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Written by John Fitzsimons
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A minor controversy has developed surrounding the newly constructed residence of UL President Don Barry on the campus of the University. Both the Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe and the Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny have criticised the extremely expensive project, which is expected to come to over €3 million when costs of fixtures and outside infrastructure are added to the €1.1 million cost of the building itself. Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr O’Keeffe commented that “obviously at a time of stringent financial constraints one would always ask people in authority to exercise restraint. It sounds lavish.” He declared that he will be ordering a report into the construction of the house.
The lavish building comes at a time when, according to the Sunday Independent, the university has now accumulated debts of over €3 million. In a large exposé on the new house, the paper detailed the extravagant spending on its interior. It emerged for example, that a quantity of Japanese silk wallpaper had been purchased at an estimated cost of over €40,000 for the president’s office. There was further controversy over the fact that the existing president’s €1 million house in Killaloe, remains under the ownership of the college, thus leading many to question the need for this second residence in the first place.
The university and its Students’ Union have been vocal in their defence of the project. The university emphasised that the money used for the house is private money, rather than that of taxpayers. It is understood to have been donated by Atlantic Philanthropies. This private foundation created in 1982 by the American billionaire Chuck Feeney, has donated over €40 million to UL, and been an essential driving force behind the university’s success. Eamonn Cregan, director of corporate affairs at UL, was also keen to stress that the university will have the building “at its disposal for a wide range of public events and campus functions as well as obviously providing residence for the president.”
Surprisingly, students were also keen to support the building of the residence, despite seeing a massive increase in their registration fees and various other educational cutbacks this year. Students’ Union President Ruan Dillon-McLoughlin acknowledged that it forms “part of the long term strategic plan for the university that will help see the university become a world class university in terms of infrastructure.” Many students were sceptical about the Minister’s sudden admonishment of a project that has been planned for a number of years now.
Some like business student Shane O’Sullivan thought the Minister was looking for an “easy headline.” Others rationalised the spending of such an amount on the president’s residence by contrasting it with the vast sums of money that have been donated to UL, thus seeking to demonstrate that in comparative terms, the amount spent on the residence did not amount to much.
Despite the obvious need for a fully functioning president’s house on campus and the fact that it was paid for through private funding, it must still be acknowledged that the excessive sum of money spent on the property is difficult to reconcile with the realities of the current economic climate. Such profligacy frustrates many people who are being forced to tighten their belts and suffer the consequences of the extraordinary wastefulness that has permeated Irish public life over the past twelve years.
Even though the donor has the right to ask and dictate where the money should be spent, it would have been nice if, in the words of Deputy Kenny, “the board had been more concentrated on seeking funding for the education resources of the students who attend UL.” |
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Written by Aine Pennello
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Describing the struggle of scientists to counteract climate change scepticism as a “science communication war”, Professor John Sweeney, director of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Unit (ICARUS) at NUI Maynooth and lecturer in the college’s geography department, spoke of the battle between scientists and sceptics last week at a conference held by DCU’s research group Celsius. These sceptics, says Sweeney, include journalists and lobbyists whose communication skills give them an advantage in voicing their doubts about the rapidity of climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) retraction of its claim on the melting of the Himalayan glaciers by 2035 has been seen as fundamental in fueling this scepticism. This incident has raised a serious call – even among environmentalists - for the reorganisation of the IPCC and an apology from its head, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, which so far has gone unanswered.
Given the IPCC’s role as the UN’s advisor on climate change, the exaggeration of the claim roused substantial suspicion on the reality of climate change as a whole. Such suspicions have been furthered, commentators believe, by the failure of world leaders at December’s Copenhagen summit to reach any resolution. Deniers of climate change have also created their own arguments, stating that the world is actually cooling down and citing the fact that recorded temperatures of the past decade have not been as high as in 1998.
Professor Sweeney criticised the sceptics, claiming that while climate change researchers have committed mistakes, these were being “blown out of proportion” and their counter-arguments were limited, pseudo-scientific and “very well-rehearsed”.
Believing such journalists and sceptics to possess superior communication skills, Prof Sweeney lamented scientists’ “lousy” abilities to communicate to a wide audience. “Not having being brought up in the literary and debating societies, scientists are not very good at winning arguments” Prof Sweeney commented.
As a result, the sceptics’ claim that climate change is a myth appears to be winning. Professor Sweeney cited the existence of institutes such as the Heartland Institute in the United States, which attempts to counteract the arguments concerning tobacco and health damage, as an example of the potentially damaging effect of scepticisim on scientific research. Numerous blogs and internet websites suspicious of climate change claims, such as the Sceptics Notebook, have also emerged, providing a guide for sceptics on dealing with climate change believers.
Climate change research scientists have been called upon to accept this scepticism as a vital part of the scientific process. China now recommends the IPCC to include sceptical points of view in their reports.
