University College Cork celebrates its 175th anniversary today, December 30; on that date in 1845 the university formally came into being as Queen's College Cork (QCC).

QCC was founded as one of three Queen’s Colleges located in Belfast, Cork, and Galway, under an Act “to enable her Majesty” – Queen Victoria – “to endow Colleges for the Advancement of Learning in Ireland".

UCC’s Prof Barry O’Sullivan has won the 2020 Nerode Prize, one of the top prizes in computer science jointly awarded by the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) and the International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC). Prof. O’Sullivan holds the Chair of Constraint Programming in the School of Computer Science & IT at UCC.

The School of Law has announced that Professor Dagmar Schiek has this month been appointed to the important and highly anticipated position of Synnott Family Chair in European Union Law.

Professor Schiek’s appointment was made possible thanks to the generous €1,000,000 donation made to the school by alumnus Aidan Synnott (BCL 1985) in 2019.

A research centre for energy, climate and marine based at University College Cork has joined forces with an Irish tech development company to collaborate on subsea superconductor research to transform large scale power generation from offshore renewables.

• Bifidobacterium longum APC1472 has promising beneficial effects on the metabolism of obese people. 
• The B.Longum APC1472 strain reduced fasting blood glucose levels and normalised active levels of ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger, and the stress hormone cortisol, both of which are altered in obese people. 

Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980 and most of the world’s population now live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. Obesity represents a major health challenge because it substantially increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. In recent years, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has soared worldwide with approximately 462 million individuals affected, corresponding to 6.28% of the world’s population. 

Dr. Harriet Schellekens and colleagues, at the APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre in UCC, identified Bifidobacterium longum APC1472 to be an important regulator of apetite and metabolism during laboratory studies.

World-leading academics in science and engineering at University College Cork (UCC) have received prestigious European funding worth a combined total of €6.4m to support research into diverse topics such as animal evolution, how viruses impact gut bacteria, and ways to revolutionise surgery. 

Researchers from University College Cork have been presented with two of the four Medals of Excellence handed out at this year’s Irish Research Council ‘Researchers of the Year’ awards, announced today.

An international ranking which examines sustainability practices in universities across the world, has ranked University College Cork (UCC) today at ninth, the only Irish university to make the top 10 of the ‘greenest universities’ in the world.

Researchers at UCC have produced a guide to help stay safe in the home this Christmas. The guide illustrates common Christmas settings in the home to provide useful advice, particularly in relation to the importance of ventilation. 

World-leading academic Professor Jens Walter will lead a €3.7 million research programme at APC Microbiome Ireland (APC) through a prestigious Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Professorship award announced today.

His research will investigate the impact of a modern lifestyle on the gut microbiome and its relationship to increased chronic diseases. Research has shown that modern diets and medical practices may play a role in diseases such as obesity, multiple sclerosis and allergies by disrupting our microbiome.

• Online educational resource also launched
• Narrated by Liam Neeson, this is the second historical documentary partnership between UCC & RTÉ

To mark the 175^th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Irish Famine a major two-part documentary based on the University College Cork’s Atlas of the Great Irish Famine will be broadcast this evening (Monday 30^th November) and Monday 7^th December at 9:30pm on RTÉ One.

Eight UCC students will get the opportunity to be mentored by Oscar-winning film producer Lord David Puttnam, after each being awarded a prestigious scholarship.

The iconic tree lined campus at University College Cork (UCC) has joined some of the leading arboreta in the world after being accredited by a prestigious global accrediting programme.

To foster best practice the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Programme examines the conservation, maintenance, educational outreach and scientific collaborations of arboreta across the world. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, the Oxford Botanic Garden at the University of Oxford and the Arboretum De Paris are among the arboreta accredited globally by ArbNet, now the 2,500 trees across 42 acres at UCC join this notable list.

UCC will celebrate 22 years of their Alumni Achievement Awards with a series of online festivities from 23-27 November.

A global list which shows the top 1% of the world’s most influential scientific researchers, shows that Ireland has 32 scientific pioneers, with 13 of them working with APC Microbiome Ireland, a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre based in University College Cork (UCC).

