expliCIT, CIT's Student magazine

CIT Students’ Union Magazine Volume Twenty One, Issue 6

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24 - 28 FEB 2020 in aid of

EDEL

HOUSE

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Your Union Your Voice

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STUDENT RACEDAY Thurs 26 March 2020 th

LIMITED TICKETS ON SALE Cork Racecourse MONDAY 9TH MARCH AT 11AM MALLOW

MAX TWO TICKETS PER PERSON!

Student Raceday takes place at Cork Racecourse Mallow, Thursday 26th March 2020. Don’t miss out!

Tickets will be sold on MONDAY 9TH MARCH IN THE WEST ATRIUM at 11am. Valid Student ID needed.

For regular updates, keep an eye on CIT SU Social Media [facebook.com/citsu & twitter.com/citsu] & Cork Racecourse Mallow [facebook.com/corkracecoursemallow and Instagram corkracecourse].

On the day, the first race gets underway at 2:05pm, gates open at 12 noon. NO tickets will be sold on the day, access only with valid wristband. Students can look forward to seven jumps races, all while enjoying the social scene thanks to resident DJ’s playing during and after racing.

€20 ALL IN!

Ticket price includes: • Return bus service from CIT to the Racecourse • Racecourse admission • Race card • DJ after racing for two hours • Bus back to Cork City

CONTENTS 4 SU OFFICERS’ ADDRESS 6 FLYNNERS FLYING COLUMN Flights of fancy - Malta

8 RAG WEEK NIGHT TIME EVENTS 9 RAG WEEK PULL OUT Lineup of all the events of RAG Week

13 #FANCYFOLLOWINGCIT Alumni success stories

13 CIT ABÚ!

CIT’s success stories in pictures

15 STEM ENTREPRENEURSHIP OF THE YEAR

CIT STUDENTS & STAFF 2020 FREE!

FUN WALK

Brand new competition

14 LIVE CIT, LOVE SPORTS 16 LIVE CIT, LOVE SOCIETIES

& RUN

Indian Society & WISTEM

17 VOLUNTEER ABROAD

Thursday 12th March 1pm

Kolkata, India

18 COMPETITIONS

Hard cash on offer! Simply deliver your entries into the Students’ Union, 1st Floor, Student Centre

LAST ISSUE WINNERS:

Entr y T-shirt Medals

CIT TRACK REGISTER ON THE DAY OR FILL OUT THE FORM AVAILABLE ON CIT SPORTS FACEBOOK

SUDUKO: Sarah Corrigan BioEng 2 QUIZ: Dominik Lewandowski, ITM4 WORDSEARCH: Marley Lloyd Phelps, IBY

SUMMER JOBS WORK VISAS

F E B/M A R C H H I R I N G FA I R S

STUDENT PROMOTION

J1 USA & CANADA

*

STUDENT MEALS

€7*

11/12 ACADEMY STREET, CORK CITY, CO. CORK

usit.ie CIT Students’ Union, Bishopstown, Cork.

CITAd_JobsUSA&Canada_PressAd_125mmx88mm.indd 2 Tel: 021 433 5274 Web: www.explicit.ie CITSU

CITSU

expliCIT Production, Design & Advertising Keith Brown, supublications@cit.ie CIT SU President AaronBuckley supresident@cit.ie

VP Education Aisling O’Mahony sueducation@cit.ie 12/02/2020 16:01 VP Welfare Cian O’Driscoll suwelfare@cit.ie Projects Officer Felix Milner dg_citsu@cit.ie Communications Officer Conor Flynn supublications@cit.ie Entertainments Officer Aoife MacGaley Event@cit.ie Entertainments Manager Mick O’Mahony Event@cit.ie

ACADEMY STREET

PATRICK STREET

#UMIFALAFEL

* Student Offer available between 15:00 - 18:00PM Student ID card must be presented to avail of the offer

Follow our socials for regular Giveaways

Advertising Opportunities

CIT has 17,000+ full and part-time students with over 1,500 staff. Why not use expliCIT to promote your business to this large audience?

Our copy deadlines, advertising rates and technical specifications are available from our website www.citsu.ie and upon request from the Publications Office in hardcopy or via email. expliCIT magazine is published monthly by CIT Students’ Union. The views expressed in the magazine are those of their authors and are not necessarily those of CIT Students’ Union. All articles and pictures are the property of their respective owners and should not be reproduced without their permission.

