The Long Goodbye Part 2: The Last of my Species!

A few weeks ago my 22 year involvement with university science research centres ended.

With a vision of "Empowering Citizens & creating Smarter Societies", the multi-university Insight Centre for Data Analytics-which helped secure for Ireland a reputation for data-driven research & innovation in fields such as connected health, sensor technology, environmental analytics & human computer interaction-completed its funded research programme. Insight & ADAPT Centre have now become 'Rinn AI', Ireland’s national centre for data & AI research.

So as Insight’s tenure ended, I felt that it was an opportune time for me to do likewise, to retire from my role as a university research centre Educational & Public Engagement(EPE) Manager & to move onto pastures new.

In summer 2004, I attended the first meeting of what were then referred to as ‘Outreach’ Officers of the recently established research centres operating under Science Foundation Ireland(SFI). Of those that were at that inaugural gathering in Dublin, I’ve been for many years the only one still doing the same job

At one level, I could be viewed as the last of my species!

Though it was a voluntary decision to leave, nevertheless it was not an easy one. For I leave behind good friends & colleagues at a world class science research centre and at the University of Galway who helped me in delivering educational programmes to schools, communities & businesses across Ireland

And I’ll deeply miss the fantastic teachers, children & youth that I have been involved with through my Educational and Public Engagement (EPE) work at Insight & its predecessor the Digital Enterprise Research Institute(DERI) of University of Galway

I am immensely proud that we helped pioneer learning initiatives which have brought benefits to so many:

in co-creating Citizen Science & Engaged Research projects, hosting the Computer & Communications Museum, establishing DSI’s Virtual Reality Lab, providing a travelling laptop (mobile IT) lab for schools, & Digital Makers training/facilities particularly in hosting Coderdojo classes for 10 years, mentoring Internet Safety sessions for all ages, being part of the introduction of art into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM becomes STEAM), setting up Computer Rooms in IPAS centres across the west of Ireland, training teachers to create their first ever school websites, facilitating rural communities in digitising stories/photos from long ago, upgrading with the Access Centre older laptops to be used by families in social need, assisting the annual Galway Science & Technology Festival in its annual STEM schedule, and helping to pioneer the introduction of STEM programmes to disadvantaged communities (asylum seekers, Travellers, older peoples).

So what next for me?

I will certainly not have time to get bored!

There will be travels with my wife Cepta to places far and near and spending time with my son Shane's new family.

I will be honouring committments to a number of schools and organisations in online local heritage (Irish BEO) and coding projects, and as its curator and co-founder I intend to help make the Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland - CCMI become an important national educational and technology heritage resource.

But in an era when climate denial is on the rise across the globe and governments are rolling back on their commitments, I will have a big focus on working with others to tackle the ever growing & interlinked Climate & Biodiversity Crises through the Galway National Park, Connemara Greenway Alliance, Corrib Bridge & Terryland Forest Park projects.

And finally I can begin to write the long overdue book about life in Galway during my student days(which I promise will be a fascinating read!)

Well done to Adam Collison in the 14th year of THREESIS

I was delighted to have been asked by Marina Ansaldo, PhD of the Vice President Office of Research & Innovation at the University of Galway to mentor Adam Collison, one of the finalists in this year’s Threesis, a competition for postgraduate researchers to explain their work in 3 minutes on 3 slides in front of 3 judges in a way that is clear, engaging & relevant to a lay or public audience
Adam is a final-year PhD student in Physics and his research focuses on evaluating the impact of energy retrofits on indoor air quality in public buildings, specifically offices and schools. He is passionate about his research. As he said himself “…What excites me most about my work is that air quality affects absolutely everyone, no one can survive without air, yet the factors that shape it indoors are poorly understood by most…”

Air quality is something that I too have a strong interest in, having being involved through Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics in citizen science projects such as 'The Air We Share' (part of decarbonising Galway)with Liz Coleman & Galway City Council.
At the Grand Finale yesterday, Adam came second in a very strong field.
So a big ‘Bualadh Bos’ to Adam for achieving Silver!! A well deserved award and recognition!
I ensured that I got my photo taken with him & Prof Donal Leech, Dean Of Graduate Studies!

