TCD Researcher Wins HEA ‘Making an Impact’ Award
Posted on: 07 May 2010
Trinity College researcher Aidan Quilligan of the School of Engineering was the winner of the Judges’ Award in the Higher Education Authority’s Making and Impact Competition for his research into ‘Optimisation of Concrete Wind Turbine Towers’. The competition, which is open to researchers in any discipline, asks applicants to make submissions on the difference their research work could make to Irish life, the country as a whole or internationally.
Aidan’s research submission looks at sustainable energy and highlights how concrete could prove more durable than steel in the construction of wind turbine towers. His investigations suggest that the manufacturing of concrete wind turbine towers in Ireland could not only result in a benefit to the Irish economy but also reduce the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere as concrete construction is typically more sustainable than the production of traditional steel wind towers.
Irish Independent Education Editor John Walshe congratulates joint winner of the ‘Making an Impact’ competition, Aidan Quilligan.
Aidan, who is a PhD student in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, was chosen by an independent adjudication panel as one of six finalists for the competition. Each finalist presented their research at a public event at the Helix in DCU from which the two winners were chosen. The second prize of the Student Audience Vote was won by Roisin O’Shea of UCD. Both winners were awarded a prize of €2,500 sponsored by the Irish Independent.
TCD Researcher Wins HEA ‘Making an Impact’ Award
Posted on: 12 May 2011
Trinity College researcher in the School of Chemistry, Daniel O’Donovan, beat off competition from five other researchers to win one of two Higher Education Authority’s Making An Impact awards. Daniel’s research focuses on the development of a new generation of anti-depressant drugs which will be more effective and have fewer side-effects. The competition, which is open to research students of any discipline, aims to highlight good ideas that can positively change how we live, work, think or interact.
Speaking about Daniel’s achievement Head of TCD’s School of Chemistry, Professor David Grayson said: “We at the School of Chemistry are delighted to congratulate Daniel on his success in winning a major prize in the HEA Making an Impact competition. Daniel, who is part of Professor Isabel Rozas’s group, is carrying out IRCSET-funded research on molecules that may be novel antidepressants. Eight new IRCSET awards have been made to the School in 2011, and SFI Principal Investigator grants totalling €2.7 million have been obtained by four members of the School’s academic staff, reflecting the very high quality of the research that is being carried out here.”
John Hennessy (HEA), Dermot Donnelly, Kevin Myers (MC at the final), Daniel O’Donovan, and Geoff Lyons (Irish Independent).
Each of the five finalists presented their research at a special event held at DIT Kevin Street. Daniel was chosen along with Dermot Donnelly of the University of Limerick as the overall winners of the competition. Both of the winners received an award of €2,500 sponsored by the Irish Independent, to assist further in their research.