DCU Student Ciara O’Reilly wins Intel Women in Technology Scholarship

The Faculty of Engineering and Computing is delighted to announce that 3rd year Mechatronic Engineering student Ciara O’Reilly has been awarded the Intel Women in Technology scholarship.

Intel in Ireland initiated the Women in Technology scholarship programme 17 years ago, as Intel has had a long-standing commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in not only every level of their company but also the broader industry.

The Women in Technology scholarship was established to encourage a new generation of high-achieving women to follow careers in science and technology and to empower them to do so by helping them with educational opportunities.

The programme offers a monetary grant of €3000 per annum and the opportunity for a summer work placement at Intel’s Leixlip and Shannon campus. The winners of the scholarship are also assigned an Intel employee as a mentor, who assists and advises the student on their academic career.

DCU President, Professor Daire Keogh, said: “These are significant awards that recognise the huge talent of our students, and also offer them wonderful opportunities. For DCU, this level of support for our engineering students is unparalleled and very much valued. 

Across DCU, mentorship has proven to be a game-changer for our students. It’s part of the transformative student experience we offer. In partnership with great companies like Intel, our students get the chance to engage with industry professionals ‘at the coalface’. It helps students to build networks in their chosen sector and gives them a champion ‘on the inside’ who can support and advise them as they set out on their career path.”

Congratulations once again to Ciara O’Reilly for winning this prestigious award!

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Interview with Michael Kennedy, BEng in Mechanical and Sustainability Engineering

1. Why did you decide to study Engineering?

I decided to study Engineering primarily due to my love of mathematics. I had originally been interested in studying Physics to perhaps enter the field of meteorology, however upon discovering DCU’s B.Eng. in Mechanical and Sustainability Engineering, I really felt Engineering was the right path for me.

2. What made you pick the B.Eng in Mechanical and Sustainability Engineering?

 It wasn’t difficult for me to choose the B.Eng. in Mechanical and Sustainability Engineering as the course seemed very appealing, particularly since it’s brand new. I have always cared greatly for the environment, and from carrying out a cost-benefit analysis on government-funded solar panels on every home in Ireland for 2021’s BTYSTE, I knew it was a field in which I could see myself studying. It appealed to me to be studying a course that would allow me to make a positive impact on the world, whilst also having the opportunity to join a tightly-knit network of engineers across the globe. This particular degree also stood out to me as a DCU Futures degree, since there is an opportunity to study a foreign language alongside the engineering degree.

3. What advice would you give a young person considering studying Engineering?

To any young person thinking about studying Engineering, I would advise them to research what field they would like to enter into, so they can already have some sort of idea before they start university. Most importantly, I would strongly encourage students to ensure that they have a good grasp of mathematical concepts from the Leaving Cert, because once the work is put in throughout 5th and 6th Year to learn and understand the fundamentals such as algebra and calculus, 1st Year Engineering will be much more enjoyable.

4. How are you finding your studies? What advice would you give to an incoming student?

I am finding my studies in DCU very exciting. Every week is different, and I am constantly being challenged with new concepts and skills. I fully appreciate that the practical experience I’m getting in the labs will benefit me greatly later in my career. I often tell people that on my very 1st day on campus last September I was somehow fabricating my own model aeroplane! I often find I’m surprised by certain modules, for instance I didn’t expect to enjoy software development as much as I currently am, since it’s not within the field I wish to enter. I would advise incoming students not to be worried at the beginning of the semester if certain modules or labs seem too hard, as 1st year is designed to be challenging. With practice everything taught in 1st year will come more naturally. 

I would encourage students to make use of the library resources, as the study space provides an excellent area to focus on work. Over the first few weeks I would strongly recommend talking to new people as much as possible, but to also remember that it will take weeks or even months for friendships to happen naturally. It’s also great to use clubs and societies to create a network of friends outside of engineering, as I have made great friends in many of the other faculties through my involvement in clubs and societies.

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Interview with Head of School of Electronic Engineering, Dr Noel Murphy

What is your primary area of research?

