ATU Magazine - Issue 9

2022-23 A Year of Change, Collaboration and Creativity

Editor: Anne Donnelly

Design: The Foundation

Printer: GPS

Contributors: John Andy Bonar, Jessica Duffy,

Dr Orla Flynn, Dr Michèle Glacken, Phoebe Kearney, JoAnne Kilmartin, Professor Frances Lucy, Professor Jacqueline McCormack, Dr Rick Officer, Dr Chris O'Malley, Turlough Raftery, Lauren Reynolds, Mona Wise and ATU’s Communications Team.

Photography: Alison Laredo, James Connolly, Jessica Priddy, Mike Shaughnessy, Clive Wasson, Enterprise Ireland, Sportsfile and ATU staff

Cover photo: Samantha O’Reilly, ATU Sligo Fine Art (Hons) Student, 2023

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK: If there is anything you would like to see in future issues of this magazine, please email anne.donnelly@atu.ie

Welcome from the Editor, Anne Donnelly

Dear Reader,

Welcome to a very special issue of our ATU Magazine. Over the summer months we took time to reflect on our activities during 2022-23 which was our first full academic year as a university. The outcome of that reflective process was the desire to let you, our reader know about some of our key activities during the last year. And so, the idea for a review issue of our magazine was born.

It has been a year of change, collaboration, and creativity both internally within ATU and externally in our engagement with local, regional, national and international partners. Three institutes of technology have become one technological university with a massive impact for our students, staff and region. We’re changing, evolving, collaborating and working creatively to become the best university we can be.

With contributions from many of our ATU colleagues we give you a taste of what we have been doing over the last year in this issue.

We review some of our key activities in research and innovation, and engagement and look at how we are building and expanding our global reach.

Dr Michéle Glacken, Registrar & VicePresident for Students, Teaching & Learning writes about how we have been supporting our students and some of them speak frankly about their experience of our new university. But we’re not forgetting our past students. Alumni Officer, Lauren Reynolds

brings us some exciting news about our upcoming Alumni launch and we also talk to some of those alumni about their careers.

Professor Jacqueline McCormack, our Vice-President with responsibility for EDI writes about how we are making ATU a more equal, diverse and inclusive community. Recently appointed EU GREEN Alliance Co-ordinator for ATU, Professor Frances Lucy talks to us about her new role and how being part of EU GREEN will develop our ability to be a leader for the sustainable future of ATU and the west and north-west of Ireland.

We have two special pictorials in this issue, the first showcases our end-of-year Creative Arts and Design exhibitions and the second showcases our end-of-year Engineering and Technological exhibitions.

I hope you enjoy reading this magazine as much as I enjoyed putting it together and that you come away with a deeper appreciation of ATU and what we do.

Best Wishes

Anne Donnelly

ATU Podcasts

Atlantic Technological University Podcast is where we dive deep into the vibrant world of our university and bring you captivating stories, engaging discussions, and insightful conversations with our staff members and students, shedding light on their inspiring journeys and highlighting their contributions to academia and society.

If you want to listen to any of our episodes, please scan this QR code or visit ATU Podcast on Spotify.

Our President’s Message

As we start our second full academic year at Atlantic Technological University, I want to take a moment to reflect on the many milestones that we have achieved along our journey so far. Over the past year, we have lived through tremendous change and progress. Together, we all continue to play a role in shaping our university into what it will become.

Our strategic planning consultation process, led by Dr Des Foley, has helped in shaping our strategic priorities and fostering a culture of inclusivity and collaboration. The insights and inputs from all

our stakeholders continue to be instrumental in guiding our thinking, and I am looking forward to finalising our strategic plan later in the year. Our plan will provide a solid foundation for the focus and drive of ATU in the years ahead.

And continuing to look ahead, I am truly delighted to say that we are on track for the incorporation of Saint Angela’s College on 1 November. This integration will enrich our collective academic programme offering and bring together a diverse range of talent and expertise, reinforcing our commitment to delivering exceptional

education and research that will serve the needs of our region into the future.

This forthcoming year holds huge potential and presents us with new opportunities for growth and innovation. Our change management work with KPMG and delivery on organisation structure will be another step towards having a coherent approach to regional provision and educational services for the region.

Our journey is far from over, however!

In fact, it has just begun.

“ This forthcoming year holds huge potential and presents us with new opportunities for growth and innovation.”

A Word from our Students

Phoebe Kearney, third year student in Business, talks to us about what it has been like for students in ATU in its first full academic year.

Atlantic Technological University: I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking what on earth will that become and how is it going to impact my education.

In between lectures, my friends and I would chat about what becoming ATU meant to us. How would it impact our education and experience? Our lecturers and management staff told us it would mean better research facilities and opportunities, access to multiple campuses, a university degree and a higher chance of employment when we graduated.

The level of scepticism felt by students at the time of the merger should not be understated. Campus life did not feel any different from the outset and students did not fully understand what becoming ATU really meant for us. Now a year on I can look back with hindsight and reflect on what being part of ATU means to me. I distinctly remember the day when it clicked and I realised, ok you now go to a university! I was sitting in the O’Hehirs food court, and I noticed that they were changing the logos and colours on the walls, gently stripping away any remnants of IT Sligo and replacing it with ATU Sligo.

My friends and I were curious about what the logos would look like, what colours would represent the brand and if we could get a free hoodie! This article is mainly from my own perspective, but I found it important to reach out to students

to contextualise my own experience with theirs. When I asked some students on campus what was the best thing about being in ATU, they said it was that they would now graduate with a university degree. But what was our actual experience?

Aoife Kilcommons said: “I haven’t noticed much of a difference in becoming ATU. I travelled here from England to study and felt the whole experience was new and different. However, Clubs and Society activities could be better, the campus feels quiet compared to what I see other universities doing, other than that I like ATU.”

Phoebe’s average day as a student at ATU

I am a third-year business student, so my days usually consist of 9am accounting lectures followed by human resource workshops and marketing lectures. It’s not always in that order, but it’s usually something like that.

In between lectures I spend a lot of time in Yeats Library, which is a universal ATU student experience, trying to understand anything from my programme or scrambling to get my assignments done!

As I mentioned the main changes noticed by students is the presence of the ATU branding. We also have a wider access to resources in the library and the sense of comradery has widened as we make friends with students on our other campuses. Notably the biggest changes are the volume of students on campus, new programmes and new lecturers, which leads to more diversity.

Being part of ATU has had a positive impact on my student life. Starting in what was then IT Sligo was daunting. I, like many was unsure what I wanted to do after my leaving certificate or if Sligo was even the right fit for me.

Now as a third year I could not imagine myself anywhere else. Knowing I will graduate with a university degree is just another perk to my college experience.

Phoebe’s student internship with the ATU Communications Team

I am proud to be part of ATU, it has a very ambitious vision. This motivated me to pursue an internship in the ATU communications office for the work placement portion of my programme. I feel lucky, because this experience has given me more of an understanding of the new university, not only from a student perspective but also from the side students don’t usually get to see.

What I have noticed is that the new university has impacted staff more than students. The scope of work has increased, and networks have widened. The number of staff has also increased, and we now have eight campuses instead of one. This needs to be factored into decisions made about how the university functions.

The future for ATU

There is a great feeling of collaboration and hope especially after celebrating our first-year anniversary in April. Although the impacts of ATU have not magnified into student life as heavily as that of staff it is evident that ATU has had a positive change for the student experience.

“ I feel as though I am part of something that is bigger than me and I know in the coming years, ATU will be a beacon of academic greatness for the west and north-west of Ireland granting many with a quality education and university experience. ”

Phoebe Kearney

“The creation of ATU has given me a broader range of opportunities and a more comprehensive platform for learning.”

Conor Darcy, ATU Student

“Becoming ATU has its positive attributes, I have noticed capacity has increased, in terms of the number of students and lecturers. As a student that drives, parking has become more difficult on campus. Although this is a negative, increased capacity also allows for opportunities to meet new people.”

Alys Cassidy, ATU Student

“I have really enjoyed my time in Sligo. The experience of becoming a university was exciting, I was in a three-year course and felt my time in Sligo flew by. Leaving with a university level degree in a subject I thoroughly enjoyed has helped my transition from college life to the world of work.”

