Ode to the Mitchells

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Emily Fritze (Dublin Institute of Techology)

When I first found out that I received the Mitchell Scholarship, I remember scanning through the bios of the other recipients and feeling slightly intimidated at their long lists of accolades, language proficiencies, and academic credentials. This was, undoubtedly, a group of accomplished young people who had achieved a great deal in their short lives. After spending six months in Ireland getting to know the Mitchell scholars, I must say that the carefully crafted narratives don’t begin to tell the full story of character and integrity of these individuals.

Thanks to my travels around Ireland and my apartment – which is relatively spacious and thus has become a de facto Mitchell hostel for those passing through Dublin — I’ve gotten to know each of the Mitchells. When this year ends, I will think fondly of my trip to the Aran Islands with Tom, weekends in Cork visiting Flan and Jon, lunches with Wardah, Halloween in Dublin with the entire Mitchell class, and weekly dinners with Harry and Lucas. Whenever Alabama football is playing on TV, I will think of Marian and Sarah’s fanatic devotion and impressive acumen of Auburn and University of Alabama football. And when I sit down to enjoy a breakfast buffet, I will always think of Mark.

A few weekends ago, we all came together for a mid-year retreat in Belfast, where we toured the murals, crossed the rickety Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and learned about the history of the Northern Ireland-Ireland conflict and ongoing peace process. As I rode home and reflected on the weekend, I realized how much I have learned in conversation with my fellow Mitchells. Our class is a diverse mix of personalities, backgrounds, interests, and talents, but these differences breed interesting, lively conversation and have exposed me to ideas and perspectives I might not have heard otherwise.

Our generation is often accused of being dilettantes, flipping from one activity or interest to the next as we do with apps on our smartphones. Spend an hour with my Mitchell class, and you’ll be convinced otherwise. It’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of our country when you meet these incredible young people.

I can’t believe there are just four months left in my time in Ireland. As the year winds down, our class is beginning to solidify plans for when we return to the States. Many are heading off to prestigious graduate programs while others are planning to return to the workplace. Regardless of where we all end up, I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this talented class of Mitchell Scholars.

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Looking Forward

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Wardah Athar (Trinity College Dublin)

I cannot believe that it’s already March! I’ve settled into a great rhythm with my research project, seeing friends, and continuing to explore Dublin. I also recently found a wonderful little ceramics studio that I’ve been going to some evenings. I really enjoy working with my hands and it’s a nice change of pace to have a place where I can do so without the calculations and precision required in the lab.

Speaking of labs, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what will come after I finish my time in Ireland and head back to the US this summer. Last summer, I was just beginning the torturous process of applying to MD/PhD programs. I had just graduated, but while all of my friends were celebrating and enjoying some precious free time before starting new jobs or graduate school, I hunkered down to study for the MCAT and write draft after draft of my personal statement. Last semester was a whirlwind of travel between Ireland and the US as I flew back every few weeks for interviews with programs all over the country. Now, nearly eleven months later, the application cycle is finally finished! I was accepted to both of my top choices and am now in the process of trying to pick the best fit for me.

MD/PhD programs are structured so that the PhD is bookended by the medical training- the first two years of preclinical medical coursework come first, followed by however long (ideally ~4 years) it takes to complete one’s PhD, and then topped off with two years of training on the hospital wards. I’m no longer scared by the fact that I’ll be in school for at least another 8 years, but knowing that I’ll be in one place for almost a decade does add a fair bit of pressure to the decision making process! Even though I’m not sure where I want to go, I am at least confident about the kind of science I want to pursue. The tissue engineering lab I am a part of here at Trinity has introduced me to some novel approaches to cell-based therapies for degenerative diseases, and I hope to apply those to my neuroscience research during my PhD years. In particular, I’m interested in better understanding neuronal development- how young cells gain particular molecular identities, how they migrate during development, how they communicate and form connections with surrounding cells, and, most importantly, if these conditions can be replicated in disease situations to slow degeneration and induce recovery.

