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NATIONAL NEWS
SHORT CUTS
TRINITY NEWS January 13, 2009
UCC test-drives iPhone hitchking app By Aine Pearl Pennello
ENERGY
€5M FUNDING FOR NUIG CENTRE NUI GALWAY’S newly established Energy Research Centre has been granted €5 million in initial research funding. The centre which aims to become a hub for energy research in Ireland anticipates filling up to 20 research and development positions in 2009. The centre’s director, Prof Vincent O’ Flaherty believes in a “holistic approach”, which focuses on education and outreach in addition to progressive research. He envisages clear opportunities for Ireland in this critical field which integrates “sciencedriven understanding with engineering-based implementation”. Potential for new approaches extends from electricity-producing microorganisms to smarter wind power. Researchers from Teagasc, the Marine Institute, partner universities and other international bodies will collaborate with the centre dedicated to Energy research. It is widely believed that Ireland needs to upscale energy research and take a more co-ordinated approach nationally if it wishes to secure a leading role in this vital sector, where future economic growth is guaranteed. Lillian O’ Sullivan FEES
“BIGGEST STUDENT PROTEST EVER” THE UNION of Students in Ireland is planning what is described as “the biggest mass protest Ireland has ever seen” in Dublin on February 4th next. This action is in opposition to the proposed reintroduction of third level fees in the Irish education system and the proposed increase in the registration fee for students. These reforms, which would see the registration fee rise to €1,500, have recently been proposed by minister for Education Batt O’Keefe. The last few months have been dominated by controversy regarding these proposed increases. There have been student protests and blockades of ministerial visits in many campuses across the country. This includes forcing Minister of State Conor Lenihan to withdraw from attending a debate hosted by the University of Dublin’s Literary and Historical Society on 12th November last. Trinity College’s Students’ Union has sent an email to students asking them to come out and protest on the day. James Arthurs HEALTH
RISE IN FLU-LIKE ILLNESSES A SHARP nationwide increase in seasonal reports of influenza-like illnesses (ILI) has recently been reported by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). The HPSC is Ireland’s specialist agency for the surveillance of communicable diseases. Its calculations are based on data gathered from a network of 54 GPs across the country. The College Health Service (CHS), following a previous recommendation made by the World Health Organisation, temporarily offered a vaccination service to staff and students, which was made available from Monday September 29 for eight weeks. Despite the recent HPSC findings, there are no official plans on behlaf of the CHS to renew its vaccination service. However, it is still provisionally able to continue the service while its stocks of the vaccine last. The cost is €15 for studnts, and €30 for staff members. Hussein Sarhan
STEPHAN KOCH, commuter plan manager at UCC, plans to test what he calls “computer-driven hitchhiking” early this year. Avego, based in Kinsale, has developed a new iPhone application, which will allow drivers and potential hitchhikers to meet up in a safe manner while helping to reduce traffic congestion. The system, explains managing director Sean O’Sullivan, works like so: a driver who is willing to offer a lift must download Avego’s application from the web, map out their route and destination and then place their iPhone on the dashboard of their car. The iPhone records the driver’s route and sends it to the Avego network which will then insert pick-up locations for hopeful passengers. While drivers must possess an iPhone to use the service, passengers do not. Passengers can find a ride by texting, calling or using the Avego website. Once the passenger finds their desired route and is accepted by the driver, s/he can identify the driver (and vice versa) through photographs and
The software to facilitate car pooling commuters will run on Apple’s iPhone.
