Making a Difference

Growing Confidence, Inspiring Teaching and Drawing a Rainbow An understanding of statistics and of computer coding are necessary skills at every stage of a student’s time in the School of Biotechnology. Initial trepidation about statistics or coding grows into confidence as the weeks go by. So much so that students say how much they’ve enjoyed the work (sometimes to their own surprise), as a teacher that’s wonderful to hear. Click here
Using Biophysics to Solve Problems When Dr Jennifer Gaughran was doing her Ph.D. at Dublin City University, she had a moment of insight while being driven around a roundabout. "I was in the car as my brother was driving. We went around the roundabout, and I could feel the force pushing me over towards the door of the car," she says. "It struck me that this was the same force I was using in my research." Click here
A Fresh Approach to Teaching The songs of Billy Eilish and Nina Simone aren’t usually associated with lecture hall learning, but that is exactly what happens when you take a class with Dr Mark Philbin. Click here
Masters in Psychology is a Team Effort Recognition in teaching and learning can often fall at the feet of one individual – that member of staff who makes a difference in the lives of their students. In the case of the School of Psychology, however, it is an entire team who are making impressions with the MSc in Psychology (Conversion). Click here
Demystifying Maths and Computers Many students who choose biological subjects have a self-proclaimed fear of maths and few have coding experience. To interest them in statistical equations or the use of lines of code is a difficult task. Yet this is exactly what Dr Emma Finlay, a lecturer in the School of Biotechnology, has successfully mastered. Click here
Let's get Physical We often hear that academia can move people. But the work of Stephen Behan of DCU’s School of Health and Human Performance is doing just that - quite literally. Behan’s research is focused on building physical literacy in primary school kids so that they can be more confident about physical activity. Click here
Sea Change Why is the sea wet? Okay, we don’t even need to go there, but seaweed – however many times the brunt of that joke – is proving its worth as a great untapped resource in the fight against infection. Professor Christine Loscher, from the DCU School of Biotechnology and Associate Dean of Research at the university, has found seaweed can be a big boost for the human immune system. Click here
A Star is Born Professor Turlough Downes has spent his whole life reaching for the stars. As a child he remembers gazing up at distant constellations in the night sky. And in his current role as Astrophysicist and Professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences at DCU and Director of the Centre for Astrophysics and Relativity (C-fAR) he… well, he gazes up at distant constellations in the night sky. Click here
A Head for Numbers As director of the DCU Maths Learning Centre and Assistant Professor of DCU School of Mathematical Sciences, it’s fair to say that Dr Eabhnat Ní Fhloinn ‘gets’ maths. But like many of her classmates at the time, she found herself struggling with it while studying at third level. This led her to question why some people seem to show an aptitude for the subject while others experience more difficulty with it. Click here
A Certain Chemistry As an analytical chemist, Dr Blánaid White Lecturer, School of Chemical Sciences and Principal Investigator, National Centre for Sensor Research and DCU Water Institute is outstanding in her field; quite literally, as her work involves her looking at levels of organic matter in soil and how it affects the quality of crops. Click here
Mindful of Dementia When Professor Kate Irving of DCU’s School of Nursing and Human Sciences was working as a nurse in the 1990s, she had an experience that would change her outlook on dementia care. Click here
Treating Water with Respect DCU’s Water Institute is leading the way in raising awareness about the value of water in our lives. We drink it, wash in it, rely on it to grow crops, but just how many of us stop and take the time to consider just how important water is to us? Professor Fiona Regan, Professor in Chemistry and Director of the DCU Water Institute said: “Water is essential for life, for health, for human society, for industry. Click here
A More Efficient Means of Producing Medicine At DCU’s Faculty of Science and Health, cutting-edge research takes place in labs across the campus daily. Scientists work behind sealed doors to find ways to enhance technology and medicine. One scientist doing just this is Alan Costello, who is undertaking a PhD at the National Institute of Cellular Biology. Click here
A Helping Hand is the New Normal The COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult time for most people. But for more vulnerable groups, a change in daily routines and adjusting to a ‘new normal’ can be one of anxiety and trepidation. Recognising this, Dr Sinéad Smyth, from the DCU School of Psychology, and her team are determined to identify the difficulties facing young peoplewith Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and their families. Click here
The Thinking Behind Human Behaviour When we think of the world of psychology, it’s all too easy to limit the field to the counselling of people’s problems. But at DCU’s School of Psychology in the Faculty of Science and Health, the study of Psychology goes far beyond that of psychoanalysis and therapeutic techniques. Click here