UCD Vice President Orla Feely wins 2015 EGA Distinguished Graduate Award

The UCD Vice President Professor Orla Feely was a worthy winner of the 2015 EGA Distinguished Graduate Award presented at our Annual Dinner in The National Concert Hall last week. At the same event the Founder of the EGA Professor John Kelly was presented with an EGA Lifetime Achievement Award.

EGA founder Professor John Kelly, EGA President P.J. Rudden and UCD Vice President Professor Orla Feely, Winner of the 2015 Distinguished Graduate Award

The EGA Distinguished Graduate Award recognises a UCD graduate in active service who is making an outstanding contribution to Irish Society. This contribution can be in the fields of Public Policy Development or in Entrepreneurship, Manufacturing, Information Technology, Research Innovation or Job Creation with a strong public profile who can act as a role model for young members of the profession.

Orla Feely shares her memories of UCD as a student

Professor Orla Feely is UCD Vice President for Research Innovation and Impact and was Chair of the Irish Research Council from 2012 to 2015 set up by Government to support research across a broad range of scholarship in any academic discipline including Engineering, Science, Business, Law, Medicine, Humanities and Social Science. During her three years the IRC supported the work of more than 1,400 researchers and made 4,000 awards, about 3,000 of them in support of PhDs and Masters students.

Since becoming UCD Vice President Orla has supported President Andrew Deeks in the new UCD Strategy 2015 - 2020. Only last week the Taoiseach launched the latest UCD study 'Delivering Impact' showing the huge economic and educational impact of Ireland's largest university. UCD currently has 30,000 students some 13% of them international. It has a total monetary value of some €1.3 billion to the Irish economy generated by UCD and its students.

Orla qualified with an Hons BE Degree in Electronic Engineering in 1986. She then went to Berkeley University California US where she obtained an MS and PhD in electrical engineering.

EGA President P.J. Rudden, UCD Vice President Professor Orla Feely and UCD Professor Tom Brazil

She joined UCD as Lecturer in 1992 graduating to Professor of Electronic Engineering in 2010. She became a Fellow of IEEE in 2009, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland by Presidential Invitation in 2012, a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering in 2013 and on the following day to this event she was formally admitted to Membership of the Royal Irish Academy - Ireland's highest academic accolade.

Also at the Annual Dinner we presented the Founder of the UCD Engineering Graduates Association Professor Emeritus John Kelly with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his achievement in setting up the EGA in 1980. He had the vision to see the benefit of closer university cooperation with industry to further research and innovation and thus set up the University Industry Centre (UIC) with funds raised from engineering graduates and firms.

John Kelly remembers his time as Dean of Engineering and the move from Merrion St. to Belfield

The UIC was officially opened by Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald in May 1985 and this in turn contributed to the establishment of NovaUCD and NexusUCD, which now successfully incubate and nurture emerging new spin out and spin in companies which create value added products and jobs for the Irish economy.

John Kelly was UCD Dean of Engineering from 1979 until 1986 when he became UCD Registrar and was later Professor of Chemical Engineering.

The Annual Dinner in the ambiance of the John Field Room in National Concert Hall was a great success, thanks mainly to the generosity of our many Sponsors - Coillte, CRH, Energia, Engineers Ireland, ESB, RPS and Siemens.

P.J. Rudden welcomes the attendance in National Concert Hall

Also, we were delighted to be joined again by EGA Board Member Sean Murphy and friends and by a full table of the BE Class of 1983 led by former first EGA Secretary Clodagh O'Donnell and colleagues.

The Class of 1983 led by Clodagh O'Donnell (fourth from left)

Jane O'Callaghan, Sarah Lynn and Mary O'Carroll

Gary O'Callaghan and Greg Duggan from Siemens

Apart from our Founder John Kelly, we had the honour of four former EGA Presidents with us - Dr Liam Connellan, Pat Mercer, Tony O'Brien and Michael Loughnane. Indeed two of them Liam and Pat were previous recipients of the EGA Distinguished Graduate Awards.

Past and Current Presidents of EGA: Michael Loughnane, Liam Connellan, P.J. Rudden, Tony O'Brien and Pat Mercer

It was a highly social occasion as the photographs clearly show. We hope to grow this event further next year with further increased Corporate Member involvement. We are also hopeful of having the pleasure again of the lively 1983 class or and any other past BE Class who will use the event to meet old friends and colleagues while recognising an outstanding graduate of national stature.

Sarah McFarlane, Sylvia Kenna and Dee Keogh from Engineers Ireland

Ciara Murphy RPS, Anne Marie McCague EirGrid and Neasa Kane-Fine RPS

I was proud indeed opening last Saturday's Irish Times to find the photograph of our 2015 Distinguished Graduate at her induction to the Royal Irish Academy on Friday. It all seems so right and timely as we look forward to the continued leadership of Vice President Orla Feely supporting President Andrew Deeks in guiding UCD to being truly Ireland's Global University.

Majella Henchion, Ellen Diskin and Derek Hynes from ESB