Double First for UCD Engineering
When UCD Engineering student Ciaran Hendry left school in Monaghan four years ago, little did he realise that he was going to be packing his bags to study in Beijing.
Both Ciaran and his classmate Ian Woods (ME Biomed students) are going to Beijing University of Technology to participate in their International Engineering Programme – as well as taking Chinese language and culture courses, they will be working in research labs there for their ME Placement and will return to UCD in September to complete their final year.
"When I found out about the opportunity to study in Beijing, I knew I couldn’t say no. The chance to visit and live in China was too great an opportunity to pass. It's definitely one of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make; moving away from home to a completely different culture, but also one of the easiest," said Ciaran.
The students will arrive in China just after the Lantern Festival, their visit representing a double first of sorts for UCD. The two young students are the first ever Engineering students to go on a study abroad trip to China and they are the pioneering Irish students to register at Beijing University of Technology.
UCD has been a leader in developing various collaboration programmes with Chinese universities in the past several years, especially in the area of engineering and sciences. The university has formally signed Memoranda of Understanding and Memoranda of Agreement with top Chinese universities to facilitate staff and student exchange, and teaching and research collaborations. These involve collaborations with top ranked universities in China; Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology; Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Shanghai Jiaotong University; Zhejiang University; Wuhan University; Beijing Institute of Technology and Beijing University of Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University to name a few.
Pictured Left to right Yimin Li, Yichun Xie, Ciaran Hendry, Tian Li, Ian Woods, Can Wang and Huayu Cao.
Such exchange programmes are open to all undergraduate and graduate engineering students in UCD, as Ciaran highlights. “I chose engineering in UCD as it has the widest variety of discipline in Ireland. I knew I could come into UCD and have the option of studying biomedical, energy systems, electronics and civil. The choice was mine to take! Before I came to UCD, I never realised they had such great linkages in China; both Ian and I were placed straight into the university’s international exchange programme.”
A good number of Chinese students have begun their Taught Masters study at UCD in the areas of Engineering and Science, the first group having arrived in September 2010. These students are currently spending their initial period in UCD bridging their academic background and pursuing further study of their English language skills. Having immersed themselves in the language and culture, the remainder of their time in UCD will be used to complete their postgraduate studies and they will graduate with a Master’s degree from UCD.
Speaking about the upcoming trip by UCD engineering students, UCD College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Principal Prof. Nick Quirke observed, “The College has been strengthening links with our key international partners in China and other Asian countries. The success of these links is illustrated by the thriving alliances that have been forged in areas such as Energy and student exchanges. We are pleased that our first group of 25 Chinese Taught Masters students have started in UCD and that number is growing. These engineering and science students will be ambassadors for Irish innovation in China and these types of exchanges will provide many significant opportunities for the Irish economy in the next decade.”
About Beijing University of Technology
Beijing University of Technology was founded in 1960. It is a key university under the administration of the Beijing municipal government, which has established a multi-disciplinary academic structure and with a strong focus in engineering. It is ranked as one of the key universities for the 21st century.
About UCD Engineering
UCD Engineering has the largest Engineering faculty in Ireland. It attracts top academics from all over the world and has the most comprehensive array of disciplines available in Ireland. UCD has the largest intake of engineering students and it has the highest CAO points for common entry Engineering programmes in Ireland.
Tian Li from Beijing University of Technology, pictured with Ciaran Hendry and Ian Woods.