Taylor Keady, ATU Student

Engaging and Establishing an ATU Alumni Network

Our alumni together form a rich tapestry of graduates, leaders, and innovators living and working across the globe. Lauren Reynolds (pictured right) was appointed our new Alumni Officer earlier this year. She is working with ATU colleagues to create an ATU Alumni Network, building a community to support, nurture and lead.

Always ATU was created to help engage the alumni community with meaning and we have created three messaging pillars to bring the mission of the ATU Alumni Office to life.

• Always Connected

• Always Learning

• Always Inspired

• Always ATU

The ATU Alumni messaging encompasses the past, present, and future. Specifically connecting ATU’s past, in our legacy institutes, to our present university, and to our future, invested in both our university and our ATU Alumni Network.

ATU Alumni Network

Always Connected

Stay connected to former classmates and lecturers and build new relationships with your fellow alumni through initiatives supported by ATU Alumni Office. These include:

• Networking opportunities

• Alumni Student Ambassador Programme

• Alumni online presence and newsletter

• Links to academic and professional networks

• Career support

• Reunions

Always ATU

Always Learning

Your alumni community is a deep resource of lifetime learning, be it from one another, through alumni programmes and initiatives or linking back into the university to avail of opportunities such as:

• Invitations to lectures, talks and conferences

• Internships and professional development

• Lifelong learning opportunities

Always Inspired

The ATU Alumni Network is bursting with inspiration. It is full of people with a shared experience of the university, and working and living all over the world. Inspiration can be harnessed from tapping into this network through:

• Alumni events and panel discussions

• Alumni stories and profiles

• Guest speaking and lecturing

• ATU Mentorship programme

• Awards and recognitions

• Volunteering

As an ATU alumnus you will always be a part of our rich community and we will always be a part of your journey.

ATU Alumni Network Launch

ATU will launch its new Alumni Network on Friday 6 October 2023 from 14.00-16.30 on ATU’s Galway City campus. The event will celebrate the accomplishments of our remarkable alumni and shine a bright spotlight on the potential benefit networks can have at every stage of a professional journey.

For this event we will be joined by ATU alumnus and keynote speaker, Michael Lohan, Chief Executive Officer, IDA Ireland. There will also be a panel discussion with ATU alumni, Damien McCallion, HSE, Chief Operations Officer; Evelyn O’Toole, Complete Laboratory Solutions (CLS), Founder and Chief Executive Officer; and Keith Moran, SL Controls, Chief Executive Officer.

Visiting Alumni to Student Ambassador Awards Ceremony

Fatimah Omowunmi Alao, Esther Osiuhwu, Oluwatosin Edunjobi returned to ATU Donegal this year to speak at the annual Student Ambassador Awards Ceremony and share their experiences since graduating from ATU Donegal in 2019. They talked to us about the importance of staying connected, continuing to learn, and being inspired by others.

Always Connected

Fatimah Omowunmi is currently working as an analytical chemist at Almac Group, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Northern Ireland. She has always seen the value in building and nurturing professional networks throughout her career journey and has benefited from a range of opportunities presented to her through these networks. Fatimah says:

“Through my own networks and circles, I have been told about internships, job vacancies, and projects that have been a match in terms of my interests and career goals. Networking has the potential to present another job market, where you can hear about vacant positions that you might typically not come across, or you could be given direct referrals or recommendations, the benefit is there to grab.”

Always Learning

Esther Osiuhwu is currently working as a Medical Doctor with the NHS in Wales. Working towards becoming a medical doctor is a long road that requires dedication and focus and there are many challenges along the way. Ester says:

“Believe it or not, learning how to study was probably my biggest challenge. I was always someone who took notes thinking it was the most effective method assimilating information but towards the end of my studies at ATU and throughout my studies at med school I used active recall and it really worked for me.”

Always Inspired

Oluwatosin Edunjobi is currently working as a Securities Official with the Bank of Ireland. However, this was not the career she had initially envisaged for herself. Decisions concerning careers can be challenging, especially for someone starting out. Oluwatosin looked to the people around her for inspiration and to learn more about careers which she aspired to be in. Oluwastosin says:

“I have sought guidance from people around me who inspired me and are working in roles I aspire to work in. Their support and mentorship have given me invaluable insights and practical steps to progress towards achieving my professional goals.”

Left to right: Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President, Esther Osiuhwu, Oluwatosin Edunjobi, Fatimah Alao and Paul Hannigan, Head of College ATU Donegal.

Hitting the Headlines

ATU Alumnus and Tech Entrepreneur, Fergus Grimes

After graduating from ATU Galway in 2020 with a degree in Business with Entrepreneurship, Fergus founded a GAA live scoring app called Score Beo. What started as a side gig has now more than 100,000 downloads from over 100 countries.

Even before his graduation, Score Beo was brewing in Fergus’s mind. For his thesis Fergus developed a business plan for a GAA Live Scores app under the guidance of ATU lecturer, Ivan McPhillips. It’s not surprising Fergus leaned into the entrepreneurship side of his academic studies, as he comes from a family of entrepreneurs where both his father and grandfather ran their own business.

The idea came to Fergus when he was travelling on a J1 visa in Canada, and as an avid GAA fan he found it difficult to get real time GAA Live scores from GAA matches back in Ireland. The app originally focused on providing live scores for inter-county championship games and has since grown to become a one-stop shop for GAA fans across the globe. Score Beo has grown to provide real-time match scores for inter-county Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and ladies football, line-ups and a news hub for GAA supporters.

When the app first came to market in 2020, Covid restrictions saw the closure of GAA grounds to the public across the nation. This created a need among GAA fans to access

reliable match results quickly and easily, especially in games that were not televised. After only a few weeks of the app launching, it topped the Irish sports charts in the Apple Store.

Score Beo is showing strong growth with over 100,000 downloads in just two years. The app continues to grow organically with over 2,000 new downloads weekly. Fergus has monetised the app through advertising. Score Beo sponsors include Allianz, Eirgrid, PWC and Electric Ireland.

This year, Fergus was recognised for his hard work and success when he was named in the Business Post ‘Tech 30, Under 30’, a shortlist of the best up-and-coming engineers, founders, and content creators in Irish tech.

From Spain to Sligo and Beyond

ATU Alumnus, Pilar Perlines Castro, Finance Manager, GDP Global Development Ltd.

“It’s hard to have your professional life figured out from the start. It takes time to get to where you want to be. Believe in yourself and in your efforts and never give up on your dreams. Follow your heart and always pay attention to what your gut is telling you.”

Pilar

Pilar arrived at what was RTC Sligo, in 1993 as an Erasmus student from Spain. The Erasmus programme was part of her studies towards a National Certificate in Business Studies with International Marketing.

She enjoyed her ATU experience so much that she returned to ATU Sligo in 2013 to complete a Bachelor of Business (Hons) in which she achieved a First Class Honours.

Pilar has worked across a range of industries, her career taking many twists and turns, as is often the way when you have transferrable skills and knowledge. She has worked in financial services, hospitality and tourism as well as manufacturing. After working in these industries,

Pilar went on to run her own accountancy and bookkeeping business in Ireland.

She says: “I gained extensive experience working in different industries. I developed and honed key organisational, managerial, and networking skills which gave me the confidence and resources to set up and run my own accountancy and bookkeeping business”.

Pilar is currently a Financial Manager for international company GDP Global Development Ltd., a leading specialised economic promotion and business development consultancy. She works remotely from Alicante for the London and Johannesburg offices.

Pilar has experienced the power of networking, including online professional networks like LinkedIn to help support career growth and present opportunities that may not otherwise present themselves.

“I networked a lot using LinkedIn, it was actually my LinkedIn profile that was spotted by my current employer, and the rest as they say is history.”

“I have applied for jobs that friends or people I know have recommended me for. I always take up the opportunity to meet or talk to somebody new because you never know what a conversation will bring.”

Perlines Castro, Finance Manager, GDP Global Development Ltd.

Creative Arts and Design End-of-year Exhibitions

At the end of each academic year students on our Creative Arts and Design programmes showcase their work. Over the next six pages we give you a taste of some of our students’ creative projects on show at our 2023 exhibitions.

ATU Galway-Mayo Creative Arts and Media Exhibition

The Department of Creative Arts and Media in ATU Galway-Mayo ran its annual exhibition from 2-11 June. 72 students showcased their work in a variety of media including paintings, sculptures, installations, graphic design and illustration, digital art, film and documentary screenings, animations, video game designs, product designs, textiles and fashion designs. This vibrant and dynamic event served as a platform for the students to exhibit their creativity and innovation to the public.

