Tag: ATU

Member in the Spotlight: Atlantic Technological University

24th June 2024

Welcome to our ‘Member in the Spotlight’ series, where we showcase the research focuses and work of our members. We hope these profiles support you in getting to know our members and to identify themes in your work and focuses where you may be able to collaborate with colleagues at member institutions.

Introducing…Atlantic Technological University

Who are Atlantic Technological University?

A founding member of the World Technology Universities Network (via former designation ‘Connacht Ulster Alliance’) Atlantic Technological University is a multi-campus technological university, based in the northwest of Ireland in Europe, with campuses in Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. (Campus locations)

ATU is also a member of the EU GREEN European University Alliance and has international partners across North and South America and Asia. As such, the university celebrates a diverse student and staff population.

ATU has a rich history of academic and research excellence, founded on practice-orientated study which addresses major global and societal challenges. As a university, they are dedicated to enabling sustainable economic, social, and cultural development in its surrounding regions.

Atlantic Technological University – Sligo Campus

What are their research focuses?

With faculties of Business, Science and Health, Engineering and Technology, and Creative Arts and Education, ATU delivers varied research. They have a number of research centres focused on exciting, thematic work.

The Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC) unites researchers and students to enhance the management of marine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. The research centre has origins dating back to 1980s, and with a custom-built research space and laboratories, they have expanded their work to carry out research projects with agencies and industry, providing expertise and advice to national and international bodies.

Recently, in partnership with Dublin City University, ATU researchers launched a project looking at how marine microorganisms can improve health and wellbeing. The project focuses on bacteria and the diverse chemicals found in marine microorganisms and their pharmacological properties.

ATU researchers are working on a project which looks at using ‘Smart Pebbles’, placed on beaches by citizens and the public, to monitor coastal areas. These pebbles will be 3D scanned and tracked over time to monitor shoreline variations and beach morphology.

ATU has a number of research centres:

National Technology Gateways:

Wireless Sensor Applied Research Laboratory Gateway (WiSAR)
Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
Medical and Engineering Technologies Gateway (MET)

Industry Innovation Collaborations:

ATU and the WTUN

Dr Orla Flynn, President, Atlantic Technological University

General Board Member: Dr Orla Flynn, President (www.atu.ie/about/governance/president)

Operational Board Member: Dr Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin, ATU Project Manager (www.wtu-n.net/members/atlantic-technological-university/)

ATU is active member of the WTUN, contributing to the design and delivery of a number of activities. This includes participation in several WTUN Exchange Programme visits, both as host and funding recipient. Past themes include: Nanomaterials; Health; Computing; ThermoFluids and Energy; Materials Engineering; Engineering Management; and Business Sustainability.

Via sustained engagement with the WTUN, they have forged wide reaching and sustained relationships with other member institutions which has lead to activities such as University of Bradford colleague Dr Colins Imoh, who guest lectured at ATU on peace and conflict resolution.

If you want to learn more about ATU, you can view their Member Profile or read some recent stories we have shared in our news roundups about their work:

ATU secures funding to research energy efficiency in Traveller communities.
Researchers at ATU are working to revolutionise energy production by developing low cost materials to facilitate hydrogen production.
ATU launches Local Energy Agencies in Peripheral Regions (LEAP) project to bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss strategies for energy retrofitting and achieving Ireland’s Climate Action Plan targets.
Professor Suresh Pillai’s Nano2H2 project which addresses energy production, waste management and environmental protection to promote circular economy.
Dr Marion McAfee’s ground-breaking 3D printing research and its impact on the world of personalised medicine, advancing healthcare solutions for the ageing population.
ATU is participating in an initiative to introduce higher education courses for students with intellectual disabilities, marking a stride towards equal opportunities and inclusivity in higher education.

University of Bradford visits Atlantic Technological University

3rd April 2024

Whilst the WTUN delivers numerous activities which facilitate and/or fund international collaboration between members, we also encourage colleagues to initiate and foster their own connections outside of the network’s activities.

Assistant Professor Colins Imoh, from the University of Bradford, visited Atlantic Technological University’s Department of Law, Public Service, and Education.

Dr Colins Imoh with colleagues from Peace Studies at Atlantic Technological University. — Dr Colins Imoh (second from the right) with colleagues from Peace Studies at Atlantic Technological University. Dr Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin, ATU’s Operational Board Member is also pictured (far left).

His visit allowed him to engage in collaborative research activities. Below is a brief summary of the visit in Dr Imoh’s own words:

“I was hosted by the Department of Law, Public Service, and Education at Atlantic Technological University in Letterkenny, Ireland. During my stay, I engaged in research and collaboration activities, both on campus and in the community. I had the opportunity to share my knowledge and provide feedback in some classes. I gave a lecture on Peace and Conflict Resolution to final-year law students. Additionally, I met with an environmental group that advocates for a cleaner Donegal and provided insights on making their advocacy more impactful.