Though not involved anymore in an organisational role, I have had a long association with Threesis having being one of its founding members in 2012 along with Ann Lyons, Dave Finn, Ena Brophy, Dr Lorraine Tansey, Louise Nolan, Ruth Hynes, Sarah Knight & Valerie Parker.
I got the idea for it from the national Thesis-in-3 that was then organised by SFI (now
Taighde Eireann) specifically for research centres personnel which had started in 2010, with the first winner being Eyal Oren from my own NUIG institute of DERI. I felt that we could do something similar in Galway & that ‘Threesis’ would be a catchy name!
The original committee, comprising a fantastic lively bunch of visionaries, agreed. But we expanded it to include both students & staff from across all disciplines, ensuring too that the judging panel reflected the wider Galway society. In the early years, we also hosted the finals in the city centre & soon got GMIT(now ATU) involved. In our first year (2012), the grand final (see right image on dual photo) was held in the Galway building of the local branch of Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. The audio-visual technical manager then & now was the highly professional Cormac Staunton
At the first final the 3 judges were Liam Bluett, Director of Ballybane Enterprise Centre; Frances Shanahan, RTE Journalist; & Prof Terry Smith, Vice President of Research at what was then NUI Galway

After 14 years, it's so good to see the University of Galway’s Office of Research & Innovation team keeping Threesis going from strength to strength. Maith daoibh!

Google Glasses!

A visiting German student at the museum today tries out the Google Glasses from 2014.

Why not come along to our fabulous technology heritage facility and try out these iconic glasses and mor of our latest additional artifacts this Saturday (April 4th)? We are open to the general public from 11am to 2pm.

Eircode: H91 AEX4

Register at

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1985806304112?aff=oddtdtcreator

 

61 schools & youth events organised in January-March 2026!

Ever since our return from the Christmas holidays, it has been 'all systems go!' at the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics as we continue to deliver a range of exciting & meaningful educational programmes both directly in schools & for those visiting the Data Science Institute (DSI) of the University of Galway.
Whilst our engaged research projects involve partnerships with businesses, local government, state agencies, health professionals, farmers & communities not only in Ireland but all across Europe, we have always since our inception given significant attention to our Irish school-going population not only in upskilling them in technology skills that fit within the educational curriculum; in providing role models in the form of young researchers; in making them aware of career opportunities over our multiple research fields which align with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); but also in making them as well as their teachers & parents fully aware of & how to counter the dark side of the Web especially now in an era of growing abuse of AI by major players.
Our educational activities range from coding, Virtual Reality & digital local heritage workshops, to Research Talks on AI & Data Science, to guided tours of the Computer and Communication Museum of Ireland and in providing age-appropriate presentations on Internet Safety.
From early Jan to end of March, we will have organised 61 events for schools, youth groups, after-school clubs & university societies (e.g. in Engineering, Computing & Innovation) in counties Roscommon, Mayo, Offaly, Galway as well as in Galway city. I myself also got the opportunity to travel overseas in my EPE role- this month and last I mentored in the island school of Inishbofin! Furthermore, we make certain that we deliver programmes to ‘Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools’(DEIS) that have high concentrations of disadvantage.

Thanks to Insight Galway volunteers, we've ensured that our Educational & Public Engagement(EPEs) programmes are as strong in 2026 as they were in proceeding years, So a big thank you/Bualadh Bos to our researchers Abdul Wahid, Al Waskow, Alan Reidy,Alex Acquier, Carlos Tighe, Duc-Duy Nguyen, Ifeoluwapo Aribilola, Jefkine Kafunah, Katarzyna Stasiewicz, Gaurav Negi,Kashif Shaheed, Lucas Rabelo, Liz Hurley, Luke Porwol, Shakir Bilal, Janak Kapuriya, Jim Duggan,Jefkine Kafunah, John Andrew, Umair ul Hassan, Muhammad Sohaib Ayub, Muhammad Yasar Khan (PhD), Prateek Paul,Ronan Timon, Tunde Ajayi as well as to our great operations team of Brian Wall, Christiane Leahy-Coen, claire browne, Gerard Conneely, (PhD), Maria Smyth, Michelle Treacy & Tomas Grigas, PhD, PSM I
As always, I consider myself blessed to work alongside such colleagues who are prepared to give their time & energies to introduce their research to the wider community as well as in upskilling our youth in creative technologies

AI Research for the Good of People & the Planet

 

Over 50 German students and their teachers from the Galway Business School (GBS) attended a special 'AI for Good' event in the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at the Data Science Institute of the University of Galway where they learnt about some of our ground-breaking research projects designed to bring benefits to humanity and to the planet.
In a time when aspects of AI and science generally can and are being used to inflict death and destruction on planet Earth, it is critical that we increase our efforts to support STEM programmes that are life-giving.
At Insight we have for many years mapped our research against the United Nations 17 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) and organise activities to make the public aware of our work especially by engaging with schools, communities, businesses and policy makers.
So a big thank you/Míle buíochas to my fellow colleagues at Insight DSI for giving presentations to the visiting German students and making themselves available for questions, namely Elizabeth Hunter on 'Computational Modelling to Predict the Spread of Infectious Diseases'; Bharathi Raja Chakravarthi on 'Inclusive AI'; Prateek Paul on 'Incentive Alignment in Data Sharing Ecosystems'; and Jefkine Kafunah on 'AI, Big Data and Data Analytics for the AgriFood sector'.
After the research talks, I gave the young people an overview of the history (with a Galway & Ireland flavour!) of computing and communications technologies before providing them with an immersive guided tour of the computer museum.

