Impact & Opinions | Tionchar & Tuairimí

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Global Impact
22 July 2024
26  MINS

The Future Legacy of (Irish) Theatre: Introducing Nouf Rafea, the Inaugural Siobhán McKenna Award Winner

The legacy of the wonderful Siobhán McKenna, actor and University of Galway alumnus, lives on in many ways, not least in the recent theatre award created by her family in her honour. Its first recipient, multitalented Nouf Rafea, speaks openly about her journey to date, her affinity with languages, and her fellow feeling with Siobhán McKenna as a theatremaker, linguist and activist.

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Global Impact
28 June 2024
10  MINS

A Look at the Centre Working to Help Europe’s Businesses Scale Up

Professor Esther Tippmann, Co-Founder and Co-Director, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth and Scaling (CEGS), University of Galway , Professor Jonathan Levie, Co-Founder and Co-Director, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth and Scaling (CEGS), University of Galway 

As the only UKI-based partner of the European Scale-up Institute, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth & Scaling (CEGS) is tackling Europe’s business scale-up gap through evidence-backed research, outreach, and coaching services.   What are the defining factors of a successful scale-up today, and how can we move the needle in accelerating scaling across Ireland and Europe? CEGS Co-Directors, Professors Esther Tippmann and Jonathan Levie share their thoughts in this new edition of Cois Coiribe.   

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Global Impact
27 June 2024
19  MINS

How horses inspired one scientist’s big invention

Dr Abigail Martin, Co-Founder and Director, ImmuONE; Alumna, University of Galway

In this piece Cois Coiribe talks to aluma Dr Abigail Martin, CEO and Co-Founder and Director of biotechnology company ImmuONE. Abigail’s love of horses made her interested in how science could help to make animals’ lives better, as well as curious about what we can learn about human health from animal studies. Her company manufactures her innovative product – a human in vitro lung – which has significantly affected how companies test their products, in particular, improving human safety and reducing animal testing. Explore Abigail’s journey below.

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Global Impact
26 June 2024
12  MINS

University of Galway Leading the Effort to Tackle Toxic Rhetoric Against Migrants

Tom Felle, Associate Professor in Journalism and Media at the University of Galway

Tom Felle, Associate Professor in Journalism and Media at the University of Galway, has spent three years leading the development of an UN-funded global media literacy programme to respond to the growing threats posed by disinformation targeting refugees and migrants. Here, he writes that the Global Media Migration Academy chimes well with the University’s core value of openness and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

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Global Impact
26 June 2024
12  MINS

From Ethiopia to Galway: Pursuing justice across the world

Bethlehem Solomon, LLM (General) Student, University of Galway

What are the chances that the paths of two student activists from Ethiopia would cross thousands of kilometres from home? Serendipity has been at work here in the University to bring together two law students, Bethlehem Solomon and Kidist Abebe, both natives of Ethiopia. Now they have joined forces in pursuit of justice and a more equitable world. Their experiences have convinced them of the need for collaboration to achieve these aims and led to them combining their expertise to build on what each has already achieved.      

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Global Impact
23 June 2024
18  MINS

Thriving or Surviving? A Global Research Alliance Pushing for Reform in Hospitality Work

Dr Deirdre Curran, Lecturer in Management, University of Galway

Research by J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at University of Galway has found that although workers in the hospitality industry are often passionate about their work, the industry is experiencing a chronic labour shortage. Poor conditions and lack of prospects are some of the key reasons. Now a new global alliance aims to tackle conditions in hospitality through educating policy makers and industry leaders about what is needed to ensure “decent work”, and Ireland is positioned to be a leader in the field.

