“I thought I’d share an interesting paper (by Xie, Shen & Wang) that I found on the arXiv with the title ‘Is preprint the future of science? A thirty year journey of online preprint services’. The abstract reads …” (more)
[In the Dark, 21 February]
“Trinity College Dublin (TCD) will examine its colonial legacy in Ireland and across the British Empire in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The university will employ a postdoctoral research fellow to examine the university’s history from its foundation in 1592 to the present day. Trinity was for centuries a bastion of British rule in Ireland and the university for the Protestant ascendency …” (more)
[Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times, 19 February]
“Students, including schoolchildren aged 16 and over, had one of the highest rates of Covid-19 infection during the pandemic’s third wave, according to figures obtained by the Irish Independent. Data reveals 6,701 – or 6.04% – cases were in the category of students including schoolchildren …” (more)
[Catherine Fegan, Independent, 17 February]
“Like all other clubs and societies, DU History has had to find alternatives to their usual year of lively, in-person events and weekend trips because of … (well we don’t need reminding, do we?). One of the ways that the society has adapted is by launching a history podcast called Many Moons Ago. Since its launch in September, the podcast’s bi-weekly episodes have covered topics such as German and French interwar film, the history of Hong Kong, and peace and forgiveness following the Troubles …” (more)
[Aoife Dalton, University Times, 16 February]
“A new report, published by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) today, has revealed that the number of students at Irish higher educational institutions has steadily increased and that there is now a higher proportion of female students attending Universities or Associate/Affiliate Colleges than men. The report – The Social and Living Conditions of Higher Education Students in Ireland – is part of the Eurostudent VII Report, which collates comparable data on student life across Europe …” (more)
[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 10 February]
“Tyndall National Institute will create 50 new research jobs by 2025 with the opening of its first research facility outside of Cork. The new laboratory in Dublin, which has been set up remotely due to Covid-19 restrictions, will host a wireless communications team who will focus on future deep technologies including Future RF, Future Access, Future Protocols, Future AI, and Future Quantum …” (more)
[Nicole Glennon, Irish Examiner, 3 February]
“A team led by an NUI Galway academic which predicted three years ago the risk of a global pandemic was ‘greater now than every before’ has been awarded €10 million to help develop robust systems to respond to future pandemics. Prof Máire Connolly from the discipline of bacteriology in the school of medicine, NUIG, was the co-ordinator of Pandem (pandemic risk and emergency management) …” (more)
[Harry McGee, Irish Times, 2 February]
“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris has today announced an investment of €193 million in five Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres for six years. Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Software, led by University of Limerick (UL) and ADAPT, a SFI research centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology led by Trinity College Dublin in partnership with Munster Technological University (MTU) and other universities and institutes of technology across the country are among those to benefit …” (more)
[Nicole Glennon, Irish Examiner, 1 February]
“The State is to invest €193 million over six years into research on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, ethics and data privacy, smart medical devices, e-health and telecommunications. Announcing the €193 million investment in five Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centres, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said it reflected Ireland’s position as a world leader in research and innovation …” (more)
[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 1 February]
“In academia gender bias is often figured in terms of research productivity and differentials surrounding the academic work of men and women. Alesia Zuccala and Gemma Derrick posit that this outlook inherently ignores a wider set of variables impacting women, and that attempts to achieve cultural change in academia can only be realised, by acknowledging variables that are ultimately difficult to quantify …” (more)
[LSE Impact Blog, 26 January]
“The EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement, commonly known as the ‘Brexit deal’, has been welcomed by the UK and EU research communities, as it states the political will to continue close scientific cooperation under Horizon Europe, the 9th European research programme. The terms and conditions to join the programme as an associated member still need to be negotiated and agreed. However, the Brexit deal puts an end to a climate of uncertainty for UK-based researchers that started in June 2016 with the Brexit vote in the middle of Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe’s predecessor …” (more)
[Marco Cavallaro, LSE, 26 January]
“Over 40,000 higher education students across the country are being asked for their opinions about drugs. A new study by the Student Health Service at University College Cork is underway with the aim of contributing to harm-reduction policies …” (more)
[Red FM, 25 January]
“In a recent report conducted by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ireland was ranked 23rd out of 37 OECD countries in relation to research spending in 2018, a drastic drop of nine places since 2008. As a result, the Irish Universities Association (IUA) called for ‘a step change’ in R&D investment …” (more)
[Mollie Downes, College Tribune, 25 January]
“Sir, – The value of the humanities, in a world dominated by technology, was highlighted in your excellent article ‘The art of medical observation’ (Deirdre McQuillan, Health + Family, January 1st). A comparable teaching model of using art to hone observational skills, develop teamwork, accept ambiguity and to exchange ideas is integrated into the curriculum for dental students in UCC …” (more)
[Fiona MacSweeney, Irish Times, 25 January]
“The IUA welcomes the publication of the Higher Education Research & Development Survey (HERD) by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD. This latest HERD survey clearly shows the need for a step change in research and innovation investment in Ireland given the fall in our research spend rankings from 14th to 23rd place in the OECD list …” (more)
[IUA, 20 January]
“During a presentation to UCD’s Governing Authority in October, university officials revealed new figures demonstrating a dramatic increase in complaints. These figures show that incidents of harassment and sexual misconduct have been largely underreported at UCD …” (more)
[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 20 January]
“Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD has welcomed the publication of the Higher Education Research and Development Survey (HERD) which measures expenditure and human resources devoted to research work in the higher education sector for the academic year 2018-2019 …” (more)
[gov.ie, 20 January]
“Improving quality of life for people globally means investing in education. By 2025, more than 100 million learners are estimated to be capable of higher education but won’t have access to it either because they cannot afford the costs, or because courses aren’t available in their region …” (more)
[Rory McGreal, The Conversation, 19 January]
“A former Trinity lecturer – Dr Victoria Coffey – facilitated and took part in unethical vaccine trials in mother and baby homes during the 1960s. Mother and baby homes were institutions set up in housing women pregnant outside of marriage – something deemed shameful in Ireland, particularly by the Catholic Church, during the 20th century …” (more)
[Emer Moreau and Cormac Watson, University Times, 18 January]
“Medical researchers from University College Dublin (UCD) conducted unethical vaccine trials on children in Ireland’s mother-and-baby homes, according to the findings of a government investigation. Seven vaccine trials took place in the mother-and-baby homes from 1934-73, according to the Commission’s report. Researchers from UCD conducted five vaccine trials on children in mother-and-baby homes from 1960-73, all of which breached medical standards at the time …” (more)
[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 18 January]