identifying PIN numbers. The journey itself is paid by the passenger via the web. The application works much like a taxi service with the passenger charged 30 cents per mile, 85% of which goes to the driver to cover petrol costs with the remaining 15% to Avego. Mr. Koch hopes the system, in conjunction with public transport and cycling, will ease congestion for UCC commuters. With 17, 000 students and 2, 600 staff, “the road capacity simply isn’t there” ,Mr. Koch says. In a study it was found that 70% of UCC’s staff and 36% of the university’s students use a car to go to and from campus daily. Mr. Koch hopes that by using Avego, staff and students alike can reduce these daily single-occupancy commutes, meaning less traffic on the road and less competition in the car park. The application and others like it allow the driver to offer a ride without the pressures and dependency of committing to regular carpooling. S/ he also has the ultimate freedom of choosing when, to where and with whom to offer a ride even whilst on route. The photographs and PIN numbers ensure an increased level of safety for both the
driver and passenger alike. While Mr. O’Sullivan admits it will take drivers used to the solo commute some time to give up their private space, he hopes that reduced transportation costs offered by the system will act as a big incentive. “It will require behaviour changes on the part of the drivers and riders”, he says. However similar iPhone applications such as Carticipate, have caught on quickly with both drivers and hitchhikers alike. Carticipate, released in October 2008, has already had 10, 000 downloads. Hendrik Hilbolling of the Netherlands uses Carticipate instead of the train to see his girlfriend in France. Hendrik enjoys the system’s economical value as well as the companionship such applications offer, having shared one of his recent journeys with a film director, “This is a nice ride” he says, “we can talk, and this way is much cheaper”.
we need to be prepared to look at new ways to provide the services the public need in the most efficient and effective manner. We must focus spending on areas of greatest priority and reduce sharply those activities which are not essential.” Mr. Cowen also placed an emphasis on the need for a highly skilled and flexible workforce in order to ensure a vibrant economy for the future. However while Mr. Cowen and the Tanaiste Mary Coughlan made their way to China for trade talks, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan was left to weather the storm of controversy surrounding proposed cut-backs in the public sector. Speculation surrounding the planned cut-backs include cuts of between 5 and 10 per cent in the public sector. These cuts will most likely be instigated through redundancies, nonreplacement of retiring staff and actual pay cuts. The salary decreases would target public service workers who earn over 40,000 euro. Cutbacks in the public sector seem more inevitable now, as the unemployment rate is set to increase further. While Mr Cowen prepares for talks with the social partners, he
issued a warning that there is no quick fix solution to the economic turmoil of recent months. Speaking to the Irish Times ahead of his meeting, he made a sobering declaration that it could take up to five years to return the Irish economy to a state of equilibrium. Meanwhile the crushing news of job losses has hit the mid west of Ireland hard. Once a hub of multinational software production, the technology bubble appears to have finally burst, in Limerick at least. Dell announced late last week that it intended to migrate all production of computer systems for customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to Poland. While it promised competitive severance packages for its affected workers the loss of almost 2,000 jobs looks set to impact greatly on the local economy. Mr. Cowen described the proposed out sourcing of production as a major blow to the mid west. It also comes as a major blow to the leader and his party. His words at the announcement for a sustainable economic renewal last month will do little to ease the sobering reality of those recently laid off.
For more information you can visit Avego’s website, www.avego.com or do it the student way and check out their video on www.youtube. com. The iPhone application is now available from the Avego website as a free beta download.
Recession hits public sector Cowen seeks to allay fears of public sector pay cuts amid massive job losses in the midwest, reports Kate O’Regan
T
HE DOWN-WARD spiral of the Irish economy took a dramatic turn this week when the Dell plant in Limerick announced the axing of 1,900 jobs. This followed a call earlier in the week by Taoiseach Brian Cowen for the Irish public to join him and his government in their cost-saving measures. Speaking to the Irish Times, Brian Cowen defended his party’s line on the worsening economic crisis, “We have indicated to the public what the strategic strengths of the economy are”. He asked the Irish people to support the government’s initiative and strive for a spirit of innovation in the public sector. While attempting to allay the fears of the Irish peoples, Mr Cowen insisted that tough measures would have to be taken to withstand the stormy seas of recession. In the short term, he indicated that cuts would have to be made across the public sector, including the health service. He expressed a need for efficient cost saving measures that did not jeopardize the most vulnerable in society. However recent cuts in the health service and education have been met with some resistance from those affected.
