect the lives of older people as evidenced by public reactions to recent nursing home controversies. To attain high standards of care, it is essential that policy makers and health care professionals can

identity what quality of life is composed of and how it can be achieved.

The Department of Nursing has recently commenced research, which aims to explore the impact of cognitive and social stimulation on the quality of life of older adults. This research will focus on older people living in residential care settings. A number of interventions involving increased activity and social interaction will be implemented over a specified time period. It is anticipated that this research will contribute to guidelines for best practice in the development of activities for those currently living in residential care, for future residents and of course, our future selves.

The research team is comprised of Dr. Paula Lane, Ms. Karen Bunyan and Ms. Laura Cantwell (MSc candidate)

For more information contact: Dr. Paula Lane E-mail: plane@wit.ie

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Do mass events make people more active? do not know is whether the event attracts the most active women in Ireland, or a representative sample. Do women train specially for the event, or not? Do they keep up their activity afterwards? This study will attempt to answer some of these questions.

Do big events, or ‘mass events’, have an important role to play in making the population more active? If they do, should their role in affecting public health be recognised as such? Indeed, it is often suggested that even being a spectator in mass events causes an increase in participation. Do more kids play tennis after Wimbledon? Do more kids join soccer clubs after the World Cup? Or will watching the London Olympic Games, so close to our shores, cause us to rise from our couches and spring into action?

The organisers of the London Olympics certainly think so. In their bid for the 2012 Games, the organising committee claimed that the Games would “inspire a new generation to greater sporting activity and achievement, helping to foster a healthy and active nation.”

Newspaper reports following the Sydney Olympic Games claimed a “rising of the couch potatoes” and a more active population as a result.

What is the evidence that such an effect occurs after a mass event? The best way to measure whether mass events, like the Olympic Games have any impact on population physical activity levels is to use large scale national monitoring surveys before and after the event. Only two such evaluations have taken place: after the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. In both cases, there was no change in the proportion of population who were active following the Games.

Watching elite athletes does not seem to ‘trickle down’ to the average person in the population. Yet maybe big events help to develop or consolidate the physical activity or sporting culture of a nation. Perhaps there are spin offs in terms of community pride, or increased

volunteering, which has a knock-on effect for youth sport. However, most events have done a poor job of measuring these outcomes.

In spite of all the grand claims, very few evaluations of the impact of events on the physical activity of populations have taken place. We know plenty about how much money events generate, or what the wider economic impacts might be.

What we do not know is whether mass events attract already active people, or inspire first time exercisers. We do not know if people give up post-event, or stay active afterwards, or for how long the activity habit might last. If race organisers could demonstrate that their events have a public health benefit, perhaps those holding the purse strings of the health budget might be persuaded to sit up and take note.

This year, an innovative study will be undertaken by the Centre for Health Behaviour Research at Waterford Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the organisers of the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon, and funded by the Irish Sports Council. The Flora Women’s MiniMarathon in early June is the largest women’s only event worldwide. What we

When women enter the 2007 Flora Women’s Mini Marathon, either on-line or by post, they will receive an e-mail or postal contact inviting them to complete a brief survey about their physical activity habits. The on-line survey can be done automatically, and takes just a few minutes. If they consent, participants will be sent a follow-up survey 6 weeks and 6 months after the event to measure their activity and to tell us what would help them be more active. By way of a ‘thank you’ for people’s effort, a draw for a walking holiday to the Azores, sponsored

by Sunway, will be held amongst all survey participants. Next year, for the 2008 event, the plan is to try and identify those women who are struggling to stay active and offer them additional support to keep them active for longer. We hope that by talking to Meet-and-Train groups countrywide, women will help us provide supports in the form they require that will be relevant to them.

The second strand of the study will try to capture all the wonderful work which we know from anecdotal evidence is going on through the Meet and Train network, and through charity organisations countrywide. The women in all of these groups will be surveyed, and some of them interviewed. We would like to help these groups grow stronger and receive the assistance they need to attract new members and support existing ones.

So, what are the benefits of the study for the women of Ireland, and for organisers and sponsors of mass events? This work might help us tailor events to suit women more, or help us capture the euphoria of mass events and use it to motivate women over a longer term. There may be considerable untapped potential for utilising the Flora Mini-Marathon, and events like it, as a catalyst for a targeted approach to increasing and maintaining healthy physical activity behaviours amongst women in Ireland, something that is beneficial for everyone.

The research team is comprised of Dr. Niamh Murphy, Ms. Jean McArdle, Ms. Aoife Lane, Ms. Annalouise Muldoon and Dr. Elaine Mullan.

For more information contact: Dr. Niamh Murphy E-mail: nmurphy@wit.ie

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Managing and marketing our healthcare system The projects, which predominantly examine healthcare management and strategic marketing themes, have attracted attention from the international research community. An important part of the cluster’s development has been the establishment of international links with other research centres and academics involved in this area. As a result, in March the WIT School of Business welcomed two globally recognised academics in healthcare economics and marketing.

Dr. Susan Whelan (WIT) Prof.

Michael Kamins (University of Southern California) and Mr. Anthony Foley (WIT) As a result of funding by the WIT’s Behest Clustering Fund, researchers at the WIT School of Business have collaborated across two research centres within the School on a number of research projects and initiatives.

This cluster involves researchers from the Waterford Crystal Centre for Marketing Studies and the Centre for Management Research in Healthcare and Healthcare Economics.

Rick Audas is Professor of Health Statistics and Economics at Memorial University, Newfoundland and visited the School to discuss the cluster’s research initiatives. Prof Audas delivered his presentation as part of the series of 'Masterclasses for Leadership and Governance'. He is heavily involved in research in the area of Hospital Accreditation, and the theme of the Masterclass focused on his experience of Canadian Hospital Accreditation and how the lessons learned from the Canadian experience can be applied in the Irish context. Later in March, Professor Michael Kamins from the University of Southern California visited the School.

His research interests include the

marketing of public sector bodies and he has published work in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research and the Harvard Business Review.

The cluster has helped to deepen and nurture the already established partnership with the Health Services Executive. Researchers within the cluster sit on committees in an advisory capacity at a local, regional and national level, including the Leadership and Partnership Committee for Waterford Regional Hospital. The cluster has been the foundation for a successful Strand 1 project proposal which will examine the strategic management of a hospital’s reputation by managing the gaps between employee views of the hospital in comparison with that of patients and visitors. A number of other healthcare marketing management project proposals are also currently under review with representatives of the South Eastern Branch of the Health Services Executive.

For more information contact: Dr. Susan Whelan E-mail: swhelan@wit.ie Dr. Sheila O’Donohoe E-mail: sodonohoe@wit.ie

“European Language Label” awarded to WIT dissemination of this work at national and European levels in the form of papers and seminars.

A team of WIT reasearchers has received a prestigious European Award for Languages. The award or “Language Label” goes to the WIT team for 3 years of work in the field of Content and Integrated Language Learning. The project, entitled “A CLIL experience@WIT” focuses on the teaching of various subjects through European languages to strengthen students’ understanding and verbal fluency, and to increase the relevance of foreign languages in everyday learning.

The project shows the evolution of the project from the initial teaching of the subjects of Marketing through French, and Art and Design through Italian to the addition of new subjects and new languages. The experience highlights the dual focus adopted by its proponents Dr Áine Furlong and Paola Fraioli: materials are systematically developed for use in the classroom as well as for teacher training. Emphasis is also placed on the

Results of surveys conducted among the students who experienced Content and Language Integrated Learning indicate that students find more immediate relevance to language learning, as important aspects of their core subjects are reinforced through the foreign language. Consequently, students are expected to become better learners of the subject in question; they also gain a different perspective on the subject (cultural and/or cognitive), and they are better prepared to follow lectures in another language should they wish to travel abroad as Erasmus students.

Finally, this work involves close cooperation with the subject specialists.

At WIT, the cooperation between the language lecturers involved in this work and colleagues in other disciplines has been most fruitful. The award of the European Language Label prompted the establishment of a new research and development group in Content and Language Integrated Learning. The group comprises 6 language lecturers in Italian, Spanish, German, French and English as a second language and is named CLIL@WIT. The aim of the team is to develop

materials as well as teaching strategies for the implementation of CLIL and to create links with schools in the South-East region. While this approach is widespread in Europe, its implementation in Ireland has been extraordinarily slow and WIT is currently the expert in the field in Ireland.

The group is now seeking funding to finance an 18 month project.

Within the context of the MA in Second Language Learning and Teaching a series of public lectures were organized for the students and the teaching community of the South East. Dr Muiris O’Laoire delivered a lecture on language planning and policy in November 2006. In February 2007, Dr Barbara Lazenby-Simpson from Integrate Ireland Language and Training and Trinity College Dublin spoke to a large audience of teachers from the region about the development of learner autonomy in the acquisition of English as a Second Language.

The CLIL project is ongoing and aims to create an environment in which languages can be integrated into the everyday lives of WIT students.

For more information contact: Dr. Aine Furlong E-mail: afurlong@wit.ie

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Visualising collaboration through art

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The role of art in healing

Dr. Peter Jordan and Cordula Hansen of WIT recently delivered a research paper and case study to the All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE) conference at NUI Maynooth. The paper considers the role of practice-based artistic research within the broader learning environment of an Institute of Technology.

In recent years, the traditional location of art education as separate from a wider disciplinary setting has been debated. While there are some advantages to the separate Art School, many art departments have now been absorbed into larger institutions, such as the Institutes of Technology (ITs). Particularly in the area of postgraduate research, a physical and ideological location within a higher educational institution and the subsequent exposure to researchers from other disciplines could be beneficial to the quality of research conducted in the Arts.

With Art Practice recently emerging as a recognised field of research, its potential contribution to a multidisciplinary learning and research environment must be considered. In using a visual rather than a verbal medium, art practice may offer new perspectives on knowledge in fields not confined to the creative arts. Moreover, the flexibility and open-ended nature of research through the arts opens up new opportunities for collaboration between disciplines.

Dr. Peter Jordan and Cordula Hansen would like to hear from fellow researchers with an interest in cross-disciplinary activities involving visual media.

For more information contact: Ms. Cordula Hansen E-mail: chansen@wit.ie Dr. Peter Jordan E-mail:pjordan@wit.ie

As Matisse has claimed, the work of art should exert a soothing influence.

If this is so, it would certainly be beneficial in allaying the physical preoccupations and anxieties that attend illness. The hospital setting is the obvious environment in which to explore the soothing potential of art.