Several hundred guests visited the exhibition, which celebrated the culmination of countless hours of hard work, exploration and creativity by our students.

Celine Curtin, Head of the Dept of Creative Arts and Media, said: “We are immensely proud of the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our students throughout the year. The exhibition is a celebration of their achievements and their remarkable talent.”

Top: Work by textile students at the Creative Arts and Media exhibition in ATU Galway City campus.

Bottom: ‘no title’ by Shannon Kleinschmidt, final year student on the BA in in Contemporary Art.

“ The exhibition is testament to the commitment of the School of Design and Creative Arts in fostering an environment that nurtures artistic expression, critical thinking, and innovation. It showcases the exceptional talent and dedication of its students.”

Above: ‘I Put a Spell on You’ by Jed Gjerek, final year student on the BA in Contemporary Art.

Celine Curtin, Head of the Dept of Creative Arts and Media

ATU Sligo Yeats Academy of Arts Design and Architecture (YAADA) Showcase

The annual YAADA showcase took place from 18-25 May. The showcase, an exhibition of cutting-edge ideas, innovative projects, and inspiring works of art and design, featured students work in the fields of interior architecture and design, writing and literature, architecture, performing arts, fine art, and creative design.

The Yeats academy team at ATU Sligo encourage students to develop their unique imagination and creativity and help them acquire the knowledge, skills and experience they need to find their distinctive voice as an actor, architect, artist, designer or writer.

“I would like to congratulate this year’s graduating students and wish them every success with their future creative endeavours. This showcase is a celebration and an important testimony of what they have achieved already. I hope it inspires future potential students to come to ATU, to push the parameters of their creativity and to pursue their dreams.”

Úna Parsons, Head of College and

Head of Faculty of Engineering & Design,

ATU Sligo

Right:

“I am a multidisciplinary artist with an objective to breakdown preconceived ideas about beauty within the grotesque and reverse its fearsome reputation. I use reminiscence, motherhood, memory, and ritual as a channel for inspiration.”

Fine Art student Rebecca Devins

“Recycled paper and plastic become vehicles for a narrative, pasting, cutting, drawing, and stitching a layered story. The materials take me as the maker on a journey, where the destination is not set.”

Below: Fine Art Student Elyssa McDonagh with her 3D Installation.

“I’m drawn to exploring the truths behind the human condition through grotesque, carnivalesque and abject art usually with a sense of humour and absurdity.”

Congratulations to three of our students, Maria May Fleming, Samantha O’Reilly and Laura Grisard who were longlisted for the prestigious RDS Visual Arts Awards.

Above: Fine Art student Maria May Fleming with her work entitled Connection.

Georgia’s collection was influenced by the secret lesbian lives of famous royal women. She says: “The result is garments which are designed with feminine characteristics yet finished with masculine materials and finishes.”

ATU Donegal Design and Creative Media Showcase

The Department of Design and Creative Media at ATU Donegal hosted their annual end-of-year graduate showcase in early June. The event showcased the innovative and exciting work created by ATU Donegal students in animation, graphic and digital design, fashion, and film and video. This year’s showcase took place on the Letterkenny campus.

Guests attending the event experienced striking displays of original fashion collections created by final year students of the Fashion with Promotion programme. These collections focused on sustainable fashion and circular design.

The final year Graphic and User Experience (UX) Design students exhibited their diverse body of works encompassing a broad range of multidisciplinary design projects from visual identity, app design, writing/ messaging, design for print, motion graphics, website design, illustration, icon design and design for social media.

The showcase opened with a fashion catwalk followed by a “Pop-Up” cinema, where the final work of Animation and Film students was screened. It was a wonderful event celebrating the creativity and innovation of the students.

Right: ‘The Affair Fashion’ collection by Fashion Design and Promotion student Georgia McLaughlin.

“With this collection, I wanted to convey that there is more to every story, be that of fiction or the history of those who came before us…Sustainability is an important consideration within the collection, the sourcing of fabrics was restricted to charity shops and deadstock fabrics to lessen the environmental impact.”

Above: Left to right, Nollaig Crombie, Head of Department of Design and Creative Media at ATU Donegal; Michelle McCarroll Neale, Knitwear and Fashion Designer; Niamh Reid, Fashion student with her ‘Out of Sync’ collection; and Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President.

Right: ‘The Halo Effect’ collection by Fashion Design and Promotion student Molly Gallagher.

Our Students: The Beating Heart of our University

Dr Michèle Glacken, Registrar & Vice-President for Students, Teaching & Learning writes about how we have supported our students in our first academic year as a university.

Widening access to further education

We have worked in partnership with the University of Galway on the WWW Connect Project. This project is funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) through the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH 3) and provides funding to support the development of regional and community partnership strategies for increasing access to higher education by specified groups. Through this project we have delivered mentorship programmes in post primary schools across the region and we were involved in several outreach activities to schools included in the DEIS programme. The DEIS programme

focuses on targeting additional resources to schools included in the programme to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to achieve their potential.

We have also expanded our community mentorship programme in the past year from Sligo to Galway and expanded our engagement with the travelling community regionally.

Secondary school students from across the region have had the opportunity to engage with our programmes and current students through our transition year programmes and other activities such as the Maths Enrichment Programme at ATU Sligo and the VEX VRC Robotics competition hosted

by our campuses in Donegal, Galway, and Sligo. Academic staff across ATU also delivered several revision classes for the leaving certificate class of 2023. Over 100 students participated in Access programmes delivered by ATU Donegal. Several of the graduates will progress onto full time programmes in September.

Transition to university life

Before they even register as students, our future students have access to a range of resources to support their transition to university life, including the online foundation programme though our ATU Free Courses platform.

Both generic and bespoke induction programmes (online and in-person) were run across the university in the last academic year to address the needs of the various student cohorts. We complimented our induction programme with a series of thematic sessions during the first five weeks of the academic year. This September, we are running a university wide first five week induction programme titled Connect for Success.

Student Wellbeing

The wellbeing of our students is of utmost importance and in the last academic year we expanded our counselling service, which resulted in approximately 1,000 students receiving one-to-one counselling sessions, for up to six occasions. We also provided a 24/7 online peer to peer support through Togetherall.

Our mental health project officers and pastoral care teams ran several wellbeing sessions targeting students’ physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.

The Hello, How Are You? mental health promotion campaign is one example of a university wide campaign that was delivered to encourage our students engage in conversations about mental health.

Students also had the opportunity to participate in several sexual consent workshops and peer led initiatives over the past year with many students availing of the opportunity to become sexual consent ambassadors.

Each of our nursing teams facilitated approximately 2,500 student appointments over the last year. Our nursing service is complimented by an onsite GP service on four of our campuses.

AsIAm acknowledged ATU’s commitment to providing an inclusive learning environment by recognising ATU Sligo as the Ireland’s first Autism Friendly technological university campus in December 2022. We are working towards achieving the same accolade for all our campuses. Our neurodiverse student body have access to disability officers, inclusion support workers, occupational therapy, bespoke learning support and assistive technologists.

Sports scholarship programme

ATU sports scholarship programmes provided both financial and non-financial support to over 150 student athletes in the past academic year. Scholarships were provided for participation in a wide range of activities from chess to camogie. In March 2023, ATU launched the inaugural university sports scholarship programme which will award gold, silver and bronze scholarships to successful applicants.

Listening to our students

At ATU we recognise the power and the necessity of listening to students. We provide them with opportunities to become involved in all decision-making fora in the university. In the past academic year students were given representation on both the Governing Body and Academic Council. Our outgoing Student Union Presidents engaged with senior management to articulate the students’ needs in the emerging university structures and worked on agreeing a student union constitution for the university.

ATU promotes a culture where students appreciate the value of supporting fellow students and the wider ATU community. In June, President Dr Orla Flynn and Paul Hannigan, Head of College ATU Donegal awarded 22 of our student ambassadors with digital badges in recognition of their voluntary work.

Universal Design for Learning

There is no one size fits all when it comes to teaching or assessing our students and we are committed to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which requires a move away from teaching methods based heavily on lectures and texts to methods that build partnerships and community, focus on engagement and relevance, and demonstrate flexibility.