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RAG WEEK IS HERE! #CITRAG20

STUDENTS’ UNION OFFICERS ADDRESS Elections and Referendum – 5th March 2020

Incredibly, election season is upon again and there is already a lot of interest from students in running for the various roles. If you are interested in running for next year’s SU Executive, why not give one of a shout, and we will be happy to share our experience with you.

A referendum will also take place on March 5th where you will be asked to approve the new SU Constitution. We encourage you to vote ‘yes’ to ensure the structure and operational policies and procedures for the Union are brought up to date ensuring good governance of your SU.

Online Voting

We have been working hard on trying to secure an online voting system for the SU elections to facilitate accessibly to voting, particularly for those on placement and those based in Constituent Colleges. Please watch your emails and our social media for updates.

RAG Week

There is a very exciting line up for Rag Week with lots of events both on campus and off. The full timetable and details are available as a pull in the centre of this edition of ExpliCIT. The challenge is to raise as much money as possible for our worthy charities – Edel House (main beneficiary), Cork Stand Together (homelessness charity run by our own CIT students) and Penny Dinners. Dig deep and support one of the events or buy some raffle tickets for the mega draw.

Think about where you will sleep tonight and if you can, donate to help those who may not have a home or bed.

Safety Week

Sincere thanks to all the organisations that helped to make Safety Week a success this year and who volunteered their time to raise awareness around your health and wellbeing. The Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service and Gardaí demonstrated the dangers of domestic fires caused by chips pans and of course, the dramatic car crash re-enactment was once again a key feature of the campaign. The City Council supported the crashed car displays around campus and the Drugs Task Force were on hand to highlight the very clear and present dangers presented by drug use. We had a ceremony where candles were lit in memory of every person who died on the road in 2019.

1974 Building

– GIVE US SOME FRESH AIR PLEASE!

At the beginning of the academic year numerous complaints were made to the Students’ Union regarding the extreme temperatures in classrooms.

According to a SU poll the most affected area was the B Block in the main building. Approximately 2,000 students responded expressing their frustration with the poor study conditions, so we decided to further investigate. Aisling visited several affected classrooms to get a sense of the issue from both staff and students. Words used to describe the conditions of these rooms were that they were ‘too stuffy’ ‘like a sweatbox’ ‘dangerously hot’ and 87% of students said it was negatively affecting their learning experience. Others mentioned how they had no choice but to leave classes due to feeling unwell because of the extreme temperatures. The Students’ Union has been chasing this matter up as far as Governing Body level and we are confident that with the support of senior management, ventilation will be restored to the 1974 building and you will no longer have to dread having a lecture in a sweatbox!

International Women’s Day

We are looking forward to supporting the 2nd Annual CIT Empowering Women Festival in celebration of International Women’s Day, which will take place in the Nexus Hall, Student Centre on Monday 2nd March 2020 from 12.30 to 2.30 pm. The event aims to further broaden the horizons of female students and staff and highlight opportunities for their future careers. The event will present female role models, from both the CIT Alumni community and industry, who will share their career path stories and provide tips and advice for students on how they can embark on their own successful career journeys.

Best Wishes,

Aaron, Aisling and Cian, your CIT SU Officers

See the centre pages for a full lineup of

RAG Week 2020!

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CIT MEDICAL CENTRE

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a condition that affects the airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. With asthma, the airways become oversensitive; meaning that they react to things that wouldn’t usually cause a problem, such as cold air or dust.

When the airways react to a substance the muscles in the walls tighten up and cause narrowing of the airway. The lining of the airway then become swollen and mucus is produced that clogs up the airway. All of the above changes leave little room for air to flow in and out. Asthma cannot be prevented or cured but the clinical symptoms can be effectively controlled with appropriate treatment.

CIT LGBT* HOSTS LGBT+ TRAINING DAY FOR SCHOOLS

On Thursday 23rd January CIT’s LGBT* Society welcomed 130 secondary school teachers and students from around Cork City & County for the first GSA Training Day 2020.

The event which follows last year’s launch of their handbook ‘How to set up a Gay/Straight or Gender & Sexuality Alliance in your school’ was proudly sponsored by Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival, Cork Education & Training Board and Bank of Ireland. Multiple LGBT+ themed workshops were held throughout the day for students to choose from and the event was officially launched by CIT President Dr Barry O’Connor and Cllr Ferghal Dennehy who was deputising on behalf of the Lord Mayor of Cork City, Ruth Griffin from Cork ETB and Readine Fitzgerald from Bank of Ireland.

