UCD Honorary Doctorate conferred on Liam Connellan

The conferring of an Honorary Doctorate of a University on any graduate is a singular honour which is deservedly treasured by the recipient and his or her family. Each year UCD awards a limited number of these distinctions only to graduates who have made an outstanding contribution to society in their chosen profession.

There was no award made to an Engineer in 2013. In 2014, UCD decided to honour an exceptional Engineer - Dr Liam Connellan. I first got to know Liam in Engineers Ireland as a very active senior engineer in the late 1990s as an active contributor to lectures and debates long after he retired as Chief Executive of IBEC (formerly the Confederation of Irish Industry when Liam joined). His committment to helping to grow the Irish economy and create jobs was obvious. He also appeared to have boundless energy and abiding interest in a whole range of engineering endeavours.
 

UCD President, Dr. Andrew Deeks presenting Dr. Liam Connellan with the award

It was only when he became President of Engineers Ireland (then the Institution of Engineers of Ireland) in 2001 that I learned of his leadership skills and his motivational speeches to a wide audience quoting the global greats like JFK to great effect. I recognised an exceptionally gifted communicator whose passion and commitment for his message engaged easily with his audience.

Liam Connellan, President of Engineers Ireland (2001-2002)

He then became in turn and sometime simultaneously President of the Irish Academy of Engineering, President of the Royal Dublin Society, Chairman of the National Roads Authority and Chairman of Voelia (Transport Energy Water) who built and run the Luas light rail network. He is an active member of the Board of the Peter McVerry Trust which assists homeless young men. The common thread running through all of this is his committment to an efficient but just society and to a growing Irish economy through the provision of essential public infrastructure in transport, energy and water.

 

On the international front he was on the Board of the Irish College in Paris and President of the German Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce. In terms of kinship with both of the great European powers there are few Irish people (if any) who have been awarded Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and also Chevalier of the Order of Merit of the Republic of France! Liam has both distinctions but they sit lightly on his shoulders for Liam is a humble man always concerned about everyone else's well being and not his own.


Incoming Dean of Engineering (post September 1st 2014), Prof. David Fitzpatrick,
UCD President, Prof. Andrew Deeks, Dr. Liam Connellan and
UCD Dean of Engineering (pre September 1st 2014), Prof. Gerry Byrne

 

After I became EGA President I was pleased to award the 2013 UCD EGA Distinguished Graduate Award to Liam Connellan which had been long overdue in my view.  Looking back now over the years, I don't believe that I ever sought any other role model in my career other that the example of public service and the care of others that Liam sought. I was therefore deeply honoured to have been personally invited to his Conferring last Monday and to the celebratory dinner hosted by the President in his honour in Ardmore House Belfield. There I sat with his wife Marie and his lovely and talented family who rightly feel so proud of him as all members of the profession also feel those who are privileged to know him.  He is a true icon of Irish Engineering.

Changing Dynamics as EGA Gold Medals Presented on Conferring Day

Last Monday was Conferring Day for this year's UCD Engineering Graduates. This event on a bright sunny September was preceded by an EGA Business Breakfast to award Gold Medals and Prizes to our brightest and best students in each discipline of engineering.

At the presentation of EGA Gold Medals L-R: Front Row, Joseph Thompson (Mechanical), Grace Brennan (mother of Karl) (Chemical)
and Rhona Wade (Electronic).  Back Row, EGA President PJ Rudden, Jason Hannon (Engineering with Business),
Padraig McDonald (Biosystems), Éadaoin McLoughlin (Electrical), Mark Gilsenan (Civil), Peter Landy (Biomedical) and
Principal of College of Engineering and Architecture/Dean of Engineering Prof. David Fitzpatrick

What was especially striking about this year's graduates was not only the large number of Masters Degrees awarded in the principal engineering disciplines but the array of niche areas where UCD now offer a Masters is highly impressive eg Biomedical, Engineering with Business, Structural Engineering with Architecture, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Energy Systems - all designed and geared for the changing dynamics of current and future engineering employment.

The transition from the traditional BE degree is moving quite fast as the vast majority of graduates were awarded a 5 year Masters Degree or a transitionary 3 year Bachelor of Science Degree leading to a 5 year Masters. This is driven by the requirement of Engineers Ireland from 2013 onwards to only award the title of Chartered Engineer to those engineers who have a 5 Year Masters or equivalent together with adequate professional training and experience.