We assess students in a variety of ways so that they can demonstrate their learning in a manner conducive to them. The academic staff are provided with many opportunities to embed the principles of UDL in their teaching and assessment strategies. We know through feedback from our students that they are reaping the benefits of our commitment to an inclusive approach to learning.

ATU’s work in the UDL space was recognised in November 2022 and were recipients of the John Kelly Award for Universal Design in Further and Higher Education. Our commitment to ongoing excellence in learning, teaching and assessment was further recognised this year with ATU Galway-Mayo, School of Science chemistry team winning a DELTA award. Such innovative practice has a positive impact on student engagement.

Academic Supports

ATU students have access to a range of academic supports at both the individual level with their lecturers, and at university level through our academic support centres which provide support in academic writing, maths, engineering, English language for students whose English is not their first language support, and tailored learning support for students registered with ATU disability service. The number of students who accessed these supports in the last year is a testament to their value to the student body.

ATU Library

ATU library offer students access to the latest online research databases, journals and e-books and provides a high-quality integrated library service. Additional funding in the past academic year gave all our students access to a wider range of databases and ebooks collections. In addition, all students were given access to the free online learning platform Linkedln learning.

Employability Skills

Employability skills development is student-centred with ATU careers officers working with students and future employers throughout the academic year. Their approach is underpinned by ATU’s employability statement. The careers officers work individually and in groups with students assisting them in making their career choices.

This year employers engaged with students on all campuses and through work placements/ internships. Students had access to resources such as Career Set, a 24/7 online career platform that provided them with actionable feedback on their CVs. Entrepreneurship is nurtured and valued by the university and resulted in several our students participating at national level for Entrepreneurship awards in June.

We have worked hard to support our students and prepare them for life after university in our first year and we look forward to continuing to do so in this new academic year.

How ATU is Fostering Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

EDI colleagues in the three legacy institutes had already been working closely together since well before the formation of ATU. This meant that we were able to hit the ground running from designation date.

All three legacy institutes had achieved a Bronze Award for Athena Swan, which is a framework to support and transform gender quality in higher education. The newly formed ATU EDI Team worked with the three legacy Athena Swan Self-Assessment Teams (SATs) to merge the three gender equality actions plans into one. Once this was approved by the Governing Body, ATU successfully applied for and achieved an Athena Swan Legacy Bronze award.

AURA LGBTQ+ Staff and Allies Network

Shortly after the formation of ATU, LGBTQ+ staff and allies came together to form the AURA Network. The EDI Team have supported the network to ensure that ATU was represented at all Pride events in our region. Over the past year we have also installed rainbow walkways on all our ATU-owned campuses. These are visible signs of the commitment of the university to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion. Our campuses are places which need to be welcoming and safe for all staff, students, and the local community, regardless of any aspect of their identity. This year we plan to bring forward an ATU-wide Gender Identity and Expression policy for approval.

October Black History Month

ATU libraries marked October Black History Month with book displays in library foyers that celebrated diversity in literature and helped to raise awareness of race equality issues.

During the academic year ATU Librarians worked closely with the EDI Team to compile and procure a diversity book list which is available for loan by staff and students on any ATU campus.

We are here, HEAR Exhibition

Last autumn the university hosted the We are here, HEAR exhibition (WAHH). This exhibition, by College Connect, featured peer-to-peer research with 104 refugees and people in the protection process in Ireland around their experience of accessing higher education in Ireland. The exhibition showcased the voices and experiences of people who sought refuge in Ireland via a powerful photograph collection. It highlighted the barriers faced by refugees and those in asylum aspiring to progress in their education.

Soon after the formation of ATU, Professor Jacqueline McCormack was assigned as Vice-President with responsibility for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). In this article

Jacqueline looks back at some of EDI’s key activities since then and talks to us about EDI’s plans for the coming year.

ATU at the Galway Pride Parade in August 2023.

Staff Race Equality Network

As a follow up from the publication of the 2021 Race Equality Report in 2021 the HEA published a Race Equality Implementation Plan in 2023.

The ATU Race Equality Network has begun to meet to have informal conversations about how to shape and progress the conversation on race equality and to actively and creatively contribute to anti-racist efforts in ATU. One of the key activities this year will be to develop an ATU Race Equality Action Plan.

Universal Design and Accessibility Action Plan

We have established an ATU Accessibility Steering Group and a specialist consultancy firm has been engaged to undertake an audit/benchmarking exercise and to help develop a Universal Design and Accessibility action plan and policy, aiming to establish ATU as a disability inclusive university. Another important activity of the forthcoming academic year will be to seek approval of and implement this policy and action plan.

EDI Awareness Events

The EDI Team has promoted and supported a range of events across the year including International Women’s Day, International Men’s Day, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Coming Out Day, Black History Month, Active Aging Week, World Mental Health Day, 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, World AIDS Day and Menopause Awareness Day.

Pictured above, ATU colleagues raise the ‘Orange the World’ flag at ATU Mayo on 25 November 2022 to increase awareness of the annual 16 Days of Activism for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Preventing Sexual Violence and Promoting Sexual Consent

One of our first EDI initiatives was the submission of a policy for Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment to ATU’s inaugural Governing Body meeting for approval. Subsequently ATU set up a Consent Working Group to progress the Sexual Consent Framework Action Plan.

The Promoting Consent and Preventing Sexual Violence Working Group has worked to merge the three legacy Sexual Consent Framework action plans into one. Working in partnership with colleagues in student services and human resources the working group is implementing a programme of training and awareness raising opportunities for students and staff.

In addition, the processes aligned with approval of ATU’s Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment Policy are being finalised and will be introduced during the forthcoming academic year with the aim of creating and fostering an environment in which all members of the university community are encouraged to seek support and assistance in relation to incidents of sexual misconduct.

STEM Passport for Inclusion

ATU are partners in the STEM Passport for Inclusion (STEMp.Inc) which is a collaborative project led by Maynooth University, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover Program and supported by Microsoft.

The project aims to encourage, inspire, and support girls from underrepresented groups to consider a higher education course and career in STEM. STEMp.inc aims to provide girls from DEIS schools around Ireland with the opportunity to complete a university accredited STEM short course qualification (21st Century STEM Skills). They will also have access to a STEM mentor, and access to the STEM Platform for supporting access to courses and STEM information. For further information on STEMp.Inc in ATU contact Ruth Lennon at ruth.lennon@atu.ie

We have made sigificant progress in creating an equal, diverse and inclusive community in ATU and we look forward to building on that work in the forthcoming academic year.

N-TUTORR and EDI

Via the N-TUTORR Project a range of activities which will support and promote EDI at ATU are planned for this academic year. We are introducing a student digital back-pack which will facilitate students in developing a number of skills aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including EDI.

The work of the N-TUTORR Project also aligns closely to the EU GREEN Project and the EDI Team are involved in the Access, Diversity and Inclusion Work-package of this project and will be seeking opportunities for sharing of EDI related practice and collaboration with our EU GREEN partners.

Leadership Development Programme for Women

In November 2022, 14 women became the first ATU cohort to participate in the highly regarded Aurora leadership development programme. Mona Wise writes about her experience of the programme.

A few years ago, a colleague suggested that I should do the Aurora programme. Some colleagues had participated, and they were giddy with excitement over the band of ferocious females they’d forged new friendships with.

I find it almost impossible to make and take time out for myself when it comes to doing self-improvement courses at work. And when I do, I feel guilty. So doing something like Aurora was initially a guilty pleasure for me. I had to block out the dates, times, destinations and make the commitment to doing the programme.

I also felt that it would aid my continuing professional development (CPD). And waving the Aurora flag at the end of the programme would give me something to be proud of. Proud I had started and finished a whole series of lessons and learnings and made great friends along the way.

The list of pre-work and homework (reading and watching TedTalks etc.) was a little daunting but I forged ahead and jumped in on day one in late November 2022.

We introduced ourselves, sometimes there were more than 300 women (all from tertiary level education) on the virtual platform. Both academics, and professional and support staff participated on the programme.