Galway’s Role in introducing Science into the Irish Primary School Curriculum, 2002-2005.

As part of last Nov’s Galway Science & Technology Festival I organised a very special event in the Galway Education Centre with its director Liam Mitchell. Bernard Kirk my good friend & internationally renowned educationalist, acted as Master of Ceremony.
The occasion was a re-launch of science films made by the children & teachers of 35 Galway city & county primary schools involved in the Fionn School Science project, an inspiring pioneering government-funded initiative that operated from 2001/2002 to 2004/2005. As well as the viewing of the project films, there was an exhibition on the night comprising equipment, media coverage, awards & even science exhibits made by the young participants all those years ago.

Fionn led the way in successfully pioneering the introduction of science into Ireland’s primary school curriculum by having participating schools make a series of highly informative child-centric science & technology online videos during the period 2002-2005.

I was delighted to see so many fellow veteran STEM & Science Festival stalwarts in attendance as well as so many of the great teachers I had worked with on the Fionn projects all those years ago.

We were also honoured to have present at the event the family of the late Noel Treacy TD who, as Minister for Science, Technology & Commerce, secured the government mandate & funding for Fionn. Noel was one of the most ‘lets get things done’ politicians that I ever had the privilege to work with.

Over the last few years I spent much time searching for & gathering up these films that were on old VHS tapes, DV cassette tapes & DVDs in order to digitise them & make them available online once again after a gap of nearly 20 years for the benefit of present & future generations.
With over 110 videos digitised & to be made available shortly on the BEO heritage website (provided by Insight Centre for Data Analytics in association with University of Galway and the Heritage Office of Galway County Council) they show the children of Galway city & county schools of nearly a quarter of a century ago as vanguards in bringing science into the Irish Primary Educational Curriculum which occurred in autumn 2004.

Many of the themes of these films include topics so relevant to today’s educational world e.g. air quality, waste management, biodiversity restoration, peatlands, reforestation, heritage protection, water pollution, renewable energies, communications, optics, circulatory system, geology & farming.
Nor surprisingly these videos became a valuable online resource for schools nationwide over a number of years. Furthermore, for 4 consecutive years the Fionn schools also formed the major educational component of the annual exhibition of the Galway's Science Festival which was held during this period in Salthill(Leisureland & Galway Bay Hotel). Up until 2001, there was usually only one school having a stand at its exhibition finale. In 2002, there were 28 Fionn schools exhibiting & their presence remained constant for the following 3 years & beyond.

Encouraged by Jimmie Browne I applied for & was appointed coordinator to help develop, under the stewardship of the Galway Education Centre, what turned out to be an innovative & pioneering project. It was my first re-entry into Irish education after a gap of over 10 years which included spending a few years working outside Ireland & in other sectors within the country.

Bernard at the time was Director of the Galway Education Centre with Ciaran Folan as its technology advisor. Both powerful STEM advocates. The project was also generously supported by Jimmie Browne, Pat Morgan, Tom Hyland (RIP), Simon Lenihan, & Malachy Thompson in their capacity as members of Galway Science & Technology Festival committee.
Our remit was to help in what was really a RE-introduction of science into the primary school curriculum after an absence of nearly 80 years. For it was taken out to make way for the Irish language soon after the foundation of the Irish Free State.
We knew that teachers already had a packed daily schedule, providing a wide range of subjects as well as sport, health & social activities. Now they were expected, with very few additional long-term resources, to become familiar with & embrace a brand new & very important subject, one that was expected to help shape the country’s economic development.
Understandably there would be resistance from some within the teaching profession.
A difficult challenge lay before us.
Still we planned to capture the imagination of both teachers & children.
Our aim was to make science exciting, fun, hands-on, using high tech, easy-to-embrace, inclusive, relevant to their everyday lives, cross-curriculum, involving the whole class or school that they would enthusiastically want to sign up to as a pilot school!
So at the start of the 21st century, we came up with something completely different from anything that had gone before...(Part 3 is next post)

At a time (early 2000s) when the public perception of a scientist was oftentimes of someone who was male, old, grey-haired, ‘nerdy’ and dressed in a white lab coat, we adopted a logo (designed by Lol Hardiman) for Fionn that portrayed a happy boy and girl dressed in colourful clothing trying out science experiments together.