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Global Impact
20 June 2024
19  MINS

New Media Technology Threatens Democracy – but the Humanities Can Provide a Counterbalance

Dr Kelly Fincham, Director, BA Global Media, School of English and Creative Arts, University of Galway

When social media first appeared, many embraced it as a great equaliser, but it soon became apparent that the technology, far from being neutral, contained and even magnified the biases of its creators, particularly as regards gender bias and misogyny. The 2014 Gamergate scandal was a missed signal that much technology preferred engagement over ethics. The current controversy around the Scarlett Johansson soundalike AI chatbot perfectly illustrates how AI can amplify existing gender bias. As AI spreads rapidly, we must be clear that we are not simply dealing with technology but with a complex instrument that can shape society – and that critical thinking and the humanities can provide a vital counterbalance.

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Global Impact
06 June 2024
10  MINS

Regional Business Summit 2024: Responsible Business, at Scale

J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at the University of Galway, in partnership with itag, Galway Chamber and Data 2 Sustain, convened 300+ business leaders and policymakers to the University of Galway’s Regional Business Summit (RBS) 2024. This pivotal event served as a platform for discussions on the pressing global challenges confronting businesses in our contemporary landscape.

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Global Impact
20 May 2024
13  MINS

Overview of Mary Robinson’s Archive

Niamh Ní Charra, Archivist , University of Galway

The 21st of May 2024 marks the 80th birthday of one of Ireland’s most influential, celebrated, and hard-working citizens, former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. The University of Galway is proud to house her archive, and while work to catalogue it continues, we mark this significant milestone with an overview of the archive’s contents and an update on progress. University of Galway is also a partner of The Mary Robinson Centre in the former President’s home town of Ballina, Co. Mayo, and together we are honouring her life and legacy by engaging scholars of all ages in the major themes of her archive.  

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SDG Champion
18 April 2024
15  MINS

The Learning Commons: A Library, Reimagined

Monica Crump

Monica Crump, Interim University Librarian explores this radically different library of the future, supporting collaboration, creativity and new forms of teaching, learning and engagement.

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SDG Champion
11 January 2024
< 1  MINS

Sustainability at a glance…

Sustainability achievements at the University of Galway, at a glance.

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SDG Champion
19 December 2023
7  MINS

Focal ón Uachtarán

President, Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh

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SDG Champion
19 December 2023
17  MINS

A Better World Through Better Business

Dr Johanna Clancy

In a 1970 essay for The New York Times, Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman stated that “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits.” Fast-forward over 50 years, business is confronted with major socioeconomic, environmental and geopolitical disruptions, challenged as never before to adapt, be relevant and contribute solutions to the world’s pressing issues (AACSB Pathways) – as well as making profits.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
18  MINS

“Water is at the centre of the climate crisis.”

Rory Moses McKeown, WHO

As a fundamental human need affecting a range of SDGs, access to clean and safe drinking-water is essential to a sustainable future. Rory Moses McKeown, University of Galway alum and Senior Technical Consultant at WHO, shares his views on the challenges to water safety and access in a climate crisis, and the emerging role of water in global conflicts.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
16  MINS

Students for Climate Action: Cameron Noah Keighron

Cameron Noah Keighron

“Climate action can seem overwhelming; with all the media, reports and statistics, you might feel like you don’t know where to start.” University of Galway student Cameron Noah Keighron has joined 35 other students from 18 countries across the globe, to pave the way for a new generation of climate action. Through the Tallories Network, a cooperation for social responsibility in Higher Education, the group have devised a ten-year action plan to drive civic engagement and influence policy around education and meaningful research on the gendered impacts of climate change.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
12  MINS

In Conversation: Oliver Wall, Chief of Staff at Bank of Ireland

Oliver Wall

In University of Galway’s Literary & Debating Society, Oliver Wall first practiced the leadership skills that would stand to him throughout a rich career in politics and corporate affairs. A former adviser in the Department of an Taoiseach during Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council, Oliver Wall is now Chief of Staff and Head of Corporate Affairs at Bank of Ireland. We caught up with Oliver to learn more about the impact of his work at Bank of Ireland, from wellbeing at work to greenhouse gasses and more.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
19  MINS

Alumni Spotlight: Sam  Murphy-Kerry, Accenture

Sam Murphy-Kerry

University of Galway graduate and business strategy leader, Sam Murphy-Kerry is the North America Director at the Sustainability Studio at Accenture Song, the tech-powered creative group of Accenture. Accenture Song’s Sustainability Studio is dedicated to making sustainability relevant and actionable for everyone. As the business world increasingly faces pressing calls for sustainable action, creativity and strategy have never been more important. Here, Sam explains to Cois Coiribe why sustainability and growth, by definition, “ought to go hand in hand.”