After the organisers gave us a preview of the eight (full day) sessions that lay ahead of us, they asked for a volunteer to stand up, and share a work-related issue. The reason for this was to show participants how to delve into the Action Learning Sets planned for January 2023, where we would be asked to reveal an issue we were struggling with at work – and in our co-learning environment, we would help each other navigate the issue but not by offering advice – which was incredibly difficult to do. We would help by asking a series of questions given to us by the organisers such as:

1. What are you trying to achieve?

2. Who might be willing to help you?

3. What practical realities and constraints do you have to work with?

4. What are the pros and cons of your behaviour?

5. What would happen if you did nothing?

I threw my hands up in the air and dived right in. Pick me, pick me! It was one of those virtual sessions where everyone held back. I thought to myself, it’s time to push myself out of my comfort zone. So I shared my

major work-related challenge(s) with 300 + strangers on a virtual call. Fast forward to graduation day in Dublin where so many women came up to me to say they remembered me on day one, and they hoped that I had resolved some of my work-related challenges. This was an amazing feeling – knowing I had made an impact by sharing my woes with like-minded women. The fact that I was so open had empowered them to share their challenges too. Our final session before graduation was all about Standing Up and Speaking Out. It reminded us that we can play an important role in our organisations by raising issues and voicing our concerns and that is what we all hope to do.

If I was to sum up what I learnt during the AURORA programme it’s this: Don’t sit back and accept the status quo. Ask questions. Seek answers. If that is not working, think of someone at work you admire and ask them how they would deal with your situation. How can we progress as a new university? Together. That’s how. ”

Mona Wise

Collaborating Internationally on Sustainability

Professor Frances Lucy, recently appointed EU GREEN Alliance Co-ordinator for ATU, talks to us about her new role and the alliance.

Congratulations Frances on your recent appointment as the EU GREEN Alliance Co-ordinator for ATU. What will your role involve?

“My priority is to reach into every corner of ATU to make connections and further involve our staff and students in EU GREEN. Developing an effective communication strategy is a priority for ATU and its region, and moreover for national and international audiences. I want to fly the EU GREEN flag high and proudly for ATU!”

My first job is to explain the benefits EU GREEN can bring to ATU students and staff, and our region. Many of us are involved in sustainability through education, research, innovation, in our homes and via involvement with our communities – now we have a platform to supercharge that space.

I want to link our people with teams in the other eight EU Green partners, including students, staff but also enterprise, agency and social networks throughout the nine universities.

Working with my fellow EU GREEN co-ordinators we will actively encourage and support staff and students to connect on joint educational activities, ranging in scale from shared assignments to joint Masters Programmes.

About Professor Frances Lucy

In research, my role is to connect researchers and to foster mobilities and joint research applications. The most exciting part of my job is in co-ordinating the development of innovation and engagement networks, which will bring positive benefits to our ATU region and to the regions of our alliance partners. In this space, EU GREEN can develop the societal capacity of each region in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Why is being part of the EU GREEN Alliance important for ATU?

The EU GREEN alliance gives ATU a platform for all campuses to work together towards the common goal of sustainability. Being part of this alliance will develop our ability to be a leader for the sustainable future of ATU and the west and north-west of Ireland.

We will be working with external enterprise, social and environmental partners to develop pathways

Professor Frances Lucy was recently appointed as the EU GREEN Alliance Co-ordinator for ATU. She was previously Head of the Department of Environmental Science and is Director of CERIS (Centre for Environmental Research Innovation and Sustainability) at ATU Sligo. With a strong background in environmental science and a passion for sustainability, Professor Lucy has dedicated her career to tackling pressing environmental challenges.

and solutions that embed our cultural identity and provide solutions to allow communities and environments to thrive. On a European scale we are furthering the goals of EU Alliances, as we focus on our sustainability challenges. The alliance has also connected with several Ukrainian partners. We hope to be able to learn lessons from their wartime experiences and provide them with supports.

You are regarded as a renowned expert in Environmental Science. What are your research interests and what are you most passionate about?

I am a freshwater ecologist and my main passion is for river and lake ecosystems and their conservation. In the face of climate emergency, we are seeing an alarming loss of biodiversity in our native freshwaters most notably the iconic Atlantic salmon. The growing number of invasive species in Ireland is also a grave concern and the main focus of my research for the last 25 years. I am on the new National Steering Group on invasive species and involved in several environmental fora nationally and internationally.

The EU GREEN alliance’s aim is to be a gateway to sustainability. What does sustainability mean to you and how will the alliance achieve that aim?

Sustainability encompasses the three pillars of environmental, social and economic. We need to improve and develop each of these. Sustainability targets are expressed through the lens of the 17 SDGs (sustainable development goals).

EU GREEN is a journey and the alliance’s ambition is that through its many actors, outputs and activities, all nine partners can open a gateway to a more sustainable future for their universities and regions.

About EU GREEN Alliance

The alliance comprises nine European universities whose aim is to be a gateway to sustainability. The nine partners of the EU GREEN Alliance are strategically aligned to engage with all European regions, while globally focused on our communities.

EU GREEN embraces a mission of actively doing good and places societal responsibility at the heart of their mission. EU Green partners aim to train citizens and deliver research and innovation that contribute to the development of local and/or regional ecosystems, thus providing answers to pressing challenges for society at large. All EU Green Universities are based in peripheral regions of Poland, Sweden, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Romania.

For more information on EU GREEN scan this QR code:

Left to right: John Andy Bonar, VP for Research, Equality and External Affairs, ATU; Professor Frances Lucy, ATU’s EU GREEN Alliance Coordinator and Dr Orla Flynn, ATU President.

From International Office to ATU Global

John Andy Bonar, Vice President for Research, Equality & External Affairs at ATU talks to us about how ATU’s international activities have evolved in the last year.

The current Irish International Education Strategy emphasises the key contribution of internationally oriented, globally competitive Higher Education Institutions, as the primary drivers of the internationalisation of higher education.

The Technological University Sector (and its predecessor the Institute of Technology Sector) has a long and distinguished tradition of supporting internationalisation over the past 50+ years.

All former Institutes of Technology had International Offices staffed by progressive pioneers who worked

collaboratively across Ireland and with colleagues internationally to build relationships between Higher Education Institutions primarily across Europe. These relationships became bridges between Higher Education Institutions and allowed students and staff to travel internationally to study, teach, learn, and transform their educational experience.

We recently rebranded our three International Offices. Now known as ATU Global our activities are led by John Joe O’Farrell in ATU GalwayMayo, Patrick Lynch in ATU Sligo and Jill Murphy in ATU Donegal.

“The new ATU Global brand reflects our new proactive and futurefocused approach to Internationalisation.”

The ATU Global brand will be formally launched by ATU President Dr Orla Flynn at the EAIE International Education Conference in Rotterdam in September 2023.

ATU Global’s priorities for enhanced internationalisation include leveraging three key activities encompassing Internationalisation at Home, Internationalisation Abroad and the Internationalisation of Research (including Innovation and Enterprise), in which our membership of EU GREEN (emphasising the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals) has a key role to play.

Among the current initiatives ATU Global is prioritising are the ATU Global Scholarship Programme, ATU Visitors Protocols, the first ATU-wide International Agents Tender, ATU International Agents Training Hub, ATU tender for new International Student Online Application portal, and ATU Global Organisation Design. We look forward to continuing this interesting and exciting journey towards enhanced Internationalisation at ATU with all our internal and external stakeholders.

Dr Orla Flynn cuts the ribbon at the internal launch of ATU Global on 20 April 2023.

In the academic year 2022/2023, 1,100 international students from 89 countries across the globe studied at ATU.

ATU Global‘s Key Actions 2022/2023

• Represented ATU internationally in Canada, the US, India, Africa and in the 10 countries that make up ASEAN, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as several priority promotional visits to European countries.

• Hosted numerous VIP visits to ATU Campuses welcoming guests from Canada, India, France, Spain, the US, and South Africa.

• Supported ATU in its membership of the EU GREEN European University Alliance and is actively leading on behalf of ATU in Work Package 6, the Mobilities Work Package in EU GREEN.

• Celebrated our international student community through several international and cultural events across all ATU Campuses. Among these significant celebratory events were Global Villages held during Intercultural Weeks, the Indian Diwali and Holi festivals and Chinese New Year.

• Developed a new International Student Fee and Refund Policy and a proposal to harmonise Entry Requirements/International Student Admissions protocols across ATU.

• Led by Patrick Lynch in ATU Sligo ATU Global piloted an innovative International Virtual Exchange Learning (IVEL) Project with Georgian College, Ontario Province, Canada. We also hosted some pilot Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) on several ATU campuses.