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, a UCC alumnus, addressed the University College Cork Class of 2020

Almost 5,000 students will graduate from University College Cork this week in a series of virtual conferring ceremonies.

26 dedicated ceremonies are being livestreamed across the university’s website. Covering ceremonies across all four Colleges and Adult Continuing Education, this year’s Autumn Conferrings will run from Wednesday, November 18 to Tuesday, November 24.

Louise Clancy was a former UCC School of English student who died tragically in a road traffic accident in 2015. Louise is remembered fondly by UCC staff and the Louise Clancy Memorial Prize was established by the School of English in 2018.

Ireland falls behind international best practice for implementing some of the policies needed to tackle obesity ​and other non-communicable diseases, a ground-breaking new report from University College Cork has found.

Its findings have led to calls for a reform of Ireland’s ‘food environment’ - the wide range of interconnected factors such as food production, processing, marketing, and distribution, that characterise our food system and largely determine our dietary intakes. 

The winners of the prestigious 2020 Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Awards were revealed today with Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir receiving the Best International Engagement Award.

A University College Cork-led research project has received €3.2m in European funding to develop a more cost effective way to measure air pollution.

It is hoped that the research team, drawn from industry and academia and coordinated by UCC, will bring about the creation of low cost electrical sensors for detecting harmful particles in the atmosphere, and that these devices can be subsequently deployed on airplanes, ships and other platforms to monitor air quality.

Two UCC students will feature in a new RTÉ documentary, charting their path to third level education through the university’s Access and Participation programme.

My Uni Life is a five-part series created in partnership between RTÉ and the Irish Universities Association, following the lives of seven students at various stages of their university experience.

High-risk, high-reward research that has the potential to deliver economic and societal impact have been awarded funding today through the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Frontiers for Future programme.

Job seekers, recent graduates and those looking to upskill could have up to 100% of their course fees paid under funding received by University College Cork. UCC has been awarded funding of €1.8million which will provide the opportunity for 241 students to engage in postgraduate studies.

“We want to deliver free AI education to at least 1% of the Irish population”

The free Elements of AI online course will be hosted in Ireland by University College Cork.

The Elements of AI is a free massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the University of Helsinki and the technology company Reaktor. The announcement was made at the Future Human conference held in Dublin this week. An Irish language version of the course will also be released in the new year.

UCC's APC Microbiome Ireland and the Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) have announced a new collaboration aimed at developing new natural cultures for food fermentations. Fermented foods are created using controlled microbial growth, facilitated by microorganisms or microbial communities, usually in the form of starter cultures, adjuncts or probiotics.

Join a special virtual event at 11am today

The Book of Lismore, created in the late 15^th century, has been donated by the Trustees of the Chatsworth Settlement to UCC. This major medieval manuscript, created at Kilbrittain, Co. Cork, in a golden age of Irish literature, is rightly considered as one of the Great Books of Ireland.

The Book of Lismore, consists of 198 large vellum folios, and contains important texts, many drawn from Irish tradition and others that are translations of contemporary European works. The Book reflects an Ireland that was deeply engaged with the contemporary European culture of the time.

Early career researchers across all academic disciplines at University College Cork are among those to share in funding worth over €21 million, announced today.

A total of 37 UCC researchers have been awarded Postgraduate Scholarships or Postdoctoral Fellowships as part of the Irish Research Council’s Government of Ireland programmes, announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD.

• University College Cork to work with Food Safety Authority on research project
• The Project is one of 12 to share €700,000 Science Foundation Ireland funding
• UCC/FSAI project is an ‘Assessment of the Safety of Probiotic Foods on Sale targeted at vulnerable groups in Ireland’

The Glucksman at UCC is celebrating having won the Best International Museum Award in a virtual awards ceremony hosted by TV personalities, Philip Mould and Kate Williams on Monday.

The UK’s Family Friendly Museum awards have been running for 15 years and recognise excellence in activities for young people and this year placed special emphasis on digital activities that we able to go ahead during the pandemic.

The Glucksman was recognised for its 'Creativity At Home' initiative which encouraged creative activities to keep children engaged during lockdown. 

