Impact & Opinions | Tionchar & Tuairimí

Sustainability

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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
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
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. 

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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
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
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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SDG Champion
06 November 2023
22  MINS

Cultural Values in a Sustainable Future

Prof Lillis Ó Laoire

We may not associate SDGs with culture, but the UN’s 2030 Agenda acknowledges the need to safeguard the world’s diverse cultural heritages, and the role of culture in fostering a collective sense of responsibility and belonging. Award-winning writer and singer, Prof Lillis Ó Laoire asks: how can we steward our cultural heritages to realign them with sustainable futures?

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SDG Champion
04 October 2023
14  MINS

Food Systems are Failing SDG Efforts: What are the Trade-offs?

Dr Anne Mullen

“The goals and targets of the SDGs don’t always synergise – there are many trade-offs – and fixation on individual SDGs is a hurdle for progress.” According to Dr Anne Mullen of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences and the Ryan Institute, sustainable food systems are a key entry-point to accelerate progress across multiple SDGs. University of Galway is uniquely placed to understand and act on food systems – and our designation as SDG Champion gives us an even greater voice and responsibility to do so.

videos
01 August 2023

Cois Coiribe: Our Research, in Brief

Looking for insights informed by data and research? Cois Coiribe is University of Galway’s platform for research and opinion from our global academic and alumni community – bringing clarity to tomorrow’s challenges.

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Resilient Innovation
25 July 2023
13  MINS

Straitéis na Gaeilge: An Scéal is Deireanaí

Seoladh an chéad straitéis don Ghaeilge san Ollscoil beagnach dhá bhliain ó shin, ar an 16 Iúil 2021 agus tá toradh na hoibre atá déanta ag gach uile dhuine a raibh lámh acu i bhforbairt agus i bhfeidhmiú na Straitéise go dtí seo le haithint ar fud an champais agus dul chun cinn suntasach déanta.

podcasts
04 July 2023

AI & Higher Education

Join Tom Felle and his guest Prof Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of NUI Galway in this edition of the Cois Coiribe Podcast – a series that explores major societal issues and the role that University of Galway Galway, and our global alumni network play in creating new knowledge, in research, in policy making and in problem solving. Here Prof Ó hÓgartaigh shares his views on the future of the university as concept, campus and community.

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Resilient Innovation
29 June 2023
9  MINS

Foreword from the President

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of University of Galway 

Fáilte go Cois Coiribe. Tá sé lán go béal arís i mbliana le luachanna na hollscoile s’againne, luachanna atá go smior inár gcomhluadar.  I am particularly pleased that, once more, Cois Coiribe is replete with our values as a university community, as a university for the public good.

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Resilient Innovation
28 June 2023
12  MINS

Spotlight On: Cormac Mac Donncha, Vice President, Thermo King EMEA

Many of us know Thermo King as an established leader in transport refrigeration, but fewer have heard of the manufacturing giant’s plans to reduce customer carbon emissions by one billion metric tonnes, by 2030. Here, Vice President (EMEA) and University of Galway alum, Cormac Mac Donncha discusses Thermo King’s plans to become a carbon-neutral global enterprise. 

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Resilient Innovation
28 June 2023
20  MINS

Propelling Innovation: University of Galway Spinouts

Today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape requires constant innovation. Founded in 2006, University of Galway’s Innovation Office is a hub for entrepreneurs, startups and established companies alike to propel their ventures to new heights in a supported environment.

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Resilient Innovation
26 June 2023
8  MINS

Regional Business Summit: Engaging People and Leading on Sustainability

In partnership with ITAG and Galway Chamber, J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics’ Regional Business Summit: Engaging People and Leading on Sustainability was a highly anticipated event at University of Galway, drawing over 150 business leaders, policymakers and sustainability advocates from regional industries and sectors. The summit, held on 31 March 2023, aimed to foster dialogue, collaboration and innovation to address pressing environmental and social challenges while promoting sustainable economic growth in the West of Ireland.