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
24  MINS

“Ragged Desolation of Men and Things”?

Breandán Mac Suibhne, Laura Kelly, Niall Whelehan

In an essay published in July 2023 in the catalogue for Christina McBride’s Críocha an Chroí / Heartland exhibition in An Gailearaí, Gaoth Dobhair, historians Breandán Mac Suibhne of the University of Galway and Laura Kelly and Niall Whelehan of the University of Stratheclyde respond to her images of the rock-strewn landscape of north-west Donegal.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
7  MINS

Ó Chois Fharraige go COP28

Dr John Caulfield

Céard atá le rá ag an nglúin óg in Éirinn faoin athrú aeráide? D’oibrigh foireann Ollscoil na Gaillimhe in éineacht le dhá mheánscoil Ghaeltachta i nGaillimh chun dóchas agus imní a ndaltaí a roinnt leis an domhan mór. 

articles
18 December 2023
19  MINS

Flóra na Gaeltachta: saibhreas na bithéagsúlachta mar áis foghlama

An Dr Seathrún Ó Tuairisg

Tugann Seathrún Ó Tuairisg léargas ar phlandaí coitianta agus neamhchoitianta atá le feiceáil i gceantar Chois Fharraige i gConamara, Co. na Gaillimhe. Tugann an obair seo spléach ar a thábhachtaí atá an bhithéagsúlacht don timpeallacht agus don tsochaí – ábhar atá thar a bheith tráthúil anois agus muid in éigeandáil aeráide agus i ngéarchéim bhithéagsúlachta. Is réimse é seo a luíonn isteach go mór le straitéis Ollscoil na Gaillimhe i leith na spriocanna forbartha inbhuanaithe (SDG) – Sprioc 15, Beathra Talún, go háirithe. 

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
11  MINS

Críocha an Chroí—An Artist’s Return to the Heartland

Christina McBride

A residency in the University of Galway’s Gaoth Dobhair Centre in 2022–23 allowed Glasgow visual artist Christina McBride to explore the natural and built environment of her mother’s homeplace in nearby Bun an Inbhir in a series of analogue photographs developed using local fauna and peatland materials. McBride’s residency in Donegal and the resulting exhibition, Críocha an Chroí / Heartland—was made possible by a partnership involving the University, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Ealaín na Gaeltachta and the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny. In autumn 2023, a second exhibition, Thall Udaí / Over By, focusing on the people of the place, was mounted in Sean-Scoil Bhun an Inbhir and a third is planned for Glasgow in 2024.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
14  MINS

The Secrets to our Future, preserved in Climate Archives: A 32-Day Research Expedition

Dr Audrey Morley

Observing marine sediments in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Seas, Dr Audrey Morley looks to the past to further understand the future of climate change. Here, the University of Galway lecturer reveals to Cois Coiribe how she prepared for a 32–day-long journey across the Arctic aboard the RV Celtic Explorer, and what Research Project SiTrAc’s findings tells us about climate change’s tipping points.

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
25  MINS

Smart Sustainability at the World’s Largest Sports Air Dome

John Prenty, Kurt Reinhardt, Cathal Cregg

As 2023 SGD Champion, the University of Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome is a beacon of sustainable innovation for Ireland. In this SDG Champion Edition, Cois Coiribe asks the team about its partnership with University of Galway, its dynamic Green Clubs programme and the complexities of managing the world’s largest sports air dome – a versatile indoor facility, accessible to clubs and visitors throughout the region and beyond.