Overall, this is an exciting time as I wrap up my current research project and begin to think about my next one. Fortunately, I won’t have to make a decision about which school to attend until after the revisit weekends at both places in April, so until then I’m content to enjoy the slowly warming weather in Dublin!

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Decisions and Doctoral Programs

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Sarah Johnson (Queens University Belfast)

April 15th looms in the distance, an ominous number on my calendars, both electronic and paper. It is a constant presence, in emails, texts, Skype conversations, and phone calls. It is ever approaching at a steady pace, and this time I cannot run away from it.  Besides being the deadline for filing my taxes, April 15th is the date set by the Council of Graduate Schools before which no member university can compel a student to accept an offer of admission or financial support. Essentially, it’s the National Signing Day of graduate schools. It is the date by which I have to make a decision on what doctoral program I will enter.

I applied to eight schools, which seemed like a relatively good idea at the time. But now, I realize that having so many wonderful options can be paralyzing, and time consuming. I’ve been blessed to be invited to visit all of the schools I applied to, so lately I’ve been spending lots of time in airports and on planes, racking up the frequent flyer points. From an 11 hour flight direct from Heathrow to San Francisco, to a long talk in a tiny prop plane with a material physicist, to sleeping in O’Hare, my travels this time around have provided plenty of interesting stories and conversations.

Besides getting to see the school campuses and lab facilities in person, these conversations have been the most rewarding aspect of my exhausting travels. At visit weekends, you get to meet not only current graduate students at that university, but also fellow prospective students. Talking with the current students has been especially enlightening as I compare how doctoral programs function on different sides of the ocean. To contrast with my current situation, I have classmates who are currently going through the application process for PhDs at Queens. While my US applications are departmental specific, here they apply for specific research slots, often industry sponsored – the source of funding is assured before you enter the program. In the US, funding is usually assured as well, but the source is often vague.

In the UK and Europe, PhDs usually only take 3 years and do not have nearly as large of a taught component as American programs do – you start research immediately, taking very few classes and often getting away with never being a TA! Since I am facing anywhere between 4 to 6 years more of grad school, I must say that the prospect of getting out in 3 years is appealing. However, this means fewer chances to publish papers other than your thesis, a disadvantage if the academic track is your goal, as it is mine. The different structure of doctoral programs is just another contrast between the academic systems of the US and the UK.

I have plenty of time to think these days, as one can only do so much homework on the tiny tray table in a Boeing 757 (people like to stare when you pull out a nuclear engineering textbook apparently). I’ve been using this time to reflect on my time spent so far this year, and the more professors I talk to, the more I realize how valuable this year is now and will be in the future. As my ultimate goal is to enter academia, knowing how different educational systems work will be invaluable for global research collaboration. Plus, I’ll be able to take the positive aspects of my time here, and bring it into my future lecture hall. I’ve heard so many times in my conversations at visit weekends how much people want to travel abroad, but that engineering undergrad programs tend to be inflexible to allow such opportunities – something I would want to address when I end up in a faculty position.

But to get to that spot, I’ll need to make a decision. Well, actually multiple decisions – where to go, what to research, who to work for, etc. Well, the IRS gives extensions for expats, can I get one for this graduate school deadline?

Posted in Class of 2014, Queen's University Belfast, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Life in the Civil Service

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Marian Royston (Queens University, Belfast)

For the past month, I have assumed the life of a Northern Ireland Civil Servant. As a requirement of my degree, Leadership for Sustainable Rural Development, I must complete a sixteen week work placement. By my good fortune, I have been placed at the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD). More specifically, I have been placed at the Rural Development South Division in Newry, a town south of Belfast. Of course, having to travel out of town several days a week has its own challenges, but overall, I have found my experience enjoyable, and am happy with the professional experience it is affording me.

