QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 2020
Graduation celebrations at Queen’s University Belfast are taking place virtually this year. In this edition we shine a light on students and their success stories as they graduate during changed times.
EMMA MALONE Emma Malone graduated with a Master’s (MSc) in Software Engineering from the School of School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s University Belfast. Despite having no previous experience in IT before enrolling on the Master’s programme Emma Malone gained the expertise to develop a prototype for WeeWeeCat for her dissertation, to help cats like her beloved Charlie who nearly died because of an undetected obstruction in his bladder. Emma, 33, who is originally from Derry/ Londonderry but now lives in Belfast, explained: “I came up with the idea for this project as I have two cats, both of which have experienced urinary health problems. It wasn’t until Charlie was very ill that I realised that the fact he was hiding and not using the litter tray indicated significant health issues. “I decided to focus on that for my dissertation, building a prototype using technology to monitor cat activity in their litter tray.” The system Emma designed uses a radio frequency identification chip attached to the cat’s collar and a reader attached to the litter tray. She added: “The system works by identifying which cat has approached the litter tray using the RFID and then infrared break beams inside
DIANE ROBERTS
the litter tray indicate if the cat has entered. This data is then transmitted wirelessly to a database.” “This is coupled with a website system where the cat owner can set up customised alerts to be notified if their cat hasn’t visited the litter tray the specified number of times per day. “If they noticed unusual activity they could take their cat for veterinary care to be checked out and hopefully any health issues would be detected early enough to treat.” Emma, who had previously worked in procurement, has now secured a job with Belfast-based cybersecurity company Cynalytica International. She added: “I had never done any IT before, so starting the MSc was a massive change in direction for me but it was a great challenge and I loved the whole experience. The support and feedback I got from my tutor made me feel confident that I could achieve the qualification.”
ASHLEIGH NEILL Ashleigh Neill graduated with a PhD in Finance from Queen’s Management School at Queen’s University Belfast. Ashleigh, aged 29 and from Listowel in Co Kerry, balanced her PhD in Finance: ‘Law and Financial Stability’ and starting her new business as an illustrator after using her artistic skills to illustrate her PhD chapters to make it easier for people to understand. Ashleigh explained: “I used illustrations and some data visualisations to depict key concepts of my research which crossed between Law, Finance and Econometrics as it can be a little difficult to explain. My illustrations started to win prizes at academic presentations and gained the attention of other researchers, both locally and globally, as far as Australia. I started collaborating with researchers to help them express their work in a creative and accessible way, and ‘PhDcartoon’ was born.” As well as starting her illustration business, Ashleigh taught in the Economics department during her final year. She said: “Starting my PhD, I was eager to gain experience teaching. I was fortunate that the Heads of the Finance and Economics departments at my School at the time, Professor Donal McKillop, Professor John Turner, and Professor Rob Gilles, were very supportive and helped facilitate this.
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Diane Roberts graduated with a Master’s (MA) in History from the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s University Belfast. Diane, aged 54 and from Warrenpoint in Co Down, always dreamt of studying history, however, she ended up studying for a business degree when she went to university and had a very successful career in business.
She said: “I started my own company in 2008, and have assisted many companies set up, get funding and grow. In 2017, I was driving home one evening listening to a radio programme which had a feature about returning to study later in life. It got me thinking, and before the weekend was over, I had applied to Queen’s to study my dream degree. “Current affairs and history have always been a passion, and in recent years I have read many historical books so I was delighted to study the subject for ‘fun’. I have loved every minute of it and would encourage anyone thinking of going after their dream, to just do it, you will not regret it!” Diane, who is dyslexic, found going back to academic writing an adjustment. Speaking about the support she received, she said: “My School and in particular, Dr Marie Coleman, were so encouraging. It had been 25 years since I had written an essay and being dyslexic, I found that a challenge. Every time I reached out for help, from academic writing advice to finding archival material, the whole team at the School supported me.