Psychologists talk about 'schema' or patterns that are the basis of the mental representations we possess.

One delight in the contemplation of art is in our recognition of the pattern or the schema - something we already know, and gain pleasure in meeting again. Visual art and music have much to offer hospital and care settings.

Another psychological and emotional purpose of art, allied to recognition, is that the work creates an 'instantiation' or a vivid instance of some event or situation that is important to the recipient. Experiencing the work of art may enable us to live through some very powerful emotions, ones we recognise or even fear, and thereby undergo some kind of catharsis, relief or perhaps simply a recognition that other people have gone through the same experience. In other words it can help to create meaning in situations of illness that are often frightening and bewildering.

These psychological processes are cognitive ones we have all experienced, but there are clear emotional benefits too. We know from research carried out on colour and mood that certain colours (like certain chords in music) are known to have a calming effect and can act to reduce tension and to alleviate physical symptoms, whereas other colours/chords may generate depression or cause stress.

In relation to other hospital audiences, such as staff and visitors, the art-work serves to create a richer environment than one simply associated with sickness. This provides a multitude of stimuli (and not only those associated with health or well-being), thus 'normalising' what may be an intimidating environment. Perhaps for some of these other audiences (health or art practitioners for example), it enables an engagement with reflective practice and experimentation of a type not routinely used, and so stimulates creativity. In this sense, art for health has an educative role.

Apart from psychological considerations, the type of socialisation and group processes that may be involved in experiencing or creating art is important in enhancing well-being. Up until the middle of this century it was common for hospitals and asylums, particularly where patients stayed for long periods of time, to have orchestras in which both patients and staff participated, or to put on dances or plays which served to encourage social interaction at a number of levels. Many of these practices disappeared as a more scientific model of medicine took over, but the effect on patients and staff of participating in a vital community was a strong one. These social relationships served to enhance dignity and self-esteem and provided opportunities for autonomy in groups of dependent people who otherwise had little control over their lives.

A number of important questions remain to be fully investigated: Are all art forms equally effective as healing agencies? Do different art forms pose different challenges and choices? Music for example forms an ambient and pervasive context - it cannot be turned Continued overleaf

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The role of the arts in hospital settings Continued from previous page

off and people cannot opt not to listen in the way that a viewer may choose not to look at a piece of visual art. Should there be a preference in music for the lyrical or the popular at the expense of the striking or the avant garde? What would a constant playing of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring do for the blood pressure of patients or staff? So too with visual art.

Should there be an avoidance of certain themes or subject matter, to do with illness or death for example? Is it better to stick to pleasant landscapes? Could we make use of more emotional themes or subjects as a way of allowing people to come to terms with illness, or is it too prescriptive an approach? While some

suggest that perhaps groups of patients or staff should be asked what they would like to experience in an arts for health setting, others believe they should be challenged by newer or more radical or innovative forms.

These are not questions divorced from standard art practice - any arts centre or art gallery faces the same considerations.

Perhaps the difference is in the enhanced need for well-being in this particular context and with this key audience. As Richard Smith stated in his BMJ Editorial (December, 2000), “More and more of life’s processes and difficulties are being medicalised. Medicine cannot solve these

problems. It can sometimes help but often at substantial cost. Worst of all people are diverted from what may be much better ways to adjust to these problems… If health is about adaptation, understanding and acceptance, then the arts may be more potent than anything that medicine has to offer.”1 1

Smith, R., quoted in White, M., (2005) ‘A change of seats: The role and value of the arts in healthcare’, presented at Culture + Health: Partnership + Opportunities Conference, Cork.

For more information contact: Dr. Peter Jordan Email: pjordan@wit.ie

Learning from the best at the WIT School of Business to reflect in an innovative and unique way the process of transformation they are undertaking. We equip students with the skills they need to manage the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly changing international business environment and this symposium can only add to the culture of personal and professional development we are collectively creating.”

Dr Tom O’Toole (Head of School of Business) Mr Eddie Kelly (CEO of Heitons Group) and Mr Tom Grant (MBSi student, WIT) The Graduate Business Department of the School of Business held its first Research Symposium in the Tower Hotel on November 23rd 2006, with one hundred research and taught Masters students in attendance. The symposium was addressed by two of Ireland’s leading voices in research activity – Dr. Gary Murphy, Associate Dean of Research at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Dublin City University, and Dr. Alan Barrett, Senior Research Officer in the Macroeconomics and Resource Economics Division of the Economic and Social Research Institute of Ireland.

The speakers explored and reflected upon the research process and the interaction of active research with contemporary

business and policy issues. Dr. Murphy spoke about his recent research on the connection or otherwise between neoliberal economic policies and the incidence of corruption among public officials in the Irish administration since 1997. While Dr. Murphy’s presentation was based on qualitative research from an academic perspective, Dr. Barrett’s research on immigration, work status and educational attainment was an applied quantitative analysis that feeds into governmental policy in the area.

Dr. Denis Harrington, Head of the Graduate Business Department, hosted the Symposium and commented: “This event adds to the learning environment we are continually improving in the School of Business and enables graduates

The symposium also paved the way for a seminar series that took place throughout autumn. Open to all postgraduate students in the School of Business, the seminars were designed to facilitate an in-depth understanding of contemporary aspects of business, management and strategy and their application in practice. Exposed on a weekly basis to such leading voices, students had the opportunity to exchange concepts and ideas with realworld practitioners in leading Irish enterprises. The series sought to include a broad range of speakers, but retained a focus on the core themes of leadership, entrepreneurship, strategy, governance and marketing. Recent speakers have included Professor Niamh Brennan of UCD, Ms. Sahar Kashemi, founder of the Coffee Republic chain in the UK, Mr. Liam Griffin of the Griffin Hotel Group and Mr. John Delaney, CEO of the Football Association of Ireland.

For more information contact: Mr. Gerard Arthurs Email: garthurs@wit.ie

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Understanding the effect of stress on fibres Aramid fibres are used as reinforcements in high performance composites, e.g. in aerospace applications, but they are also used extensively as reinforcements for rubber, tyres, plastics and concrete. Aramid fibres offer good mechanical properties at low density with the added advantage of toughness or damage/impact resistance.

Weight reduction is a key requirement for cost and energy savings, while not impacting on design or performance.

Employing aramid fibres as reinforcements has been limited by poor fibre-matrix interfacial adhesion because of the difficulties associated with the aramid fibre surface having insufficient reactive functional groups for covalent bonding with the matrix resin.

mainly to the asymmetric deformation of the phenylene ring structure and the stretching of the C-C bonds within the phenylene ring. As the p-phenylene ring makes up a large portion of the backbone of the polymer chain, and the rigid rod polymer chains of Twaron 2200 are aligned along the fibre axis, it would be expected that any stress applied to the fibre would result in molecular deformation of the backbone including the p-phenylene ring.

Single Fibre Deformation The study of interfaces in composite systems is essential for the development of an understanding of science and technology of composite materials. An important property of the interface that can greatly affect the mechanical behaviour is the strength of adhesive bonding between the phases. When a load is applied to a fibre-reinforced composite, the load is transferred between the fibre and the matrix through the interface. Analysis of the efficacy of this stress transfer can be attained by observing the stress / strain distribution of the fibre embedded in the composite matrix.

In research conducted by Dr. Austin Coffey of the Department of Engineering at WIT, the technique of Raman spectroscopy has been extended to observe the strains in Twaron fibres embedded in a polymer matrix. Single fibre specimens and fibre polymer composites can be analysed using Raman spectroscopy to measure the stress or strain in the fibre induced by an applied load. In short, the interfacial shear strength of the fibres in the matrix can be monitored such that the interface can be optimised. Optimising the interfacial shear strength in thermoplastic polymers can have significant applications in areas such as the medical device, aeronautical and automobile industries.

Raman Scattering Process Raman spectroscopy involves the measurement of radiation scattered from a specimen after it is exposed to a light source.

The laser beam or electromagnetic radiation used in Raman spectroscopy is considered to be a stream of particles or photons containing energy which can undergo collision and transfer energy to the molecules in the sample [i]. When a molecule is irradiated with the laser, the energy may be transmitted, absorbed, or scattered which is due to vibrational and rotational changes of molecules. The three scattering processes which can occur in the irradiated molecule are shown below (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Energy transitions for elastic (Rayleigh) and inelastic (Stokes Raman and anti-Stokes Raman) light scattering [2] A typical Raman spectrum of the fibre Twaron 2200 is shown in Figure 2. Twaron 2200 fibres give a well defined Raman spectrum. The peaks have been assigned by Kim et al [ii]. Each peak in the Raman spectrum cannot be attributed to a single mode of molecular deformation but is the result of many. The general structure of a Twaron aramid fibre (poly para phenylene terephthalamide - PPTA) is shown in Figure 3. The main peak of interest is that measured at 1610 cm-1, which can be attributed

Figure 2 Raman spectrum of a Twaron 2200 fibre obtained using the near IR 785nm laser at an exposure time of 10s, with two accumulations The shift of the 1610 cm-1 Raman band of a single Twaron 2200 fibre under strain is shown in Figure 3. It is found that the peaks shift to lower wavenumbers under tensile deformation, with the 1610cm-1 peak being the most prominent. This is due to the change of equilibrium bond distance leading to the change of force constant and the wavenumber.

Impact of Research Mapping of strains in fibres or nanoparticles using Raman spectroscopy has far-reaching consequences in the determination of the best methods for exploitation of tailored composites for specific purposes. With Raman spectroscopy, it is possible to accurately measure the effectiveness of the interface between the fibres and composite matrix. Optimisation of the interface between fibre and matrix can lead to the development of ultra-thin walled catheters for the medical device industry and improved polymer composites for the aeronautical and automobile industries. Dr. Coffey is in the process of publishing his findings in a number of peer reviewed journals including the Journal of Materials Science, and will present his findings at a number of lectures at ANTEC 2007, Cincinnati, USA. Dr. Coffey is a lecturer in Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering at Waterford Institute of Technology.

Figure 3 Structure of PPTA Twaron 2200 fibre and the shift of the 1610 cm -1 Raman Band for a Twaron 2200 free standing single fibre in the 1580 – 1640 cm -1 [i] D.Chambell and J.R. White, Polymer Characterisation, Chapman and Hall, London, 1989 [ii] P.K. Kim, C. Chang, S.L. Hsul, “Normal vibrational analysis of a rigid rod polymer: poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide)�, Polymer, 27 34 (1986)

For more information contact: Dr. Austin Coffey E-mail: acoffey@wit.ie

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Making high performance computing available through PC clustering WIT has a large PC infrastructure housed in the Walton building.