My work days are long, but I’m sure that experience isn’t just unique to me. Rather, it’s a new experience that I’ve been slowly adjusting to. I’m awake and out the door just as the sun is beginning to shine. I travel by bus and the journey lasts a little over an hour. Unfortunately, I am unable to read on a bus for more than five minutes without motion sickness, so I generally spend the trip reflecting, listening to music or napping. I love pastoral scenery, and this island is definitely not lacking in that department. In all honesty, I’m glad that I’m able to get out of Belfast regularly. As much as I love it (and believe me I do), I’m not a city girl at heart, so the trip to a smaller town is welcomed.

My assignment is to prepare a business case for a new Investment Readiness scheme. Thus far, I’ve spent a great deal of time informing myself on the topic. But, as much as I enjoy reading and research, I’ll be the first to admit that it can quickly become monotonous. Fortunately, the office is full of characters that make the work day much more bearable. There’s no shortage of tea, coffee, biscuits and sweets whenever I need a break. And we all enjoy having a chat in between intensive sessions of focusing on our work. My co-workers have really gone above and beyond to make me feel as though I’m a part of the team.

One of my favorite aspects of the job is the opportunity to learn more about Northern Ireland politics. As an aspiring rural developer, it’s very beneficial for me to see firsthand how legislative decisions can impact development efforts in rural areas. My division of DARD almost exclusively distributes European money. Generally, they implement programs by contracting to local agencies. Therefore, in Northern Ireland, the Public and NGO sector are rather closely tied to and dependent upon one another. I can’t say that I’ve drawn any personal conclusions about the implications of all of that. Honestly, at this point, I’m simply absorbing information. I am, however, sure that DARD plays a pivotal role in improving the life of rural citizens in Northern Ireland. So, I’m happy to be in such an influential environment.

I don’t mind the long days in order to gain such a worthwhile experience. One of the reasons I gravitated toward my degree program was because of the opportunity for professional experience. Now, as I’m in the midst of that experience, I am more than satisfied with my decision.

Posted in Class of 2014, Development, Queen's University Belfast | Leave a comment

The 0.6 Percent: Destenie Nock, Engineer and International Volunteer

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Catherine Fontana, Alumna, Class of 2009

The 0.6 Percent: Destenie Nock, Engineer and International Volunteer

Only 0.6% of engineers in the US are African American women. That’s approximately one in every 31,000 people in the nation, according to a 2013 report from the National Science Foundation on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. And this statistic isn’t changing anytime soon: over the last decade, we’ve seen a 22% decrease in the number of African American women graduating with bachelors degrees in engineering. Meanwhile, among the entire population, degrees in engineering have increased a healthy 31% in the same amount of time. This is the story of one woman in that 0.6%.

You may assume that a child born to an engineer and technology enthusiast was destined to be involved in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), but Destenie Nock fell in love with numbers by choice. Unlike other fields of study, Nock was drawn to mathematics because of its resolute quality. “There are right and wrong answers – nothing between.”

Nock originally planned to be a high school math teacher. Yet, it was her high school physics instructor who suggested that she could help numerous amounts of people by pursuing a degree in engineering.

Upon arriving at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T), Nock ran between departments and campus buildings to gather all paperwork and permissions necessary to become a double major in electrical engineering and mathematics education, a non-typical undergraduate degree at her university. The legwork was worth it: “I wanted to put myself in a position to help the younger generation,” Nock says of her tenacity.

After a semester of student teaching math in a local school, Nock began to reconsider the words of her high school physics instructor. The teaching experiences left her feeling less fulfilled than expected. “Before you can find yourself and figure out what you want to do in life, you have to get lost,” reflects Nock. With only a couple classes remaining to finish her math education major, she changed her course of study – and course of her life – by switching to be an applied mathematics major.