The workshops were facilitated by Gay Project, LINC, UP Cork LGBT+ Youth Group, Youth Work Ireland Cork, BeLonG To Youth Services, Sexual Health Centre Cork, Gender Rebels, the Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services, UCC LGBT* Society, CIT LGBT* Society & Ms Gay Ireland Stephanie Fogarty. Topics covered on the day were LGBT terminology, consent, how to be an ally, Tran & Non-Binary 101, self-confidence, and more. Students and teachers also learned skills around setting up GSA clubs in their schools and how to make their school environments more inclusive for all students.

Chairperson of CIT LGBT* Society, Konrad Im said, “We’re absolutely blown away with the support we received for our first GSA Training Day from our sponsors, CIT and the students and teachers that came along. We feel blessed to be in a position to run these kinds of important events for young people and we’re hoping this event can become an annual fixture in our calendar. Feedback for the event has been very positive with many students saying they’re so happy such an event now exists and they’re already looking forward to next year. For myself and my fellow committee members it’s been a heart-warming experience to sit in on some of the workshops. To see the students engage in such a positive way throughout the workshops and hearing how smart they are really inspires hope for the future. We’re excited to see how far we can take this project”.

Feedback was confidentially gathered from students and teachers in attendance and has been very positive. “The day was absolutely fantastic, the students loved it and so did I! Please invite us again” said one teacher while student feedback praised the “positive impact” of the event and their hopes to “use the things we learnt to improve our school environment”.

The GSA Handbook is available to download online and resources and information on upcoming training events will be made available on www.gaystraightalliance.ie.

Interesting facts about Asthma:

• Ireland has the fourth highest prevalence of Asthma world wide. There are 470,000 people in Ireland with Asthma.

• Asthma is the most prevalent health condition among young Irish adults.

• One person dies every week in Ireland because of Asthma.

• 60% of people in Ireland who have uncontrolled asthma are at risk of having an asthma attack

Management of Asthma:

There have been a lot of changes recently in the approach to management of asthma. The majority of people with asthma are prescribed a daily preventer inhaler to control their asthma and prevent against an attack and a reliever inhaler to use when symptoms are not controlled. The narrowing of the airways can be relieved quickly by the reliever component.

However, the swelling and mucus production happens more slowly and needs the preventer to resolve it.

There are now combined inhalers available which contain both reliever and preventer components and are the preferred option. It is extremely important that preventer medication is taken regularly and as prescribed. If there is need to use the reliever inhaler then the preventer inhaler should also be taken at the same time. Overuse of the reliever inhaler on its own increases the risk of asthma attack. All asthmatics should have an Asthma Action Plan.

What to do in the case of an Asthma Attack:

Follow the Irish Asthma Society’s Five-Step Rule...

(1) Stay calm. Sit up straight – do not lie down (2) Take slow, steady breaths.

(3) T ake one puff of your reliever (blue) inhaler every minute.

(4) C all 999 or 112 if symptoms don’t improve after 10 mins.

(5) Repeat step 3 if an ambulance has not arrived in 10 minutes.

Remember, if someone is having an asthma attack, do NOT leave them on their own.

If you have any questions or concerns about your asthma please make an appointment to see one of the doctors or nurses in the CIT Medical Centre.

The Irish Asthma Society also have good resources and information on Asthma.

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Flights of Fancy…

Flynner’s Flying Column I

THE MONTHLY ROUND

Clancy’s Of Cork. Located just off Oliver Plunkett Street This venue is a top location for a great meal, a few drinks or a weekend session, and a party can be booked at the upstairs area with plenty of delicious platters and DJ to go!

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Malta

f you’re in need of a much-needed break from the post-Christmas stress and the January blues, Malta is an ideal solution. Departing Cork Airport with a group of friends, I landed in Bugibba late that night, and for the next couple of days there was touring to be done, as well as the usual gastronomy!

After settling in the Hotel Bugibba, which serves a good Maltese breakfast, we decided to hit some adventure. Therefore, we took the public transport and the commuter bus carried us to the Popeye Village, where the movie about our fave sailorman (played by Robin Williams) was shot in 1980: the movie set remains as a quirky theme park open to the public.

The second day saw us hit the open top bus for a tour of Valetta and the Maltese hinterland.

Going along the stunning coast and checking out St Julians, we landed in Valetta City Centre where we stayed for a few hours. There you can check out the laid-back streets and relaxed bars and cafes. You can also get to appreciate how St Paul The Disciple made his mark on Malta (he was transported to Rome but was marooned for a time on Malta) via the many churches, cathedrals and basilicas named after him, both in Valetta and throughout the islands.