I have a broad set of research interests, but the most enduring one is my interest in understanding in Information Theory terms how the human visual system can develop and operate. The cortex of the brain is a structure with distinct layers of neurons, with connections between these layers within each area of the brain and between different areas. Now, there simply isn’t enough data in a human genome to specify the billions of connections between neurons in the brain, and indeed the immature brain has many more connections than survive in the brain of an adult human, so something about the operation of the brain as it is exposed to the world and matures seems to determine which connections are retained and strengthen and which ones disappear. In the early visual system in particular, there seems to be stages of development as axons of neurons first grow from the eye to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), then to area V1 of the visual cortex (at the back of the brain), and on to areas V2/V3. To my mind it has to be something about the signals carried by the axons of these neurons that determines, or triggers or moulds the development of each set of connections. This is the realm of Information Theory - understanding the relationships between signals and the information carried by them - and that is the domain of an electronic engineer. 

What sparked your interest in this area of research?

I started working in Computer Vision in DCU after completing my primary degree in Theoretical Physics. After a while I became disenchanted with the ad hoc approach taken by then research in Computer Vision and I started reading about biological vision - in particular the philosophy of perception and the neuroscience of vision in animals and humans. The former led me to the work of two Chilean biologists, Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela, whose insight into the nature of the living organism is very deep and intellectually coherent. The latter led me to the mathematical models of biological neural circuits, particularly in the visual system, of Stephen Grossberg and his colleagues in Boston University. Built up over a 40-year career, often outside the mainstream community of artificial neural network researchers, the ideas of Grossberg are the only ones that have convinced me as being close to an actual explanation of the incredibly complex operation of the human cortex, and particularly of illusory phenomena that we can literally see with our own eyes. I think our mathematical, engineering and computer technologies are still a long way away from allowing us to put much of Grossberg’s work to practical use, but I’m absolutely convinced that he is thinking about these problems in the correct way. I just wish that I had more time to work on these ideas.

What do you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of a career in engineering?

I love teaching at Third Level. I don’t claim to be brilliant at it but I love the process of reading into an area – understanding its foundations, scope and key concepts, structuring the ideas and then presenting the understanding that I have gained to anyone who will listen, usually my captive audience of engineering students! I often say to my PhD students and to my colleagues, if you want to really learn something, offer to teach it. You can’t escape with an imperfect understanding when there’s a class full of clever students trying to make your understanding their own. 

Engineering is not about any specific technology. Engineering is a way of thinking about the world – a way of organising and systematizing it so that we can exert our will over it, and hopefully make it a better, more comfortable place. I would often say that engineers use mathematical tools to solve problems, but even that is not the whole story: the mathematics involved is only a vehicle or a tool to be used – albeit an incredibly powerful one. About 10 years ago I did an MSc in Pure Maths (part-time) because I wanted to equip myself with better tools and that was an incredible experience. Pure Maths is not really intended for the applied world of the engineer, but it’s always only a matter of time before a clever engineer finds a way of turning some abstract object to a use for which it was never intended.

What other hobbies do you have outside of Engineering?

My main hobby is aviation. I have a pilot’s licence. I’m building a two-seat Vans RV-8 airplane at home, and I was involved in the development of the DCU BSc in Aviation Management over a decade ago. I teach on to the first, second and fourth year of that programme (as well as my engineering subjects of Electromechanical Systems, and Bioelectronics). To me this is like being paid to spend time talking about my hobby. Even there, I bring the mentality of the engineer: how can I describe, understand, model and predict the operation of the human, technological, or aviation systems at which I am looking. 

What advice would you give to someone about to embark on studying Engineering?

You probably already like maths. You don’t have to be a genius at it, just reasonably comfortable with handling mathematical ideas. If you’re at second level you might have come across software and programming, and perhaps embedded microcontrollers like the Arduino. These things are close to Computer Engineering. You most likely will not really have come across the ideas that are central to Electronic Engineering. These are the ideas of vectors and differential equations that are treated in Applied Maths at Leaving Cert, which not a lot of students have access to or take. So it can be quite hard to get a real sense what Electronic Engineering is about, but it’s an intellectually very satisfying and very powerful set of topics with very broad application. 

