DCU - Arizona State University Event

In September 2013, Dublin City University and Arizona State University signed a Transatlantic Higher Education Partnership, building on 8 years of collaboration and promising students a unique education and research experience while also having a positive impact on the economies and communities in Ireland and Arizona.  To mark this important milestone, over the weekend of November 7-9th, Arizona State University and Dublin City University have jointly staged a special celebration event to highlight the successes realised in the last year in the areas of health technology, digital learning, water, smart cities and conflict resolution.  

During the event in Tempe, Arizona, the two universities made a number of announcements, including the launch of the world’s first International School of Biomedical Diagnostics, a blended-learning collaboration which gives students the opportunity to work with their transatlantic counterparts using the latest technologies.  Together, ASU and DCU have welcomed over thirty students in this new programme in the academic year 2014/2015 who will pursue advanced degrees in Biomedical Diagnostics.

Another announcement surrounded a Smart Stadium project – a joint collaboration between DCU, ASU, Intel and the GAA. Teams at the Sun Devil Stadium at ASU, Tempe and Croke Park in Dublin will work with DCU, ASU and Intel to deploy pilot ‘Internet of Things’ technologies to test their capabilities in these unique environments.  

Over the weekend, researchers from DCU and ASU came together for a full day of themed workshops focused on issues of common concern such as information communications technology, health, water sustainability and conflict resolution.  A Research Showcase evening dinner included interactive demonstrations focussed on major projects in smart cities-smart stadiums, digital learning, study abroad and exchange programmes, the Centre for Healthy Ageing (CHAnge) and international conflict resolution. 

To round off the weekend, Chancellor of DCU, Dr. Martin McAleese also engaged in a conversation with groups from the greater Phoenix area at the Irish Cultural Center in Downtown Phoenix to discuss his experiences in the Irish political and education landscape.

Additional collaborative projects in the areas of ageing, education, conflict resolution, nanomaterials and health highlighted at the event included:

Age-friendly University Initiative
The Age-Friendly University Initiative highlights the role that universities can play in responding to the challenges and opportunities associated with the ageing demographic of the 21st Century. In 2012 DCU, joined with ASU and Strathclyde University to become the world’s first officially designated Age-Friendly Universities (AFU).  As AFUs, each university has set a strategic direction to promote an inclusive approach to healthy and active ageing through its research agenda, enhancement of learning opportunities for people across the generations via innovative curriculum development, and through a focus on innovation to address specific issues affecting older adults.

The CHAnge Project - Centre for Healthy Ageing
One of the biggest global challenges is the higher incidence in chronic disease due to an increasing aging population. The CHAnge project will focus cutting-edge sensor and ICT to real-life, personalised, person-focused applications in our diverse societies.  The objective of this project will be to create an environment where we can collect and analyse health data from our communities (old and young) and will act as a living lab on both university campuses.

Hometown:  Local Places, Then and Now
In response to the challenges and opportunities associated with the ageing demographic of the 21st Century, the DCU Intergenerational Learning Programme together with the ASU Office of Gerontological & Interprofessional Initiatives are developing collaborations that promote the positive aspects of ageing in an innovative teaching, learning and research environment, inclusive of all generations in higher education.

Designing Education for the Future
Both ASU and DCU are committed to (re)designing education for the future. DCU and ASU already provide students with a strong future-focused curriculum and rich digital learning experience for the 21st Century.  The partnership between ASU and DCU has the potential to help both institutions expand the number of courses available to students living throughout the world.  In this respect both universities can play a leading role in shaping the future of higher education and expanding access to lifelong learning consistent with the mission of transforming lives and societies.

Nanofabrication - Advancing Surface Engineering Methodologies
As devices diminish in size, fall in price and decline in energy consumption, the challenges for manufacturing increase.  The ability to routinely fabricate devices with high-fidelity nanoscale structure enables us to realise modern integrated circuits, energy harvesting and storage devices, sensors and medical components.  

Online Strategies of Islamic State
Research between DCU’s Institute for International Conflict Resolution and ASU’s world-class School of Criminology and Criminal Justice will explore the online intersections of jihadi and gang cultures.  In particular, it will focus on jihadi-produced online content, particularly that associated with IS, that displays similar narratives, language, symbols and styles to traditional gang cultures.

DNA Origami Nanorobots for Early Cancer Detection
The goal of this research is to develop DNA-origami-based nanorobots, decorated with antibodies, aptamers and high-brightness nanoparticles, for cancer cell detection.  

Early Detection for Risk of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
This study will investigate, for the first time, the various modified versions of certain proteins that may exist within the bloodstream.  This will help to create multi-dimensional biomarker views that could potentially improve diagnosis of an individual’s risk status for Type-2 Diabetes and underlying cardiovascular diseases.

Human Computer Interaction and Physical Rehabilitation through Serious Gaming
The focus of this collaborative project is to research computer gaming technology and its application to physical rehabilitation adherence, with particular focus on human-computer interaction technology.  A unique, story-based gaming scenario will feature problems and tasks that keep the patient interested and absorbed.  

Point-of-Care Programmable Diagnostic Tools
There is a clinical need for robust, rapid, point-of-care serologic assays for the detection of infectious diseases and cancer. This project leverages two existing and complementary technologies towards the development of a cost-efficient, robust and analytically flexible point-of-care device for serologic measurements of any target antigen.

Prevention and management of cardiovascular disease
Poor lifestyle choices such as inactivity and diet are rapidly becoming a global pandemic with a deleterious impact on many chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorder, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.  Understanding their pathophysiology is important for the development of future therapeutic interventions, stratification of clinical trials and engagement of cost-effective measures such as lifestyle management. 

More information on the DCU-ASU Transatlantic Higher Education Partnership can be found on the Partnership website: http://dcu.asu.edu.  For more information on these projects or how to get involved, please contact Dr. Breda Kiernan, Partnership Coordinator, breda.kiernan@dcu.ie. Alternatively contact DCU's Age-Friendly co-ordinator, Christine O'Kelly, at christine.okelly@dcu.ie