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2014 Press Releases

UCC celebrates staff and students

10 Oct 2014
Pictured: The awards ceremony combined presentations and accolades to winners from three separate award schemes - Staff Recognition; Teaching & Learning and Research (Photo by Ger McCarthy Photography)

The Aula Maxima received the red carpet treatment on Thursday 9 October, as UCC marked the achievements of staff and students at its annual awards ceremony. 

The occasion combined presentations and accolades to winners from three separate award schemes - Staff Recognition; Teaching & Learning and Research - all highlighting the outstanding contributions made to university life by the recipients. It was also an opportunity to honour and remember UCC’s esteemed colleague and friend, Mr Frank McGrath.

Affectionately dubbed the #UCCOscars on Twitter, a packed Aula Maxima was bolstered by an online following eager to learn of the results: 

The Teaching & Learning Awards, in place since 2004, were the first such awards, not just in UCC but also nationally. In 2014, five staff members received an award for ‘Excellence in Teaching’ while a further seven staff members and two postgraduate students were presented with an award for ‘Research into Innovative Forms of Teaching’.

The Staff Recognition Awards were initiated in 2009, providing a formal process for acknowledging outstanding achievements of staff and for publicly recognising such achievements to the university and the wider community. Twelve awards were made across the categories of 'Impact', 'Leadership', 'Exceptional Citizen' and 'Enhancing the Student Experience'. This year sees the introduction of a new award - 'The Frank McGrath Perpetual Award for Equality and Welfare'. The award will be presented annually to a staff member who has contributed significantly to the equality and welfare of the UCC community.

The Research Awards were successfully introduced in 2012. Highly competitive, these awards are sponsored by Gilead Sciences Ireland UC and this year acknowledges excellence in research activity across five categories: ‘Early Stage Researcher of the Year’, ‘Research Supervisors of the Year’, ‘Research Support Person of the Year’, ‘Research Team of the Year’ and ‘Career Achievement Award’. Thirteen PhD Scholarships were also awarded through the Strategic Research Fund, supporting the stimulation of new research areas whilst also maintaining existing areas of research strength.

The organisers and various committees deciding on the awards also came in for praise for running such a successful event. 

Staff Recognition Awards:

The 2014 winners in in each award scheme are as follows:

The Frank McGrath Perpetual Award For Equality & Welfare

  • Mr Michael Delargey, School of Education

Enhancing the Student Experience Award

  • Mr Denis MacDonald, Students’ Union
  • Dr Noel Woods, Centre for Policy Studies

Exceptional Citizen Award

  • Ms Kathy Bunney, Visitors’ Centre
  • Mr Raymond Foley, Finance Office

Leadership Award

  • Prof Ivan Perry, Dept. of Epidemiology & Public Health
  • Dr Michael Byrne, Student Health Service
  • Ms Kathryn Neville, College of Medicine & Health
  • Dr Sally Cudmore, Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre

Impact Award

  • Mr Thomas McCarthy, Dept. of Media & Public Relations
  • Dr Colm O’Dwyer, Dept. of Chemistry & Tyndall National Institute
  • Mr Brendan O’Flynn, Tyndall National Institute

Teaching & Learning Awards:

Awards for Excellence in Teaching 2013/14:

  • Dr Simone McCaughren (Applied Social Studies) and Dr Aisling Parkes (Law) – joint award
  • Dr Karen McCarthy (Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy)
  • Dr Olive McCarthy (Food Business and Development)
  • Dr Niall O’Leary (Microbiology and Environmental Research Institute)

Awards for Research into Innovative Forms of Teaching 2014/15:

  • Dr Susan Crawford (School of Education)
  • Dr Bettie Higgs and Dr Ruth Ramsay (School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences ((BEES)) staff) and Mary Catherine Gallagher and Aaron Lim (School of BEES postgraduate student collaborators)
  • Dr Nora McCarthy (School of Medicine), Nuala Walshe and Sinéad O’Brien (School of Nursing and Midwifery)
  • Stuart Warner (School of BEES)

Research Awards:

Early Stage Researcher of the Year              

  • Dr Maria McNamara (School of BEES)

Research Supervisor of the Year          

  • Dr Ali Kashan (Department of Epidemiology and Public Health)
  • Dr Raegan Murphy (School of Applied Psychology)

Research Support Person of the Year   

  • Mr Pat Casey (Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre)

Research Team of the Year                           

  • Professor John Atkins and Dr Parvel Baranov (representing the Recoding Research Team: School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology)

Career Achievement Award                  

  • Professor Arpad Szakolczai (Department of Sociology)

2014 UCC Strategic Research Fund (SRF) PhD Scholarships:

Awardee (followed by primary supervisor – department):

  • Ms Marica Cassarino (Dr Annalisa Setti– Applied Psychology)
  • Ms Anna Magliacane (Dr Martin Howard – French)
  • Ms Aoife McGillicuddy (Dr Laura Sahm – Pharmacy)
  • Ms Nita Mishra (Dr Edward Lahiff – Food Business & Development)
  • Mr Carlo Guareschi (Professor Graham Parkes – Philosophy)
  • Mr Eoin O’Callaghan (Dr Lee Jenkins – English)
  • Ms Laura McKenna (Dr Eibhear Walshe – English)
  • Ms Long Pham (Dr Aodh Quinlivan– Government)
  • Mr Dylan O’Donovan (Professor Mary McCaffrey – Biochemistry & Cell Biology)
  • Ms Rosemary Francis (Dr Tom Carroll – Mathematical Sciences)
  • Mr David Jones (Dr Tim O’Sullivan– Chemistry)
  • Mr Dhiman Mallick (Dr Saibal Roy – Tyndall National Institute)
  • Ms Caroline Hurley (Professor Joseph Eustace – Epidemiology and Public Health)
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