The public is invited to log onto a three-day online centenary conference exploring the events leading up to the death of patriot Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence MacSwiney and the Cork Men’s Gaol Hunger Strike.

Hosted by UCC, and funded by Cork City Council and the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the virtual event has been organised to mark the centenary of the hunger strike of Irish republicans in Brixton Prison and Cork Men’s Gaol.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD recently visited University College Cork's Tyndall National Institute, one of Europe’s leading ICT research centres. During the visit, the Taoiseach spoke with some of Tyndall’s award-winning PhD students and researchers about the impact of their work. The focus of the visit was a discussion on the ambitious expansion of Tyndall and the official opening of the new Electron Beam Lithography Lab, which is unique in Ireland. The capabilities of the lab allows us to rapidly transition from fundamental research, to prototype and manufacture with industry. This is a critical enabler for the high-tech industry in Ireland.

Huge boost for Cork’s pharma and health tech future

Following a Government direction this afternoon, UCC, along with all universities in the country, will introduce enhanced public health protection measures from Monday, 28 September 2020.

A community charter, a joint social media campaign with the Student Union, and a COVID-19 safety support team are among the initiatives University College Cork has planned as the new academic term commences next week.  

UCC has unveiled its Success Zone, a virtual learning space designed to support students as they navigate a new ‘blended learning’ environment.

New and returning University College Cork (UCC) students will have access to a brand new virtual learning space, following the launch of the university’s Success Zone.

Described as a ‘one-stop shop’ for students entering the new academic term, the UCC Success Zone is a virtual learning space designed to offer academic strategies to help them to succeed at UCC.

Students beginning and returning to education at University College Cork will be able to avail of almost 50 services dedicated to supporting their personal, academic and professional development throughout the new term.

The services and supports, which cover all aspects of student life, have been illustrated by UCC’s Student Experience Office in the form of its very own ‘Support Tree’.

University College Cork (UCC) today announces that its Governing Body has appointed Professor John O’Halloran as its interim President.

Professor O’Halloran has served as Deputy President and Registrar since 2018 and assumes the interim President role immediately for a period of one year.

University College Cork (UCC) is Ireland’s leading university for industry collaboration, as highlighted in today’s national Knowledge Transfer Ireland report.

The Knowledge Transfer Ireland Annual Review assesses the engagement of Irish universities across Ireland with industry, and UCC is Ireland’s leading university for research income, both overall and in terms of research funding from industry partners.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has welcomed the comprehensive nature of the Nursing Homes Expert Panel Report, issued on 19 August, and how it gives credit to frontline care home nurses, health care assistants, catering and cleaning staff and care home managers who demonstrated exceptional resilience and commitment to provide care to their residents and families.

Seven UCC researchers are to receive funding and support for their enterprise-focused projects under an Irish Research Council initiative.

UCC to develop Treasures Gallery to display the Great Book of Ireland

On Thursday 20^th August at 22.10, RTÉ One will premiere a documentary on The Great Book of Ireland, (Leabhar Mór na hÉireann) which has been termed as ‘Ireland’s modern-day Book of Kells.’

Samuel Beckett’s last handwritten poem is among the original work of 121 artists, 144 poets, and nine composers in this extraordinary 278 page single volume vellum manuscript, which also includes poems by Seamus Heaney and a poet in his late forties, one Michael D. Higgins, the current President of Ireland.

• UCC scientists find small crustacean can fragment microplastics in just four days. 
• Findings have significant consequences for the understanding of microplastics in our environment.
• Worrying discovery may have implications for the food chain.

Today it has been announced that The Glucksman, based in University College Cork, has been shortlisted for the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award From Home.

The European Commission  has provided support of €5M to conduct a pilot initiative to develop the European University of Post Industrial Cities (UNIC). 

University College Cork is part of a pilot project funded by the European Commission to establish The European University of Post Industrial Cities (UNIC). This is an alliance of eight universities from eight European countries: University of Deusto (Spain), Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), University College Cork (Ireland), Koç University (Turkey), University of Liège (Belgium), University of Oulu (Finland), University of Zagreb (Croatia) and Erasmus University Rotterdam (coordinator, the Netherlands).