You will also understand the significance Malta played in history when you check out the city fortifications that played its part in defending the islands throughout the ages, and the reminders of the World War II siege of the island by the Axis (1940-42) through the many museums, memorials and the shell of the old opera house, that now is in use again for its original purpose, albeit in an outdoor format. Back on the bus and it was a tour of the island that took us up to Rabat and its stunning setting before heading full circle back to Bugibba.

The third and final day saw us hit the main satellite island of Gozo. Taking the commuter to the ferry terminal, it was on the tour bus once more and there we saw some more amazing sights.

Gozo is more renowned for its rural lifestyle and their native crafts and was famous for the Azure Window of Game Of Thrones fame until its collapse into the sea in 2017. On this island, a piece of souvenir shopping could not be ignored! It was a good thing that I had my jacket with me; summers can reach to 45c but winters see the temperature rise no more than 18c and one would want to wrap up between 4 and

6pm, when the air is at its coolest at this time of year, not unlike an Irish spring day.

Now some of the finer points about holidaying there: •P ublic Transport is normally by bus. They charge €2 for two hours of travel, but on the main island, one is never an hour away from one point to another.

•E ating out is quite inexpensive. A good breakfast is €2.50, while a posh dinner can be obtained for €15! Beer can cost between €1.50 and €3, while corner shop minerals are at .80c.

Cappuccino can be obtained for as little as €1.

• Make sure that you avoid the Euronet ATMs if you can help it. It is important to have your own money and ensure it is secure in your account in an accessible way. These ATM’s will charge you nearly €4 per transaction.

• Many of the vehicles are old and date back as far as the 1970’s, even parked next to hybrids of 2020. This is because, before joining the EU in 2004, Malta was laidback about the need to maintain vehicles for excessive distance and use, but EU regulations have seen these older motors go off the road in significant numbers.

• Maltese is the official language, but most people speak English fluently. This is due to Malta having being part of the British Empire from 1815 until 1964. Tthe legacy of British rule, apart from its role in WWII, can be seen with the large number of Red Phone Booths still present along with plenty of English bars (e.g. Sailors Arms Bugibba). Not forgetting Irish Bars of course; Monavales of Bugibba is where a good Guinness can be found!

• And there are plenty of cats to be found too.

So be nice to our feline friends there.

Fly from Cork Airport year-round every Thursday and Sunday; prices start from €16 each way. Hotel Bugibba can be found on Ryanair Rooms, €25 per night. Check out Cork Airport: Website and ryanair.com.

HAPPY DAYS!

Drug epidemic in Galway, the city that has become European Capital of Culture 2020? Culture shock does not even cut it there…

MEND YER WAYS DERE! ...

The GAA National Leagues, the Rugby Six Nations, plenty of sport to see through these dank days that still have a stretch to go before the summer approaches!

& BURGERHUT

Phone Apache Bishopstown 021 434 7000

E H C A P A

SLOPPY ps,

X O B E C I

SP

Chi H T I e W p Wra nce, taco sauc taco mi e & chees Only

€4.50

L A E D t tuden

s

a z z i p l l sma

1 can & chPipPsINGS MAX

*2 TO Only

€6

Only

€6

7

KEEP IT LOCAL Mon 24

th

ADM

€2

All Night!

Feb

at Bishopstown Bar

FREE! Shuttle Bus to Bishopstown student complexes

Doors 8pm til late 2 floors open Over 18s only - Age ID and Student ID required

shave&wax Plus DJ COD VS mystery guest?

FREE ADMISSION!

Tues 25 Feb th

at Bishopstown Bar

BEFORE

AFTER

Doors 8pm

Volunteers...get your sponsorship cards from the CIT SU Office!

OFFICIAL RAG WEEK THURS NIGHT 2020 TH Tickets €10

in advance from .ie www.eventbrite

(€15 at door) ’ USE CODE ‘CIT

king

for advance boo

Doors 11pm Over 18’s - Age ID and Student ID required

THURS 27 FEB CYPRUS AVENUE

Endor (pump it up) Featuring

For all the latest CIT RAG Week 2020 news... www.citsu.ie #CITRAG20 and expliCIT

ALL PROFITS FROM RAG WEEK GO TO CHARITY

ge T pa OU 4 LL PU

Timetable 24 - 28 Feb, 2020

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR RAG WEEK EVENTS MONDAY 24TH