In the midst of this transition, Nock stumbled upon an international volunteer project in Malawi, thanks to a professor, Dr. Tom Smith. Over a month abroad, Nock would have the opportunity to set up indoor and outdoor math teaching tools, such as a painted runway with numbers, for Malawian teachers. The once-in-a-lifetime trip came with the shocking price tag of $8,000. To afford the experience, Nock took on a third campus job and applied to numerous academic scholarships. Although affording the opportunity was exhausting, “it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Nock says.

Prior to her trip, Nock secured donated supplies, ranging from pencils to feminine products for the Malawian schools. However, Nock and her trip’s advisor, Dr. Liz Barber, realized that no volume of donated feminine supplies would ever meet the need of the Malawian communities. This shortage meant that girls would continue to miss school on account of their menstrual cycles. With that, Nock was on a new mission.

After some research, she discovered Africa Pads, an organization that designs and produces sanitary cloth pads that can be washed and reused. After confirming with the Malawian primary school teachers that they would benefit from these pads, Nock modified an online pattern and started gathering materials for the project. Nock flew to Malawi to teach her assigned community about mathematics and how to make their own reusable sanitary pads. Dr. Barber dubbed these pads ‘DestinyPads’ because of their potential to allow Malawian girls to have a greater, brighter destiny. According to the latest news from the village, teachers report that girls are attending school more regularly and a greater percentage of them are now passing their final exams.

While in Malawi, Nock also saw first-hand how a lack of reliable energy systems negatively impacts children’s access to education. Because of limited electricity and lighting, both school and children’s chores, such as tending cattle, must be done during daylight hours. “I have often stayed up past midnight studying for an exam, but many of the students I worked with in Malawi do not have this luxury,” Nock reflects. Working with the students at Domasi Primary School opened Nock’s eyes to the needs of the global community. “The power grid infrastructure needs substantial improvement and expansion.” Nock recognized her ability to be a change agent as an engineer. “Engineering is about the solution. Engineering is a way to help people.” And for Nock, helping people has been engrained in her ever since her early days as a Girl Scout.

Her future plans revolve around bringing sustainable energy systems to developing countries. Most recently, she was awarded the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, a Scholarship I received a few years ago that has become so prestigious that many are choosing it over the Rhodes. With the Mitchell, Nock will attend Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland to pursue an MSc in Leadership for Sustainable Development. Following her year abroad, she’ll return to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Industrial Systems Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Nock recommends budding engineers and mathematicians to complete as many math courses as possible in high school. “Talk to your math teacher, graduates of your high school, and college students. “Find that mentor,” encourages Nock. Discovering the ‘right fit’ for a university is also crucial. “Focus on your studies – and don’t be intimidated by the boys,” Nock says, obviously with some experience.

In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, making jewelry, playing tennis, and traveling; her car has over 215,000 miles on it from exploring the United States.

As Nock forges ahead, she isn’t shy to state: “I want to take every stereotype and blow it out of the water.”

To receive the DestinyPad template and instructions to make reusable pads, please e-mail Destenie at destenienock5@gmail.com.

The original version of this story appeared on Under The Microscope, a website funded by the National Science Foundation and hosted by the Feminist Press at the City University of New York.

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Thoughts on composing

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Flannery Cunningham (University College Cork)

When you decide early that you want to be a composer, you get used to people asking you “So how do you plan to make a living at that?”  Sometimes the question is aggressive, sometimes kind and genuinely curious, but either way it’s a little reminder that you’ve got a challenging path ahead of you.  Still, when you’re 16, 17, 18, it’s easy enough to shake off the reminder pretty quickly—especially if you’re lucky enough to have parents as incredibly supportive as mine.

Now, though, it’s getting harder for me to ward off the sense that the clock is ticking.  Of course, I’ve known the answer to the question of how to make a living at composing for a long time: you get really good at it.  You listen widely, you put in the hours, you learn how to work well with ensembles, and you cultivate every ounce of creativity you have.  This is all work I relish, but it’s work I’m beginning to feel behind on.  It’s so easy to look at the depth of the gap between the music you’re making now and the music at the edges of your imagination, and feel panicked that you’ll never scale that wall—or at least that every other composer your age will scale it so much sooner.