There was not only a 'changing of the guard' on Degree types but this year in UCD a total change of leading academic personnel on the podium. New President Dr Andrew Deeks awarded the degrees accompanied by the newly appointed Principal of the College of Engineering and Architecture and Dean of Engineering Prof David Fitzpatrick. I also spotted new UCD Vice President for Innovation Research and Impact Prof Orla Feely on the podium. All three are engineers and living proof of the 'new order' where economic growth based on research innovation and manufacturing is driving Ireland's recovery. As my past blogs (UCD EGA and Engineers Ireland) in recent years have repeatedly stated, this underlying technological driver of growth has been obvious to a few since the Celtic Tiger died but is only becoming increasingly accepted now in the industrial, media and political worlds.

All of this change in my view and UCD's rapid response to this evolving 'new order' will place UCD on the cusp of competitive excellence among global Engineering Schools and Colleges world wide. The new UCD Strategic Plan to be unveiled later this year by President Deeks will set UCD on an ambitious new growth path of academic excellence and internationalisation to compete on the world stage.  A subset of that will be the new College of Engineering Development Plan.

Larry O'Toole presenting the RPS Civil Engineering
Gold Medal to Mark Gilsenan

Padraig Somers presenting the Helsinn Birex Pharmaceuticals
Chemical Engineering Gold Medal to Karl Brennan's mother, Grace

Peter Cunningham presenting the SSE Airtricity Electrical
Engineering Gold Medal to Éadaoin McLoughlin

Mike Murray presenting the S3 Electronic Engineering Gold
Medal to Rhona Wade

The winners of 2014 UCD Engineering Gold Medals were Mark Gilsenan, Karl Brennan, Éadaoin McLoughlin, Rhona Wade, Joseph Thompson, Padraig McDonald, Jason Hannon and Peter Landy in Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Biosystems, Engineering with Business and Biomedical Engineering respectively sponsored by RPS, Helsinn, SSE Airtricity, C3, CRH and Crospon. The 2014 Gold Medal for Architecture sponsored by Arup was awarded to Sarah Doheny.

There were also a growing number of specialist prizes for Scholarships, Travel Bursaries, Awards and Certificates. Sponsors were Roughan O'Donovan, Martin McAdam, PM Group, Cylon and Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Deserving winners were Nora Gyetvai, Eoin McMullan, Kevin O'Toole, Michael Halton, Andrea Doherty, Sean McLoughlin, Darren Roche, Thomas Gallagher, Seamus O'Keeffe, Joe Flanagan, Michael Clancy, Anton Katayev and Tom Keane.



UCD and the EGA wish to especially thank our various sponsors without whom this Gold Medals and Prizes event would not be possible for the deserving students who have worked so hard to obtain these sought after accolades.

Jack Golden presenting the CRH Mechanical Engineering Gold Medal
to Joseph Thompson

Prof. Colm O'Donnell presenting the EGA Biosystems
Engineering Gold Medal to Padráig McDonald

 

Dr. Eamonn Ambrose presenting the EGA Engineering with Business Gold
Medal to Jason Hannon

Dr. John O'Dea presenting the EGA Crospon Biomedical Engineering
Gold Medal to Peter Landy

 

Also the EGA Board decided last year that one years free membership post graduation of the Engineering Graduates Association would apply to all engineering graduates in a particular year. No need to apply - the UCD Alumni Office will write to each new graduate this Autumn.

Better Gender Balance Trends in this year's Leaving Certificate Results

This year's Leaving Cert results released last week show some very encouraging trends. The biggest headline news was the 72% increase in the numbers taking the higher level maths paper over the past three years from 16% in 2011 to 27% this year. There were two reasons for this, firstly the introduction of the bonus CAO points for a grade D or higher and also the impact of the new Project Maths curriculum.

There's another exciting trend in the results this year and that is that girls are now excelling over boys in most science and engineering subjects. Boys had a higher honours rate over girls in only five Leaving Cert subjects - Maths (by a narrow margin), Applied Maths, Latin, Agricultural Economics and Engineering. In all of the remaining 54 Leaving Cert subjects girls had a higher success rate.

The number of girls who took Physics this year at higher level jumped by 19% compared to a 9% increase for boys. Similarly in Chemistry female participation rose by 11% compared to 2% among males.

There was an even bigger shift in subjects once seen as near-exclusively male. The number of girls taking construction studies at higher level rose by 15% to 451, applied maths by 22% to 412 and engineering by 30% to 203. The relative numbers taking these subjects are small but the growing trends of increased female interest is remarkable. Were these increases to be maintained year on year it would transform female participation in the STEM subjects.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

In contrast, the number of girls doing home economics at higher level actually dropped by 3% to 7,954 this year. One of the biggest disparities was in languages where there was a 5% gap in the greater female numbers taking Irish and French at higher level.

