First Higher Doctorate in Engineering awarded at UCC Conferring
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First Higher Doctorate in Engineering awarded at UCC Conferring
26.03.2010

The National University of Ireland (NUI) today (March 26th 2010) conferred its highest degree in Engineering on Peter Kennedy, Professor of Microelectronic Engineering and Vice-President for Research at University College Cork. This is first time that the Doctor of Engineering degree has been awarded by the NUI.

Professor Kennedy was among a group of 70 postgraduate and doctoral students to be conferred at UCC’s Spring Conferring Ceremony.  The students graduated from the four colleges: Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences; Business & Law; Medicine & Health; Science, Engineering & Food Science.

Professor Kennedy is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of chaotic circuits and communications. He is recognized internationally for presenting not only valuable theoretical papers but also for work of practical relevance in engineering.  His three-volume thesis, titled “Chaos and its Applications in Electronics and Telecommunications,” describes the development of a revolutionary type of wireless communication using chaotic signals. Professor Kennedy received the BE (Electronics) degree from UCD in 1984 and the MS and PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1987 and 1991, respectively. He has written over 300 technical articles in the fields of oscillator design, hysteresis, neural networks, nonlinear dynamics, chaos communication, mixed-signal test, and frequency synthesis. He acts as an advisor on research to the European Commission, the European Research Council, and the national science funding agencies of Austria, Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK.

The Conferring Address was given by Professor Frank Gannon, Director General, Science Foundation Ireland (SFI).  In his speech (attached) Professor Gannon said there had never been a time when more has been spoken about the need for highly skilled people.  As a member of the Innovation Taskforce, he referred to the Taskforce Report which highlighted the importance of having people with top skills in Ireland.  “We have to continue to produce the highest quality graduates such as yourselves and that will require continued investment. One of our current challenges is to ensure that the richness of Ireland i.e. people like yourselves, is valued and that education at all levels is seen as an investment and not a cost.”

Some 45 students graduated with a PhD in Arts, Science, Food Science & Technology, Law, Commerce, Engineering and Medicine & Health.  There were two MD’s, two MPhil and one LLM.  A further three students were conferred with an MComm (Government & Public Policy) with a further two conferred with an MEngSc in Microelectronics and Process & Chemical Engineering and two MSc (Commerce).  Four students graduated with an MSc in Food Science and Technology followed by six MSc’s (Science) and two MSc’s (Medicine & Health).

The conferring was preceeded by a new reception hosted by the Dean of Graduate Studies for the PhD graduands, their supervisors and guests, from which the PhD graduands processed across the quadrangle to the conferring ceremony.

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Conferring Speech by Professor Frank Gannon, Director-General, Science Foundation Ireland, March 26th 2010

It is a great honour for me to have the opportunity talk to you today.  Today is a very significant day in your lives: the day when most of you have completed the highest level of studies that you will attain in your life.  But of course it's not an end but a beginning to the next series of events that will ultimately become your biography.

There has never been a time when more has been spoken about the need for highly skilled people.…and you are the ones they are speaking about.  The latest document to express the importance of having people with top skills in Ireland was the Innovation Taskforce Report.  As a member of the task force I participated in discussions that brought people from many different sectors together.  One point that was taken for granted, because it is so fundamental, was that our real wealth in Ireland is our people.  Our natural resources are minimal, our accumulated structures and wealth handed from our grandparents is minimal but our country is very rich.  This richness comes from the intelligence of the people here.  It has been calculated that over 80% of Ireland's assets are in its people.  This is typical of advanced countries but it is essential that it is appreciated.