Though a kick in the behind now and again can be a good thing, by and large this panic isn’t productive.  It creates an uncontrollable urge to produce work now, so you write without the reflection that produces original ideas.  As proud as I am of some of the work I produced at Princeton, this is an urge I often gave into there.  It’s hard not to.

So, I realize just how very grateful I am for this year, for this pause and chance to learn so many of the things I need to learn.  UCC’s composition program demands hard work, but it also insulates you in many ways.  My classmates here are not wildly competing for commissions or applying for selective summer festivals, like my friends back home.  At UCC, I’m told work is good or not so good, but I’ve yet to see a single grade.  There’s a really lovely focus on simply learning to do the things that interest us and on developing our own particular musical voices.  In a way, this year is a bit of a creative retreat for me. 

I can already see the ways in which this has done me a world of good.  Last week the Irish composer Jennifer Walshe came in to our weekly research seminar to speak about her music.  Ireland is a country with an extraordinary number of composers per capita, but Jennifer is at the top of the heap.  She’s done a wealth of incredible—and incredibly creative—things, from staging a series of concerts by a group of fictional Irish artists to creating a puppet opera for Barbie dolls.  Some of it is pretty out there, but she makes it work.  It was fantastic to hear her talk about her work and I was grateful for it, but I know that six months ago I would have found it hard to listen without my admiration being tinged with a bit of angst—would I ever be able to do this, to not only continually churn out such varied ideas but to keep up the social energy to make sure they were realized?  Now I’m getting better at saying, “Okay, Flann.  Calm down and just think about what it is that you admire in her work—how might those things translate to your own music?”  That’s the only useful reaction, and one that I hope will have changed my work for the better by the end of the year.  Ireland is teaching me some lessons.

Posted in Class of 2014, Music, Composition, University College Cork | Leave a comment

Islam in Ireland

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Wardah Athar (Trinity College Dublin)

Last Friday, I was finally able to attend Jumu’ah (Friday) prayers at a masjid (mosque) in nearby Clonskeagh. Jumu’ah is a congregational service that takes place once a week on Friday afternoons, bringing together the Muslim community and offering an opportunity for shared worship. Because of my busy schedule last term, I was unable to make it out to Clonskeagh for Jumu’ah, and I had really missed the sense of community and spiritual refreshment that comes from being part of a congregation.

The masjid in Clonskeagh is beautiful and spacious, and there are plans underway to build a new and much larger masjid in Dublin, which will be the largest in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe. Interestingly, there has been very little controversy over the construction of this new masjid, which, in addition to the main prayer hall, includes a cultural center, bookshop, library, mortuary, restaurant, primary and secondary schools, and an impressive gym. Considering the uproar that takes place in other European countries over the construction of any space for Muslims (just think of the minaret ban in Switzerland), this suggests that the Muslim community here in Dublin is fairly well integrated and accepted by its non-Muslim neighbors.

Oliver Scarbrochdt, a professor at University College Cork, recently completed the first major research study on Muslims in Ireland, which can be found here for any who are interested. He suggests that Ireland’s own tumultuous history with religion has sensitized the nation to the challenges that come with being a religious minority and has led to the good relations that exist between Muslim leaders and the Irish state. For example, there exist Muslim national schools that are recognized by the Department of Education, meaning that they receive the same funding as other national and are held to the same academic standards. Moreover, Muslims organizations are recognized by the state as charitable organizations, allowing them to avoid some of the legal issues that have come up in Germany and the UK.

Personally, I haven’t felt that Dublin is very different from DC in terms of my day-to-day interactions with non-Muslims. There have been a few incidents when I was out in Dublin and someone walking by offered some rude or racist remarks, but I have never felt targeted in the way many Muslim women do in perhaps France or the UK. Having spoken with other Muslim students at Trinity about these topics in general, it seems that the most isolating element is not any kind of racism or Islamophobia, but rather the drinking culture that exists here. Since practicing Muslims don’t consume alcohol, it can be difficult to form friendships with Irish peers and colleagues that go beyond the classroom or the office when they can’t be continued in the pub.