Both UCD Engineering and UCD EGA are very concerned at the lower female numbers entering First Year Engineering in 2013 and will soon publish a Report on this issue.While this issue will take a lot of positive initiative to put right, the trends in this year's Leaving Cert results show that it is possible to attract more girls to do Engineering.

Growth in Irish Economy showing definite signs as Manufacturing output continues to rise

It looks like Ireland is finally on the road to economic recovery after 6  hard years of recession since 2008. Forecasts of Irish recovery published by the EU Commission in May of this year anticipates GDP growth for 2013, 2014 and 2015 to be -0.3%, 1.7% and 3.0% respectively. The Bank of Ireland in their latest July 2014 bulletin are even more optimistic giving comparable figures of 0.2%, 2.8% and 3.4% respectively.

The ESRI in their Summer Quarterly Economic Commentary published yesterday are even more optimistic than Bank of Ireland giving comparable figures of 0.2%, 3.0% and 3.7% for GDP growth. Regardless of whose figures you believe the underlying message is clear - the Irish economy is well on the road to very positive recovery in the years ahead!

Much of the growth to date has been driven by exports of manufacturing products. It is therefore confirmed that it is the engineering profession who have been driving our economic recovery in recent years in IT, pharma (despite the patent cliff), machinery and medical devices.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

In July Ireland's manufacturing sector recorded its 14th consecutive month of growth as output hit a three month high and the UK was cited as a key source of new business. This is gratifying news and hope that the Autumn 2013 EGA Panel Discussion with An Taoiseach on Job Creation in Manufacturing might have helped to highlight this important sector led by engineers. We cannot be complacent however as there are still fiscal difficulties in the eurozone area with growth slowing in Spain and Greece and Italy re-entering recession this month.

An Taoiseach with the panel of speakers on Job Creation in Manufacturing in UCD October 2013
 L to R: Philip O'Doherty, E&I Engineering, Martin Mc Vicar, Combilift,  Edmond Harty, Dairmaster
and Ian Quinn Creganna Taxtc Medical

The ESRI is predicting that domestic consumption in Ireland which has floundered since the crash would rise 2% this year on the back of improving conditions in the labour market. It is also noted that retail sales are strong so far this year with sales of cars and household goods both on the up.They also forecast a need for 54,000 new homes in Dublin over the next 7 years. The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) respond that only 2,000 new homes will be built in Dublin this year.

Even our unemployment rate is starting to fall from a high of 14.8% in 2011 down to 13.1% in 2013 and expected 11.5% this year. It is forecast by ESRI to be below 10% in 2015. While unemployment remains stubbornly high, at the same time with the need for more housing particularly in Dublin region there will be a severe skills shortage for construction and civil engineering trades and professionals in the years ahead.

House prices in Ireland are 27% undervalued currently according to the ESRI. Price increases of 16% in Dublin and 6% nationally were recorded in 2013.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

The EU Commission warn though that Ireland is vulnerable to the continuing effect of legacy debt particularly in the SME sector. It also warned that Ireland's high dependence on imported energy could leave the state particularly susceptible to changes in energy prices arising from the Ukraine crisis noting that Ireland imports about 85% of our energy needs. This situation will of course change dramatically with the commissioning of the new Shell Corrib Gas Field in 2015 which has a capacity to supply approx 60% of Ireland's needs for a period of some 20 years.

Farewell to our German Ambassador who 'will never leave Ireland'

For the past three years Ireland was fortunate to have a German Ambassador at a critical time in our history who really understood our Irish ways. He arrived with his wife Anne three years ago in 2011 when Ireland was about to enter a bailout deal with the Trioka - the European Central Bank based in Frankfurt, the European Commission in Brussels and the International Monetary Fund based in New York.

Dr. Eckhard Lübkemeier,German Ambassador to Ireland
Image Courtesy of tcd.ie

In Autumn 2012 we in the UCD Engineering Graduates Association were looking at ways of reinvigorating our organisation. We had our own 'Troika' at this task - outgoing EGA President Michael Loughnane, UCD Dean of Engineering Professor Gerry Byrne and myself. We also enlisted the wisdom and good counsel of former EGA President Dr Liam Connellan in planning the event.