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Resilient Innovation
22 June 2023
19  MINS

An Mheitheal Rothar: Pioneering a New Model for the Circular Economy

Dr Sinéad Mitchell, Lecturer, Sustainability and Strategy, College of Business, Public Policy and Law; , Catherine  Coote, Co-Founder,  An Mheitheal Rothar,

Today’s economy, defined by in-built obsolescence, relies on the extraction of over 90% virgin materials from the earth. Pioneering a new model for the ‘social startup’ based at University of Galway, An Mheitheal Rothar (AMR) is determined to show us that a circular economy is possible in the West of Ireland. Lecturer in Sustainability and Strategy, Dr Sinéad Mitchell and AMR cofounder, Catherine Coote tells us exactly what makes this unique model a success.  

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Resilient Innovation
22 June 2023
17  MINS

Putting a Cost on Climate Stress: AI Can Help

Dr Aaron Golden

The cost of climate stress to food production is monumental, and attempting to calculate that cost is a complex, data-driven task. 2023 ENLIGHT Impact Award Winner and PI of the TAPAS project, Dr Aaron Golden is harnessing the potential of AI deep learning to detect fluctuations in biomass production linked to climate change visible from space. This innovative technology identifies not only the cost of such climate stress, but identifies those regions most in need of intervention. 

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Resilient Innovation
22 June 2023
14  MINS

Seven Years of the Galway City Innovation District and the PorterShed

Prof John Breslin

Synopsis:  A recent report from KPMG found that between 2021 and 2016, PorterShed had created 835 sustainable jobs across the value chain and contributed over €6 million to national economic output. Following the opening of PorterShed a Dó at the end of 2022, cofounder and University of Galway professor, John Breslin explains why more and more innovation-driven companies in Galway are clustering and thriving together. 

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Resilient Innovation
22 June 2023
19  MINS

GEOFIT: More than a Hole in the Ground

Luis Miguel Blanes Restoy

What started as a hole in the ground on the University of Galway campus grounds is now a living field-scale laboratory for geothermal technology. Beyond heating the campus swimming pool, GEOFIT’s ground-source heat pump infrastructure will act as a pilot for other European countries, influencing policy and propelling Ireland’s decarbonisation journey forward as a whole.

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Creative Galway
10 January 2023
14  MINS

Earth Writings: A Toolkit for The Climate Crisis

Dr Nessa Cronin

What makes the knowledge systems of the arts and humanities uniquely valuable in addressing our current planetary predicament? Lecturer Dr Nessa Cronin brings together artists, academics, scientists and community activists to explore this key question. Together with her collaborators, she has created a creative toolkit in Earth Writings—a critical and inquisitive lens through which to navigate the climate emergency—the impact of which is now reaching classrooms across numerous disciplines.

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15 December 2022
14  MINS

A Sustainable Future for University of Galway 

Sustainability has been gathering momentum as a core value at our university for a number of years now. Most recently, sustainability was enshrined in our University of Galway Strategic Plan 2020-2025 as one of four key values. Alongside and linked to – respect, openness and excellence – sustainability is now at the heart of everything we do.

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21 July 2022
16  MINS

Finally, Ireland’s First Hydrogen Valley

Dr Rory Monaghan

Ireland’s offshore renewable electricity resource is at least five times greater than its demand. With green hydrogen, we can indirectly use that electricity to power our trucks, buses, factories, data centres, planes and ships, explains Dr Rory Monaghan, one of the partners responsible for Ireland’s first Hydrogen Valley – GH2. 

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Sustainability
21 July 2022
23  MINS

In Conversation With: Paul Fahy, Artistic Director, Galway International Arts Festival

Thousands of festival goers descend on Galway City for two weeks each year in July, for the Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF). The value that GIAF brings to the city and its surroundings is indisputable – attracting world-class acts to the West of Ireland, putting Galway on the global cultural map and increasing footfall to local businesses. While sustainability has always been a goal for the festival (out of necessity as much as ethics), this year marks an important leap in its sustainability journey.

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Sustainability
20 July 2022
14  MINS

Mighty Microbes – Making Irish Agriculture More Sustainable

Prof Vincent O'Flaherty, Dr Anna Trego

As the world’s population grows, we face the challenge of producing more food while also reducing our impact on the environment. How do we increase production, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and manage waste, all at once?    