At the end of the day, though, I feel incredibly grateful to have found such a welcoming community and masjid, and I plan to return to Clonskeagh regularly over the coming weeks. Even though it was my first time attending and I only knew a few people, with my forehead pressed to the ground, shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, I finally felt really at home in Dublin.

Posted in Class of 2014, Trinity College Dublin, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Window Into a Wonderful World

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Paul Moinester (University College Dublin)

David Byrne showing off the splendor of Irish pike

I was three hours into my first day of pike fishing in Ireland when I heard the best words that have been spoken to me since touching down in the Emerald Isle. As an 8-pound pike took a brief hiatus from peeling line off my reel to dance across the choppy water, David Byrne, Marketing/Angling Coordinator for Inland Fisheries Ireland, looked over at me and with his classic Irish accent nonchalantly muttered, “Oh, it’s a small one.”

The Irish are famous for their wry wit and propensity to employ healthy doses of sarcasm, but David wasn’t being sarcastic or witty. He was being entirely earnest because apparently in Ireland, an 8-pound pike on the fly, a trophy fish in the United States, is a routine and not particularly noteworthy occurrence. His statement left me more slack-jawed than the fish recklessly launching itself through the crisp November air.

My first Irish pike

Up until that brisk fall weekend, my biggest complaint about my time in Ireland had been that I had not immersed myself enough in my new home country’s rich culture and verdant lands. Regrettably I had confined myself far too often to my dorm room and buried myself too deeply in work. While the time I spent firmly affixed to my desk chair proved to be productive, it was ultimately robbing me of engaging with my Irish environs, both human and natural.

Two months of depriving myself of experiencing Ireland came to an abrupt end when I received an email from David inquiring if I would like to spend two days tossing flies for ferocious pike on Lough Ramor in County Cavan. It was an invitation I could not refuse.

Big flies catch big fish

A few days later as the early morning sun peeked over the buildings of campus, I hopped into David’s car, and we set off on my first Irish adventure. David’s immense knowledge and fantastic storytelling made for an entertaining and informative drive as we raced north through the countryside’s charming villages and picturesque lands. And every river crossed prompted a series of fantastic stories from David, who has dedicated his life to fishing, conserving, and promoting the seemingly endless number of rivers and lakes that carve up the otherwise green Irish landscape.

I had come to Ireland expecting good fishing and an interesting conservation story, but spending two days chatting with David as we chucked flies through Cavan’s howling winds illuminated that both the fish and story are far more amazing and compelling than I had previously imagined. I had unintentionally stumbled upon a fishery unique in its wildness, breadth, and quality. It’s a fishery that beckons me to traverse its clean and cool waters, and a fishery that will ensure I engage much more deeply with Ireland.

David punching big flies through strong winds

So now as I ready myself for my second and final semester in Ireland, my preparations have involved a series of emails to my new friend David about our plans to further explore Ireland’s incredible waters and delve more deeply into this intriguing conservation story. Any anxiety or stress about the mountain of schoolwork that will greet me in Ireland has been eradicated by the excitement I feel about the waters and adventures that await my return. Like the vibrant waters of Ireland, my body courses with life in anticipation for it all.

Posted in Class of 2014, Natural Resources, University College Dublin | Leave a comment

Midyear Update

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Lucas Mason-Brown (Trinity College Dublin)

My time in Ireland has been valuable and constructive for so many different reasons. I have had the opportunity to explore Dublin, a vibrant and historic city, and to immerse myself in a new and foreign culture. There is something deeply cathartic about a change of scenery (maybe there’s a reason why so many great physicists and mathematicians have their most important epiphanies while taking a walk!) I have had the pleasure of working with a brilliant mentor who has challenged and stimulated me as a mathematician and of meeting ten other amazing Mitchell Scholars, each with such unique interests and personality. But perhaps most importantly, my experience in Ireland has given me the time and space to think. To think not only about manifolds and differential forms (although I’ve done plenty, maybe too much, of that) but to think also about more fundamental questions, like what I want to do after Ireland, what I want to do for a living, how and when I do my best work, whether research mathematics is for me.