TUESDAY 25TH

WEDNESDAY 26TH THURSDAY 27TH

Sponsored by A Good Start and Campus Catering

Sponsored by 4 Star Pizza and Wilton Shopping Centre

Sponsored by CIT Arts Office and Campus Catering

Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

12pm DJ MC FLEMING in the Student Centre

12pm DJ PAT D in the Student Centre

12pm DJ MC FLEMING in the Student Centre

12pm DJ MC FLEMING in the Student Centre

1pm

1pm

1pm

1pm

With Mc Paul Ryder

Illusionist

Mind Readers

(Hypnotist) in the Student Centre

BLIND DATE

in the Student Centre

ANDY JAMES in the Student Centre

From 8pm

8pm

in Bishopstown Bar over 18s only - Age ID and Student ID required Adm €2 ALL NIGHT

in Bishopstown Bar, Free Admission

KEEP IT LOCAL

SHAVE & WAX

SUPERNATURAL BROTHERS in the Student Centre 12am - 3pm SOCCER TOURNAMENT REST UP!

MICHAEL MCCOY

From 8pm

LGBT SOC PROM in Chambers From 11pm

RAG WEEK THURSDAY

CIT POST GRAD SOC TABLE QUIZ

Featuring Endor

over 18s only - Age ID and Student ID required Adm €10 in advance

in The Woolshed Bar, 7.30pm, €5

Night time events (see ads for full details) - over 18s only. Age ID and Student ID required

From 10am every day - Food stands outside The Student Centre Poster sale in Student Centre, Monday to Wednesday from 10am - 5pm

RAG WEEK CHARITIES

EDEL

HOUSE

For the latest CIT RAG Week 2020 news... see www.citsu.ie, #CITRAG20 9

Daytime 2020

Please support RAG Week events.

All daytime shows take place at 1pm in The Student Centre MONDAY 24TH FEBRUARY BLIND DATE with MC Paul Ryder Like the TV show from many moons ago, this will be full of surprises. If you have the neck to go and tell three strangers why you are the dogs b****k then this is definitely for you. The cream of CIT talent will be on show here, if there is no chemistry or lust there at least there will be a free meal and a chance to meet the legendary MC PAUL RYDER.

10 10

TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY

WEDNESDAY 26TH FEBRUARY

Illusionist

Mind readers

ANDY JAMES

Andy has been lucky enough to share his magic globally performing magic in all seven continents. He’s performed at sea, and even in the air. It all began over 12 years ago when Andy started performing magic in local bars and at private parties, after a few years of gaining experience Andy decided to move to Benidorm in Spain.

Andy James performed the WORLDS largest live stage illusion. Producing from thin air a real $3 million, 14 metre Lear jet airplane...... in just 3 seconds. complete with over a dozen showgirls..! He performed this to live audiences of up to 2000 people, nightly, for six months. Expect all sorts of shenanigans including levitation.

SUPERNATURAL BROTHERS

Peter Carroll aka the mind guy and his Spirit guide, Theo Anneman, famous for reading minds and shining shoes. The Supernatural Brothers were last in CIT three years ago and went down a storm. They make the impossible possible....Don’t heckle these guys, they can read minds and know exactly what you are thinking!!! www.facebook.com/pg/ TheSupernaturalBrothers

http://www.ajmagic.com/

RAG WEEK CHARITIES THURSDAY 27TH FEBRUARY

MICHAEL MCCOY Hypnotist

EDEL

HOUSE

Please give generously

It’s an action-packed, high-energy event where there is never a dull moment. The show is complete with stage props, costumes, sound effects, and high-energy music to create the perfect atmosphere for fun and excitement. http://www.comedyhypnotist.ie

Prepare yourself for a experience you’re not soon to forget.

Michael Mc Coy takes you on an incredible journey into the human mind. Watch in amazement as the imagination in us all is brought out through the power of suggestion. A non-stop high energy show is promised. Prepare to Experience the Impossible with Michael Mc Coy’s Comedy Stage Hypnosis Show.

Minutes before the show begins. High-energy, upbeat music begins to fill the room. The audience begins to settle into their seats as a wave of excitement and anticipation begins to sweep over everyone in the room.

Michael opens the show revealing the facts and myths of hypnosis to help ease the tension and concerns of all those in the room. After a quick demonstration of the mind is offered, volunteers from the audience are invited up on stage with Michael as he prepares to show them how to unleash the awesome power that is their minds. After that, relaxing and comforting music can be heard as Michael quickly places his volunteers into a hypnotic state. From this point on the volunteers are now the stars of the show. The fun is only about to begin!

