Making a Splash

The Big Life Fixer

Trevor Vaugh arrived to our screens on The Big Life Fix last year, bringing “a little human-

centred design” to real life situations, and impressing viewers with his down-to-earth practicality and ease in front of the camera.

Little surprise that the lecturer in Design Innovation at MU has become RTE’s go-to inventor in its programming schedule, also appearing in Home School Hub, and on The Business, on RTÉ Radio 1, detailing the history of PPE. The Big Life Fix made for compelling viewing, offering up a mix of designers, engineers, cutting-edge technology, and plenty of personality. But it also provided insight into the range of obstacles facing people with disabilities – among them seven-year-old James Smyth, who lost both legs due to a rare spinal condition, Caudal Regression Syndrome. Trevor, who heads up the Maynooth University Innovation Lab (Mi:lab), was tasked with finding a creative, effective and tailormade solution to James’ mobility needs. “When you see James’ garden, which goes for hundreds of metres, it struck me that a seven-year-old boy should be able to run through that garden and have a lot of fun,” Trevor explained. The solution needed to be safe, flexible and easy to manoeuvre on his sloped garden in Raphoe, Co Donegal. And importantly for a

of higher education. My Uni Life followed the lives of seven students at various stages of their university journey, including MU computer science student, Alpha Ike.

seven-year-old boy, it needed to look snazzy to use around friends and family.

“It had to be something that other kids would be jealous of. It couldn’t look like it was a disability toy -- it had to be cool and James is fascinated by dinosaurs,” said Trevor. After weeks of working, re-working and testing, he came up trumps. Enter the ‘Dino kart’ -- a nifty all-terrain green dinosaur with handheld controls that could be easily mastered.

“We wanted to give James a big expression so it’s got these huge dinosaur roars that you can hear from the end of his garden.” The Big Life Fix was broadcast in March and April during lockdown – a tonic for our times. For this inventor, seeing design innovation brought to life was personally rewarding. “Working with such awe-inspiring people and trying to make their lives just a little easier has been the most challenging and humbling

My Uni Life: a unique journey

Afive-part RTÉ series has shone a light on students helping to change the face

experience of my life.”

Access and Disability programmes run by Irish universities. The series provides an insight into their personal challenges over a 12-month period, as they navigate the current Covid-19 pandemic while trying to grapple with the move to remote learning. Speaking about his experience of studying while the nation is gripped by a global pandemic, Alpha Ike, a student from Cavan, said: “I think that an interesting aspect of the documentary is the way it transitioned from being about college life to capturing a piece of history for people involved. I was a different person at the start of the process, in a very different world, and I appreciated being part of the story of how people coped in this new world.”

In the spotlight Making a splash: MU lecturers and alumni were on RTÉ’s TV schedule for 2020

Múinteoir makes her mark on RTÉ Home School Hub

One múinteoir was busy making her mark in RTÉ children’s programming during school closures: MU alumna and primary school teacher Clíona Ní Chiosáin proved a hit with young people in RTÉ’s Home School Hub.

Little wonder RTÉ approached her about its successor, After School Hub, which continues to provide parents working from home another precious hour to work uninterrupted. This was not Clíona’s first venture into TV, and she was recognised by many parents on Twitter as having played the title role of the IFTA award-winning TG4 teen drama Aifric, in the mid-noughties. A graduate of the BA class of 2012, and a 2017 Master’s of Education, Clíona’s links with Maynooth run beyond one generation – she’s the daughter of Anna Ní Ghallachair, senior lecturer and Head of the School of Celtic Studies at MU. Mol an páiste agus molann tú an mháthair.

Múinteoir Clíona Ní Chiosáin, RTÉ Home School Hub

At Maynooth University, 28% of full-time undergraduate student population are mature students, students with disabilities and school leavers from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Dr Rose Ryan, Director of Access, said: “This documentary brings alive the barriers experienced by many students in accessing a third level qualification and highlights the sacrifices that they and their families have to make to get what others take for granted.” My Uni Life was a collaboration between RTÉ and the Irish Universities Association (IUA).

Computer science student Alpha Ike