I can’t say I’ve answered any of these questions conclusively, but I’ve come a little bit closer. I’ve learned that I need to work with people. Although my advisor is very helpful and always accessible to talk, I am the only student in my program at Trinity, and I have found that somewhat isolating (recently, I organized a weekly idea-swap with two advanced undergraduates, which has definitely helped). I have also discovered that what I like most about mathematics is the not the doing of it, per se, but all the exposition and interpretation that comes with it. I love talking about math, teaching math, debating math, and writing about math. Of course, to do all of these things, one first has to do some math, but for me, that part is a means to an end.

In light of these new thoughts, I have decided to change course slightly, at least for now. I have elected to take a course at Trinity on math education. In the second half of this course, students intern with math teachers in public grade schools near Dublin. More recently, I was asked to assist in the development of Ireland’s first national computer science competition, which is currently being organized by folks at Google’s Dublin headquarters, as a member of the newly-formed “problem council.” Most drastically for me, I have decided to spend the next few years teaching middle school math. I am in the process of applying to several apprenticeship programs in Boston.

I am both nervous and excited about my new plans for the future. In some ways, they are a radical departure from the rather linear college-grad school-academia trajectory I had always counted on taking. But at this stage, teaching feels like a very natural next step, and I am very excited for the future.

Posted in Class of 2014, mathematics, Trinity College Dublin | Leave a comment

The Unconqerable Christmas Spirit of Belfast

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Marian Royston (Queens University, Belfast)

Last December, the Belfast City Council decided to limit the number of days the Union Jack would be flown over Belfast City Hall.

This decision sparked a firestorm of controversy, protests, and civil unrest.   This discontent led to protests from loyalist and unionist groups throughout Belfast that lasted well into the New Year.   The consequence of such lengthy demonstrations was a poor Christmas season for Belfast.

This year, the citizens of the city waited with bated breath for the holiday season to begin.   As time drew closer to the anniversary of the flag decision, rumblings of unrest emerged once again. Of course, in democratic societies, citizens have a right to have a government that adequately represents them.   Moreover, citizens are allowed to peacefully protest. Problems arise, however, when some are unable to express their dissatisfaction in a constructive way. In the case of Belfast, that means violence. The protests struggled to stay peaceful and some moved from protesting to rioting. Additionally, a few outliers resorted to bombs.

In a place like Northern Ireland, scarred by the memories of darker days, it’s important for the Christmas season, a time to think of “Peace on Earth” and “Goodwill to Men”, to be exactly that—a season of hope.   Sadly, Belfast was robbed of that opportunity last year.   It seemed as though this year, much to the dismay of city leaders, would be much of the same.   At the end of November, a car bomb partially exploded at Victoria Square, a shopping mall in town. Fortunately, no one was harmed.   Additionally, a march was planned on the anniversary of the flags decision.

Belfast wouldn’t be cowed this year. People desperately want to move past Northern Ireland’s dark and tragic past. Two more bomb incidents occurred in Belfast this season, but Christmas merrymakers were determined to get on with their lives. The Continental Market, one of the best (and my favorite) Christmas attractions in town, was forced to close temporarily last year. This year, the market enjoyed record attendance despite the tense atmosphere.

Taking cues from the rest of Belfast, I attended the market numerous times. The first time I visited was with my classmates shortly after it opened, the atmosphere was light. We all frolicked from the Medical Biology Centre at Queen’s up to the market in silly Christmas jumpers and fuzzy hats. The market is almost the torch-bearer for the Christmas Spirit in Belfast, and I loved every moment there.