We conceived a Panel Discussion on a subject of major national importance with leading speakers who would attract an audience. The principal media story in late 2012 was the terms of the banking bail out and the liklihood or otherwise of some monetary relaxation of its terms. Of paramount importance and influence were the views of the German Government and of its Chancellor Angela Merkel as Germany is recognised as the economic powerhouse of the Europe as well as the anchor of the Euro zone.

We settled on the title 'Can we shape Ireland's recovery on the German model' and we decided to invite the German Ambassador Dr Eckhard Luebkemeier to lead the discussion. This was through the good offices of Professor Gerry Byrne who has close industry and academic links with Germany having studied, lived and worked there.

We then picked a Panel of distinguished speakers drawn from different walks of life with a knowledge of Germany and of EU matters - Professor Brigid Laffan former UCD Professor of European Politics, Dr Brian Sweeney former Chairman/CEO Siemens Ireland, Management Consultant and UCD Engineer Stephen Donnelly Independent TD for Wicklow/East Carlow and UCD Dean of Engineering Professor Gerry Byrne who spent 10 years working for Daimler Benz in Germany and where he took his Doktor-Ingenieur degree in TU Berlin.

The event was a resounding success chaired by Pat Kenny then of RTE and led by the charming Ambassador whose intellect is as sharp as a razor. He had a difficult role in simply but frankly explaining the German view that Ireland itself was the author of its own misfortune through our overheated property market aided by over-lending and lack of proper regulation in the banking sector. Yet it fell to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to lead the EU out of recession and nurse the broken economies of Greece Spain Portugal and Ireland back to full health. This was and is still being successfully done as Ireland exited the bailout in December 2013 and now Portugal will soon also do so.

Pictured at the UCD EGA Debate were L-R:

P.J. Rudden President of UCD EGA,

Dr. Bridgid Laffan Professor of European Politics UCD,

Dr. Eckhard Lübkemeier German Ambassador,

Professor Gerry Byrne Dean UCD Engineering, Dr. Brian Sweeney,

 Stephen Donnelly TD and Debate Chair Pat Kenny.

The Ambassador was frank in his advice to Ireland - that 'just do it the German way will not work. A country's model can't be transplanted like a human organ'. He then outlined what is good about the German model. 'We offer high-tech combined with high quality. We make things that are coveted elsewhere. Our exports are worth about 40% of our GDP and an increasing share is going to BRICS economies'.

He asked what Barcelona football and German engineering have got in common?

'The Financial Times put it like this: they both hire and nurture apprentices'. Also, there is a social partnership arrangement in both public and private sectors - this only exists in the public sector in Ireland. 

'In Germany long before the recession as part of Agenda 2010 we had to launch a structural reform process that involved belt tightening on the part of German workers and consumers. We are now reaping the rewards of this process. This experience is also informing our approach to the Euro crisis which has laid bear some of its inefficiencies - too much public and private debt, too little competitiveness and too much financial alchemy in an unregulated financial sector'.

'Germany needs Europe and Europe needs Germany also. The crisis has shown that we need more joint decision making and common oversight. Better then to have a common currency that provides protection against erratic capital flows and significantly enhances the efficiency of the internal market. And better too to belong to a peaceful and prosperous European neighbourhood based on mutual trust and solidarity'

We bid farewell to a wise diplomat who he says 'will never leave Ireland' meaning in a literal sense of course.

Engineers must face up to Climate Change

The McGill Summer School in Glenties County Donegal is always an interesting event and this year proved no exception. In political terms it is often an occasion to float a radical idea and then gauge public and media reaction. On the more technical issues the speakers tend to be more mainstream and factually more down to earth.

This years programme ranged from Trust and Credibility in our institutions (eg An Garda Síochána, The Church, Governments), how stands the European Dream post the recent Euro elections, Economic Recovery and Climate Change.

After years of scepticism around the subject of climate change, it is now accepted even in the large industrial powers such as US and China that the planet and humanity itself is at risk from global warming. It is now generally agreed that if we do not limit the rise in world temperatures to less than 2 degrees by 2050, it will have very severe adverse consequences on human life.

At the McGill Summer School our leading national expert on climate change Dr. John Sweeney (Emeritus Professor of Geography NUI Maynooth) told the School that it was as certain that human activity is causing climate change as we are that smoking causes cancer. He pointed to rising temperatures, record breaking weather, melting ice in the arctic and the Himalayas and cold water species like cod leaving the waters off Donegal for more northern climes.

Dr. John Sweeney, NUI Maynooth
  (image courtesy of nuim.ie)

'We have 20 years to get our act together or face the most dire of consequences' Dr Sweeney stated 'there is a climate cliff just like there is a fiscal cliff, the longer we put off dealing with it, the more acute the consequences'.

