News

Undergraduate Research Conference at DCU

14 October 2010

The Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance (DRHEA) today hosted their inaugural Undergraduate Research Conference in the Helix.

The theme of the conference, 'Showcasing Irish Undergraduate Talent' was attended by members of the alliance from DCU, UCD, NUIM and TCD as well as the four Institutes of Technology, DIT, ITB, ITT Dublin and IADT.

The aim of the conference is to provide undergraduates students with an opportunity to present their research to an audience of their peers.

Speaking at the event, DCU President, Professor Brian MacCraith, welcomed students from all the partner institutions. He said that this initiative recognises the value of undergraduate research and provides a forum where the findings can be shared with fellow-students from different disciplines and different institutions. He also commended the students from DIT's BSc in Event Management who planned, organised and managed the event.

According to Professor Gary Murphy, Director of Graduate Research, "Research at undergraduate level informs students about the research process. It develops critical thinking which is the vital component of all research at both undergraduate and postgraduate level".

Keynote addresses and workshops were delivered throughout the day and included a presentation by Ciaran Quilty of Facebook, Owen Laverty and Aoife Shanley of NUIM.