In an era before broadband, smart phones and social media immersion, we gave participating schools their first ever laptop (Apple iBook- Macbook's predecessor), their first ever high speed digital phone line (ISDN), their first ever hand-held video camera, their first movie editing software (iMovie) and their first training in video production in order for them to make a series of child-centric films every year for four years related to science and technology but also taking in other aspects of the school curriculum such as languages, music, history, geography and art. The completed films each year were hosted on a Department of Education website as well as on a specific Fionn website (developed by Diarmuid O’Riordan) that gave schools their first ever presence on the World Wide Web. A 'Directory of Science Experts' was compiled comprising scientists and other STEM advocates from NUI Galway (now University of Galway), GMIT (now Atlantic Technology University, Galway Atlantaquaria, Coillte, Teagasc, Western Health Board (now [Health Service Executive, the Western Regional Fisheries Board (now Inland Fisheries Ireland) and elsewhere who were available to support schools with their Fionn projects. We also funded artists Martin O'Ceidigh, Lol Hardiman, Diarmuid Mullen and Podge Daly to provide artistic mentoring to the schools for their projects.

Not surprisingly Fionn projects won many local and national awards and acted as a catalyst in the establishment of a Schools category within the inaugural Galway County Heritage Awards (now the Cathaoirleach Awards) launched in 2003 by its awesome Heritage Officer Marie Mannion.

Fionn’s legacy is a proud one. For I sometimes meet teachers, scientists and engineers who tell me that a Fionn science project inspired or reinforced their interest in what became their future careers. And today science is a key subject taught in all of the 3000 primary schools schools in Ireland. As the old proverb states, “Mighty oaks from small acorns grow”.

Photo on left shows my son Dáire at a Fionn stand in the Galway Science Fair 2003.

Photo on right shows Laura Porter (teacher & science advocate at New Inn National School) proudly pointing to herself on a Fionn film from 2003 when she was a senior infants class pupil at Ballymana National School. With Laura is Anne Murray, manager of the Galway Science & Technology Festival. Photo taken at the Fionn Science Films Launch.

2005-2025: From BEBO to Snapchat- Different Social Media, Same Story

 The first few years of the 2000s was the era of the Blogs (free, user friendly & easy to set up websites). 2005 saw the sudden rise of what we then referred to as ‘online social media’ heralded by the arrival of ‘Bebo’, and the growing popularity of ‘MySpace’, ‘Orkut’ etc. 2007 witnessed the launch of the iPhone with its apps and touchscreen. Within a few years, especially when broadband became almost nationwide by 2011, the ‘smart phone’ became an indispensable part of our daily lives.  Whilst hand-held technology has brought so many transformational benefits, nevertheless the built-in addiction of many of its social apps has also made us as users become ‘slaves to the machine’ and victims of the most vile hate never imagined in previous times. 

From 2005, I myself readily embraced social media and connected online not just to friends from my everyday world, but to those I had not seen for decades as well as to people worldwide that I never met in the real world but who shared the same interests as me. It was so empowering!!

However I also very soon witnessed a scarily darkside of the Web, as I encountered (as did millions of others) the new phenomena of cyberbullying, aggressive misogynistic pornography, racism, hate and violence which through these popular social media sites entered my home, my workplace and the schools I taught in.

However no-one in 2005 and for years later was talking about these issues especially to children, teenagers and parents. So I sought the permission of the management of my scientific research institute (DERI) in what is now known as the University for Galway if I could-as well as upskilling and increasing awareness amongst the public of the power of the Web in order to help transform particularly our youth from being ‘digital users’ into ‘digital creators’- to talk to parents, teachers and youth about the negative aspects of the web and what precautions needed to be undertaken. This request was readily granted.

I was probably the first ‘expert’ in Ireland to raise these concerns.

In 2025 I am still providing, through my education and public engagement role at the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics, advice and guidelines on Internet Safety to schools’ communities.

The social media providers and game sites may have changed over the last 20 years but the same issues of concern still exist. Though the Irish government has finally after a delay of decades implemented stronger more targetted legislation over the last few years, nevertheless at some levels the problems have got even worse. This is primarily because so many of the US-based Big Tech corporations are resisting legislation in Europe and elsewhere that aim to have social media/game sites provide better safeguards in order to protect users especially children and to eliminate the spread of lies. These businesses are putting profits and ideology before the welfare of ordinary people.