UCC welcomes the clarity that has come with the announcement that the Leaving Certificate results will be released on 7th September.

At a meeting of the Governing Body (GB) of University College Cork (UCC) this afternoon, the Chairperson, Dr Catherine Day informed the GB that the President, Professor Patrick O’Shea, has decided to retire from UCC by the end of the year. Professor O’Shea’s decision is due to personal reasons, and his resignation has been accepted by the GB.

Researchers at University College Cork [UCC] have been awarded almost €500,000 in Health Research Board funding under two postdoctoral training schemes.

One project aims to identify the women and infants at the highest risk of Iron deficiency during pregnancy and early childhood - one of the leading causes of diminished nuerolgical developmental potential worldwide.

The other seeks to comprehensively research the oral health of people with Cystic Fibrosis (PWCF) over the next three years to establish whether they have higher rates of oral diseases such as dental decay or gum disease.

Investigators at APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre in University College Cork were stunned by the findings of the first microbiome study of Irish Travellers which challenges the concept of a ‘normal’ or ‘healthy’ microbiome and asks: “what is a normal or desirable microbiome in an ethnically diverse society?”

The findings have global implications and will be published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine.

The Olli V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize is awarded once every four years to a scientist who has made outstanding contributions to advances in low temperature physics and related fields. It is named in honour of the founder of the Low Temperature Laboratory at Aalto University, and world-leading researcher in low temperature physics.

Over 500 free or subsidised postgraduate and higher diploma places are being offered by University College Cork (UCC) to those seeking to upskill during the economic downturn. 

“Two decades of research and support has contributed to the development of products which have improved the quality of life for so many people”

Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD has today signed an Agreement on behalf of the Government of Ireland to enable Ireland’s participation in the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Trial.

Some of Ireland’s leading sporting organisations have come together with the Copenhagen-based International Sport and Culture Organisation (ISCA) to launch a global challenge aimed at reimagining what sport and physical activity might look like during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sport Ireland, the Federation of Irish Sport, the Irish National Centre for Outdoor Education and Training, University College Cork Sport, Cork Local Sports Partnership and ISCA are looking for the best ideas on how sport and physical activity can survive and thrive in a world remarkably different from what has gone before.

University College Cork’s latest Fulbright Awardees will soon travel to the USA to spread the Irish language, research reunion in intercountry adoption, and research the responses of plants to the changing environment.

• Researchers at UCC’s INFANT Centre share in €1.4m SFI funding
• Pilot project uses remote technology to reduce face-to-face blood pressure tests during pandemic
• Scheme aims to reduce risk of healthcare workers and pregnant women contracting COVID-19

University College Cork has conducted the first ever Irish study of the cost of cancer care provided by a community-based cancer support service. There are an estimated 40 voluntary cancer support services across Ireland, this study examines such example to quantify for the first time the true cost of providing these services, which are crucial to many who experience a cancer diagnosis.

A statement from UCC President Professor Patrick O'Shea:

I am saddened and angered by the violence against George Floyd and other people of colour that we have witnessed. I know that members of our UCC community share these sentiments and frustrations. These events have, once again, brought our attention to structures that create and preserve racism. We are committed to dismantling and transforming them. We are not perfect, but we are driven in our resolve to work together, as a community, on these issues. UCC is committed to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion amongst our staff and our students. We stand in full solidarity with our black and minority ethnic community in the wake of the police violence against George Floyd and others witnessed recently in the US.

UCC PhD Students have been granted funding to carry out their research work at the state-of-the art laboratories at the world-leading Cornell University in the US.

The research students, under the guidance of Professor Séamus Davis, are to benefit from grants awarded by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which has awarded funding to support twenty scientists as experimental investigators in the Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS) Initiative.

Fermented foods have become very popular because of the growing awareness of the importance of gut health. While fermentation is one of the oldest forms of food preservation, much has still to be learned about the specific health benefits of fermented foods for our physical and mental health.

Now researchers at APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre at University College Cork and Teagasc have shown that two varieties of kefir had similar effects on the gut microbiome of mice, yet had different effects on their immune systems and behaviour.