• Achieved the first ATU-wide Erasmus Charter and won the first ATU-wide Erasmus+ KA 131 Grant worth €568,000.

• Assisted by John Joe O’ Farrell, ATU Galway-Mayo’s Early Childhood Education and Care programme worked with colleagues in Niagara College Canada to provide Niagara College students with an opportunity to complete an international module (blended) with ATU Mayo. 16 students are starting the module in September.

North West Tertiary Education Cluster Achieves International Success

The North West Tertiary Education cluster (NWTEC) was recently recognised as a model of best practice at a European level, lifting the Professional Higher Education Award for Regional Dimension for their presentation on, “Leading from the North West of Ireland” at the 32nd EURASHE Annual Conference. The conference theme was Skills for Europe –Mobilising Education for the Green and Digital Transitions and was held at the University Politechnica of Bucharest in June.

EURASHE, the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education was established in 1990 and since then has been working to strengthen the sector on national and European levels. Paul Hannigan, Head of College at ATU Donegal, has served on the EURASHE board on two occasions and it was a fitting tribute that Paul would be acknowledged and recognised for his sterling work in promoting balanced regional development across the North West City Region for over 20 years.

Left to right: Wendy Gibbons, Paul Hannigan and JoAnne Kilmartin at the 32nd EURASHE Annual Conference in Budapest where they won the Professional Higher Education Award for Regional Dimension.

The NWTEC cluster is a strategic alliance between four publicly funded tertiary education institutions in the North West City Region encompassing ATU, Ulster University, North West Regional College and Donegal Education and Training board.

The cluster partners work closely with industry representatives through a newly established Smart Industry Board which responds to skills gaps in the region. The partners also collaborate to develop pathways and progression routes for students between further and higher education. The cluster aims to boost the economy of the North West City Region by strengthening the local skills base for current and future jobs and reduce the number of students leaving the region for what they perceive as better opportunities elsewhere.

Paul Hannigan is responsible for cross border engagement across ATU and sees the NWTEC cluster as having the potential to establish the North West Region as a significant growth centre for Ireland and Northern Ireland on the European and global stage.

North West Tertiary Education Cluster (NWTEC) Mission

NWTEC aims to support our region by contributing to developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation, promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy, and fostering a high-employment economy delivering social and territorial cohesion.

The NWTEC is committed to further developing the profile of a shared North West as an attractive location to work, live, study and invest in. The cluster is also committed to supporting the development of sustainable new enterprises that offer high quality employment opportunities for all.

NWTEC Key Initiatives

The cluster gained new momentum post Covid and has seen significant achievements since. These include:

• Developing research links between the partners, increasing the number of jointly supervised research programmes with the established AI NoW research centre and leading enterprises in the region.

• Developing a proposal to the Shared Island Unit to deliver on a Skills Escalator and Research Centre that will help support the upskilling and reskilling of individuals and provide leadingedge research to support innovative enterprises in the region.

• Collaborating on apprenticeship programmes which will allow ATU Donegal to roll-out the Electrical Apprenticeship with further plans to deliver on Metal Fabrication Apprenticeship across Donegal ETB and ATU Donegal. Furthermore, the partners have collaborated on the innovative Electric Vehicle programme with the sharing of facilities and staff to reskill mechanics to work on electric vehicles.

• Adopting a strategic approach to engaging with and shaping Peace Plus funding opportunities to maximise the longer-term benefits for the North West City Region.

• Appointing four Project Development Officers (one at each partner) who have responsibility for developing collaborative relationships with external stakeholders and assist with implementing initiatives which will improve access, transfer and progression opportunities for students.

Eurashe has been an important voice for Professional Higher Education in Europe over the years. Ireland has been at the forefront in innovation in this area and it was a great privilege for me to be elected to the Board on two occasions. It was particularly pleasing to sign off from the Board in Bucharest winning the award for our presentation with my colleagues JoAnne Kilmartin (ATU) and Wendy Gibbons (North West Regional College).”

Paul Hannigan, Head of College, ATU Donegal

Research and Innovation in Review

Research and Innovation is a key pillar in our new university, and we carry out most of our research in collaboration with companies, communities, and other stakeholders in our region. We also participate in large-scale international networks, bringing companies, communities, local authorities, and others from our region into those networks. Our knowledge sharing initiatives also make an ongoing contribution to the economic, social, and cultural prosperity of our region.

ATU has research strengths in several thematic areas including:

• Environmental and Resource Sustainability

• Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies

• Design, Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise

• Life Sciences, Health, and Wellbeing

• Energy transition / Decarbonisation

• Advanced Manufacturing

Research led by ATU researchers, Dr Kris O’Dowd and Prof Suresh C. Pillai may have found a simple yet effective solution to supply clean drinking water to rural areas around the world.

How our researchers are making an impact regionally

In our first year as a university, ATU researchers have been involved in key research projects that will influence how we as a region and as a country will respond to challenges such as global warning. These research projects include EPA reports on how we need to change our land use, and one which examines the threat of microplastics to our environment.

Another significant research project undertaken by ATU researchers measured the impact of tourism on six island communities off the west and north-west coast of Ireland.

ATU was also successful this year in securing funding for research projects whose outcomes will benefit our region and country. Five ATU-led research projects were awarded over €5.2m funding from the SFI Frontiers for Partnership Programme. The funding will support research in areas such as the development of a traceability tool for seafood; green hydrogen production; 3D printing of personalised medical devices; enhancing fish health in Irish salmon aquaculture; and prospecting for new natural remedies from our seabed.

ATU’s Vice-President for Research and Innovation, Dr Rick Officer says: “I’m thrilled that ATU’s expertise has been recognised by these five SFI awards. Each of the projects involves research teams of excellence, and each will deliver research outcomes of huge relevance and benefit to society. These projects exemplify the type of impact-driven research that ATU strives to achieve.”

Research funding

Funding is critical to the ongoing development of ATU’s research capacity, and we recently secured €8 million in investment from Enterprise Ireland, for a seven-year renewal of our three Technology Gateways: The Wireless Sensor and Applied Research (WiSAR) Gateway in Donegal; Precision Engineering and Manufacturing (PEM) Gateway in Sligo; and the Medical and Engineering Technologies (MET) Gateway in Galway City.

A €2.2 million application is under evaluation for funding to establish ATU’s own Technology Transfer Office. Awarding of this funding from Knowledge Transfer Ireland will allow the university to scale-up the commercialisation of our Intellectual Property.

“Development of a coherent research strategy will follow soon after the university publishes its first Strategic Plan. ATU’s Research Strategy will be a key driver of the long-term sustainability and development of our region.”

Dr Rick Officer, ATU’s Vice President for Research and Innovation

A recent breakfast briefing at ATU Sligo highlighted the benefits to organisations, communities and society of investing in research.

Research and Innovation Funding Bids

ATU is currently pursuing three important Research and Innovation bids co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). These programmes if successful will support the delivery of our research and innovation activities, and the enabling services required to scale that activity.

1. SFI’s ARC Hub Programme for Accelerating Research Commercialisation aims to establish a new model for regional innovation and entrepreneurial training, that will catalyse a stepchange in the translation of cutting-edge publicly funded research towards regional impact. €34.66m is available to support an SFI ARC Hub in the west and north-west region.

TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise Scheme (TU RISE)

TU RISE funding will allow ATU to develop central research functions to support building our research capacity and enhance our engagement with the west and north-west region. Key priorities include the recruitment of additional research office staff and the development of improved research advisory and support services to promote and provide staff development and training.

The funding will allow ATU to enhance our research capacity through increasing the number of researchers engaged with regional enterprises.

ATU’s Vice President for Research and Innovation, Dr Rick Officer is

2. Enterprise Ireland will soon launch a new Smart Regional Enterprise and Innovation Scheme directed towards investment in enterprise development facilities like our Innovation Hubs and Centres. A total investment of €30.7m is anticipated in the west and north-west region.

3. The Higher Education Authority’s TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise Scheme (TU RISE) identifies €20m to support research and innovation capacity building in ATU.

optimistic about the outcome of these research bids. He says: “This funding support will allow ATU to achieve some immediate objectives which are increased recruitment of postdoctoral research fellows and postgraduate research students to undertake research projects in areas of strategic importance, and to stimulate ATU’s engagement with enterprise. We also intend to develop undergraduate and postgraduate modules to integrate, enhance, and deepen research-led excellence in teaching and learning.”