In my sessions I always adopt a holistic approach geared of course to the age and background of the audiences, be they first year children in primary school or parents of second level students. For parents this means appreciating the great positives but also the negatives of the Web, the realisation that addiction is built into social media/games, the need to set good example to our children in terms of our own usage, in having the ‘big chat’ with our children on the subject and thereafter in keeping the lines of communication open, in understanding the role of social media influencers, in appreciating the physical/mental health benefits of the Great Outdoors, and the importance of demanding appropriate legislation that is acted upon.

Whilst realising that putting in place meaningful age restrictions on the use of social media  age is not the be-all and end-all in keeping our young people safe online, it is most definitely an important part of the solution. So I am a big supporter of the Australian government’s recent banning of social media for under 16s. For it is helping to let pre-teens and early teens experience a childhood free from the hate, vitriol, misogyny and fake news that is more and more being encountered online as well as encouraging empathy and more meaningful real world relationships.

From late January I will be sending our partner schools practical guidelines on reporting online abuse/bullying and putting in place parental controls.

Finally I was thrilled that earlier this year I gave my first Internet Safety session to the teenage girls and teachers of Loreto convent secondary school at Rumbek in South Sudan. This was possibly one of the first such themed sessions ever to take place in sub-Saharan Africa.

Photo from the Galway City Tribune 2013.

 

Galway Science & Technology Festival, Part 2: ‘The Future was Yesterday’ at the Computer Museum

The largest crowd ever to visit the Computer & Communications Museum at the University of Galway occurred on the last day of the Galway Science and Technology Festival, and represented an appropriate finale to a 2 week programme with the theme of ‘Then, Today & Tomorrow’.
Under the ‘The Future was Yesterday’ banner, we showcased decades-old equipment & processes that are considered the latest cutting edge technologies such as robots, AI, 3D, Virtual Reality, online learning & gaming.
These included:
-19th century global communications (Morse Code) system in action that represented the birth of the ‘Global Village’
-sensor-based robot (inspired by R2-D2 of Star Wars!) which took part in Galway city’s 1984 St. Patrick’s Day Parade
-1970s AI-based tabletop computer chess set (inspired by a 1969 episode of Star Trek)
-1990s Virtual Reality headset
-1990s Flight Simulator
-1989 Immersive Technology Game glove
-1950s-1970s 3D image devices and 3D magazines
-1982 ‘remote working’ computing device
-1960s children’s Science Fiction device that inspired the mobile telephone
-an exact replica (made by Neal White & Tina O’Connell for the 2013 TULCA Festival of Visual Arts) of the first telecommunication satellite known as Telstar which in 1962 pioneered live global television & which is stilling orbiting the Earth!

Visitors also got to see probably Ireland’s oldest computer (from 1965 & on loan from Michael Jordan); how school-going teenagers in Galway during the early-mid 1980s (before invention of the World Wide Web) used what we now refer to as ‘cloud computing’, ‘online dating’ & ‘social media’; a robot (2016) called Mario that acted as a companion to people with dementia (from Prof Dympna Casey of UoG's School of Nursing & Midwifery).

Insight’s Conference Room was transformed into a Reading Room for 1950s/1960s children’s popular Marvel, DC & Eagle comics in which the stories of today & tomorrow were told yesterday (on AI, robotics, benefits & darkside of technology, space travel, oceanic pollution, environmental damage).
There was also on show the latest technology, used as part of the city’s decarbonisation zone, of a multiscreen Dashboard to monitor air quality at multiple locations as part of Galway City Council-led ‘The Air We Share’ project which includes Insight as a partner.
One of the most popular exhibits on the day was a 1970s era public telephone kiosk. Thanks to the technical wizardry of Liam Krewer & Aisling, & using my vintage vinyl record/CD music collection, we set up a ‘Dial-a-Song’ system. It facilitates the user dialing 4 digits between 1955 (birth of rock & roll!) & 2000 on the rotary phone to listen to a particular piece of music from that particular year!

Thanks to the volunteers from the museum board & Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics who acted as guides on the day.
Next public opening date: Sat Jan 24(11am-2pm)

Galway Science & Technology Festival 2025, Part 1: School Tours

We at the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Galway were pleased to deliver a packed programme of activities for this year’s Galway Science & Technology Festival.

Happily returning to work after some time out due to a health issue, I helped coordinate busloads of children and teenagers from schools in visiting the Data Science Centre to experience coding workshops and the hands-on fun environment of the computer and communications museum. The secondary school student visitors also benefited from presentations delivered by our researchers highlighting their work which is mapped against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the delights of interactive sessions in our Virtual Reality Lab.