Watch in amazement as your friends begin to do things you never think they would or COULD. They are transformed into their favourite celebrities, become aliens from another world, completely forget their names, think they have just won the lottery, or even dance along with the magical Voodoo monkey.

That is only the beginning, as our stars of the show perform hilarious side-splitting skits which will leave you on the floor laughing.

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26 th February

RAG SOCCER TOURNAMENT Weds 26th Feb, 12-3pm (Entry deadline: 2pm, Fri 21st Feb)

1st Prize: €160 2nd Prize: €80 6-a-side (Max 8 players) €2 entry per player Play 3 games guaranteed

RAG MEGA RAFFLE Application forms available in the CIT Sports Office or contact eric.marah@cit.ie

LOTS OF GREAT PRIZES TO BE ANNOUNCED...!

Tickets on sale every day from the Chaplaincy Info Desk in the main corridor, 8.30am - 2pm

For the latest CIT RAG Week 2020 news... see www.citsu.ie, #CITRAG18

Please pick up a ticket from one of our volunteers.

12

39383 DEANSHALL AD 2012 Bishopstown:Layout 1 20/07/2012 12:04 Pag

the

Best CIT Student

at the Best Price

Living

If a private space to study and chill is important to you, the BEST choice in Bishopstown is DeansHall

• Private Ensuite Bedroom • Friendly, Intimate Complex • Best Value for Money

CIT ABÚ!

CIT students sweep the board at Chef Ireland Culinary Competition

Available for summer bookings in Crosses Green complex

www.deanshallbishopstown.com

Culinary students from the Department of Tourism & Hospitality at CIT achieved great success recently at the Chef Ireland Culinary Competition. The students won over 30 medals in various categories at the event which took place over two days in Dublin.

Minutes from CIT, CUH, Wilton SC, Dunnes and City Centre.

Photo: CIT Students Benjamin Dazy from France who won Silver in Hot

Desert category, Silver in Irish Fish category, Bronze in the Irish Beef category and Top Class in Cold Plated Sweet, Aisling Kelly from Baltimore who won Silver in Hot Dessert and Overall Winner, Daniel Healy, Carrigadrohid Winner of Silver medials in Duck, Irish Beef, Senior Class Mystery basket and Best in Class Irish Beef and Caroline Hayes from Clonakilty who won silver medal junior fish, Bronze medal in junior lamb and Best in Class Vegan.

Pic Darragh Kane

Bishopstown, Curraheen road, Cork Contact (021) 4819500 or info@deanshallbishopstown.com Check out Facebook DeansHall Student Accommodation

Show ApArTmEnT opEn - now Booking for 2012/13 OPENING SOON FOR BOOKINGS ACADEMIC 20/21!

#FancyFollowingCIT

See more at: twitter.co/CITAlumni www.cit.ie/alumni

Interested in the paths that current students and soon to be graduates are taking? The CIT Alumni Office offers you that opportunity. Check out some of these profiles and get a taste for how successful you could become after your chosen course at CIT...

VICKY O’CONNOR

“I commenced my journey into college through my undergrad in Tourism Management. I loved studying the different aspects of tourism and business and from this, I discovered my love for marketing. I decided to do a Masters in Marketing Practice. This masters was extremely practical, which suited my style of learning. In every class, I found that I was pushing myself more and more outside of my comfort zone. This new-found confidence grew even more in my placement as ‘Marketing Intern’ in CIT Extended Campus. Working in CIT, I found I availed of much more experience than I would have imagined. I was able to dip my toes into many different areas such as social media, website and graphic design, promotional material, content creation, and events. As well as this, I was getting to meet and work with so many impressive and like-minded people.

The experience I gained from Extended Campus I believe is what led me into my current role as Events Executive at Cork Chamber of Commerce. As part of an events team, we plan and organise events that cater to all types of businesses from all over Cork.”

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-o-connor-b96173131/

MITERA BALKARAN

Mitera graduated MEng Mechanical Engineering with first-class honours in 2016. After graduation, she worked at PM Group on multi-million-dollar expansion projects for clients like Novartis and Irish Distillers.

She has since moved on to the medical devices field at Stryker in Carrigtwohill, and for the past two years have been involved in various projects spanning Cork, Germany and India for the Surgical Instruments division. She was also the first student in CIT to come from Trinidad & Tobago which is a is a dual-island Caribbean nation off the coast of Venezuela.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitera-balkaran-4b3b1646/

The CIT Alumni Office develops and supports alumni relations at CIT through a number of initiatives. The office encourages links between CIT and its graduates and supports the ever-growing CIT Alumni community.

