UCC undergraduates scale summit to reach Awards
A further 16 UCC undergraduates were highly commended for their entries to the UA 2012, in addition to the three UCC winners.
A further 16 UCC undergraduates were highly commended for their entries to the UA 2012, in addition to the three UCC winners.
UCC students Kathy Bunney, Niall Colbert and Jesse Harrington were among the 39 students that were successful in their submissions to the Undergraduate Awards (UA), an international academic awards programme that identifies top students across the globe through their innovative undergraduate research. This summit continues such excellence, bringing together some of the brightest young minds and featuring an awards ceremony presented by programme patron, President Michael D. Higgins, on Friday 8 November.
Louise Hodgson, UA Programme Director, says: “The UA Summit will serve as a three-day pop-up incubation centre for some of the world’s most exceptional young minds. From hands-on workshops and talks with inspiring young achievers, entrepreneurs and academics to networking events with top graduate recruiters, the UA Summit is going to be one of the most exciting student-focused events in Europe”.
Jesse Harrington from Douglas, who is undertaking a BA (Joint Honours) at UCC, bagged his award in the Historical Studies and Archaeology category for his paper: “Conveying the Sacred: Expressions of sacred space and sacred time in the scheme of Ardmore Cathedral”.
Professor David Ryan, Acting Head of the School of History and Vice-Head of College (Teaching & Learning), says: “We are truly delighted with the result of this year’s Undergraduate Awards. The essay makes an important contribution to the study of the cathedral, in particular and research on medieval Irish iconography, in general. This award is a testimony to the achievements of Jesse through the undergraduate years in the UCC School of History.”
Niall Colbert, who is completing a BCL (Law and French) at UCC and hails from Mitchelstown, won the Languages and Linguistics category for his essay entitled: “The Waiting Game: The Human Condition of Being in Time in the Theatre of Samuel Beckett”.
Commenting on Niall's essay, Professor Patrick O'Donovan, Head of the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at UCC, highlights: "It is a terrifically ambitious piece of writing. Under the witty title ‘The Waiting Game’, Niall provides a fresh look at the condition of being in time in the theatre of Samuel Beckett”.
Kathy Bunney, who is studying law at UCC and who is also the Students’ Union Mature Student Officer, successfully argued her case in the law category with her essay: “The Forgotten People: The position of voluntary patients within the Irish mental health system and the absence of statutory safeguards to protect them against deprivation of liberty”. Kathy, who lives in Rochestown, is also co-author of The Ship of Seven Murders: A True Story of Madness and Murder (Collins Press, 2010) along with Alannah Hopkin.
Professor Ursula Kilkelly, Head of the Department of Law and Dean of the Faculty of Law, says: “On behalf of the staff and students of the Law Faculty, I wish to congratulate Kathy. These awards are an important recognition of academic excellence and I have no doubt that Kathy’s award will serve the mission statement of the Undergraduate Awards ‘to inspire generations of future graduates by supporting and celebrating their ideas”.
Mary O’Sullivan, Mature Student Officer at UCC, comments: “We are delighted at Kathy’s achievement. She is an inspirational woman and this award is a reflection of her academic ability and her motivation to succeed in life”.
A further 16 UCC undergraduates were highly commended for their entries to the UA 2012. Two UCC undergraduates also won at the 2011 UA.
Professor Caroline Fennell, Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, says: “The Undergraduate Awards are an important event, providing an opportunity for excellent students to push the boundaries of inquiry in their chosen disciplinary fields by engaging with high achieving scholars in other disciplines”.
The three-day Summit will also include the Forum on Higher Education that will bring together edupreneurs and pioneers in the field of education to discuss disruptive and innovative education. Speakers include CEO of the Wolfram Group and world famous TEDster, Conrad Wolfram. For further information, please see www.undergraduateawards.com