Dell’s plant in Limerick, now closed. As almost 2,000 job losses across Ireland were announced this week - the hardest hit being Limerick, with the elimination of 1,900 jobs - Mr Cowen called for a realistic outlook in these uncertain times. Referring to the global fiscal crisis, the Taoiseach was adamant that the best approach in these times is versatility. “We are in a recession. The fact that it is such a global recession makes it harder because we depend on selling into these markets”. He continued to push for a more versatile outlook in terms of industry, claiming “a switch of emphasis may be needed”. With the loss of so many jobs in one week, it comes as no surprise that unemployment hit a ten year high of 8.3% in December. The Taoiseach’s words were of limited comfort to those struck off the pay roll and to those entering the job market. However he encouraged people to focus on the positive economic climate of the last 12 years. Outlining the government’s plans, Mr Cowen suggested that investment in education, research and development would pave the way for a more stable future. “We believe it is a worthwhile investment for the country that will
bring benefits” he said. Before Christmas, Brian Cowen attended the announcement of Building Ireland’s Smart Economy: A Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal in Dublin Castle. In his speech at the event Mr Cowen stated that “we will have to come through this (recession)”. He went on to say that it is up to the Irish workforce to come through it in a creative manner. Confirming his economic vision for the future of Taoiseach calls for skilled workforce to tackle economic crisis Ireland he stated,“When this is over there will be a new economic order and I want Ireland to be positioned to take full advantage of the opportunities that will be presented.” Maintaining a positive outlook he spoke of first-class infrastructures and the ‘best tax deals’. Yet he issued a word of caution to those in the public sector, suggesting that cuts in the sector would be essential to ensure a more efficient service. “Particularly in the public service,
Oxford wins debating final in Cork By Fearghus Brian Roulston & Caroline O’Leary 6 TEAMS from 308 entries from more than 40 countries who visited UCC to take part in the 29th World Universities Debating Championship this month. With more than a thousand delegates visiting the campus, the economic boost to the Cork economy is estimated to be as high as two million Euros. Conor Healy, the Cork Chamber of Commerce chief executive, was pleased with the additional revenue brought in by the competition, and its potential to raise the global profile of Cork. “Education tourism would generally be fairly low at this time of year, so it’s a welcome boost to the economy in that sense. But it’s also of benefit in raising the profile internationally of UCC and Cork as a conference destination and that’s very positive for the region.” Hosted by the university’s Law and Philosophical Society, the event is the largest academic competition in the world. It attracted teams from all over the globe, including the US,
The Worlds final at Cork City Hall. Photo: Caroline O’Leary Japan, Australia and Korea. Mark Collins, director of registration and communication for the event, felt that Cork was honoured to have been chosen to host the annual event. “University College Cork was selected to host the competition by the World Universities Debating Council at Vancouver in Canada in 2006 and
then that decision was ratified last year at Bangkok in Thailand – so it’s a great honour,” Mr Collins said. The event has increased unrecognisably in scale in the past few years with up to 78 debates before the knockout stages. The decision to hold the competition over the Christmas/ New Year’s break stems from the fact
that it is the only time in the year when universities in both the northern and southern hemisphere are on holidays simultaneously. After the gruelling group stages, 32 teams were chosen for the knockout rounds, before a final four teams competed in the final on January 3rd. The teams were only informed of the motion on which they would debate fifteen minutes before the event. The victorious Oxford team were presented with a Waterford Crystal replica of the Sam Maguire cup after standing in opposition to the motion “That this house would allow abortion at all stages of pregnancy”. Mr Jones, 22, studies politics at Balliol College. He said that although their experience debating together in previous events had helped, the motion was difficult to discuss. “We knew it would be very hard competing in the world championships and we had a couple of lucky shots and here we are.” The two politics students had previously won the event in Vancouver, before missing out on last year’s final in
DEBATABLE FACTS » UCC have history in the competition, winning it once in 1986, and hosting it previously in 1995. » The competition is judged by a panel drawn from more than 300 adjudicators. » Among the guests at the finals were the president of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy, and vice president for the Student Experience, Con O’Brien. Bangkok. Both of the winners were full of praise for the organising committee in Cork and the standard of debate they encountered. Ireland was wellrepresented this year with six teams from University College Dublin, six from Trinity, three from NUI Galway, two from DCU and two from UL. However, it was Oxford that left with the trophy this year.