Such was the demand from schools in Mayo, Galway city and county that we had to put on extra visits after the festival ended!

We also collaborated with TCD and the UoG School of Computer Science to deliver a series of Pytch coding workshops at the Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition Day as well as with Róisín Birch and the team at the University of Galway Access Centre in our ongoing support for the critical DEIS schools based Uni4U initiative.

So a big thank you/Míle buíochas to the Insight volunteers who mentored and presented on their research, provided coding or VR workshops or guided tours of the computer & communications museum, namely Abdul Wahid, Carlos Tighe, Duc-Duy Nguyen, Janakkumar Kapuriya, Katarzyna Stasiewicz, Kashif Shaheed, Hoang Long, Prateek Paul, Simanta Sarkar, Tomas Grigas and Zeeshan Malik.

 

Small Schools -the Heartbeat of Rural Ireland.

Providing Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) projects to small rural schools is a key priority of our Insight Educational & Public Engagement programme.

So during May-June, we continued delivering a series of coding workshops to primary schools in Abbey, Ballinlough, Creggs and on the island of Inishbofin.

With the ongoing closure of village post offices, shops, Garda stations, hostelries and the decline in the traditional parish church attendance (which provided opportunities for local people to meet up weekly) as well as the economic difficulties in maintaining full-time family farming, it is the village school that acts as the heartbeat of the Irish countryside.

In spite of the severe challenges/threats of the present, I am optimistic that a sustainable technology-supported organic-based mixed agricultural sector with a Circular Economy process will be the future of the Irish countryside providing in the process quality products and healthy foodstuffs for the nation’s population and overseas markets.

So it is essential that in the interim local country schools are nurtured in order to keep the spirit of community alive in rural Ireland.

 

Finally, what I also love about visiting these schools is that more and more I met children whose older siblings I mentored, or even sometimes teachers that I taught science and coding too when they themselves were children in primary schools!

May-Jun: Educating Teenagers on the Good & Bad sides of Web Technologies.

The school year ended on a very busy note for my colleagues and myself at the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics in the University of Galway as we continued to introduce teenagers to our pioneering research and in upskilling them on the positive benefits of web technologies through workshops on creative coding and hands-on smart tools such as Virtual Reality, environmental sensors and citizen apps.

But once again I devoted a lot of time in making our young people aware and prepared, through Internet Safety sessions, of the dangers that exist in social media and gaming by educating them on cyberbullying, online misogyny, porn, hate, violence, racism, fake news and addiction.

In May, I spent multiple days giving Internet Safety sessions to the first and second year students of the BISH in Galway city and to those in both the junior and senior cycles of Coláiste Cholmcille in Connemara. These presentations always include insights into using social media/gaming positively, and Wellbeing elements such as on the importance of a good night’s sleep, spending time in the real world with friends, getting out into a natural environment or undertaking outdoor sports.

As always these presentations are two-way, for I also learn a lot from the young people themselves as they make me aware of problems or sites that they encounter which I personally may not have yet come across. So I always come away better informed allowing me to constantly update my content.

In a time of AI which brings huge benefits but also dangers, regulation of the Web is now needed more than ever before. Governments have to stand up to the mega tech giants and protect their citizenry. People come first.

Shades of Early Science Fiction

What looks like a piece of equipment from a 1930s-1940s science fiction 'Flash Gordon' or 'Buck Rogers' film has taken up residency in the Computer & Communications Museum of Ireland located at the University of Galway and supported by my workplace of the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics.

Designed and made by Pat Murphy in 1987 as his final year project for the B.Tech in Education at Thomond College (University of Limerick), it is actually a computer desk housing a Commodore 64 microcomputer, monitor, tape deck and a library of cassettes. The 64 was then one of the world's top selling computers in the business, educational and domestic markets.
But this wooden unit is more than just a computer desk- it is a beautifully crafted structure combining practicality with artistic design which I am sure was inspired by early science fiction.
Pat is still teaching carpentry as part of Construction Studies in a Dublin secondary school.
Photo shows a very happy John Murphy (Pat's brother) standing beside this desk just after he got the computer, tape deck and monitor fully operational.
We thank Pat and John for loaning this exquisite piece of equipment to the museum.

Giving a New Lease of Life to a Fallen Tree

I was glad to recently join the students of the highly active Botany Society of the University of Galway who, under the chairpersonship of the dynamic Katie Hennessy, undertook in association with the University Buildings and Grounds section a large scale planting of trees in woods along the banks of the Corrib River.