Social distancing measures and remote working potential favours occupations located in Dublin and the provincial cities, a University College Cork report has found.

The study - Covid-19, Occupational Social Distancing and Remote Working Potential in Ireland by Dr Frank Crowley and Dr Justin Doran - uses occupational data and economic indices to examine what occupations have the most potential to adhere to social distancing measures and what occupations have the potential to carry on working remotely.

Occupations across Ireland’s economy are examined at sector and regional level within the analysis, with the report stating that a one size fits all economic policy approach to the crisis, is unlikely to resolve regional inequalities across Ireland.

University College Cork (UCC) is offering free courses so that workplaces across all sectors of Ireland’s economy are ready to resume operations under the Government’s phased roadmap. 

First full picture of Covid-19 restrictions' impact on Ireland’s pollution levels revealed

• IMI in the Customised Executive Education Global Rankings for a 12^th successive year. This year IMI is ranked 66^th in the world for customised executive education, and 10^th in the UK & Ireland.
• IMI retains its place in the Open Enrolment Global Rankings, for a 3^rd successive year. IMI has maintained its position in 67^th place globally and is ranked 7^th in the UK & Ireland for open enrolment programmes.

The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research (INFANT) at UCC has created a dedicated Hub for families, researchers and healthcare professionals to find factual, up-to-date, and accessible information that relates to COVID-19 during pregnancy, birth, and early childhood.

An expert on disease control has received an AXA Research Chair award to University College Cork worth €1m to bring the fight against malaria one step closer to eradication, while, at the same time, fostering improved management of wildlife areas in Africa.

A postdoctoral researcher and poet at UCC has been identified as one of Ireland’s most promising young artists, and is earmarked as the potential successor to icons such as Eavan Boland, Seamus Heaney and John Montague.

Dr Seán Hewitt from the School of English and Digital Humanities in the College of Arts Celtic Studies and Social Sciences featured in the Sunday Times’ "30 under 30: Ireland’s most promising artists" article along with world-famous names such as Hozier, Saoirse Ronan, and Sally Rooney.

University College Cork has been awarded significant funding to research the impact Covid-19 public health measures have had on the people of Ireland, and to also study the genetic makeup of the viruses circulating across the country

The projects are two of 26 proposals awarded as part of a €5m Rapid Response Research, Development and Innovation programme established by the Health Research Board (HRB), Irish Research Council (IRC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

The Programme was introduced to fund research that will provide evidence for the national and global efforts to deal with the virus outbreak.

A multi-million selling US author, whose works incorporating world mythologies have spawned big screen adaptations, is now studying Irish legend and tradition at University College Cork.

New York Times #1 Bestseller Rick Riordan - whose Greek myth-inspired ‘Percy Jackson’ series has been adapted into two blockbuster movies - says he now plans to incorporate Irish legend into his works.

University College Cork is today ranked as one of the leading universities internationally working towards creating a sustainable world.

UCC was ranked 32 in the world by the Times Higher Education [THE] Impact Rankings, the only global performance tables that assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals [SDG].

766 universities across 89 countries were examined, with UCC ranked 32nd overall, and was rated in the top 20 for five of the UN’s 17 SDGs.

Projects in University College Cork and the Tyndall Institute have been awarded funding through a multi-million euro research and development partnership between the United States of America, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

A remote early warning system for the detection of Covid-19 symptoms among frontline medical staff at Cork University Hospital is showing promising results. The early warning system has been developed through a software industry and healthcare partnership with University College Cork (UCC).

Professor Séamus Davis, who holds a joint position as Professor of Quantum Physics at University College Cork (UCC) and Professor of Physics at Oxford University has been awarded a Royal Society Research Professorship.

University College Cork has made a premises available to the HSE to facilitate treatment for vulnerable cancer patients during the COVID-19 crisis.

Irish scientists - including UCC experts - have joined forces to formulate the chemical reagent needed to test for COVID-19.