EPA Director General Laura Burke (and UCD chemical engineering graduate) stated that business as usual in Ireland was not an option and that we need to see the opportunities for Ireland to move to a greener and more sustainable economy and society.

'Changes in the ocean and in sea levels will dominate our climate' she said 'A repeat of this year's storms so devastating in parts of Cork, Clare and Limerick would have an even more devastating effect if they came on top of a sea level rise of 20cm - 30cm'.

'We have to decarbonise our energy and transport systems. We are already at the forefront of key areas of agriculture and land use research' she said. The Agriculture and Transport sectors are responsible for 41% and 24% respectively of emitted carbon dioxide.

EPA Director General, Laura Burke
(image courtesy of eolasmagazine.ie)

'The Government has no coherent strategy for reducing our carbon emissions right across the board.' Ms Burke stated 'the new Climate Bill needs to require each sector to lay out its road map for how it will reduce its carbon footprint' she concluded.

Engineers need to take these advices and warnings on board if we are to contribute to an environmentally sustainable future. Some do and unfortunately some don't - some even going so far as opposing in principle renewable energy projects like wind farms and transmission grid upgrades required to facilitate increased renewable energy towards our national targets. We need to reduce our gas imports and create a more balanced energy mix. We greatly welcome the commissioning of the Corrib Gas field in Mayo later this year which will dramatically cut our current gas imports over the next 20 years.

We will always have significant dependence on clean fossil fuels like natural gas but increasingly we need to switch our national energy mix as much as possible towards renewables mostly wind but also solar,waste,wave and tidal. In doing so we need to have due regard to environmental as well as technical and economic considerations. Otherwise we will not be taken seriously as a profession.

One of Ireland's principal renewable energy targets is 40% electricity
generated from wind power by 2020

There is currently a Public Consultation on the Government Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland. I urge all graduates with an interest in energy or indeed Irish economic development to make a submission on or before next Thursday, July 31st to greenpaper@dcenr.gov.ie The Green Paper is available on the Department website: dcenr.gov.ie/greenpaper

Patrick Joy wins UCD Distinguished Graduate Award

Patrick Joy native of Clonmel and Founder of Suretank in Dunleer Co. Louth is the 2014 UCD EGA Distinguished Graduate. He was presented with the award at the EGA Annual Dinner in the National Concert Hall last Thursday.

Photo left to right PJ Rudden President UCD Engineering Graduates Association, 
Mary Joy, Patrick Joy and Professor Gerry Byrne UCD Dean of Engineering 

Suretank is the world's largest supplier of cargo carrier units (CCU) with 60% of the market share. The company currently employs 750 people with a turnover of €80 million. Patrick was the 2013 overall winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and represented Ireland at the international competition in Monte Carlo last week.

From ESB Pat Naughton, Ellen Diskin and David O' Connell

"Patrick was a strong winner of this years award from among 8 eminent nominees from different fields of engineering. The EGA award is strongly centered on innovation, enterprise, job creation and acting as a role model for the profession" stated PJ Rudden, President of the UCD Engineering Graduates Association.

Larry O' Toole RPS, Rory Somers, Michelle Scanlon and Aidan Toher all from Bord Gáis

"It is a significant fact that the last two consecutive E & Y Entrepreneurs of the Year have been mechanical engineers in indigenous manufacturing industry - Edmond Harty of Dairymaster and now Patrick Joy of Suretank" Rudden continued " and this theme was the focus of our UCD Panel Discussion last Autumn with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD. Since then we have seen the indigenous manufacturing sector go from strength to strength.

Past Presidents of Engineers Ireland Seán Wallace and Brian Kearney

Patrick Joy stated " I feel very honoured and humbled by this award from my peers. Irish industry can compete with the best on the world stage if we continue to innovate because eventually your competitor will figure out how to produce your quality at a lower price. You need to stay ahead of the niche manufacturing game through R&D"

George Yound EGA Board and Dr. Liam Connellan last year's Distinguished Graduate

The EGA Annual dinner was attended by many of Ireland's leading utilities and engineering firms including ESB, Bord Gáis, CRH and RPS. 

Róisín Bradford Irish Water, Dave Phelan RPS, Emer Colwell RPS, Warren Phelan RPS, PJ Rudden EGA President,
 Ann-Marie McCague Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), Angela Treanor RPS

Marian Regan NewEra, Aine Dunne SCFI, Peadar O'Mahony Bord Gáis, PJ Rudden EGA President

Patrick Joy gives his acceptance speech