Sadly, as was the case nationwide, many large mature trees on the campus were victims of Storm Éowyn and the tree planting was to replace some of those that had fallen.

But sometimes, from something bad comes something good.

The Buildings and Ground staff kindly donated to the Tuatha two large cross sections of tree trunks, one of which will be put on permanent display on the exterior of An Nead HQ to be used as a learning aid for school children and others visiting the park. The accompanying plaque will tell the story of Storm Éowyn and the Climate Crisis but also the counting of rings will reveal the age of the tree when it was alive. So the fallen tree will have a new lease of life as part of our Outdoor Classroom.

Photo shows Seanín and Katie from the University of Galway's Botany Society holding one of the donated tree cross sections.

Finally a reminder to join us next Saturday's (March 29th) for a Community Tree Plantathon to celebrate 25 years since the first planting took place in Terryland Forest Park.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/1284820375329?aff=oddtdtcreator

Schools Days and School Nights!

We of the Insight Research Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Galway have been very busy since the beginning of term supporting the needs of schools in the area of science and particularly in web technologies. Since last Friday alone, we have worked with 8 schools providing:
Coding classes in Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh; visits to our centre from St. Jarlath’s College (Tuam), Ballinrobe Community College (Mayo) and Galway Business School (Salthill) to experience Research Talks from our researchers, guided tours of the computer and communications museum, Python coding workshops and Virtual Reality sessions; Internet Safety talks in partnership with the Garda Síochána to the senior classes of Bushypark National School and Scoil Bhríde Shantalla; and finally Internet Safety talks in the evenings to the parents of Galway Educate Together Claregalway, Scoil Náisiúnta Bhaile Chláir na Gaillimhe and Scoil Náisiúnta na bhForbacha.

I would like then to publicly thank my Insight colleagues who this week volunteered their time and their ideas to upskilling and increasing the knowledge of our school communities whilst supporting the wonderful teachers who do so much to educate and prepare our young people for their current and future lives.
So a big Bualadh Bos(Irish = ‘A round of applause!’) to these volunteers, namely Abdul Wahid, Al Waskow, Atul Kr. Ojha, Bharathi Raja Chakravarthi, Duc-Duy Nguyen, Hassan Khan, Janak Kapuriya, Katarzyna Stasiewicz, Luke Porwol, Muhammad Asif Razzaq, Ph.D., Nitesh Bharot, Rory Ward and Shunmuga Priya

Celebrating Diversity at Christmas in a Galway university research centre.

 

For 12 years I and my colleagues use the goodwill spirit of the festive Christmas season to organise an event that celebrates the cultures of the staff/students of the Data Science Institute at the University of Galway where their families and friends are invited.

This year we had exhibits populated with the images, cuisine, beverages(non-alcoholic) and traditional dress representing Africa, Australia, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, USA, Pakistan and Turkey.

 

In a time of increased incidents of military conflict, genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism, forced migration, economic disparity, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather incidents caused by global climate change, it is important that we highlight and celebrate the benign cultural attributes of the populations of the world. We should not fear differences but instead recognise that variety is after all the spice of life. Hence we should recognise that humanity can and does blossom by having multiple religions, dress, music, art, skin tone and societies. For life would be so boring if we all looked the same, acted the same, dressed the same, cooked the same food…

 

Furthermore, we not only had festive music and a jolly Santa Claus bearing gifts for the young (& not so young!) but also prizes for the best cheeses (at a special cheese stand), best cultural outfits and stand as well as a beautiful Chinese folk dance known as the ‘Dance of the Peacock’ performed by our colleague Huan Chen.

The annual Galway Science & Technology Festival Exhibition is tomorrow!

I'm just home from spending an enjoyable day helping the hardworking and visionary Galway Science & Technology Festival (GSTF) committee and dozens and dozens of volunteers get the University of Galway campus ready for tomorrow's Exhibition Day. With 20,000+ visitors, it represents the largest one day STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths) celebration in Ireland and opens a two week festival that this year has the theme of 'Regeneration'. Appropriately then the festival will finish on a high note on June 23rd with the planting of heritage orchards in fields within Terryland Forest Park comprising varieties of fruits that almost disappeared from the Irish landscape where it not for the great efforts of Irish Seed Savers Association.

As always, Sunday's interactive fair will involve all sectors from Galway city and county society including the corporate sector, indigenous companies, primary schools, secondary schools, science education centres such as Galway Atlantaquaria, university research institutes from both universities in Galway, art events such as drawing workshops hosted by artists Margaret Nolan and Richard Chapman, and the ever-present Origami stand workshops with Thomas Cuffe... The list goes on and on!