One of the highlights of my visit was giving a public lecture on the crisis in Gaza, titled “Building Peace and Justice in a Troubled World – Exploring the Gaza-Israel Conflict” on Tuesday, March 12th. The lecture aimed to understand better the conflict’s roots, the ongoing and evolving humanitarian crisis, and how a peaceful resolution may be found. It was a humbling experience to share my expertise with such a diverse and engaged audience, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have made a difference. I received positive feedback from those who attended, and I hope my visit will inspire others to come together and positively impact their communities.”

His talk received positive feedback from students and staff, commending the opportunity his lecture presented to students to challenge their beliefs and “certainty” in a positive way and the balanced approach Dr Imoh used to discuss the “highly emotive subject of the conflict in Gaza”.

“The trip resulted in collaborative research and other activities. Currently, I am working alongside colleagues at ATU to explore the perspectives of young people on the Northern Ireland crisis. The main objective is to understand the impressions of those who were born after the Good Friday agreement in 1998.

Furthermore, I was invited to give a talk on 21st March 2024, to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The talk focused on the importance of being proactively non-racist instead of just avoiding being racist. The president of ATU was present during the online talk, which was well-received.”

Colleagues at ATU were grateful to Dr Imoh for his engaging talk and the insights he provided on antiracism.

We thank Dr Imoh for sharing his experience with us, and colleagues at ATU for collaborating.

If you, or your colleagues, are collaborating with WTUN member institutions and would like to share your experiences, please email wtun@bradford.ac.uk.

WTUN members in the press- New Postgraduate Research Training Programmes (PRTPS) at ATU

30th September 2022

PROFESSOR PHILIP NOLAN LAUNCHES NEW POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMMES (PRTPS) AT ATLANTIC TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

PRTPS will produce multi-disciplinary research graduates in two key growth areas – Modelling and Computation for Health and Society (MOCHAS) and Operations and Supply Chain Research (OSCAR).

Director General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and former chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET)’s Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Professor Philip Nolan officially launched Atlantic Technological University’s new Postgraduate Research Training Programmes (PRTPs) today, Wednesday 28 September, at the ATU Galway campus.

The first two new programmes aim to produce high-level multi-disciplinary research graduates in Modelling and Computation for Health and Society (MOCHAS) and 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.

ATU is establishing these Postgraduate Research Training Programmes in collaboration with external partners in industry and academia. This will equip PRTP graduates with the technical, field-specific skills and transferable skills required to achieve employment in high-value jobs and to adapt to rapidly evolving workplaces. Students joining the programmes will have access to learning environments of research excellence across the campuses of ATU which span the west and north-west of Ireland.

Professor Philip Nolan, Director General, SFI, congratulated ATU on these initiatives: “Science Foundation Ireland is delighted to support the Technological Universities as they continue to build excellence and capacity in research and innovation. That development is very evident today. Atlantic Technological University have demonstrated great initiative and ambition in the design and implementation of their Postgraduate Research Training Programmes.

“ATU’s implementation of PRTPs is informed by international and national developments in relation to doctoral training; industrial and work-based learning; and transferable research skill development. The PRTPs involve designed collaboration between Higher Educational Institutions, private and public enterprises, agencies, and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). This is likely to accelerate the generation of relevant research outcomes and to ensure that these outcomes are adopted and impactful.

“I congratulate ATU for their acute focus on societal challenge, research impact and student opportunity. This approach augurs well for further collaboration between ATU and the SFI Research Centres and Programmes. I wish the Programme teams and PhD Scholars involved in the MOCHAS and OSCAR PRTPs every success.”

Dr Rick Officer, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at ATU Galway-Mayo said the launch is a proud day for ATU as it continues to expand its research activities: “Our Postgraduate Research Training Programmes 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.

“The two programmes being launched today focus on key challenges of great societal and sectoral importance: operation and supply chain improvement, and the application of computational technologies in medical-care and healthcare.

“In congratulating the teams behind these two programmes I also want to recognise the leaders of our other candidate PRTPs. An independent and international evaluation recognised excellence in eight PRTP proposals and recommended another six PRTPs for funding.”

These two programmes were selected through a competitive application process that was independently and internationally reviewed. Each programme is recruiting a cohort of 15 PhD students who will conduct individual 4-year research programmes in collaboration with partners in higher education, public and private enterprise, government agencies, and non-governmental organisations.