My first electronics book was the Ladybird book on how to build your own transistor radio. I guess that was the equivalent of the Maker Culture of more recent times. So if you want to see what electronic engineering is about, get a book like Make Electronics, or watch my colleague Derek Molloy’s YouTube video channel, or read into the All About Circuits webpage. There’s an incredibly interesting world waiting for you to explore. How you can use that to make the world a better place is only down to your imagination.

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Interview with Dr Éadaoin Carthy, School of Mechanical Engineering

What do you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of a career in engineering?

A career in Engineering is so much more than the “design, build, test” model that most people consider it to be. Engineers are creative thinkers, problem solvers, team players and fantastic communicators. It’s no shock that they are highly sought after for a diverse range of jobs. They are innovators who make tangible changes to society.

Today, climate change is one of the biggest challenges we are facing. Our reliance on fossil fuels has led to rising CO₂ levels which is having a catastrophic effect on our planet. This challenge is being met head-on, with engineers designing and creating renewable energy sourcing technology such as off-shore wind farms and more efficient electric vehicles. Looking into the future, technology such as the Hyperloop is being developed which has massive potential to reduce air travel. It should come as no surprise that some of the biggest CEOs in the world have a background in Engineering.

A degree in Engineering offers amazing opportunities to travel because it’s a globally recognised qualification. It’s a highly collaborative and social industry which offers the opportunity to contribute significantly to civilisation. An engineering degree is a passport to incredible opportunities around the world, often where you might least expect it.

What is your primary area of research?

My research is in the area of centrifugal microfluidics. This includes design, integration and automation of bioanalytical methods for rapid sample to answer systems. Microfluidic platforms are an exciting area because they have huge applications in a large variety of sectors, including healthcare, agriculture and food safety. This is an area of research with the ability to have a huge impact on society. Centrifugal microfluidics is a really exciting area to work in, not only because they can automate assays, but they can be tested on portable instruments which makes them a robust, bioanalytical system for on-site, rapid detection.

What sparked your interest in this area of research?
My initial interest was sparked by my third year microfluidics labs I took as an undergraduate student here in DCU. I was fascinated by the prospect of creating a 3D model on CAD and being able to create physical microfluidic platforms using the available manufacturing processes, such as laser ablation and UV lithography. This was the first time I stepped foot into a lab where I could carry out experimental design from start to finish and apply critical thinking to analyse data and reiterate experiment protocols. Here, I was introduced to many talented Postdoctoral Researchers working on projects such as HIV therapy monitoring. To think that I could be a part of such amazing work was really exciting.

I have since gotten the opportunity to work on a variety of diverse projects, including plant pathogen and rapid E-coli detection, an automated Covid-19 device and qPCR platforms and instrumentation.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing a career in engineering?

I highly recommend Engineering as a career path for anyone who likes to be challenged and wants to make an impact. Whether it’s Mechanical, Biomedical, Electronic or Sustainable Engineering you are interested in, the career opportunities are endless.

DCU now offers a new course in Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering which offers students the opportunity to balance theory and practice and conduct many projects looking at tackling issues related to sustainable development goals, all whilst gaining skills as a Mechanical Engineer. I would advise prospective students to attend our Open Days and to come and speak to the Academic and Research staff to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goal of becoming a highly-skilled Engineer. You can also contact us directly in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering if you have any further questions.

Find out more here: https://www.dcu.ie/DC194

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DCU to become Ireland’s first Smart Campus:

DCU partners with Cellnex to make its campuses 5G-enabled:

Telecom giant Cellnex is collaborating with Dublin City University (DCU) to make it one of Ireland’s first 5G-enabled campuses.

Launched on the 8th of February, the partnership will see Cellnex install a range of telecoms infrastructure to ensure there is uninterrupted 5G coverage across the main campus, the nearby DCU Alpha Innovation Campus as well as the DCU sports campus.

The upgrade will support smart city, connected vehicle and internet of things applications across the three campuses.

“DCU is a vibrant and research-focused university, with an existing innovation pedigree through DCU Alpha. This partnership will allow DCU to take its IoT and smart campus activities to the next level,” said Ronan O’Connor, commercial director at Cellnex Ireland.