Cork University Maternity Hospital and INFANT Centre UCC collaborate to provide virtual visiting for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

University College Cork (UCC) has established an interdisciplinary Covid-19 Research team that has seen over 100 researchers across all disciplines answer a call to action.

University College Cork is to provide a course to aid nurses address the needs of patients presenting with Covid-19. 

UCC's Centre for Digital Education and the UCC Students' Union share their top 10 tips for online learning.

A project to unlock and showcase Ireland’s fossil heritage, a community led climate action project and research into the microbiome of Irish Travellers are among the seven UCC research projects awarded funding today through the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Discover Programme. 

Following the Government’s announcement regarding additional public health measures which apply from 25^th March, the UCC campus will remain closed until 19^th April 2020.

An Adjunct Professor of Engineering Department at University College Cork and member of the board of the Tyndall National Institute has been presented with a prestigious award at a ceremony in Washington DC.

In 1910 Mary Ryan became Professor of romance languages at University College Cork, becoming the first female Professor in Ireland. On International Women's Day, we remember a trailblazer in education.

University College Cork’s Equality Week 2020 runs until this Friday, and among the events this week is ‘Muslims of UCC’ – an exhibition aimed at countering Islamophobia.

University College Cork is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Sarah Culloty as Head of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science, following a competitive search process.

Prof. Culloty has had a distinguished career to date which has seen her head up UCC’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) and serve as a Director of the Environmental Research Institute.

A native of Firies, Co. Kerry, Prof. Culloty now leads a team of 600 academic and research staff, and over 5,000 students. The College generates 1,200 STEM-enabled graduates annually, and plays a significant role in the advancement of STEM - both in Ireland and around the world.

Today, Wednesday 19 February, University College Cork will celebrate 10 years since becoming the first university in the world to be awarded a Green Flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education.

UCC has continued to lead the way on environmental and sustainable issues in the decade since it was the first globally to reach this milestone, and is currently ranked the world’s number one University for responsible consumption and production by the Times Higher Education.

Eating a Mediterranean diet for a year boosts the types of gut bacteria linked to ‘healthy’ ageing, while reducing those associated with harmful inflammation in older people, according to a five-country study by APC Microbiome Ireland, a Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre at University College Cork.

GPs do not feel equipped to manage people who self-harm according to a new joint study between University College Cork and Keele University, which has significant implications for the training of GPs in Ireland.

New centre streamlines services to benefit 26,000 students.

The lack of clean water and sanitation affects millions globally. Now, funding has been approved for researchers at UCC to help improve the lives of people across the world.

• Increased employer demand expected for graduates with knowledge of sustainable business practices.
• Funding will also support a number of PhD scholarships over five years.
• AIB’s sustainable green lending book has proved its most resilient during the pandemic.

AIB has announced a partnership with University College Cork (UCC) which will see the bank fund The AIB Chair of Sustainable Business, the first of its kind in Ireland.

AIB has pledged €1.25 million over five years to support the objectives of The AIB Chair of Sustainable Business, which will be based in the Cork University Business School (CUBS), Ireland’s largest business school.

The funding will also support The AIB Sustainable Business Scholars programme which will be established for early career researchers who excel in their field.

University College Cork has joined a European alliance of eight universities based in post-industrial cities, with the aim of boosting mobility and inclusion for social impact.

UCC palaeontologists have discovered new evidence that the fate of vertebrate animals over the last 400 million years has been shaped by microscopic melanin pigments.

This new twist in the story of animal evolution is based on cutting-edge analyses of melanin granules – melanosomes – in many different fossil and modern vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Melanin and melanosomes have traditionally been linked to outermost body tissues such as skin, hair and feathers, with important roles in UV protection and stiffening of tissues. Analyses of where different animals store melanin in the body, however, show that different vertebrate groups concentrate melanin in different organs, revealing shifts in how animals have used melanin over the last 400 million years.

Talks on the rise of the far-right, and exploring the concept of sanctuary will be central to UCC’s third annual Refugee Week, which runs until Friday, 7 Feb 2020.

UCC’s Confucius Institute recently won the Confucius Institute of the Year Award at the Global Confucius Institute Conference, the 2019 International Chinese Language Education Conference held at Changsha, China.