Researchers have also been encouraged to be more open about their own doubts and uncertainties in order to gain public confidence as the urge for the inclusion of ‘grey’ material in future IPCC reports starts to mount. While Prof Sweeney continues to see scepticism and science as antagonistic, others are wishing for a more complementary relationship between the two – for now, only time can tell who will win this battle.
Climate Facts:
19 demonstrators were arrested at a march during the Copenhagen Summit on December 12th for carrying pocket knives and wearing masks.
Marches protesting the inadequacies of the Summit occurred around the world with 20,000 marching in London and 50,000 in Australia.
Four Greenpeace activists were arrested during the Summit for gate-crashing a dinner attended by the heads of states.
A national survey carried out by Pew Research Center has discovered that Americans are steadily losing belief in the credibility of climate change hypotheses.
Global temperatures in 2009 were the 5th warmest since 1890
One bus emits greenhouse gases equal to that emitted by 50 cars.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 290 (ppm - parts per million) in 1900 to nearly 400 ppm.
Ireland’s mean annual temperature increased by 0.7 degrees celcius (°C) between 1890 and 2004.
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Written by Mairead O’Casey
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Taxpayers will face a legal bill of up to €1.2 million after Dublin City University lost their three year battle to dismiss an associate professor. Sources described the DCU President, Professor Von Prondzynski, as ‘embarrassed’ by the decision.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the High Court judgement finding that Dublin City University had not used fair procedures in dismissing Professor Paul Cahill, a former associate professor of biotechnology in DCU. In March 2006, Professor Cahill had a meeting with Professor Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, the president of Dublin City University. The meeting was to inform Von Prondzynski that Cahill had been offered a position as chair of molecular medicine in NUI Galway, an offer which required his research team to join him, and to ascertain whether he would receive an improved offer from DCU.
Although Von Prondzynski stated he had been given the clear impression Cahill was accepting the NUIG position, Cahill denies he indicated that such a departure was a certainty. Von Prondzynski admits he did not receive a formal resignation. Cahill would not name a date for his departure and the university decided the only option available was to dismiss him.
Cahill challenged this in the High Court, which found his dismissal to be unlawful. DCU appealed to the Supreme Court but it was found again that the dismissal violated the terms of the Universities Act 1997 and the university’s own statutes, because Cahill had not been given the opportunity to make a submission as to why his contract should not be terminated. |
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Written by Fearghus Roulston
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Councillor Emer Costello visited the Royal College of Surgeons last week as part of an event celebrating the institution’s 200th year in its premises on St. Stephen’s Green. The commemorative reception invited student representatives, RCSI staff and nearby businesses to mark the anniversary of the historic college, which was given a royal charter in 1784. The charter granted by King George III made the college the sole legally recognised body representing the science and art of surgery.
It moved to its current site in 1810, which was formerly a Quaker burial ground. The college has been the scene for many dramatic moments in Irish history- it was occupied during the 1916 Easter Rising by Countess Markievicz and 150 soldiers.
Professor Frank Keane, the President of RCSI, said: “For over 200 years, RCSI has been central to the advancement of surgery and medical education in Ireland. From our earliest days we have trained doctors and surgeons who have given exemplary service throughout the world and the advances in surgical procedures that we use today, represent the culmination of centuries of learning and enquiry. Surgery, as well as being our heritage, is fundamental to the delivery of healthcare in Ireland and our responsibilities reach into the training, standards and practice delivery of surgery in Ireland to ensure that safe surgery saves lives.”
A book on the history of RCSI will be published in February, and tours will be hosted throughout the year to introduce the public to the institution’s history.
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Written by Mairead O’Casey
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A photography exhibition called “Fire & Ice: A Photographic Journey of Antarctica,” by Prof John Gamble, was launched on the 20th of January at the Jennings Gallery in UCC. The exhibition was opened by Dr Clare O’Leary, who in 2008 led the first Irish team to walk 1,100km across the Antarctic ice to the South Pole. John Gamble is a Professor of Geology in UCC.
A PhD graduate of Queens College Belfast, Gamble made seven field trips to the icy tundra of Antarctica, where he researched the geochemistry of deep Earth and the processes that lead to volcanism. He even has three terrestrial landmarks named after him –Gamble Glacier, Gamble Cone and Gamble Volcanic Complex, a submarine volcano in the South-West Pacific.
Considered a desert, Antarctica is on average the driest, coldest, windiest and highest continent on the planet. “Fire & Ice,” is compiled of a collection of beautiful, previously unseen photographs taken by Gamble during his time in Antarctica. They include stunning images of volcanoes, and shots of the wildlife able to survive the harsh conditions. The exhibition also showcases a visit to the historic huts of Arctic explorers Scott and Shackleton, on Ross Island. “Fire & Ice” will run from the 21st of January until the 3rd of February. |
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