“Continued adoption of 5G and IoT applications is vital in creating a competitive economy, while also solving pressing issues at a societal level which would not have been possible without this ground-breaking technology.”

The partnership aims to meet the objectives of the Smart DCU initiative, which is a partnership between Dublin City Council, Enable, Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics and DCU Alpha.

Smart DCU focuses on developing, testing and trialling cutting-edge tech innovations on the university’s three campuses, benefitting nearly 19,000 students. The idea is to make DCU a microcosm of a smart city – which can offer insights into how a smart city can better function.

Kieran Mahon, Smart DCU projects facilitator, said the initiative allows the campus infrastructure to be used as a “testbed for new technologies” like Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), in partnership with innovative companies such as Cellnex.

MEC, which is heavily 5G-reliant, allows for the increased adoption of bandwidth-heavy applications, such as internet of things, virtual and augmented reality, remote medical monitoring and connected and autonomous vehicles.

The latest partnership is now expected to help DCU students, staff and the founders of start-ups based in the campus with the ability to trial new technologies in a real-world environment.

How Innovative Materials can improve longer term Ocean Energy Device Development:

A Test Platform deployed in Dublin Bay for The Next Evolution in Materials and Models for Ocean Energy Project (NEMMO):

Climate related events mean that energy supply from renewable sources such as tidal power are seen as a key to achieving a more balanced energy mix.  Predictable and reliable energy supply from marine sources, which is more respectful of our environment, and protects us from market fluctuations is highly desirable.

The Next Evolution in Materials and Models for Ocean Energy (NEMMO) project, funded by the European Union under its Societal Challenge ”Secure, clean and efficient energy” aims to make tidal energy competitive. Dr Yan Delaure, Deputy Director of the DCU Water Institute is the lead PI of the Nemmo project in DCU.

The collaborative project brings together a consortium of 12 Small and Medium Enterprises, Research Institutes and Professional Associations from across Europe and Israel to develop the next generation of tidal turbine blades.

The DCU Water Institute with the schools of Chemical Sciences and Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, bring in expertise in biomimetic surface texturing, biofouling, composite materials, and hydrodynamic modelling and testing to tackle the hugely challenging conditions faced by marine energy systems .

This week DCU Water Institute has commissioned an innovative and unique marine test platform based on a vertical axis under-water turbine. Novel materials are exposed under realistic dynamic stress conditions to provide data that will help promote the development of the novel turbine.

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DCU Mechatronics Alumna Aoife Lynch

Aoife Lynch, who was part of the Irish team that brought home a silver medal at the World Athletics relays in 2021, says she would “absolutely” recommend DCU.

In February 2021, Aoife graduated with a BEng in Mechatronic Engineering. Athlete Aoife Lynch said the college is “constantly adding new course options to the list and produce the most employable graduates in the country due to the INTRA integrated work experience programme.”

Having secured a sports scholarship, she said, “if you enjoy sport, it's also one of the leading Irish universities across a variety of categories and elite levels.”

Aoife, from Castleknock, Dublin, decided to study engineering as it was one of the broader STEM courses offered in Ireland and, “I had seen how much opportunity there is for women entering a STEM-related degree. I chose DCU due to their dedication and success in track & field, and the club's success at National level.”

She was awarded a Sports Scholarship in first year which helped with funding for fees and travel to races. She chose not to live on campus given her proximity to home. She said, “I actually found the transition from school to college very difficult in terms of balancing academics with sport, due to the demanding nature of the course. I found it really difficult to juggle everything, athletics, and academics, so it took me some time to get back up to the level I had hoped to carry in from school success.”

She credited the support received from Paul Byrne, the head of DCU Athletics, saying, “he really checks in with everyone on an individual basis. We had individual meetings at the start of each semester to check everybody was settling back into college life and training was going well. He was a massive part of keeping myself feeling included in DCU athletics when I wasn’t on campus all the time, it was a big help.”

Before her exams in 2021, she flew to Poland with fellow Alumni Sophie Becker. They were in action for Ireland at the World Athletics Relays in Poland and “I ran the race and (we) came second. It was mind-blowing.” Like other students, her entire final year was done remotely but she said, “I adapted really well to the routine of studying and working from home, and it balanced extremely well with my ability to train in the mornings/mid-day rather than after a long day of college.”