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SDG Champion
15 December 2023
18  MINS

Imagine a Futuristic, Sustainable City between Galway and Dublin

Prof Padraic Kenna

We like to mix the global and the local in Galway. We talk a lot about climate, justice, land and housing, which is why the Sustainable Development Goals mean so much to us. Our greatest task now is to envisage the carbon-free, sustainable and inclusive communities of the future. ‘THE LINE’ offers a glimpse into what these could look like. 

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SDG Champion
15 December 2023
18  MINS

The Student Pantry: A Solution to Food Waste

Adam Mullins, Meadhbh McNutt

Astrophysics student, Adam Mullins is the founder of The Student Pantry, a student-led solution to food waste and insecurity based in the University of Galway. When 22 year-old Adam isn’t in the lab studying, he is out collecting 1000kg of wasted food items from Galway’s supermarkets to provide free, healthy meals for a growing student population. Here, Meadhbh McNutt sits down with Adam to discuss the importance of removing the barriers to sustainability and food security, and his future plans for The Student Pantry.   

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SDG Champion
15 December 2023
23  MINS

Shaping MedTech’s Future: Gerry Kilcommins, Medtronic

Gerry Kilcommins

Medtronic’s Vice President of Global Platform Manufacturing & Medtronic Ireland Country Director, Gerry Kilcommins sits down with Cois Coiribe to discuss corporate responsibility in healthcare and sustainability, and the significance of the Medtronic–University of Galway partnership in cementing Galway’s place at the epicenter of one of top world MedTech hubs.

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SDG Champion
15 December 2023
33  MINS

Dr Martin Walsh OBE: Understanding Viruses at the Molecular Level

Dr Martin Walsh OBE

University of Galway alum, Dr Martin Walsh OBE has spent 30+ years studying the structure of biological molecules. In his work at Diamond Light Source, Oxfordshire, Dr Walsh uses X-ray crystallography to image a range of biological macromolecules from proteins and nucleic acids to viruses at the molecular level. The technique relies on generating crystals of the macromolecules which are then illuminated with X-rays to determine their atomic structures. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the skills of Dr Walsh and his team were diverted towards early drug discovery in the race to address the worldwide health crisis. Now in 2023, he has been named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to Science during COVID-19.

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SDG Champion
14 December 2023
16  MINS

Sustainable Galway, for a Sustainable World

Prof Pól Ó Dochartaigh, Deputy President and Registrar

Sustainability is crucial for universities to fulfil their role as responsible institutes for the public good. Deputy President and Registrar, University of Galway, Prof. Pól Ó Dochartaigh, reflects on our achievements and learnings thus far, as we embark on a transformative journey towards a sustainable Galway, for a sustainable world.

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SDG Champion
17 November 2023
17  MINS

Aligning our Research with Sustainable Development Goals

Prof James Livesey

In today’s hyper developed and interconnected world, we see isolated actions give rise to global repercussions like never before. As a framework for addressing global issues, the UN Sustainable Development Goals are a call to action for universities to consider the wider impact of their research. Here VP for Research & Innovation, Prof James Livesey explains how the SDGs have inspired a new approach to research strategy and prioritisation.

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SDG Champion
17 November 2023
14  MINS

In Conversation: Dorothy Creaven, Rent the Runway

Dorothy Creaven

Since its 2009 launch, Rent the Runway has made headlines as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, and more recently as the first female-founded company with a female CEO, COO and CFO to go public. Rent the Runway’s e-commerce service allows users to rent clothes from 800+ designers, disrupting a trillion-dollar fashion sector. At its European HQ in the heart of Galway City, University of Galway alum Dorothy Creaven is transforming the company’s digital infrastructure as VP and Managing Director. We sat down with Dorothy to discuss the impact of her work in building a sustainable future for fashion.

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