Limerick Institute of Technology’s first successful Fulbright Scholar begins at Northeastern University, Boston, MA.
Dr Daragh Naughton from the Department of Mechanical & Automobile Engineering, SEIT, has begun as a Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Northeastern University (NEU) has a student population of approximately 25,000 students and is embedded in the heart of the Boston city landscape.
Speaking at his inaugural lecture, Dr Daragh Naughton said, “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to experience faculty life at such a dynamic and proud University. The campus has a long heritage in Engineering amongst other disciplines. LIT and NEU have many things in common-but it is our differences that I am keen to explore. Hopefully, the visit will forge strong links between our institutions upon which we can build in the future”
Daragh Naughton is LIT’s first Fulbright Scholar and only one of two recipients from the Institute of Technology sector to receive the prestigious award.
A record number of 37 Irish Fulbright Awards were officially announced on June 15th at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin. The awards are jointly funded by the Irish and US governments under the Ireland-United States (Fulbright) Commission for Educational Exchange.
Among the candidates were two IOTI recipients including the Limerick Institute of Technology’s first successful Fulbright Scholar and the Waterford Institute of Technology’s third candidate to date:
- Dr Daragh Naughton is a lecturer in the School of Science, Engineering & Information Technology at the Limerick Institute of Technology. Dr. Naughton will undertake research in the area of materials science as well as developing the concept of signature pedagogy for undergraduate engineers at Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts.
- Dr. Thomas O’Toole is Head of the School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology. Dr. O’Toole will undertake research at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University in the area of inter-firm collaborative capability to model growth lessons for Irish software firms from the embedded interconnected ties that appear to characterize their US counterparts.
Fulbright scholarships have provided Irish students, scholars and professionals with the opportunity to study, lecture and research at top universities and institutions in the U.S. since 1957.
This year’s recipients will attend leading institutions across the US including NASA, Harvard, Columbia, MIT, NYU, Berkeley, Fordham, Notre Dame, Northeastern, Villanova and UCLA.
Speaking about this year’s Fulbright Awards, Ms Una Halligan, Chair of the Fulbright Commission said:
“37 Fulbright awards is a record for Fulbright Ireland. We were delighted but not surprised by the level and standard of applicants in the 2012 Irish awards competition. The reputation of Fulbright continues to grow as the international value and influence associated with being a ‘Fulbrighter’ becomes more widely recognised in both academic and professional contexts.
“The breadth of each recipient’s field of expertise highlights the innovative nature of Fulbright which values all disciplines equally. Although their subjects are varied, each of these recipients has one very important trait in common - outstanding leadership ability. This is the true essence and purpose of Fulbright.
“We have no doubt the collaborations and accomplishments they make while in the US will impact enormously on future growth across all realms of Irish society well into the future.”
Ireland also had a record year in the Fulbright-Schuman Category winning 4 out of 13 awards which are open to citizens across 27 EU member states. This category promotes US-EU relations and is funded through the U.S. State Department and the Directorate-General for Education and Culture of the European Commission.
In addition to Fulbright Commission Awards, there were three sponsored awards that attracted a great deal of interest including:
- The Fulbright – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Award in Water, Climate Change & Sustainable Environment worth €20,000 won by Ms Alice Cowman who will undertake a Masters in Climate and Society at Columbia University.
- The Fulbright – Enterprise Ireland Award in Innovation worth €10,000 won by Ms. Natasa Paterson who will attend the University of California Los Angeles's renowned Film Scoring program
- The Fulbright – CRH Awardin Business Studies or Engineeringvalued at €20,000 won by Mr Shane Kiernan who will undertake a Masters degree in Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health
Reflecting on the candidates, Colleen Dube, Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission said;
“This year we have seen many interesting trends with increased awards and applicants in the environment, creative arts and Irish language categories. One of the candidates will carry out cutting edge research on solar storms at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Two of Ireland’s young composers will attend Berklee College of Music, Boston to study Jazz Performance and Composition and the University of California Los Angeles's renowned Film Scoring program respectively.”
The Fulbright Awards are presented on an annual basis to Irish students, scholars and professionals to undertake postgraduate study and research at higher education, cultural and related institutions in the United States. Applications are encouraged in all disciplines including the visual and performing arts. Later in the year the Commission will welcome 13 US Fulbright Scholars and 3 US Fulbright Students to Ireland
The next Fulbright Awards Competition 2013-2014 will open to applicants on Monday 27th August 2012. For more information visit www.fulbright.ie.