Recently the PCs were programmed to work together, a process known as PC clustering. Clusters allow some very large computational problems to be fragmented into smaller parts, each of which can independently be solved by a PC or smaller group of PCs. There is a consequent time saving and more access to powerful computing to researchers.

The WIT Walton Building cluster consists of up to 594 PCs, each with 500 Megabytes of RAM and Gigabit Ethernet interconnection. The cluster is designed to operate between 10pm and 8am during the academic year, on weekends and outside of the academic calendar.

The progress achieved by the cluster was profiled in an Irish Times Special Report on WIT and results were presented at the Irish Society for Scientific and Engineering Computation Conference and at an in-house seminar in UCC. Grid Ireland (http://www.grid.ie/) is coordinating efforts in Ireland to promote and link up various cluster activities, to eventually offer research groups partial or even complete access to all identified clusters. Grid Ireland representatives have visited WIT to learn about this PC computing cluster and have subsequently invited the developers to participate in the Grid Ireland initiative. This cluster is also a potential model for other academic institutions and industry to exploit their

existing PC infrastructures.

The WIT PC computing cluster development began 4 years ago with 28 PCs in the Department of Engineering Technology. Subsequent tests took place in other WIT labs and, eventually, the Luke Wadding Library (100 PCs).

Currently, there are two PC clusters in usage, one for test and development, with 24 PCs and one for execution in the Walton Building, with up to 594 PCs. Funding support of €33,000 was awarded in 2006 under WIT’s Behest funding scheme. This funding was sought in order to allow a fast server hierarchy to be coupled to the existing WIT PC cluster to extend its applicability, in particular to enable it to solve numerically intensive applications that are not amenable to fragmentation.

The cluster is very useful where the computation on an individual PC would take a lot of time. This is especially true where the researcher would like to perform different versions of the same calculation many times over, such that many different scenarios may be explored for each of the calculations.

For example, a particular aspect of mobile phone communications requires the analysis of three independent data sequences. The aim of the analysis is to construct a signal suitable for mobile phone transmission. To verify the analysis, all of the possible outputs are created, by feeding all possible data sequence variations into a computer simulation of the analysis. The result of

SEEPP Business Plan Competition 2007 Sponsored by Ulster Bank and MJ O’Connor Solicitors

all possible analysis outputs is known as a constellation diagram, an example of which is shown in the diagram below.

Constellation Diagram This computing cluster is a powerful tool and it is envisaged that it will be used by WIT postgraduates and researchers. A standalone simulation for a single PC could be made to run on 594 PCs. In one night results can be achieved that would otherwise take 6 months of simulation.

Such a large-scale computing capability could potentially be of advantage to researchers in Arts, Business, Engineering or Science. This would give researchers in WIT, who may have previously curtailed their simulations due to computation time, access to a common highperformance computing resource.

For more information contact: Mr. Michael McCarthy E-mail: mmcarthy@wit.ie

The SEEPP Business Plan Competition, sponsored by Ulster Bank South East Business Centre and MJ O’Connor Solicitors was officially launched at an event in WIT’s ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre recently. The competition was open to both current and past participants of the South East Enterprise Platform Programme. The two finalists chosen from each category will go through to the last round of the competition.

The winning entry will be announced on Tuesday 12th June at 4pm in the Nursing Building.

The judging panel, which includes Brian O’Sullivan, Ulster Bank, Sean Nolan, MJ O’Connor Solicitors and Clare Gately, WIT School of Business, will be chaired by Sam McCauley, MD Sam McCauley Chemists Ltd and recently-appointed CEO in Residence of WIT School of Business.

Pictured (l-r):Mr. Eugene Crehan (WIT) Dr. Tom O’Toole, (WIT) Ms. Emma Walsh (SEEPP) Mr. Sean Nolan (M.J. O’Connor Solicitors) Mr. Sam McCauley (Sam McCauley Chemists) Mr. Brian O’Sullivan (Ulster Bank South East Business Centre) and Ms. Joan McDonald (WIT)

SEEPP is a one year programme that provides a range of supports to innovative start-up businesses in the South East region including training, incubation space, funding and mentoring.

For more information contact: Mr. Eugene Crehan E-mail: ecrehan@wit.ie

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‘Seeing’ the value of weight loss The Macular Pigment Research Group (MPRG) at WIT has recently undertaken a new study which will address the issue of weight loss, and the effect it can have on eye health.

The project entitled ‘Changes in macular pigment optical density and serum concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin, in relation to weight loss’ is funded by the Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG).

The study is designed to investigate whether weight loss can lead to an increase in the protective retinal pigment, known as macular pigment, in people who are not affected by agerelated macular degeneration (AMD).

The importance of this rests on the fact that macular pigment augmentation is needed many years before the onset of this disease, if it is to provide a protective effect. The study aims to further the hypothesis that percentage body fat is related to macular pigment

Dr. John Nolan of the MPRG levels, as shown by Dr. John Nolan (assistant director of the MPRG), in a previous study carried out by the research group.

The Weight Loss Study, as it is known, aims to recruit 100 volunteers over the age of 18, with a BMI (Body Mass Index) greater than 28. The study will

be conducted in a randomisedcontrolled fashion, involving dietary and exercise intervention over a oneyear period. Volunteers who receive the intervention will avail of free consultations with a dietician, a general practitioner and a health/exercise expert from WIT, all of whom are directly affiliated with this project. In addition, all volunteers will be given free body composition analysis, which will inform them of their bone mineral density (BMD) and percentage body fat.

They will also learn more about their macular pigment level, which is recognised as a good indicator of overall ocular health.

For more information contact: Mr. Mark Kirby Email: mlkirby@wit.ie Ms. Leigh-Anne Maddock Email: lmaddock@wit.ie

€750k funding for digital ecosystem research Following the success of the FP6 Integrated Project DBE (Digital Business Ecosystems), the TSSG is continuing its role in the Digital Ecosystems field of research through its participation in two follow-on projects, OPAALS and ONE. A Digital Business Ecosystem is defined as“an evolutionary self-organising system aimed at creating a digital software environment for small organisations”. This supports regional and local development by empowering open, distributed and adaptive technologies and evolutionary business models for the growth of small and medium size organisations.

The DBE project, funded by the European Commission’s Information Society Technologies (IST) 6th Framework Programme, was a multidisciplinary research project with over 20 partners from 6 European countries. The overall objectives of DBE were to provide the SME industry in Europe with a recognised advantage in innovative software application development and to create a digital business ecosystem for SMEs and software providers, thus improving their value network.

Three research domains were established in DBE: natural science, computing science, and business. The research focussed on the definition of ecosystem modelling from the natural science domain, applying these models in the creation of a digital ecosystem infrastructure in the computing domain and deploying this for SME take-up in three regions in Europe: Aragon in Spain, Central England and Tampere in Finland.

The TSSG had two main roles in DBE: providing an architecture, models and implemetation for service accounting in the distributed peer-to-peer DBE infrastructure and also providing models and tools for the creation of e-Contracts applicable to SMEs engaged in the DBE.

All software components created in DBE are available as free Open Source projects.

OPAALS is a 4 year Network of Excellence project also funded by the IST 6th Framework Programme with two overarching aims. The first of these is concerned with building an interdisciplinary research community in the emerging area of Digital Ecosystems, and the second in developing an integrated theoretical foundation for Digital Ecosystems research spanning three widely different disciplinary domains: social science, computer science, and natural science. The main claim that OPAALS makes is that in order to achieve sustainable digital business ecosystems of SMEs and software components, we need to understand in depth the collaborative processes and ICTs that underpin the continuous creation, formalisation, and sharing of knowledge. These processes and ICTs come in the form of business models, software infrastructure for e-Business transactions, and new formal and semiformal languages. The TSSG’s role in OPAALS is primarily in the development of models for accountability, identity and trust as well as the development of

collaborative knowledge sharing techniques.

The ONE (Open Negotiation Environment) project builds on the idea of Digital Business Ecosystems and will provide organisations in the service industry (especially SMEs) with more sophisticated automatic negotiation mechanisms. These mechanisms will be enriched by learning and optimisation tools, that allows a single organisation to dynamically package and compose services from its own offering, and those provided by other SMEs into a larger, more complex service package. This will help SMEs to extend their portfolio of services, thus increasing their ability to fulfil more complex customer demands.

It will also increase their ability to identify and successfully negotiate necessary services from other SMEs. TSSG’s role will cover the design and implementation of a generic negotiation framework, adaptable to a wide class of application scenarios, through a metamodel-based approach. ONE is a 30month STREP project also funded by the IST. For more information contact: Mr. Paul Malone E-mail: pmalone@tssg.org DBE: http://www.digital-ecosystem.org Dr. Brendan Jennings E-mail: bjennings@tssg.org OPAALS: http://www.opaals.org Ms. Trish Mulligan E-mail: tmulligan@tssg.org ONE: http://one-project.eu

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Meet the Internet’s new “buddy”: TSSG’s IMIS messenger

What if you could create services over Instant Messaging (IM)? What if you could talk to services just as if they were friends on your buddy list? Imagine a buddy that alerts you every time a comment is left on your Bebo home page, or alerts all your friends when you update your pictures. Imagine a buddy that could tell you about the traffic conditions in your area, or an RSS blog buddy that alerts you when a web site has been updated. This is now possible with IMIS Messenger.

IMIS Messenger makes it easy to create services that run over IM. In fact, you can create Bots (automated services that act like standard buddies on your contact list) in minutes, no software programming experience necessary, in three easy steps: firstly, configure your service’s IM account. Then configure the service using the service creation wizard and finally, click log-in. From this point onward, anyone on the Internet can access your service through IM by simply adding that contact or ‘buddy’ to their buddy list. This is the major advantage of providing access to services via IM i.e.; adding the buddy makes the service accessible no matter where the user logs in, whether it is a home or work PC, a mobile phone or PDA. Making services accessible via IM has other benefits too. For example, current messenger applications can present information on what users are listening to via what is called ‘presence’ or ‘status.’

IMIS messenger services can use this feature to present service or device

information e.g. GPS co-ordinates, current blog entry title, weather conditions, number of users accessing a website or the current score of a match, thus providing instant information to service users at a glance, and perhaps prompting them to request further data.