“It was unusual visiting an empty campus once or twice throughout the year, but I've since been able to stay in touch with all my college friends since restrictions have eased.” Aoife is working as an IT Consultant for a software company Azyra, “who kindly sponsored my final year project and subsequently invited me to work with them after final year. I love the job that I'm in and they're extremely encouraging and understanding of my sporting pursuits.”

Reflecting on her time with DCU she said, “I couldn’t have asked for any more from my personal dealings with the college and the Athletics club, I came out of college feeling ready to tackle full-time college and life.”

Hydrogen Bus trial in Dublin ends successfully with 3,000km covered

Hydrogen Mobility Ireland (HMI), managed a multi week, in-service, trial of Caetano H2.CityGold in the Dublin area. The Hydrogen Mobility Ireland project is a partnership of businesses from across many sectors, together with public sector and academic stakeholders, with all-Island cooperation, joining together to deliver a coordinated approach to the introduction of this cutting-edge technology to ensure that Ireland can benefit from being an early starter in this environmental transport solution.

The H2.CityGold powered by a Toyota fuel cell stack, was the first-ever Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) put into public service operation on the Island of Ireland giving real in-use information about the potential for large scale introduction of this technology in Ireland, in everyday driving conditions and at a challenging time of the year in terms of weather.

Since November the vehicle was operated in different routes by CIÉ Group bus companies, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus as well as by Dublin City University (DCU) and Dublin Airport, although carrying limited passengers’ due to Covid’s current restrictions. Covering a total of 3000 kilometres (around 1864 miles) with a hydrogen consumption 5kg/100km based on actual operational conditions with passengers and heating, the Caetano H2.CityGold was refilled with green hydrogen (H2) produced in Dublin by BOC Gases Ireland Ltd using renewable electricity and water.

“CaetanoBus was very honoured to support Ireland’s first hydrogen fuel cell bus trial with its H2.CityGold. Being part of this project, showing the capability of our hydrogen bus solution in real operation and supporting Ireland, is a significant step to prove that our H2.CityGold will be the solution to achieve decarbonisation without any compromise of bus service and passenger comfort.” said Kohei Umeno, Chief Commercial Officer at CaetanoBus.

“I am delighted that Dublin Bus participated in Ireland’s first hydrogen bus trial. This trial will give Dublin Bus valuable insights into an important carbon cutting technology. Hydrogen will play a really important role in the journey towards an even more low emission public transport fleet in Dublin” said Ray Coyne, Dublin Bus CEO.

“Bus Éireann is Ireland’s national bus company. It was very exciting that our customers were amongst the first people in Ireland to travel by hydrogen during our three-week operation of the Caetano hydrogen fuel cell bus in November 2020. Driver and customer feedback was very positive and we gained important experience ahead of our deployment of three hydrogen vehicles in 2021. Bus Éireann is targeting half our vehicles to be zero emission by 2030 and the additional range offered by hydrogen fuel cell vehicle makes them especially relevant given our mix of longer commuter, stage carriage and intercity services,” said Stephen Kent, Bus Éireann.

“We in Toyota Ireland are delighted to have been part of the Toyota-powered hydrogen fuel cell bus trial. The results are hugely positive and it shows the viability of hydrogen fuel cell technology, and how it can bring Ireland to the forefront of zero emissions transport. We at Toyota have been investing in hydrogen fuel cell technology since 1993 and are proud to say that Toyota Motor Europe has recently further strengthened our alliance with CaetanoBus. We look forward to continuing to develop hydrogen fuel cell to realise our vision of zero emissions driving for the future.” said Steve Tormey, Chief Executive of Toyota Ireland.

“Dublin City University (DCU) aims to transform lives & societies and our involvement with this trial demonstrates that we are at the forefront of research, development and deployment of clean technologies. Our partners will learn so much about how to implement green hydrogen into transport to reduce emissions, but also how hydrogen can be produced sustainably by the integration of renewable energy in Ireland”, Dr James Carton Assistant Professor Energy Sustainability, Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland.

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