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20 July 2022
4  MINS

Connecting with Community for Sustainable Education 

Jamie Goggins, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz

Community-engaged learning with a focus on sustainability is central to the curriculum at NUI Galway’s Civil Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering and Project & Construction Management degrees. Prof Jamie Goggins and Dr Magdalena Hajdukiewicz discuss the impact on both society and the students who partake. 

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Sustainability
06 July 2022
5  MINS

University of Galway’s Sustainability Journey

Michelle O'Dowd Lohan, Sustainability Officer, University of Galway

In 2022, University of Galway was identified as Ireland’s number one university for Sustainable Development by the Time Higher Education’s Impact Rankings. Below, Sustainability Officer Michelle O’Dowd Lohan recounts the University’s sustainability journey thus far, and its goals for the future.

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Sustainability
05 July 2022
14  MINS

Tackling Energy Consumption – We Have More Power than We Think

Prof Frances Fahy, Professor Frances Fahy

A recent study led by Prof Frances Fahy and Dr Gary Goggins shows evidence that people can significantly reduce energy use when given the tools to challenge their everyday practices. If implemented at societal level, these savings could play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonising the economy.

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Sustainability
01 July 2022
15  MINS

Transforming Waste into Energy

Prof Piet N. L. Lens

Imagine an economy in which domestic and industry waste can be used to create energy. In NUI Galway’s Ryan Institute, Prof Piet Lens and his team of microbiologists are investigating just that; using microbes to discover new ways to convert organic and inorganic waste into bioenergy.

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Sustainability
28 June 2022
15  MINS

Empowering Youth to Create Change

Elaine Nevin

ECO-UNESCO is an environmental education and youth organisation aimed at channeling the creativity of our youth into positive environmental change. NUI Galway Alum, Elaine Nevin, is ECO-UNESCO’s National Director. Here, she talks about her own journey into environmentalism and how young people today are demanding change.

articles
27 June 2022
10  MINS

Sustainability – A Student’s Perspective

Malena Thren In Conversation with, Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon 

Since arriving at NUI Galway to study Environmental Science, Malena Thren has been determined to enact change.

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Sustainability
23 June 2022
16  MINS

The Power of ‘Enough’ – From efficiency to sufficiency

Prof Frances Fahy

What is the maximum level of consumption you need in order to live a good life? While lacking the cool factor of ‘clean’ tech, questions like this one around habit and social expectations are just as crucial in encouraging a mass shift towards sustainability. Through extensive research and case studies, Prof Frances Fahy has learned that less is certainly more in the fight against the climate crisis.

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Sustainability
21 June 2022
24  MINS

Global Sea Levels are Rising – Here’s what we can do

Dr Eugene Farrell, Lecturer & Researcher, Geography, NUI Galway

Despite predictions that large parts of Ireland’s coast will be submerged underwater by 2050, Ireland is still decades away from realising the potential of nature-based solutions. Here, geographer Dr Eugene Farrell explains how we can help face the challenges of climate change by restoring key coastal ecosystems.

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Sustainability
17 June 2022

Experience the Most Biodiverse Campus in Ireland by Sound

Home to a mixture of important habitats, the University of Galway campus has been recognised as the most biodiverse university campus in Ireland. Nuala Ní Chonghaile joins Caitriona Carlin from University of Galway’s Ryan Institute and School of Natural Sciences, on a walk through the University of Galway Biodiversity Trail.

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Sustainability
15 June 2022
13  MINS

‘Sustainability is a smart business strategy’

Joanne Sheahan

Joanne Sheahan, Senior Executive for Climate Action & Sustainability with Enterprise Ireland talks about sustainability and business in Ireland.

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Sustainability
08 June 2022
17  MINS

Beyond GDP – The value of marine ecosystem services

Prof Stephen Hynes

According to the most recent climate change report from the United Nations, sea level rise, ocean heat and acidification are massively impacting the ability of our oceans to deliver many of the critical ecosystem services that we depend on, yet take for granted. Governments and policy makers have generally failed to recognise the value of these marine ecosystem services in national income accounts and project appraisals; that situation is now changing.