ATU’s New Postgraduate Research Training Programmes (PRTPs)

September 2022 saw the launch of ATU’s new Postgraduate Research Training Programmes (PRTPs).

The PRTPs aim to produce highlevel multi-disciplinary research graduates in Modelling and Computation for Heath and Society (MOCHAS) and in Operations and Supply ChAin Research (OSCAR), with 30 scholarships funded in the initial awards. A cohort of PhD scholarships are provided under each programme focused around addressing specific societal and industry challenges.

“Our Postgraduate Research Training Programmes (PRTPs) represent a novel and ambitious initiative for our new university. PRTPs will help to shape the future postgraduate research environment within ATU, and to deliver on our vision for research across key strategic areas critical to our region.”

Dr Rick Officer, ATU’s Vice President for Research and Innovation

In May 2023 ATU held its OSCAR Doctoral Summer School. The event brought together researchers from across ATU and leading professors in Operations and Supply Chain. It provided doctoral candidates with an important stepping stone in their research journey.

ATU held its first MOCHAS Symposium in January 2023. The symposium presented the work of MOCHAS’s 15 doctoral candidates, and 23 other ATU research students and staff working in related fields. The MOCHAS projects researchers are collaborating with nine public enterprises, 11 private enterprises and 14 national and international research partners.

In April 2023, Ireland’s largest environmental research conference came to ATU Donegal. Environ 2023, the 33rd Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium took place at ATU Letterkenny campus on 3-5 April. ESAI and ATU joined forces to deliver an engaging conference featuring a host of national and international scientists, academics, and experts. The theme of Environ 2023 was “Evidence and Plans Towards Transitions to a Sustainable Future”, reflecting the fact that the science of climate change and a global energy crisis is more widely accepted and agreed upon.

ATU Innovation Centres and iHubs

ATU’s Innovation Centres (Sligo and Donegal) and iHubs (Galway and Mayo) work with each other and locally with ihub partners in the west and north-west region of Ireland. The Innovation Centres and iHubs play a central role in new startup formations and regional enterprise development and they run Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Programme across the region. Our Mayo iHub leads the EMPOWER programme for female enterpreneurs.

New Frontiers Programme

One of the strengths of the New Frontiers programme is that participants have direct access to the technological university’s expertise and specialisations in areas such as product development, design for manufacture, renewable energy, sustainable technologies, digital transformation and emerging technologies, design, innovation, creativity and enterprise, and life sciences, health and wellbeing. The research collaboration is complementary and invaluable for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Celebrating 10 Years of New Frontiers

In March, ATU iHubs GalwayMayo celebrated 10 years of New Frontiers and marked the end of Phase 2 of our New Frontiers programme with ten participants from Galway and five from Mayo.

Participants on the progrmmae receive a number of funding and soft supports including hot desk space in each of our Hubs. The 2023 Phase 1 Galway-Mayo programme is now underway with 89 applicants, of which 65 were successful.

Also this year, 12 entrepreneurs who participated in the New Frontiers programme at ATU Donegal and Sligo were showcased at a ceremony on 1 March. Guest speaker at the ceremony was Jenni Timony of FitPink Fitness and former New Frontiers Programme Manager. As a serial entrepreneur she gave insights into the challenges she has faced, how she overcame them and some key learnings such as accessing funding and support.

ATU Galway-Mayo New Frontiers Group at the New Frontiers National Conference on 23 March 2023, celebrating 10 years of New Frontiers. Photo: Enterprise Ireland.

ATU Donegal and ATU Sligo New Frontiers Group at the showcase on 1 March 2023.

ATU Supports Regional Industry Clusters

Dr Chris O’Malley, ATU Vice-President for Regional Development and Engagement talks to us about how ATU is playing a leading role in the west and north-west region in supporting the development of industry clusters.

Ireland is relatively late in Europe in discovering the power of industry clusters, especially for more peripheral economies. The essence of industry clusters is companies coming together to collaborate on the challenges that they have in common, even while continuing to compete with each other in other ways.

Particularly for smaller companies, such collaboration can enable them to compete against larger companies by combining their resources. The four clusters supported by ATU are active in getting new training courses set up, adapting to new technology, working together on funding applications for infrastructure, and entering overseas markets.

There are currently over 3,000 recognised industry clusters across Europe, representing as much as a quarter of the private sector workforce. The people who work for companies in clusters generally earn more than those who work in the rest of the

economy, and companies in clusters are more than twice as likely to engage in innovation and new ventures.

“Given that large companies occupy only half of the proportion of the workforce in our region than they do in Ireland as a whole, it’s vital that we do what we can to help small companies to work together and overcome the limitations of their size. We know from experience elsewhere that this really works,” says Dr Chris O’Malley, ATU VP for Regional Development and Engagement.

ATU has a team of four cluster specialists, whose focus is to provide support to the companies in the four recently developed clusters in our region. They provide guidance to cluster members as to what support they can access from agencies and local authorities. They also introduce them to the resources that ATU and other universities can offer.

The four cluster specialists have been working on a range of initiatives with companies over the past two years in upskilling, fundraising, technology development, internationalisation amongst others. In the process they have been helping to build the confidence of the communities of companies in each other and in themselves.

“All international experience indicates that building real clusters is work that takes time and patience, but really pays off in nurturing vibrant industrial communities that act like a magnet for people and investment as they mature. ATU is proud to be playing this enabling role.”

Dr Chris O’Malley, ATU VP for Regional Development and Engagement.

Shirley McConaloge, Crana College, Richard Timony, Seamanship Centre and Helen Kelly, Colaiste Alaigh at a Killybegs Marine Cluster information event hosted by ATU Donegal (Killybegs).

ATU’s Four Cluster Specialists

Karl Bonner works with the Killybegs Marine Cluster in Donegal.

This cluster brings together companies involved in fishing, marine tourism, marine engineering and services, aquaculture, seafood processing, and offshore wind energy. These distinct areas support each other as a successful community of inter-related economic activity related to the sea.

Brian Durnin works with the Border Region Manufacturing Cluster (BORMAC).

This cluster brings together a community of companies from Louth to Donegal who are all faced with the twin challenges of Brexit and the digital revolution that is transforming manufacturing, known as Industry 4.0. The companies involved all operate within complex supply chains that regularly cross the Border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Joe Friel works with the WoodConnect Cluster.

This cluster looks at the whole supply chain in wooden furniture and interiors, as well as other timber products, from forestry to the final consumer product. This is a national sector which shares a common interest in sourcing the required skills and technology and pursuing improvements to wood - how it is grown, developed, and used.

John Gaffney, who has just left to lead the Irish operations of a multinational company, has been working with the Digital Health cluster.

Digital technology is playing an increasingly powerful role in how healthcare is organised and delivered. For a more sparsely populated region such as ours, this is particularly important in dealing with the problems of distance from healthcare providers.

Minister Simon Coveney with Brian Durnin, Border Regional Manufacturing Cluster. Karl Bonner, Killybegs Marine Cluster.

Supporting our Marine Industry

Dr Alan Wall, CEO of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Mr Tim Conlon, Head of Policy, Strategic Planning & Research and Mr Ciaran McCaffrey, Head of Capital Funding at HEA, visited ATU’s Killybegs campus in July. They met with ATU staff to explore the possibility of developing new programmes to support the region’s marine industry.

As part of the visit, HEA delegates were given a tour of the ‘Veronica’ trawler by the CEO of Atlantic Dawn Group, Karl McHugh, and tours of Mooney Boats by MD Lee Mooney and SeaQuest by MD Brian Leslie.

Engineering and Technology

End-of-year Exhibitions

At the end of each academic year students on our Engineering and Technology programmes present their projects to industry and the public. Over the next nine pages we give you a taste of some of their work.

ATU Sligo Engineering and Technology Expo

At this year’s expo in Sligo over 100 final year students presented their projects to those who attended the expo. Projects ranged from a medical stretcher for mountain rescues that crawls to smart gardens that monitor growth. Over 1,200 visitors to the Expo enjoyed an array of talks and projects, including robotics, automated machinery and smart-home devices.

Some of the other unique exhibits included a virtual open day experience for ATU, gaming apps and a livestock locator app.