When I said that it was almost taken for granted that people were the cornerstone to our future prosperity, there must be recognition that being taken for granted is not a good thing.  We have to continue to produce the highest quality graduates such as yourselves and that will require continued investment.  Sustainability is a word which is readily used by those in the energy sector but sustainability for overall community development is also something that requires investment.  This investment does provide a return that is many fold greater than the input.  The difficulty is that sometimes this cannot be quantified and hence can get a lower ranking in priorities in some metric driven analysis.  But there is a real value to the reputation of the country, the skill of its people, the availability of well trained individuals, the existence of research groups, the credibility that comes from presenting papers at conferences and publishing research articles.  All of these are real elements but they are intangible assets.  One of our current challenges is to ensure that the richness of Ireland i.e. people like yourselves, is valued and that education at all levels is seen as an investment and not a cost.

As you leave today with important letters added to your names, you are going in to a difficult jobs environment.  Mobility will be a part of the answer to the question of what you will do next.  My hope is that the mobility will be circular that you will return and enrich this country when you have the benefit from other experiences.  But most will stay in Ireland and work in the current environment to slowly change the world we are living in.  For some of you there will not be a problem in moving to your next step.  Wherever it is, make sure that you enjoy what you are doing because that makes life more fulfilling.  Recognize that you are a special group and much is expected from those who are special. Appreciate the investments that have been made to bring you to this wonderful day but show your appreciation mostly by having wonderfully successful lives.

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Citation for Professor Peter Kennedy, The degree of Doctor of Engineering of the National University of Ireland ( DEng on Published Work) delivered by Professor John O’Halloran, Vice-Head, College of Science, Engineering & Food Science (SEFS), UCC, March 26th 2010

Degrees on published work awarded by the National University of Ireland are higher doctorates and are the highest qualifications awarded by the University. They are awarded to scholars who have, over a sustained period, published a substantial body of ground-breaking and influential work, adding new knowledge of great significance to their field of specialization, and who have achieved outstanding distinction internationally in that field.

In fact, this award for a  DEng today is a first for UCC and the NUI, we have had DSc awards but no D/Eng until today. A significant milestone and first.

Michael Peter Kennedy is Professor of Microelectronic Engineering and Vice-President for Research Policy & Support at University College Cork.  Peter grew up in Clonskeagh, Dublin with his Cork mother and Tipperary father, an electrical engineer.  He was educated at St. Benildus College, Kilmacud, Dublin.  

Peter received the BE (Electronics) degree from UCD in 1984, and as a student engineer, he first trained as a fitter/turner with AnCo, then worked every summer with Philips Radio Manufacturing Company, Clonskeagh, undertaking quality control, production testing, factory automation, and finally equipment design.

On graduation he read for an MS and PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1987 and 1991, respectively.

He has over 300 research publications in the fields of oscillator design, hysteresis, neural networks, nonlinear dynamics, chaos communication, mixed-signal test, and frequency synthesis.

He has worked as a consultant for SMEs and multinationals in the microelectronics industry and is founding Director of the Microelectronics Industry Design Association (MIDAS Ireland) and the Microelectronics Competence Centre of Ireland (MCCI).

He was made a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in 1998 “for contributions to the theory of neural networks and nonlinear dynamics and for leadership in nonlinear circuits research and education.”

He has received many prestigious awards including delivering the 88th IEE Kelvin Lecture in 1997, the IEEE Millenium and Golden Jubilee Medals in 2000, and the inaugural Royal Irish Academy Parsons Award in Engineering Sciences.  In 2004, he was elected to membership of the Royal Irish Academy and was made a  Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland by Presidential Invitation.

From 2005 to 2007, he was President of the European Circuits Society and Vice-President of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (with responsibility for Europe, Africa and the Middle East).

He has acted as a consultant to the European Commission, the European Research Council, and the national science funding agencies of Austria, Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, and the UK.

Professor Kennedy is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of chaotic circuits and communications.

He is recognized internationally for presenting not only valuable theoretical papers but also for work of practical relevance in engineering.  His three-volume DEng. thesis, titled “Chaos and its Applications in Electronics and Telecommunications,” describes the development of a revolutionary type of wireless communication using chaotic signals. 

ENDS

Picture: Professor Peter Kennedy who was conferred with a Doctor of Engineering degree by the National University of Ireland today (March 26th 2010).

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