Posted 25 July 2014
UCD awarded highest number of Fulbright Awards
Eight UCD scholars have been awarded Fulbright Awards to undertake research and teaching at leading US universities and institutions. This is the highest number awarded to scholars at any one university or institution this year.
Jointly funded by the Irish and US governments under the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, the Fulbright Awards offer Irish and US students, scholars and professionals with the opportunity to study, lecture, and research at leading universities and institutions in the US and Ireland respectively. They were first established in 1957.
UCD Fulbright recipients pictured at award ceremony (l-r): Mr. Eoin Mc Evoy, Mr Shane ó Ruairc, Ms Treasa De Loughry, Ms Niamh Murray, Ms Éilis Nic Aodhagáin, Dr Selena Daly, Dr Enda Murphy.
The eight UCD recipients of Fulbright Awards are:
- Dr Selena Daly is a postdoctoral fellow of the UCD School of History and Archives at University College Dublin. While at the University of California-Santa Barbara as a Fulbright Scholar, Selena will complete the first comprehensive study of the Futurist movement during the First World War, while also teaching a course on Italian literature
- Ms Treasa De Loughry is a PhD candidate in English literature at UCD School of English, Drama and Film, University College Dublin. While on her Fulbright-National University of Ireland Student Award at the University of California – Los Angeles, Treasa will undertake research in environmental humanities and explore how contemporary global and postcolonial novels have registered world-systemic crises
- Mr Eoin Mc Evoy is an Irish-language tutor at the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies, Irish Folklore and Linguistics, University College Dublin, and the founder of the first German branch of the Gaelic League. He will be a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at Villanova University, Philadelphia
- Dr Cal Muckley is a senior lecturer in Banking and Finance at the UCD School of Business, University College Dublin. As the Fulbright-CRH Scholar at Yale University, Cal will be researching the implications of firm risks for asset pricing, while assessing the wider implications for society
- Dr Enda Murphy is a Senior Lecturer in the UCD School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin. As a Fulbright – EPA Scholar Awardee, Enda will focus on the transferability of EU best-practice approaches for strategic noise mapping and mitigation within a US context
- Ms Niamh Murray is a Fulbright-Teagasc Student Awardee currently undertaking a PhD in Food Science at the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin. While at the University of California – Davis, Niamh will investigate the causes of bitterness in dairy protein hydrolysates
- Ms Éilis Nic Aodhagáin is an MA candidate in Modern Irish at the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies, Irish Folklore and Linguistics, University College Dublin, where she has worked as a tutor for the past year. She will be a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at University of Montana
- Mr Shane ó Ruairc is a secondary school teacher in Coláiste Eoin, Booterstown, Co.Dublin. Shane holds a Masters in Modern Irish History and in Irish Language Journalism and Communications from University College Dublin. Shane will be a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at Drew University and New York University
In total, 40 new Irish Fulbright Awardees were announced by Tom Healy, Chair of the Fulbright Scholarship Board at an event at the US Ambassador’s Residence.
“The breadth and diversity of specialist knowledge, combined with immense leadership ability, makes this contingent an incredibly powerful group of representatives for Ireland. Each individual has overcome a rigorous selection process where research and study objectives were judged based on their potential to drive the Irish knowledge economy,” said Mr Patrick McDermott, Chair of the Fulbright Commission Board.
“However, their mission extends even beyond academia. Fulbrighters are recognized for their capacity to forge meaningful collaborations between Ireland and the US. This element of inter-country collaboration is crucial to driving creativity which is at the core of all innovation and Fulbright itself”.
“Recognising global needs in digital technology, the Irish Fulbright Commission has also launched the TechImpact Awards this year. These are new short-term grants intended to facilitate faster movement for cutting edge digital research. This year six TechImpact candidates will explore areas such as optical communications, online laboratory environments, human-computer interaction technology and digital humanities.”
A number of agencies sponsor Fulbright Awards including CRH plc, Enterprise Ireland, the Marine Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency and Teagasc. The Irish Language Awards for teachers are supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht and the National Lottery.
Ms Colleen Dube, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission, added: “Year on year Irish Fulbrighters provide a fascinating insight into the direction of progressive global research. This year we have seen a particular increase in research that crosses traditional academic boundaries as the digital world impacts on everything around it. Fulbright provides a unique platform for Ireland’s brightest scholars to forge ahead in breaking new ground, while collaborating with other world class researchers in making a genuine difference to society.”
The next round of applications for Irish Fulbright Awardees will open on Tuesday, August 26th, 2014. Interested applicants in all disciplines are encouraged to visit the Fulbright Commission’s website, for more information. All applications for the 2015-2016 academic year are due on Wednesday 12 November 2014.
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