Health and wellbeing were also present in the expo with a fitness app, machine learning in mental health tracking, and a Breast Cancer AI diagnostic app which allows doctors to easily access patient information, upload mammogram images, and receive AI-generated diagnostic recommendations.

The Expo, which was sponsored by global healthcare company Abbott, offered potential engineering and computing students the opportunity to interact with leading engineering and technology companies from across Ireland and showcasing projects from ATU Sligo final year students.

A catalogue of the Expo is available online and includes the industry folios, student posters, research highlights and award winners. Please scan this QR code to read.

“ The annual Engineering & Technology Expo at ATU Sligo is an ideal opportunity for industry to witness first-hand the high level of students we have in the university. We are proud that we educate students that satisfy the needs of industry across a broad range of programmes from engineering, construction to computing programming and everything in between.”

Úna Parsons, Head of College and Head of Faculty of Engineering and Design, ATU Sligo

Above: ATU Engineering student, Matthew Barry from Sligo, demonstrates his Smart Renewably Powered Water Pump to ATU Sligo’s Head of College, Úna Parsons at the Engineering Expo.

ATU

Top Left: Left to right, Taurin McLaverty and Brian Gavigan with their project, Part detection and Pick and Place System.

Top Right: Shihao Cheng with his Intelligent Item Access System project.

Right: Left to right, Evan Oates and Jack Quinn with their project to prevent injury due to orthostatic hypotension using an automated compression response system.

Sligo Engineering and Technology Expo

“The end-of-year Engineering Expo is an important event in our academic calendar, which allows the department and students to interact with industry…there was a lot of innovative practical work on display, and it’s great to see students confidently interact with industry representatives.”

Dr Oliver Mulryan, Event organiser and Head of Dept of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department

ATU Galway-Mayo Engineering Expo

100 students digitally exhibited their final year poster work at the end-of-year engineering competition at ATU Galway-Mayo. The competition is organised annually by the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. A panel of 28 external engineering representatives from 22 companies critiqued and judged the posters at the formal competition run on 4 May.

Engineering Student Roy Sheridan won the overall undergraduate competition award for his project on “The Engineering Design and Manufacture of a Desktop CNC Milling Machine for Pedagogical purposes”.

Describing his project, Roy said: “The 3D printing has revolutionized the way students are taught engineering, however one process that is continually overlooked due to the expense involved is CNC machining. Therefore, for this project, using the engineering design process and machine design principles, I designed and manufactured a three axis Desktop CNC milling machine which can be used by educators and students for training and teaching.”

Event organiser and Head of Dept of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, Dr Oliver Mulryan said: “Many of our students think outside the box and produce creative engineering solutions. Well done to our students and to all who mentored, guided and supported them. We would like to thank all the judges for their time, advice and guidance, and to all the companies who contributed to making this event a huge success.”

Other final year students won engineering awards in different categories including: Agricultural, Biomedical, Energy, Manufacturing Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering specialisation streams.

Masoumeh Razaghi Pey Ghaleh, a biomedical research student won the Post Graduate Award for her work on “Optimising a Skin Graft Meshing Techniques to Improve Afterburn Care.”

Masoumeh said: “Skin grafting is a widely used treatment method for severe skin burn cases, which involves meshing stretched donor skin over the burn and peripheral area. My project aims to determine the reason for the low skin stretch ratios and I hope to optimise the mesh pattern to improve the quality of skin grafts.”

ATU Galway-Mayo Engineering Expo

Above: Niamh Cullagh Meaney, fourth year Energy Engineering student at ATU Galway-Mayo’s engineering expo.

Right: Left to right, fourth year Biomedical Engineering students, John McIntyre, Jamie Dorrian, Keno Omaduvie, Alexander Chan Kai Foong and Qistina Binti Ab Halim, a fourth year Energy Engineering student at ATU Galway-Mayo’s engineering expo.

To find out more and read about the award winners please scan this

Left to right, Darren Fagan, fourth year Agricultural Engineering and Oisín Lyons, fourth year Agricultural Engineering.

Below: Jonathan Orpen, second year Mechanical Engineering student showcases his project.

QR code.

ATU Donegal Electronics and Mechanical Engineering Expo

The Department of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering at ATU Donegal hosted their annual Expo Event at the Letterkenny campus on Thursday 25 May.

Students from the Mechanical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Electric Vehicle Engineering programmes displayed their project work which included their working prototypes, machine builds and research projects.

The event was attended by prospective employers from the region including Terex, Phillips Medisize, Abbotts, Zeus, Jaguar Land Rover and Optibelt etc. and included a prize giving for the best projects in each year.

Attendees also enjoyed a very interesting and informative talk from guest speaker, former ATU Donegal BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering graduate John Gallagher. John has worked in Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) for 37 years and has assumed various roles in Power Generation, Trading and Fisheries Conservation. John is now Plant Manager for all Donegal Hydroelectric Stations which are critical in the ESB’s attainment of ‘Net Zero by 2040’. ATU wishes to thank Regional Skills who sponsored polo shirts for staff and students.

Right: Patrick Maguire and Oisin Devine with Oisin’s Formula 1 Track Limit Detection System project.

Above: Eoin Murrin and his apple sorting robot.

Above: Electronic and Mechanical Engineering students at the Donegal Expo.

ATU Donegal Civil Engineering and Construction Showcase

The Faculty of Engineering and Technology’s Department of Civil Engineering and Construction were delighted to welcome Minister Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to their end-of- year showcase on the Letterkenny campus in May.

The exhibition focused on the final year BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology and BSc (Hons) Construction Management students while also displaying the work of the earlier years. This year’s event included the online Springboard+ courses, Certificate in Revit & 4D BIM, and BSc (Hons) Construction Contracts Management students’ work.

ATU Head of College Paul Hannigan said: “I’d like to thank the Minister for attending the event. The students presenting their work have taken a significant amount of time to organise and showcase what they have been doing. I know that several of the final years who are graduating this year are doing so with employment already secured in the industry. This is fantastic and is credit to the links that we have built with industry over the years and the quality of the programmes. I wish the students every success for the future.”

The event was attended by students, their families and friends, professional and work placement partners as well as ATU staff.

Minister Charlie McConalogue donned a headset and was immersed in an augmented reality (AR) experience which was a walk-through of a 3D model built by final year architectural technology student, David Siewer.

Above: Minister Charlie McConalogue, Eunan McBride and ATU student Emily McBride.

Below: Minister Charlie McConalogue and ATU lecturer Karol Dempsey.

Sustainability Design Sprint Summer School

ATU’s N-TUTORR team in collaboration with ATU’s Centre for Sustainability (Galway-Mayo) organised the Sustainability Design Sprint Summer School on 15-16 June. The two-day learning event was hosted by Urban Input/Output (U-I/O), a circular research design collective who use design interventions to (re)connect resource flows in urban environments.

The design sprint approach provided an opportunity for the ATU N-TUTORR Student Champions and Academic Champion leads to come together and brainstorm big ideas on how sustainability can be embedded across the ATU.

Students and staff presented creative vision boards to pitch their big ideas. These included the following:

• A scheme for recycling textiles

• A campus garden

• An awareness campaign to highlight the supports available to students with disabilities

• A food bank for students facilitated by students

• A stock management system to reduce spend and waste

• An initiative to beautify campus spaces with moss

• An academic innovation platform to collect project ideas, network with stakeholders and provide information on how we can contribute to creating a healthy and sustainable ATU

programme.

For future initiatives arising out of the Radical Sustainability Lab contact Mark.Kelly@atu.ie at the Centre for Sustainability, ATU Galway-Mayo.

For the N-TUTORR sustainability projects underway, ATU have nine Fellowship projects, where students and staff are working under the theme of Education for Sustainability.

In addition, eight of our N-TUTORR Student Champions are dedicated to supporting Education for Sustainability initiatives across ATU. Jessica Duffy, ATU Student Empowerment Co-ordinator on the N-TUTORR project team will be working on these projects with students and staff across ATU.

To find out more about N-TUTORR please scan this QR code.

The Sustainability Design Sprint was an empowering workshop, a great way to meet other students and their big ideas. The sprint allowed us to get acquainted with the resources provided to the champions, and train our minds for collaboration, innovation, problem-solving and developing our personal vision for the

”

Lydia Bullock, ATU Student

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* Formal incorporation of St. Angela’s College into ATU (November 2023)