Excellence in Education – Trinity Centre for Bioengineering
Posted on: 19 November 2012
Trinity College Dublin’s postgraduate course, the M.Sc. in Bioengineering, received the Engineers Ireland Education Award for demonstrating excellence in the field of engineering education at the Engineers Ireland Excellence Awards on Friday 9th November 2012.
The M.Sc. in Bioengineering aims to provide engineers and scientists with the education and creative skills needed to practice in the medical devices industry in Ireland and focus on important clinical needs. The only course of its kind in Ireland, this unique venture allows students to study at specialist Institutes of Bioengineering with academic and research expertise in Bioengineering, including Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and the National College of Art and Design.
In deciding the awards, the judges consider investment in resources, innovation in education, impact of the innovation on the student community, the integration and development of campus start-ups as well as actual or potential contribution to the economy and differentiation. The ‘Best in Class 2012’ award was kindly sponsored by Shell E&P Ireland Limited. This award clearly recognises the scale and diversity of the impact the M.Sc. in Bioengineering course in terms of the student experience, its contribution to the Irish economy and making an impact on global healthcare challenges.
L-R: Mary Kennedy; Michael Phillips, President, Engineers Ireland; Ciaran Simms, Assistant Professor, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, TCD; Agnieszka Wisniewska, UCD; Peadar Grant, UCD; Michael Crothers, Shell E&P Ireland Ltd; Paul Fortune, National College of Art & Design; June O’Reilly, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering, TCD.
“This new award for our M.Sc. Bioengineering programme is very significant as it demonstrates the dedicated commitment of the academic staff and administration to ensure that our students obtain excellent education in biomedical engineering. We provide students with state-of-the-art education in biomedical engineering, innovation and creative design to allow them meet the global challenges in healthcare and to become leaders in the medical device sector so as to deliver the best medical care possible,” said Professor Richard Reilly, Course Director M.Sc. Bioengineering, Professor of Neural Engineering at Trinity College, Dublin on the occasion of this award.
Dr. Ciaran Simms, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, accepted the award at the event and said “It is a great honour for us to receive the Excellence award having developed and grown the programme over the last twelve years. The M.Sc in Bioengineering is a central pillar of our educational programmes in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering and contributes to other educational initiatives including the new Biomedical Engineering stream of Trinity College’s undergraduate engineering programme, the five year MAI course, and the Graduate Research Education Programme in Engineering, a structured PhD programme in Medical Devices. This award recognises what can be achieved through education collaboration on the island of Ireland”.
The Engineers Ireland Engineering Education Award is testament to the dedication and expertise of the staff involved in the M.Sc. in Bioengineering. This course attracts excellent students who are encouraged to use their skills to develop innovative approaches that positively impact on patient wellbeing. As such, the course is of immense benefit to the biomedical device industry and the award from Engineers Ireland is a strong endorsement of Trinity’s contribution to engineering education.