IM is also a bi-directional messaging technology. This means services can alert users about events such as breaking news or an opportunity to avail of a merchandising option, much like SMS text messaging. IMIS services will augment the web with a real-time facet, making the web more responsive and more efficient. Imagine an omnipresent representation of a website that follows the user around, accessible wherever they log in, advertising the latest content via presence. The user would constantly be reminded of the existence of the web site and be alerted of important information, driving up traffic and revenue for the site.

In summary, IMIS facilitates the use of IM buddy lists, presence and alerts,

making it easy for the novice to create simple services. It also provides advanced developers with the tools required to rapidly create or link in with existing technologies such as http, rss, xml etc. through the IMIS plug-in framework.

This means that services can be created by individuals at every level of capability.

The system is analogous to a paintbrush: if given to a child, he will paint a picture, but if given to Leonardo da Vinci, he will produce a masterpiece.

IMIS Messenger is an output from the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) at WIT. The IMIS Messenger platform is currently being market validated as part of an EU funded eTen project entitled IM Enabled. TSSG is the leading motivator of this project and is at the forefront of driving the IMIS Messenger technology to commercialisation. The product is in trial across several EU countries including Ireland, Germany, France and Italy for various eGovernment applications including a flood warning system. The number of applications of this technology is immeasurable and limited only by the imagination of those creating its services.

For more information contact: Ms. Susan Weldon E-mail: sweldon@tssg.org

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Advanced Scholars honoured at WIT

Pictured (l - r):Mary Lawless (School of Business) Uta Husfeld (School of Humanities) David Madigan (School of Engineering) Breda Veale (School of Science) and Jenny Cunningham (School of Health Sciences) Outstanding academic achievements by high-performing graduates at Waterford Institute of Technology have been acknowledged with the naming of five Advanced Scholars. The Advanced Scholars scheme recognises and rewards excellence and is designed to encourage the best graduates to remain at the Institute for postgraduate studies and to counteract the 'brain drain' from the South East region.

This year's outstanding scholars were Mary Lawless (School of Business); Uta Husfeld (School of Humanities); David Madigan (School of Engineering); Breda Veale (School of Science) and Jenny Cunningham (School of Health Sciences).The programme sees the winning students' fees waived for the two years in which they study for their Masters degree. In addition, they each receive an honorarium and a special framed parchment.

Mary Lawless won particular praise for her return to formal education in the mid-1990s, having finished secondary school in 1979. After completing a National Certificate in Legal Studies and a National Diploma in International Trade at that time, Mary returned to the workforce. However, she again returned

to higher education in the last academic year to complete the BA (Hons) in Legal Studies with Business and has now begun a part-time Masters by Research.

Originally from the former East Germany, Uta Husfeld secured a first class honours BA in Languages & Marketing at the Waterford Institute and has since progressed to study for an Masters by Research in the field of contemporary German literature.

David Madigan proved himself an excellent student throughout his undergraduate career and his final year average mark was exceptional. He also won a coveted IRCSET (Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Technology) postgraduate research scholarship and his doctoral research project is in the area of highspeed, automated precision measurement

of spherical components.

Breda Veale was awarded a first class honours degree in Applied Biology with Quality Management at WIT this year and secured a PhD position in the area of molecular biology and biochemistry.

Breda has just started her doctoral studies and is part-funded by a scholarship from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Jenny Cunningham was part of the first cohort of pre-registration nursing students who graduated from the newly established Department of Nursing at Waterford Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing and is a highly educated nurse equipped with knowledge and skills that empower her for roles in a dynamic healthcare environment and to become a clinical leader. She has now commenced her Masters by Research in the Department of Nursing.

For more information contact: Dr. Venie Martin E-mail: vmartin@wit.ie

Measuring progression in adult guidance Progression into education and employment has been identified as one of the key outcomes of adult educational guidance. Lifelong guidance is now inextricably linked with lifelong learning as a mechanism to enhance individual mobility in the workforce for future economic growth. However, the current policy requirement for measurable data through positivistic methods of analysis may not provide a true reflection of individual progression. Other methodologies in guidance research now need to be used as there is a general consensus that qualitative research may provide a truer reflection of client’s experiences of guidance.

This was the topic of a number of workshops delivered by Lucy Hearne at the National Adult Educational Guidance Association (NAEGA) annual conference in the University of York in September. NAEGA is the representative body of guidance practitioners in the UK which promotes adult guidance on learning and work. The title of this year’s

conference was ‘Adult Guidance: Best Practice for the Future’.

Over the two days of the conference various themes were explored including the future direction of adult guidance, feedback from practice (users and practitioners), reflective practice and continuing professional development.

Lucy had the opportunity to present her research on using grounded theory methodology in her exploration of a case study of client progression. Workshop participants were given the opportunity to express their views on the topic and the implications for the future best practice of adult guidance in the UK were discussed.

In May 2006, Lucy was awarded the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences Scholarship for her MA studies. She is a student of the Department of Education in WIT. For more information contact: Ms. Lucy Hearne E-mail: lhearne@wit.ie

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Depositing knowledge: the WIT Institutional Repository (http://www.doaj.org/) was launched in 2003, with a total of 375 titles. A year later the number rose to 775. Today there are 2,600. This is partly driven by the ever-rising volume of research being published world wide.

The bulk of today’s premier journal titles are still subscriptiononly and articles in these journals may not immediately be published openly online. Because of changes in the scholarly publications market, many journal publishers have begun to try to make accommodations for open access. Subject to certain stipulations, authors may add their work to a repository. Some journals require a one-time payment for eternal open access to a particular article. Others will allow authors to deposit a copy in their institutional repository after a year. The article is commonly required to be the author's own word-processed version and not the publisher's formatted, branded representation. A link to the publisher's site is often a requirement. Some publishers allow archiving of post-print (after peer review) versions of the article while others permit only pre-print versions.

The WIT Institutional Repository is a first for the Institute of Technology Sector. It is a tool for the dissemination of research and a means of promoting the WIT ‘brand’. Only three universities have repositories in the country at this time, although more will follow.

It is well established that academic work openly presented on the Internet is more widely read and cited than work published in paper form. Increasingly, academic institutions are placing tangible outputs from their academic endeavours on line, in repositories. The material is presented in a structured way that makes it easy for search services like Google Scholar to index.

Besides papers, this material can include theses, reports, datasets, patents and other forms of literature that may not traditionally be published on a large scale.

The repository phenomenon is part of a wider trend - most research is funded by taxpayer's money and there is a powerful school of thought that holds that all research should be publicly and freely accessible. It is referred to as the open access movement and there are two manifestations of it, repositories and open-access journals. Open access journals are electronic peer-reviewed publications, whose content is completely freely accessible to all via the Web. A directory of open access journals

Creating a repository at WIT certainly has tangible benefits relating to promotion of academics, their research and the WIT brand. The repository is also part of a wider answer to the current challenges facing the world of scholarly communication.

Academics' expectations are different; they quite rightly expect a scholarly communications infrastructure that is relevant and easy to access. Services like Google demonstrate a phenomenal power and intelligence. With the explosion of social networks on the Web a new milieu for the linking of concepts has emerged, with possible implications for scholarly communication. In the coming years we can expect to see creative new solutions to these problems which mesh the best of the old and the new.

The Institutional Repository is a joint venture between the library and the Research Support Unit at WIT. It has been set up and is managed by Mr. David Kane.

For more information contact: Mr. David Kane E-mail: dkane@wit.ie Web: http://www.repository.wit.ie

WIT hosts International Manufacturing Conference (IMC 24) The 24th International Manufacturing Conference IMC 24 will be hosted by the Department of Engineering Technology at WIT, from 29th – 31st August 2007. The conference theme is “Manufacturing – Focus on the Future” and the presentations will cover a wide range of manufacturing-related topics, from product / process design and control, materials technology, and operations management to supply chain management and business strategy. A number of papers on micro and nanomanufacturing will also be presented.

Approximately 150 papers will be presented by delegates from Europe and other countries as far afield as Korea, Malaysia, USA and Canada. Due to the wide variety of specialities, the conference will run 3 or 4 parallel sessions and delegates can focus on their particular manufacturing

interests. A significant number of the papers will be of interest to science and to business specialists.

The Irish Manufacturing Conference was initiated by a group of Irish Universities (North & South) to provide a forum for new postgraduate researchers. It expanded very quickly, attracting delegates from the Institutes of Technology and from overseas, and was renamed the International Manufacturing Conference (IMC). IMC 23 was run by the University of Ulster, Jordanstown and IMC 25 will be held at Dublin Institute of Technology.

For more information contact: E-mail: imc@wit.ie Web: www.wit-engineering.com/imc2007

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Profile of a Researcher: Dr. Michael Howlett Research for Dr. Michael Howlett began in 1986 when he studied for a doctorate in theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. That research was a theological reflection on humanity in the writings of Monaghan poet, Patrick Kavanagh. It began a research career in theology and its relationship to the humanities, social sciences and science and technology. This continued after graduation in 1991 with a further PhD from NUI (UCD) in 1998 on the religious dimension of James Joyce's writings. He finds this interdisciplinary approach not just useful but imperative for the theologian. It is also imperative for religion to understand itself and its role in the context in which people live their ordinary and extraordinary lives.

As Head of Department of Applied Arts in WIT, Michael Howlett believes it is crucial to foster research and to support the growth of research centres, clusters and self-tasked researchers. Support ranges from encouraging staff to start or complete PhDs to funding conference attendances (particularly when staff are presenting research papers).

Interdisciplinary research promotes dialogue between researchers and helps attract funding.

topics such as Justice for a Fairer Ireland, Irish Identity, and Values in Cyberspace.

Already at the halfway stage, the SophiaEuropa project, which comprises a network of fifteen European universities, has generated much enthusiasm for writing conference papers for inclusion into European conferences and has helped to focus minds on developing research skills, and completing doctoral studies.

The project has helped WIT to establish links with universities, such as the universities of Mainz and Malta. Plans are also underway to establish research collaboration with CORI Justice and the Charles University in Prague.

Dr. Michael Howlett For example, in the Centre for Social and Family Research, the three year SophiaEuropa research project has an overall aim of promoting dialogue between religion and science. Through funding from the Metanexus Institute in Philadelphia (and matched by WIT funding), it has been possible to invite public speakers on the theme of Culture, Religion and Technology to WIT five times a year to present on

Next month in Florence, he will present a paper entitled "Globalisation in Ireland: Social and Cultural Challenges and Opportunities for Democracy" to the "Maison de l'Europe Contemporaine", a research colloquium of the University of Paris X (Nanterre). He will also present another paper, "European Identity, Religion and Culture: A View from Ireland" at the Second International Conference of SophiaEuropa in Krakow in July.