Galway is internationally renowned not just as a City of Arts but also as a City of Science. Now in its 27 year, the annual GSTF festival has played a key role in earning Galway this accolade.

2024 will represent my 23rd year as an active member of the organising team. Hopefully I will be around for a few more!

Photo shows my lovely wife Cepta with the Origami maestro Tom Cuffe at a previous GSTF Exhibition Day.

Today I enjoyed Dancing with a Lovely & Happy Partner on a Virtual Reality dance floor!

This morning/afternoon, my brilliant friend Luke Porwol (right of photo) gave a training session to his colleagues who have volunteered to mentor workshops on Virtual Reality (VR) to schools visiting our Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Galway as part of theGalway Science and Technology Festival.

Whilst I have always been a strong advocate of learning through real life experiences especially within the natural world through the Outdoor Classroom and field studies, nevertheless I have for years passionately believed that Virtual Reality will provide a new, exciting, engaging and immersive dimension to young people in multiple subjects across the Irish educational curriculum. For instance if you are studying Ancient Egypt in History class, wouldn't it be wonderful if you could travel back in time as an avatar into a VR world and experience the pyramids of Giza when they were being constructed over 4,600 years ago; or if you are studying the Human Body in Biology class wouldn't it be so beneficial if you could move around the veins, arteries and heart of the Circulatory System; or in Geography Class be able to paddle a canoe along the Amazonian River in VR and see the causes and impact of deforestation.

As part of the training session today I danced with a lovely avatar who brought so many of the senses alive (sight, sound and touch!). When I finally had to leave the VR dance hall and return to the real world, my dance partner looked so sad that I actually got a bit emotional! For It was really nice to meet someone (or something!) that actually appreciates my dance moves

Making a Difference - SDG-themed Research at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics of the University of Galway.

 

I was very proud of my colleagues today at the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics, University of Galway as they presented their ground breaking research during the 'Data Science Institute Lightning Talks' event held as part of the university's SDG Week 2024. Their work is truly inspirational and benefits both people and the planet as we showed today how Insight research fulfills the majority of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Topics included 'Unlocking Health Data for Smarter Decisions' by heike vornhagen; 'Converting Wastewater into Energy' by Saeed Alsamhi; 'Decarbonisation and digitalisation of Atlantic Ports' Umair ul Hassan; 'Intelligent Pavement Condition Rating System for Cycle routes and Greenways​' by Ihsan Ullah; 'Peatland Policy Portal for Ecosystem Restoration and Carbon Sequestration' by Fergus O'Donoghue ; 'Marine Planner Tool' by Carlos Tighe; and 'Monitoring & Improving Air Quality' by Eoin Jordan.

We were honoured to have present at this very well-attended event Brid Seoige, Head of Content at the University of Galway, Eugene Farrell from the Discipline of Geography at the University of Galway and Irish representative on the European Marine Board (marine science policy) Working Group on ‘Coastal Resilience’, and Michelle O'Dowd, Sustainability Officer at the University of Galway.

The University of Galway is the number one university in Ireland and in the top 50 in the world for Sustainable Development.

Insight is playing its part in helping to secure this key status for Galway and Ireland.

Finally, well done to Brian Wall for his excellent job at MC, Thomas Grigas for the technical support, Claire Browne for the logistics and Nitesh Bharot for taking this fine photo! 

 

Do You Remember the great Volvo Ocean Race festival of 2012?

 

 

What a magnificent game changing event the Volvo Ocean Race Festival of 2012 was for Galway. The whole city and county came together like never before to make it a true all-stakeholders collaboration. Schools, colleges, small businesses, corporations, science educational centres, research institutes, artisans, horticulturalists, the council, the state sector, the voluntary groups, the environmentalists, the crafts people, the artisans, the digital makers, the arts- there was a place for everyone to contribute. The docks were transformed from being a quiet quarter largely unknown to most Galwegians, into a vibrant lively bustling hub. A tent city sprung up near the Claddagh seashore. I was lucky enough to be part of the team that included Liam Ferrie, Tom Frawley, Frank McCurry and my dearly departed and much missed friend Chris Coughlan that took over one of these large tents in order to introduce the Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland and Coderdojo Galway to the world!

 

My youngest son Daíre (see photo) was, along with so many of other children of Scoil San Phroinsias, involved in knitting a beautiful giant multi-coloured sail that covered the metal Claddagh Hooker boat sculpture at Eyre Square- It was one of the most memorable symbols of that year and of that festival.