The community proudly has over 30,000 members.

13

CIT Empowering Women ALL WELCOME

Book Free Tickets

Dr. Wendy Oke Founder TEACHKLOUD

#IWD2020

14

NEXUS Hall, CIT Monday, 2nd March 2020 12.30pm to 2.30pm

Marguerite O’Sullivan

Snr. Innovation Engineer Manager DEPUY SYNTHES, JOHNSON & JOHNSON President, NETWORK CORK

#EachforEqual

Dr. Donna O’Shea

Head of Department of Computer Science CIT

#CITEmpoweringWomen

Bláithín Keating Director Finance DELL TECHNOLOGIES

#CITInnovate

STEM

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

STEM Entrepreneur of the year is a new competition sponsored by process equipment specialists - ESI-Indutrade. The initiative has been co-organised and promoted through both the STEM Innovation & Enterprise Society and the WiSTEM Society.

The total prize fund is €5,000 and is divided as follows: €1,000 per school within the Faculty of Engineering & Science (listed below) with €500 for best idea from a male and €500 for best idea from a female. An additional €1,000 for best overall idea (any school).

• School of Building and Civil Engineering • School of Mechanical, Electrical and Process Engineering • School of Science and Informatics • National Maritime College of Ireland The competition will be graded using the design thinking process. All students who wish to participate in the competition must take part in one of the design thinking workshops before submitting and presenting an idea. While not all students will have a business idea by the end of the design thinking workshop, participation in such a workshop will be very beneficial to any student in their future studies and careers.

15

LIVE CIT, LOVE SOCIETIES For full list of societies go to www.societies.cit.ie

By Pranav Joshi oming to Cork for my masters in CIT was a life-changing decision for me as I never stayed away from my family since birth. The first week was quite hard for me as I was finding it tough to get along with the new culture and students, so I mostly stayed alone enjoying my own company all day long.

After a few weeks, I got to know about the Indian society, which was surprising as well as exciting for me, that there is such a society in CIT.

C

I went to the first meet where I ate all the delicious Indian dishes and made some new good friends. At the meeting an electionwas held to appoint society members, who will run the Indian society for the coming year. I wanted to be in the society so I gave my name for the Vice-chairperson and gave a small speech on the spot for students to vote for me, and that’s how I became the Vice-chairperson of the Indian Society.

I never knew voluntarily working in a society would be so much fun because the whole semester was like a roller-coaster ride for me and my fellow society mates. We started our first event, that was “Scramble Family Hunt” which was an ice-breaker between all the society members. Students were divided into teams of seven and were given riddles to solve, which made students work in a group and get to know each other. Well, I was terrible in it because I couldn’t even solve a single riddle.

with the Sci-Fi society and the debut of Indian Terminator at CIT.

Great Benefits to Joining a Society After the first successful event, we organized a movie night where we showed “Sanju” (Bollywood movie). Although I had an assignment pending for the next day, it still did not stop a Bollywood freak like me to watch the whole movie that day. The most awaited and overwhelming event came a few weeks later, that was the Restaurant and Bollywood night. I was enthusiastic about this event because firstly, we all were getting Indian dinner after months and secondly we all will be dancing on Indian music the whole night long. That night gave me beautiful memories to cherish for life. The students danced till the last song, all tired but still energetic enough to dance more. This was the first unique event of its kind with a great turnout. There were more than 40 students showing up for the event that made a great buzz in CIT. Soon after, we had our first collaboration

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The great things about Indian society events are that you get to eat a variety of food plus there is always dance and entertainment throughout the events.

Although, we were really tired after all these events we still had one of the biggest event in the waiting list of the first semester. As they say, save best for the last.

So the last event of the semester was “Diwali”. It is one of the most celebrated events throughout India. For the preparation of Diwali, we asked students to voluntarily participate to perform in the event to which many students showed up. Roshan (Secretary, Indian Society) and I were the hosts of the event. Performing on stage always excites me so I had my own rap prepared from the movie Gully Boy named “Apna Time Ayega” for Diwali. For the first time in my life, I was rapping on the stage which made me nervous but still, I managed to put on a good show. The Nexus hall was all decorated with new innovative decoration ideas and we received positive reception that day. I feel the concept of societies in CIT is an amazing initiative because it feels like home being a part of Indian society. Over the first semester, I have made many friends and now I don’t feel lonely staying here in Cork. I don’t feel homesick because I know I have my friends who are now more like a family for me.

iSTEM is a new CIT society founded by Co-Chairs Orlaith McGowan and Ciara Sheehan. It was set up with the aim to bring together female students studying STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) courses and help them succeed both in college and in the working world. It is hoped to be a platform for female STEM students to meet other like-minded females in various STEM courses, some of which are male dominated.