For more information contact: Dr. Michael Howlett E-mail: mhowlett@wit.ie

Onwards & upwards for Nubiq Since its launch in September 2006, WIT campus company Nubiq® Ltd. can boast a string of accomplishments both at home and abroad. This Waterford based spin-out company (that provides software solutions for mobile technology) develops new solutions to mobile web requirements.

The company delivers innovative products such as mobile web search and discovery, mobile web personalisation and mobile marketing.

The company launched its first major product, Zinadoo (www.zinadoo.com), in September 2006. Zinadoo® is an easyto-use, online tool that enables users to create a mobile website, taking existing content and creating, deploying and managing new text services and mobile sites. Hélène Haughney, Chief Executive Officer of Nubiq Ltd. believes that, “everyone should be able to benefit from the latest that technology offers us – so we build innovative and accessible mobile web applications.”

Although a young company, Nubiq have already achieved recognition both at home and in Europe. In November 2006, Zinadoo reached the regional finals of the InterTrade Ireland Seedcorn Competition.

In January 2007 the company achieved distinction by becoming a European ICT prize nominee, one of the top 70 companies in Europe from over 450 applications. The European ICT Prize is the most distinguished prize for innovative products and services in the field of Information Society Technologies.

As part of the EC-funded eTEN market validation programme, Nubiq completed a second round of service trials with partners Telefonica I&D in Spain, OTEplus in Greece and Fraunhofer FOKUS in Germany. The project, which investigated the market validation of the Zinadoo service was awarded the eTEN Project of the Month for February 2007.

Just five months after their launch, Nubiq partnered with Dublin-based company dotMobi and Hostway UK to bring Zinadoo users the additional option to upgrade to their own .mobi domain name. Hostway UK, established in 1996 is part of the Hostway Corporation and a certified registrar of the .mobi domain name. According to Nubiq CEO, Hélène Haughney “We are really excited about the latest offering from Zinadoo and look forward to a rewarding partnership with dotMobi and Hostway.”

Nubiq was invited in February to join dotMobi on its stand at 3GSM in Barcelona and at CTIA Wireless in Florida in March, where they demonstrated Zinadoo. At CTIA the company launched the alpha version of their next product, MobiSeer; a Web2.0/Mobile Web2.0 service that allows users to organise, tag, share and manage their favourite .mobi websites. Users can mobilise their favourite sites to their personal mobile space and decide what will be seen when accessing from a mobile device.

“We are very excited about the latest version of Zinadoo and delighted to announce the launch of MobiSeer alpha.

These two products will pave the way for future product releases from Nubiq and offer our customers and partners a more compelling solution. We are also currently negotiating deals with strategic partners and mobile operators, so the future for Nubiq looks bright.”

For more information contact: Ms. Hélène Haughney E-Mail: hhaughney@nubiq.com Web: www.nubiq.com www.nubiq.mobi

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ArcLabs Innovation Centre update event for Enterprise Ireland, Ireland’s second BarCamp “un-conference”, and a meeting of the Waterford County Enterprise Board. Other notable events included a seminar on Licensing and IP, delivered by Kevin Burke and Niall Bolger of Enterprise Ireland, and another on “Investment Readiness”, given by Bill O’Dea. On a lighter but equally important note, ArcLabs was delighted to welcome Colette Moloney and the WIT Traditional Music society in March. The group of 13 musicians played in a number of configurations over the course of the concert and provided a superb evening’s entertainment.

ArcLabs residents

Since the official opening of the ArcLabs Innovation Centre in October 2006, much of the focus has been on building awareness of our services and capabilities. Our resident companies are currently participating in an ongoing series of monthly radio interviews on WLR’s, “Business Brief” programme, broadcast on Wednesday evenings. We would like to acknowledge presenter Ben Gavin and the staff at WLR for providing this valuable opportunity for our clients. An Advisory Board for the Innovation Centre has been established and we look forward to working with this team to enhance the strategy for the Centre in the coming months.

New venture initiatives The Innovation Centre, along with WIT’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and the South East BIC is supporting the School of Business’, “New Venture Initiative” programme, led by Clare Gately. This is a flexible term elective for BBS students who are interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial idea over the course of a semester. Students apply for a small loan with which to pursue their business ideas and have access to mentors throughout the programme.

Since the beginning of the year, Clare also brought a number of her BBS classes to meet with the entrepreneurs based at Carriganore and the experience has proven to be interesting and educational.

We are also delighted to have hosted visits from Darrin Taylor’s class of BSc in Multimedia students and John Casey’s class of MBS in Accounting students.

During these visits, students get to hear about the real-life experiences of entrepreneurs and to engage in an open dialogue with them.

office. The IDA staff were briefed on TSSG’s research interests and capabilities, 3CS’ product development and commercialisation strategy and the supports that the Innovation Centre could provide to overseas companies interested in establishing in the region.

This briefing was one of an ongoing series of presentations that are delivered to IDA staff and their prospective clients.

Open Coffee Club The CEOs and owner-managers of The Innovation Centre’s client companies have a formed a network under the “OpenCoffee Club”, banner. This branch of what is quickly becoming a worldwide movement creates a forum that encourages entrepreneurs, developers and investors to meet in relaxed surroundings and to help to inform, to build networks and to provide opportunities for business growth. The Waterford group meets on the first Friday of each month and the venue is posted at http://www.opencoffeewaterford.wordp ress.com/

Presentation to IDA

Informational events

Micheál O’Foghlu, Director of Research at TSSG, Barry Downes, Director of 3CS, and Tom Corcoran, Innovation Centre Manager, recently met with representatives from the IDA’s Chicago

Over the past quarter, the Innovation Centre has hosted a number of events focused on delivering information, advice and assistance to start-up companies, such as a “Sales Process Skills”, training

Since the official opening of the Centre a number of new clients have been welcomed to the Innovation Centre: SuirSoft, Agnition and Stratagem Consulting.

One of our existing clients, Catch™, aims to grow from two employees in January to fourteen employees by the end of May; a development which could not have been achieved without the continued support of the TSSG. A number of the new staff are moving to the company from the TSSG and Catch™ is an excellent example of a collaborative research model for the creation of innovative products and services. Another resident of the centre, Celsus Solutions, has completed the implementation of their e-commerce solution with a major Irish organisation and has recently been awarded funding support by Waterford County Enterprise Board.

There is a strong interest in the technology community in co-working, a structure in which start-up companies share a work area on either a full or parttime basis. Co-working is particularly suited to independent software developers, designers and writers who can avail of the support network that a centre such as ArcLabs can offer and thereby help to grow their businesses.

Over the next quarter, ArcLabs will develop a dedicated area for co-working as part of the strategy for serving the needs of entrepreneurs in the region.

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

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PhD theses presented to WIT library who enjoy working with her. Small businesses have traditionally been difficult for academics to reach in to and penetrate. Research, development and innovation funding and effort rarely reaches this sector, despite its importance to the Irish economy.”

Dr. Felicity Kelliher, presents her PhD to Dr. Tom O’Toole (Head of WIT School of Business) Dr. Felicity Kelliher, lecturer in management, recently presented her doctoral thesis on micro-enterprises to the Luke Wadding Library at WIT. Dr. Tom O’Toole, Head of the WIT School of Business, praised her “risktaking research in an under-studied field” and said Dr. Kelliher is “held in high respect and esteem by colleagues

Dr. Richard Hayes, presents his PhD to Prof. Kieran R. Byrne (Director of WIT) Dr. Richard Hayes, Assistant Registrar at WIT presented his doctoral thesis to the Institute’s Luke Wadding Library in April. Dr. Hayes wrote his thesis on the relationship between American theatre and cinema in the period between the end of World War I and the early 1960s.

Speaking about his doctoral thesis – supervised by Prof Chris Murray of UCD – Dr. Hayes said, “It has long been accepted that theatre influences cinema,

Dr. Kelliher, a business graduate of WIT, related how her family’s business background in Co. Kerry had first sparked her interest in businesses with less than 10 employees. “These enterprises employ many people and are the backbone of most towns. For this research, I looked closely at three companies over a four year period and as well as diaries, desktop analysis and interviews with key people in the firms, I also did a series of eight-hour stints on site at their premises so that I got an unfiltered view of how the businesses operated.

“Some of the challenges that emerged for small businesses were around internal communications and it can be a particular issue for employees to communicate frankly with owneroperators in a small business environment where there’s far greater contact between different levels of the organisation.”

not least in providing scripts for films.

The model has been that a successful Broadway play would, sooner rather than later, become a Hollywood film.

Some of these are very famous. I’m thinking, for instance, of Elia Kazan’s great film of Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire... My hypothesis is that, just as theatre influenced cinema, so too did cinema influence theatre. In the period from 1918 to 1961, there was a significant amount of traffic between Broadway and Hollywood, where playwrights (following the money in many cases) commuted between them, working when they could on plays and working when they needed to on films.”

“There is clear evidence that film shaped the way writers thought about theatre.

I’ve mentioned Tennessee Williams. His first great play, The Glass Menagerie, was drafted while Williams was working in Hollywood (shovelling manure, first of all, something he considered great preparation for working in the movies!) and in terms of its soundtrack, the organisation of its scenes, its lighting schemes, its use of inter-titles, it bears all

Dr. Kelliher paid tribute to the School of Business lecturers at WIT who she said had “gone the extra mile” in support of her while she was an undergraduate. She also spoke of the value of a sabbatical she received while completing her PhD and thanked her family, colleagues and friends for their “tremendous support”.

Prof Kieran R Byrne, Director, Waterford Institute of Technology said it was always a momentous occasion when new knowledge such as that garnered by Dr. Kelliher through her research is presented to a library. He said it was very clear that Dr. Kelliher has the “esteem, respect and affection” of all her colleagues at the Institute. Recalling that Felicity had completed her initial degree studies in Waterford, Prof Byrne said it was fitting that “the seeds first sown at the Institute now bear fruit there”.

Dr. Kelliher’s doctoral research was supervised by Dr. Joan Henderson at Queen’s University Belfast with whom she co-authored a paper entitled ‘A Learning Framework for the Small Business Environment’ for the Journal of European Industrial Training.

For more information contact: Dr. Felicity Kelliher E-Mail: fkelliher@wit.ie

the marks of the influence of film.”