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Sustainability
26 May 2022
15  MINS

From the Ground Up – Irish peatlands communities reducing CO2 emissions

Professor Christine Domegan

As the world strives to reduce carbon emissions, peatlands have been dubbed the new “black gold,” storing over three times the carbon of all the forests in the world. As part of the EU LIFE Peatlands and People project, people who once dug out drains to dry up bogs for peat harvesting are now blocking those very drains as part of a large-scale rewetting process. What drives a cultural shift like this? According to Professor of Social Marketing Christine Domegan, we must match urgent calls to action with positive models for change and mutual community support.

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Sustainability
19 May 2022
25  MINS

Measuring Pollution in the Cleanest Air in Europe

Liz Coleman

Thanks to its unique location, research at Mace Head shows the extent to which the most remote areas in the world are affected by pollution. Observing the rise of Greenhouse Gases, Liz Coleman and her fellow scientists find it increasingly important to communicate their findings to the public. In collaboration with artists Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy, and science engagement & education expert, Mairéad Hurley, Stories of the Air/Spéirscéalta aims to do just that – driving collective action through storytelling.

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Sustainability
18 May 2022
30  MINS

Taking Risks on Life on this Planet

Tom McDermott, Dr Denis O’Hora

More than ever, we understand the causes of climate change and the likely consequences of inaction. So, what stops us from reducing carbon emissions in a meaningful way? Lecturer in Economics of Climate Change & Development, Tom McDermott and Behavioural Scientist, Dr Denis O’Hora investigate why we, as a society, have been unable to make greater progress in tackling this existential challenge.

articles
17 May 2022
7  MINS

ROPES: The Apiarist

R.J. Breathnach

Published annually by students of the MA in Literature and Publishing at NUI Galway, ROPES Literary Journal  has firmly established itself as part of the flourishing literary scene in Ireland. R. J. Breathnach’s poem, The Apiarist provoke readers to consider ourselves and our futures in relation to our threatened and fragile environments. Originally published in Issue 30, and launched at the 2022 Cúirt International Festival of Literature.

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Sustainability
13 May 2022
13  MINS

In Conversation: Dr Matt Kennedy, Arup

Dr Matt Kennedy, A. Director of Carbon, Climate & Sustainability, Arup

Design engineering firm, Arup count buildings such as the Sydney Opera House and the Centre Pompidou among their innovative projects. As Associate Director of Carbon and Climate Change, Dr Matt Kennedy leads climate change services for Arup in infrastructure, buildings and cities. Across his 20 years of sustainability leadership spanning government, industry and academia, the NUI Galway alumnus has seen major changes in the way we think about climate change.

articles
21 December 2021
27  MINS

AI & Higher Education

Tom Felle

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, NUI Galway talks to Tom Felle, Associate Professor and Head, Discipline of Journalism and Communication, about the future of higher education and how new technologies and artificial intelligence will influence the direction of learning in the next 20 years.

videos
20 December 2021

NUI Galway Global Challenges

NUI Galway Global Challenges is a targeted research initiative to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues. The programme will offer support to multi-disciplinary teams as they begin to pursue genuinely novel research and innovation and engage with others around the world. For more information on the NUI Galway Global Challenges click here.

articles
28 July 2021
18  MINS

Foundations for the Future – Towards a More Sustainable World

Dr Nessa Cronin,, Prof John Morrissey

In planning for a more sustainable world, a key learning from the current crisis is that we must increasingly imagine the world in an interconnected global sense.

articles
17 December 2020
16  MINS

Sustainability & Covid-19 – A Setback or the Cusp of Change?

NUI Galway’s Community and University Sustainability Partnership (CUSP)  is a multi-disciplinary, voluntary team of over 30 students and staff from across the campus and community, with the common aim of establishing the university as a leading institutional model for sustainability. CUSP has been at the heart of a vital pillar of the university’s strategy – a commitment to sustainability as one of four underpinning values for everything that the university does (alongside respect, openness and excellence).

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