Although newly set up, WiSTEM have already been involved in a lot of exciting initiatives and events. In November the inaugural AGM was held. With no idea what to expect, the launch turned out to be a huge success with over 60 enthusiastic new members in attendance, and with both male and female students showing great interest in the society.

Over January the WiSTEM Society were heavily involved with the IWISH programme. IWISH is an initiative to inspire, encourage and motivate young female secondary school students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. CIT held an IWISH campus week with over 80 girls in attendance. WiSTEM ran a workshop on Friday the 17th of January. This included a walking debate which allowed the transition years to voice their opinions on STEM and how their view on scientist, engineers and mathematicians had changed over the week.

For the second half of the workshop there was speed dating set up. The transition year girls had the opportunity to speak to different female STEM students, studying various courses in CIT, and they got an insightful insight into the daily

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WISTEM - A new CIT society! tasks, modules and assignments of each degree course. Ciara Sheehan, WiSTEM Co-Chair, represented the society at the Cork IWISH conference on a Q&A panel.

Partnering with STEMInvent society, WiSTEM are also involved in CIT STEM Entrepreneur of the Year. ESI have generously invested €5,000 into the prize money for the exciting competition.

There was a successful launch on Monday the 2nd of February. WiSTEM are helping facilitate design thinking workshops in the coming weeks, a soft skill applicable across all stem disciplines.

WiSTEM are looking forward to seeing the participation of their members in this competition as there are female specific prizes.

On February 11th WiSTEM are kicking off semester 2 with a DePuy Synthes Careers Evening, where students will get the opportunity to hear DePuy Synthes employees telling their career story, as well as participating in CV and Interview skills workshops.

WiSTEM is always looking for new members who want to meet other STEM students, while also expanding their skill set, and expanding their knowledge on industry and the wide range of jobs that they can pursue. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, become a member of the society on CIT societies web page. And don’t forget to follow the WiSTEM page on instagram @wistemcit and twitter @WiSTEMCIT.

VOLUNTEER ABROAD Kolkata, India

F

rom the moment I heard about the Hope Foundation when I was in Transition Year, I have thought about volunteering abroad. I wanted to give back to others less fortunate for all the opportunities that the world has given me. So I thought summer of final year would be the perfect opportunity to open a new chapter as I closed the chapter on my time in CIT.

The contrast hit me from the outset, the contrast between the rich and poor of Kolkata was stark but also the real contrast between the brightest smiles of the children living in the slums with the dark and damp conditions that they were living in.

During my one-month placement I had the opportunity to visit some of the 60 projects that the Hope foundation were involved in across the city of Kolkata. Every morning I worked with another volunteer in the Hope vocational training centre teaching English to teenagers who were completing a computer course.

My afternoons were divided between different projects across the city, some afternoons I spent in a girl’s home. Here the girls were so eager to practice their English through the games and activities we planned. My favourite afternoons were the ones that I spent in a centre for children with special needs.

went on the night ambulance with five other volunteers and we had bought underwear and socks to give out to the children who were living on the street. After distributing all our supply of clothing, we continued on a walk with the social workers and upon returning to the ambulance a mother showed me that her son had no underwear, and it hit me just how deep the poverty is in Kolkata.

Kolkata is known as the city of joy and although at times the experience was upsetting and overwhelming, the resilience and joy that is experienced within the slums is truly inspiring.

The excitement that the kids showed towards the simplest things was uplifting.

As a volunteer you come away with so much more than you have given. My experience in Kolkata will stay with me forever and I would encourage anyone young or old who is considering volunteering to just do it! The support that the

CIT Volunteer Abroad Committee gave was second to none, as was the guidance that the Hope Office in Cork gave. I am forever grateful for all the support received and for the life changing experience I was given!

I also got to experience the night ambulance while in Kolkata.

This is where the Hope Medical team tend to people living in the street. While observing the work that the medical team did I also got to see the true poverty that lines the streets of Kolkata once the hustle and bustle of the city had gone away.

The levels of poverty that I witnessed on these nights was something that I didn’t believe was possible. Young children were asleep on the side of the street with rats running around them and cars and people passing by them. My toughest night in Kolkata was the last night I spent there. I

CONTACT THE SOCIETIES OFFICE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

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