Dr. Hayes added, “I also look in the thesis at the influence of film on theatre through the work of Eugene O’Neill, Clifford Odets, Lillian Hellman and Tennessee Williams. In doing so, I touch on other themes: the relationship between high art and popular culture, the function of art in democracy and the place of avant-garde art in a capitalist society.”

Accepting the thesis for inclusion in the library, Prof. Kieran R. Byrne, Director of WIT said: “We are honoured and grateful to Richard for providing this intellectual capital to our library.

Completing a PhD motivates those around you. The doctoral process provides a magnificent lead to fellow students and researchers to do the same.

We hope to see Richard continue to contribute to scholarship in his field and it is right that we acknowledge this milestone in his academic achievement.”

For more information contact: Dr. Richard Hayes E-Mail: rhayes@wit.ie

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Recent WIT publications & conferences Publication of Tourism and Hospitality Conference Proceedings Mr. Aidan Pender, Director of Education and Training with Fáilte Ireland recently launched the publication of Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges. This publication edited by Noëlle O’Connor, Mary Keating, Joanne Malone and Aileen Murphy emerged from last year’s extremely successful Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference held in June 2006 in WIT. The chapters included in this publication have been contributed by some of the leading academics in tourism and hospitality research in Ireland and the UK. A broad spectrum of topics are represented including sustainable tourism, marketing, destination branding, human resource management, tourism and hospitality education, hospitality management and information communications technology.

Waterford Municipal Art Collection: A history and catalogue by Dr. Peter Jordan A history and full catalogue of the Waterford Municipal Art Collection, by Dr. Peter Jordan, has just been published by Gandon Editions of Kinsale, Co. Cork. The Waterford Collection is one of the hidden gems of Irish art, offering a fascinating view of Irish painting, particularly from the first half of the twentieth century.

Most of the major Irish artists active during this period are represented by fine examples of their work, and in the case of artists such as Louis le Brocquy, by exceptional pieces.

This catalogue now supersedes an earlier brief catalogue of the collection, which was published in 1987. Since that time a number of significant additions have been made to the collection and more detailed research has been undertaken into its origins and history. Founded in 1939 as the Waterford Art Museum, the collection now comprises over 320 items, mainly paintings, with some sculpture and prints, and is a rich mix of local, national and international art works.

Following a personal memoir and introduction written by the noted historian, Professor Roy Foster, the book provides a detailed account of the origins and development of the collection, placing these within the historical and cultural context of the time. Whilst

overtly an account of a provincial public art collection, it should have much wider appeal, as it relates this local development to both national and international artistic and museological issues.

Apart from its scholarly interest, this book is very visually attractive. It is beautifully produced by a leading Irish art publisher, and all the items in the collection are fully illustrated, a large number at full-page size.

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Recent WIT publications & conferences cont’d...

BOOKS JORDAN, P. (2006) Waterford Municipal Art Collection, Waterford Institute of Technology & Waterford City Council, ISBN 0948037 423, November O’CONNOR, N., KEATING, M., MALONE, J. & MURPHY, A. (eds) (2007) Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, Waterford Institute of Technology VAN DOKKUM, N. (2007) Evidence, Thomson Round Hall, Dublin, ISBN 978-1-85800-463-1 BOOK CHAPTERS DUANE, A. & FINNEGAN, P. (2007) ‘Managing Corporate EMail Systems: A Contemporary Study’, in E-Business Innovation and Process Management, Lee (ed), ISBN: 1599042789, Cybertech Publishing.

HAYES, R. (2007) ‘The Commercial Mob Amusement Racket’, in The Irish Reader: Essays for John Devitt, Hinds, M., Denman, P. & Kelleher, M. (eds), Dublin, Otior, pp.39-47 HUYGHEBAERT, N, O DONOHOE, S. & ROSSITER, D. (2006) ‘Does the Value of Venture Capital Vary Over Investees Life Cycle?

Evidence from Irish Investees’, in Venture Capital: A European Perspective, Gregoriou, G.N., Kooli M. & Kraüssl, R. (eds), Elsevier December JENNINGS, B., PFEIFER, T., HELMY, A. & MURPHY, L. (2006) ‘Autonomic Management of Mobile Multimedia Services’, in 9th IFIP/IEEE International Conference on Management of Multimedia and Mobile Networks and Services, MMNS 2006, Dublin, Ireland, Springer LNCS, Europe O'FOGHLU, M., MALONE, D. & PARR, P. (2006) ‘Autonomic Principles of IP Operations and Management’ in 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations and Management, IPOM 2006, Dublin, Ireland, Springer LNCS, Europe PFEIFER, T. & DOWNES, B. (2006) ‘Mobile Magazines’ in Handbook of Research on Mobile Multimedia, Ibrahim I. K. (ed), London, UK, Hershey PA Hershey: Idea Group, ISBN 1-59140-866-0 (hardcover), 1-59140-868-7 (ebook) VAN DER MEER, S., PFEIFER, T., STATE, R. & O' SULLIVAN, D. (2006) ‘Large Scale Management of Distributed Systems’, in 17th IFIP/IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations and Management, DSOM 2006, Dublin, Ireland, Springer LNCS, Europe JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS COFFEY, A.B., Ó BRÁDAIGH, C.M. & YOUNG, R.J. (2007) ‘Interfacial Stress Transfer in an Aramid Reinforced Thermoplastic Elastomer’, Journal of Materials Science, 9th March DUANE, A. & FINNEGAN, P. (2007) ‘Dissent, Protest and Transformative Action: An Exploratory Study of Staff Reactions to Electronic Monitoring and Control of Email Systems in One Company Based in Ireland’, Information Resources Management Journal (IRMJ), 20(1) January-March FEWER, G. (2007) ‘Conserving space heritage: the case of Tranquillity Base’, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, 60(1), pp3-8 FINNEGAN, R. (2007) ‘An extreme cunning fellow: Copley's memorial print engraving to the 2nd Earl of Bessborough’, Print Quarterly, XXIV(1), pp3-11

Hansen, C. (2007) 'Understanding Materiality and Human Experience Through Creative Artistic Exploration', Journal for Iberian Archaeology Special Issue, ADECAP, University of Porto, Vol. 9/10 HEGARTY, N., CARBERY, A. & KENNEDY, C. (2006) ‘A New Departure: Revising the Websites by Subject Pages at WIT Libraries’, SCONUL Focus, Number 39, Winter 2006 HEARNE, L. (2006) ‘Measuring Progression in Adult Guidance Provision’, Aontas quarterly, June HEARNE, L. (2007) ‘Adult Guidance in Ireland: New Theories, New Practice’, Guideline, Institute of Guidance Counsellors (Irl), Vol. 30 (3) HEARNE, L. (2005) ‘Opening a Door: Evaluating the Benefits of Guidance for the Adult Client’, Institute of Guidance Counsellors Guideline Quarterly, Autumn KIRBY, M., NOLAN, J., LOANE, E. & BEATTY, S. (2007) ‘Macular pigment and its putative protective effect for ARM’, The Opticians Journal, March LOANE, E., STACK, J., BEATTY, S. & NOLAN, J. (2007) ‘Measurement of macular pigment optical density using two different heterochromatic flicker photometers’, Current Eye Research MCEVOY, E., DONEGAN, S., POWER, J. & ALTRIA, K. (2007) ‘Optimisation and validation of a rapid and efficient microemulsion liquid chromatographic (MELC) method for the determination of paracetamol (acetaminophen) content in a suppository formulation’, Journal of Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Analysis, 44 (1) pp 137-143, Elsevier MURPHY, B., O' MAHONY, R., BUCKLEY, J., SHINE, P., BOYD, F., GILROY, D. & FANNING, S. (2007) ‘Investigation of a global collection of nontyphoidal Salmonella of various serotypes cultured between 1953 and 2004 for the presence of class 1 integrons’, FEMS Microbiology Letters, 266, pp 170-176 PFEIFER, T., WADE, V. & AGOULMINE, N. (2006) ‘Special Issue: Pervasive Management’, International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, 2(3), Europe PIWONSKI, T., O'DRISCOLL, I., HOULIHAN, J., HUYET, G., MANNING, R. J. & USKOV, A. V. (2007) ‘Carrier Capture Dynamics of InAs/GaAs Quantum Dots’, Applied Physics Letter, 90 (11) RAJKOVIC, P., PETKOVIC, M. D. & BARRY, P. (2007) ‘The Hankel transform of the sum of consecutive generalized Catalan numbers’, Journal of Integral Transforms and Special Functions, 18(4), pp 285296 STAPLETON, L. (2006) ‘Modes of Reasoning in Theories of the Social Impact of Advanced Technologies: A Critique of ERP Systems in Healthcare’, Annual Reviews in Control, 30, pp 243-253 TANGUY, Y., HOULIHAN, J., HUYET, G., VIKTOROV, E. A., & MANDEL, P. (2006) ‘Synchronization and Clustering in a Multimode Quantum Dot Laser’, Phys. Rev. Lett., 96, 053902 VIKTOROV, E. A., MANDEL, P., O'DRISCOLL, I., CARROLL, O., HUYET, G., HOULIHAN, J. & TANGUY, Y. (2006) ‘Low frequency fluctuations in two-state quantum dot lasers’, Optics Letters, 31(15), pp 2302 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS BALASUBRAMANIAM, S., BARRETT, K., DONNELLY, W., VAN DER MEER, S. & STRASSNER, J. (2006) ‘Bio-inspired Policy Based Management (bioPBM) for Autonomic Communication Systems’, Policy 2006

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Recent WIT publications & conferences cont’d...

BALASUBRAMANIAM, S., PFEIFER, T. & INDULSKA, J. (2006) ‘Active Node supporting Context-aware Vertical Handover in Pervasive Computing Environment with Redundant Positioning’, ISWPC 2006, Asia BARRY, R., STAPLETON, L. & DOYLE, L. (2006) ‘The transition to the knowledge economy: Lessons from Irish ICT penetration into small firms’, in International Federation of Automation and Control Conference in International Stability and Technology (SWIIS), Kopacek, P., Stapleton, L. & Hajdrizi, E. (eds), Pristina, UNMIK, forthcoming BOLAN, P. & O’CONNOR, N. (2007) ‘Northern Ireland and The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: An Innovative Destination Branding Partnership’, in Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, O’Connor, N., Keating, M., Malone, J. & Murphy, A. (eds), Waterford Institute of Technology BUCKLEY, A. (2007) 'The Irish Music Manuscripts of Philip Carolan (c1839-1910)', International Council for Traditional Music (Ireland), Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, 19th January BUCKLEY, A. (2007) 'The Transcriptions of a Fiddler: Philip Carolan and his Music', Society for Musicology in Ireland Annual Conference, DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin 13th May CARROLL, R., FAHEY, C., LEHTIHET, E., VAN DER MEER, S., GEORGALASN, N. & CLEARY, D. (2006) ‘Applying the P2P paradigm to management of large-scale distributed networks using a Model Driven Approach’, NOMS 2006 - Application Session, USA CARROLL, R., VAN DER MEER, S., STRASSNER, J. & COX, G. (2006) ‘Policy and Profile: Enabling Self-Knowledge for Autonomic Systems’, DSOM 2006, Europe CLARKE, J., DOOLY, Z. & FITZGERALD, W. (2006) ‘SecurIST: Security & Dependability to Empower the Citizen in the 21st Century’, Mobile Summit, Europe CLARKE, J., DOOLY, Z., FITZGERALD, W. & HOWKER, K. (2006) ‘SecurIST: Ensuring Secure, Dependable & Resiliant ICT Technologies to Empower the European Citizen of the Future’, ISSE, Europe FELICIA, P. & PITT, I. (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, November FELICIA, P. & PITT, I. (2007) ‘The Please Model: An Emotional and Cognitive approach to Learning in Video Games’, International Technology, Education and Development Conference, Valencia, March FENTON, M., HEALY, P. B., O’CONNOR, J., O’DWYER, B. & O’GORMAN, W. (2006) ‘Towards A Best Practice Framework of Campus Incubators’, University Entrepreneurship - Incubating Processes, Lahti, Finland, June FENTON, M., HEALY, P. B., O’CONNOR, J., O’DWYER, B. & O’GORMAN, W. (2006) ‘Best Practice of Campus Incubators’, EUNIP Conference, University of Limerick, June FENTON, M. & O’CONNOR, J. (2006) ‘The Role of Micro-Enterprises in Developing Countries: The Case of Uganda’, Development Corporation Ireland Conference, DCU, Dublin, March FINNEGAN, J., MALONE, P., ESPINOSA MARONON, A. & BUESO GUILLÉN, P. (2007) ‘Contract Modelling for Digital Business Ecosystems’, 1st IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (DEST 2007)

FREEMAN, A. & DOYLE, L. (2006) ‘An Exploratory Study Investigating the Role of Information Systems Security in SMEs in the South East of Ireland’, EUTIC06 Colloquium, University of Brussels FU, H. (2006) ‘Formal Concept Analysis for Digital Ecosystem’, in The Fifth International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications (ICMLA '06), Orlando, Florida, USA FU, H., JENNINGS, B. & MALONE, P. (2007) ‘Analysis and Representation of Biomedical data with Concept Lattice’, The 1st IEEE/IES Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (DEST 2007), Cairns, Australia HARBERLIN, D. & FOLEY, A. (2007) ‘The Antecedents of Market Orientation in Micro Tourism Service Firms: The Development of a Conceptual Model and Research Propositions’, in Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, O’Connor, N., Keating, M., Malone, J. & Murphy, A. (eds), Waterford Institute of Technology HANSEN, C. (2006) ‘Overcoming the Modern Invention of Material Culture - Understanding Human Experience Through Creative Exploration’, Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference 2006, University of Exeter (15-17 December) HANSEN, C. (2007) ‘Artist Researchers - The Umha Aois Projects as Interdisciplinary Research Environment’, Visual Artists Ireland News Sheet, Sculptor’s Society of Ireland, Mar/Apr HERSH, M. & STAPLETON, L. (2006) ‘Learnmaths: a case study of the development of learning software to support social inclusion’, in International Federation of Automation and Control Conference in International Stability and Technology (SWIIS), Kopacek, P., Stapleton, L. & Hajdrizi, E. (eds), Pristina: UNMIK, forthcoming JORDAN, P. & HANSEN, C. (2006) ‘Creating and sustaining an effective learning environment in the field of visual art’, AISHE Conference- Creating and Sustaining an Effective Learning Environment, NUI Maynooth, (31 August – 1 September) KEATING, M. (2007) ‘The Use of Story Eliciting Interviews as an Approach to a Narrative Research: Narrating the Experience of Hotel Middle Managers in the Implementation of Change Initiatives’, in Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, O’Connor, N., Keating, M., Malone, J. & Murphy, A. (eds), Waterford Institute of Technology LEHTIHET, E., VAN DER MEER, S., RAYMER, D. & STRASSNER, J. (2006) ‘End-to-End Model Driven Policy Based Network Management’, Policy 2006 MAHON, F., PFEIFER, T., YANG, Y. & WILLIAMS, H. (2006) ‘Contextaware Dynamic Personalised Service Re-Composition in a Pervasive Service Environment’, UIC 2006, Asia MAHON, F., CROTTY, M., DOOLIN, K., MITIC, J. & KUHMUENCH, C. (2006) ‘Pervasive Service Platform (PSP): Facilitating Pervasive Services’, ICNS 2006, USA MAHON, F., CROTTY, M., WILLIAMS, M. H., YANG, Y., TAYLOR, N., MCBURNEY, S. & PAPADOPOULOU, E. (2005) ‘Personalized Dynamic Composition of Services and Resources in a Wireless Pervasive Computing Environment’, ISWPC 2006, Asia MALONE, J. (2007) ‘Measuring the Invisible: Transferable Skills for Hospitality Management’, in Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, O’Connor, N., Keating, M., Malone, J. & Murphy, A. (eds), Waterford Institute of Technology

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Recent WIT publications & conferences cont’d...

MCGIBNEY, J. & BOTVICH, D. (2007) ‘A Trust Overlay Architecture and Protocol for Enhanced Protection against Spam’, in 2nd International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security (ARES 2007), IEEE CS Press, pp. 749-756 MULLINS, R., MAHON, F., CROTTY, M., PFEIFER, T., KUHMUENCH, C. & MITIC, J. (2006) ‘Daidalos: A Platform for Facilitating Pervasive Services’, Pervasive 2006, Europe MURPHY, A. & GARAVAN, T. (2007) ‘A Conceptual Framework to Explain Adoption and Diffusion of a NHRD Standard: A Case Study of Ireland’, in Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, O’Connor, N., Keating, M., Malone, J. & Murphy, A. (eds), Waterford Institute of Technology O'DOWD-SMYTH, C. (2006) ‘Comparative Postcolonialisms: Comparing Postcolonial Irish Literature, written in English, & North African Francophone Literature’, International Conference Postcolonialisms, Florida State University, Nov 30th – Dec 2nd O'DOWD-SMYTH, C. (2007) ‘The Incongruity of Mapping Postmodern Irish Feminine Space: Re-Casting Theories & Methodologies Originating Elsewhere’, Irish Feminist Thought, NUIG, April 13th -14th O’ CONNELL, B. (2007) ‘Examining the Fiddle Music of the Avalon Peninsula’, International Council for Traditional Music postgraduate conference, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland, 19th Jan O’NEILL, S. & MC DONALD, T. J. (2007) ‘Assessment: The missing piece of the e-learning puzzle in Ireland’, IATED International Association for Technology Education and Development Conference, Valencia, Spain OSMANI, V., BALASUBRAMANIAM, S. & GU, T. (2006) ‘A Distributed Hierarchical Structure for Object Networks Supporting Activity Recognition’, MMNS 2006, Europe PFEIFER, T. (2006) ‘Autonomic Position Management’, ISWPC 2006, Asia PFEIFER, T., BRAZIL, J., DONNELLY, W. & DOWNES, B. (2006) ‘Managing Peer-to-Peer Multimedia Asset Distribution and Intellectual Property across Heterogeneous Networks’, MoMM 2006, Asia PFEIFER, T., SAVAGE, P., BRAZIL, J. & DOWNES, B. (2006) ‘VidShare: A Management platform for Peer-to-Peer Multimedia Asset Distribution across Heterogeneous Access Networks with Intellectual Property Management’, MMNS 2006, Europe PFEIFER, T., SCHMIDT, A. & WOO, W. (2006) ‘Advances in Pervasive Computing 2006’, in 4th International Conference on Pervasive Computing, Dublin, Ireland, OCG, Europe PFEIFER, T., SULLIVAN, K. & O'FOGHLÚ, M. (2006) ‘Scalability of Location Sensor Data Fusion’, LCN 2006, USA PILS, C., PFEIFER, T., ROUSSAKI, I., STRIMPAKOU, M. & KALATZIS, N. (2006) ‘Context-Awareness establishment in the Pervasive Service Platform of Daidalos’, e-challenges 2006, Europe

Model for Digital Ecosystem Composed Systems’, 1st IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (DEST 2007) RONAN, J., FORD, M. & STEVENS, J. (2006) ‘Initial results from an IPv6 Darknet’, ICISP '06, Europe SERRANO, J. M., SERRAT, J. & STRASSNER, J. (2007) ‘Ontology-Based Reasoning for Supporting Context-Aware Services on Autonomic Networks’, IEEE/ICC International Conference on Communications- ICC 2007, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, 24-28 June 2007 SERRANO, J. M., SERRATJ, J., VAN DER MEER, S. & FOGHLÚ, M. (2007) ‘Ontology-Based Management for Context Integration in Pervasive Services Operations’, ACM International Conference on Autonomous, Oslo, Norway, AIMS 2007, 21-23 June 2007 SERRANO, J. M., SERRAT, J., STRASSNER, J., COX, G., CARROLL, R. & FOGHLÚ, M. (2007) ‘Services Management Using Context Information, Ontologies and the Policy-Based Management Paradigm: Towards the Integrated Management in Autonomic Communications’, 1st IEEE International Workshop on Autonomic Communications and Network Management - ACNM 2007 as part of 10th IFIP/IEEE International Symposium on Integrated Management IM 2007, Munich, Germany, 21-25 May 2007 STAPLETON, L. (2006) ‘The Social Impact of the Application of Manufacturing Systems to Health Informatics: The Case of ERP’, keynote paper, Proceedings of the 10th IFAC/IFIP/IFORS/IEA Symposium on Automation Based on Human Skill: Joint Design of Technology and Organisation, Elsevier: North Holland, forthcoming STAPLETON, L. & O’DOWD-SMYTH, C. (2005) ‘Moving From Participation to Partnership in Information Systems Research: A Socio-Linguistic Perspective of Research Methodology’, in Actes du colloque du EUTIC: TICS et Usages, Vieira, L. et Pinède, N. (Eds), Presse Universitaire de Bordeaux TELESCA, L., FINNEGAN, J., FERRONATO, P., MALONE, P., RICCI, F. & STANOEVSKA, K. (2007) ‘Open Negotiation Environment: An Open Source Self-Learning Decentralised Negotiation Framework for Digital Ecosystems’, 1st IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (DEST 2007) WALSH, A., LALLY, A. & FOLEY, A. (2007) ‘Towards Further Understanding of Relevant Service Typologies for the Hospitality Industry’, in Tourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland: Concepts, Issues and Challenges, Conference Proceedings of 2nd Annual Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, O’Connor, N., Keating, M., Malone, J. & Murphy, A. (eds), Waterford Institute of Technology

CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIA BALASUBRAMANIAM, S., DONNELLY, W., BOTVITCH, D., GOULMINE, N. A. & STRASSNER, J. (2006) ‘Towards Integrating Principles of Molecular Biology for Autonomic Network Management’, HP-OVUA 2006 CHEDGEY, C., DE LEASTAR, E. & O' FOGHLÚ, M. (2006) ‘A European Open Source Project Information Server’, FRCSS 2006, Europe

PONCE DE LEON, M., CLEARY, F., GARCIA MORENO, M., SOBRINO JULAR, A., ROMERO VICENTE, A., RODDY, M., RYAN, P. & CZESLAW, J. (2006) ‘Large scale interoperability, integrating the Daidalos project’, eChallenges 2006, Europe

COFFEY, A. B., BRÁDAIGH, C. M. & GATELY, A. G. (2007) ‘Modeling of a thin-walled filament wound tubing’, in ANTEC, May 6-10, Cincinnati

RAZAVI, A. R., MALONE, P., MOSCHOYIANNIS, S., JENNINGS, B. & KRAUSE, P. J. (2007) ‘A Distributed Transaction and Accounting

COFFEY, A. B. (2007) ‘Micromechanical Analysis of Interfacial Shear Strength of Aramid Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Elastomers’, May 6-10, ANTEC, Cincinnati

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Recent WIT publications & conferences cont’d...

COFFEY, A. B. (2007) ‘Analysis of the effects of fibre surface modification of aramid fibres in a thermoplastic matrix’, May 6-10, ANTEC, Cincinnati CORMIER-FEWER, S. (2006) ‘Making choices to take charge of your life’, Newly Diagnosed Information Day, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland, Blarney, Co. Cork (September) CORMIER-FEWER, S. (2006) ‘How to be my best friend’, National Convention, William Glasser Institute of Ireland, Athlone (October) ENNIS, F. (2007) ‘An Argument Against the Mandatory Organ Lottery’, Ethics at the Margins of Life, University College Galway, 2931 March FEENEY, M. & FRISBY, R. (2006) ‘Autonomic Management of Smart Spaces’, MUCS 2006, Europe FURLONG, A. (2006) ‘Exploring the relationship between creativity and plurilingual and pluricultural awareness’, ALA-EDILIC conference, Le Mans, France LEHTIHET, E., STRASSNER, J. & AGOULMINE, N. (2006) ‘FOCALE, A Novel Autonomic Networking Architecture’, LAACS 2006, South America

PFEIFER, T., HAUGHNEY, H. & DOWNES, B. (2006) ‘UGetMobile Enduser Mobile Publishing Platform’, WMCS 2006, USA PILS, C., ROUSSAKI, I. & STRIMPAKOU, M. (2006) ‘Retrieving Context’, LoCA 2006 RONAN, J., FORD, M. & STEVENS, J. (2006) ‘Initial results from an IPv6 Darknet’, PAM 2006, Australia VAN DER MEER, S., DAVY, A., CARROLL, R., JENNINGS, B. & STRASSNER, J. (2006) ‘Autonomic Networking: Prototype Implementation of the Policy Continuum’, NOMS 2006 - BCN POSTERS GOONEY, M. A., MURPHY, L. & LANE, P. (2007) ‘Fatigue and Clinical Depression: Exploring the Relationship in Women Breast Cancer Survivors’, Irish Psycho-Oncology Inaugural National Conference, Dublin Castle Conference Centre, 11/12 April 2007, (3rd prize) HEARNE, A., BEATTY, S., LOANE, E., MADDOCK, L. & NOLAN, J. (2007) ‘Macular pigment and serum concentrations of its constituent carotenoids in an elderly population: pilot study’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

LEHTIHET, E., O'FOGHLÚ, M., STRASSNER, J. & AGOULMINE, N. (2006) ‘Ontology-Based Knowledge Representation for SelfGoverning Systems’, DSOM 2006, Europe

LANE, P., GOONEY, M. A. & MURPHY, L. (2007) ‘An analysis of Cancer Related Fatigue, Depression and Health Care: A Rationale for Research’, 15th International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals, Vienna, 11-13 April

MAHON, F., ANGERMANN, M., MCBURNEY, S., KUHMUENCH, C., MITIC, J., ROBERTSON, P. & WHITMORE, J. (2006) ‘Integrating and Demonstrating Pervasiveness in a Scenario Driven Approach’, eChallenges 2006, Europe

LOANE, E., STACK, J., BEATTY, S. & NOLAN, J. (2007) ‘Measurement of Macular Pigment Optical Density: Densitometer™ versus Maculometer™ ’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

MULHALL, C. (2007) ‘A Historical Perspective of the Recording of Idiomatic Expressions in Bilingual Italian-English Dictionaries’, Society for Italian Studies Colloquium, University of Glasgow, 28 April

NEELAM, K., MULDREW, A., HOGG, R., MADDOCK, L., CHAKRAVARTHY, U. & BEATTY, S. (2007) ‘Grading of Age-related Maculopathy: Slit-lamp Biomicroscopy versus an Accredited Grading Centre’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

MURPHY, C. & O DONOHOE, S. (2006) ‘Hospital Governance: An Insight from the South East of Ireland’, Irish Accounting and Finance Association Annual Conference, DCU, Dublin (May) MURPHY, J. (2007) ‘No time like the present: Neil Jordan's supernatural Irish-America and the time-image’, Screening IrishAmerica Conference, University College Dublin, (13-15 April) MURPHY, J. (2007) ‘Disobeying Gilles Deleuze: Is Quentin Tarantino the voice of dissent?’, New Voices conference, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin (20-21 April) MURPHY, J. (2007) ‘Quentin Tarantino: Gilles Deleuze's cinematic "falsifier"’, Postgraduate Film Research Seminar, Trinity College Dublin (3-4 May) O’CONNELL, B. (2006) ‘Newfoundland and Irish Fiddle Styles: A Comparative Study’, European Seminar of Canadian Studies, Graz, Austria O DONOHOE, S. (2006) ‘Target Shareholder Returns: their Magnitude and Determinants following Takeover Announcements

by Domestic and International Acquirers’, Irish Accounting and Finance Association Annual Conference, DCU, Dublin, (May) OSMANI, V. & BALASUBRAMIANAM, S. (2006) ‘Context Management Support for Activity Recognition in Health-Care’, TSI2006, Europe OSMANI, V. & BALASUBRAMANIAM, S. (2006) ‘An Architecture Supporting Human Activity Recognition’, MUCS 2006, Europe

NOLAN, J., STRINGHAM, J., BEATTY, S. & SNODDERLY, M. (2007) ‘Spatial Profile of Macular Pigment and its Relationship with Foveal Architecture’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology O’CONNELL, E. D., BEATTY, S., STACK, J. & NOLAN, J. (2007) ‘Dietary Antioxidants and Risk Factors for Age-Related Maculopathy’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology O’DONOVAN, O., LOANE, E., NOLAN, J., STACK, J. & BEATTY, S. (2007) ‘The relationship between macular pigment optical density and serum levels of lipoproteins and lipids’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology TRIESCHMANN, M., BEATTY, S., NOLAN, J., WERNER HENSE, H., HEIMES, B., AUSTERMANN, U., FOBKER, M. & PAULEIKHOFF, D. (2007) ‘Changes in macular pigment optical density and serum concentrations of its constituent carotenoids following supplemental lutein and zeaxanthin: The LUNA Study’, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

EXHIBITIONS O'CONNOR, J. (2007) ‘Small and Monumental’, Greyfriars Gallery Waterford (Curator, Mary Grehan), January O'CONNOR, J., HANSEN, C. & REILLY, B. (2007) ‘Origin’, Group Exhibition, Garter Lane Arts Centre, (Curator, Antonia Splini), February

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OTHER CORMIER-FEWER, S. (2006) ‘Minding your relationships’, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland, New Ross, Co. Wexford, August CORMIER-FEWER, S. (2006) ‘Needs assessments for people who have MS and their partners’, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland, New Ross, Co. Wexford, September MAHON, A. & O DONOHOE, S. (2006) ‘Economies of Scale in Irish Occupational Pension Plans’, Presentation to the Irish Association of Pension Funds, National Gallery, Dublin, 5th April O’ CONNELL, B. (2006) ‘Having a ‘time’ in Newfoundland’, The Broadside, Newsletter of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Council, St. John’s, Newfoundland O’ DONOHOE, S. (2006) ‘Shareholder Returns In Domestic and International Acquisitions: Evidence from the Fifth Merger Wave’, Research Seminar, University of Western Australia, Perth, 4th August O’RAIFEARTAIGH, C. (2006) ‘The Big Bang’, An Irishman's Diary, The Irish Times, 29th Dec, p19 O’RAIFEARTAIGH, C. (2007) ‘The Age of the Earth’, An Irishman's Diary, The Irish Times, 12th May, p17

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Staff in the Research Support Unit are based on the second floor of the Walton IT Building. Staff in the Research and Innovation Centre are based in the Carriganore campus. Contact details are as follows: Dr. Willie Donnelly Head of School of Research Innovation Office: IT 2.11 Tel: +353 – 51 – 845596 or Internally: ext. 5596 Email: wdonnelly@wit.ie Kathryn Kiely Industry Services Manager Office: IT 2.08 Tel: +353 – 51 – 302034 or Internally: ext. 2034 Email: kkiely@wit.ie

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Research Matters is published twice a year by the School of Research and Innovation in Waterford Institute of Technology.

Please address any comments or suggestions that you may have on this publication to: Kathryn Kiely, Industry Services Manager. Email: research@wit.ie.

Edited by Jenny Murphy.