After the bombing in the Cathedral Quarter, the atmosphere changed, in my opinion. It was slightly tense and worried, yet it was also defiant.  As Christmas drew closer, more people than ever flocked to the market.   Some may take the market’s record attendance as a sign of Belfast’s desensitization to bombings and violence, but I took it as a symbol of progress. Belfast is moving forward.   And riots and bombings are no longer tolerated as a normal way of life.

I sincerely hope that marginalized parties can have their voices heard in the future. It is critical to the healing process.  For this year, however, I am happy that Belfast decided to have a happier Christmas season.

Posted in Class of 2014, Queen's University Belfast, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Crying Over Fictional Triumphs in Democracy

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Jonathan Poole (University College Cork)

I have a confession to make. Okay… I often cry when I watch the West Wing. Well, not so much cry, it is more the feeling you get when you have something in both of your eyes. I am such a believer in American democracy that, whenever a bill is passed in the show, it just turns on the water works. So, when I discovered The Newsroom (also by Aaron Sorkin) last year, I giggled out of pure anticipation.

I re-watched the first season of the Newsroom over the past couple of months and have found myself replaying the opening scene over and over in my head. For those who are unfamiliar with the clip, a girl asks a panel of news broadcasters why America is the best country in the world. Jeff Daniels (the apathetic, Republican moderate) explodes into passionate, factual prose about why America is not the best country in the world, and that the millennial is the worst generation in American history. However, the most important part comes at the end of his speech when he says that America may not be the best in the world, but it has the capacity to become the best.

The problem that he recognizes is one I have spent a lot of time reading about this year. In my reading about economic and social inequality in America, I have learned that social mobility is becoming more difficult to achieve, and that the inequality that exists in our country is so deeply rooted, that people born into the lower economic classes of society will most likely stay there. More importantly, as a member of the military, I have learned that our public education system is the foundation of our national security, and that a failing education system is corroding away economic mobility and the ability to achieve the American Dream.

As I have traveled in more equal countries, I have seen strong public education systems and observed where countries are pioneering new models. There is one thing that I have not seen or witnessed in my conversations in Ireland or elsewhere in Europe, and that is the intangible ideal of citizenship and all that it encompasses. There is something remarkable about America and its democratic ideals that make you believe that citizenship isn’t just a word, but rather a belief. It is a belief that inspires civic activism that will drive America to improve. It is this pure sense of patriotism that makes me believe that America could be the greatest country in the world.

There is part of the Newsroom clip that I regard as complete and utter fallacy. Jeff Daniel’s character claims that the millennial generation is the worst in American history. I vehemently challenge this assertion for the sole reason that I know the people of my generation. For so long, I have been surrounded by people who wish to make a difference in this world. These people that I have come to know have expressed the most pure and patriotic sentiments about helping people and improving our country. So before we get labeled, “as the worst generation,” I implore you to read what twenty-somethings are writing, to listen to their vision for America, and ask yourself if these young people embody what it truly means to be American.

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Why Limerick Feels Like Home

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Mark Brennan (University of Limerick)

The American-Irish relationship is evolving, with 38 million Americans defining their ancestry as Irish or Scotch-Irish in 2010 compared to 44 million in the 1990 census. Irish youth from my generation increasingly look to live in Anglophone cousins other than the US–like Canada, the UK, and Australia, or work in Anglophone enclaves in places like the Emirates. While the American J1 summer visa is still a rite of passage for many Irish teens – most people in my 12 person masters program have taken at least one J1 – many advocates of a more advanced US-Irish relationship worry about the depth and longevity of the US-Irish connection. They want to build a sustainable relationship that extends beyond St. Patrick’s Day parades.  It would be a relationship based on art, business, and scholarship like university undergraduate and graduate exchanges.

While this new, deeper American-Irish dynamic will take time to build, I have come to recognize the incredible foundation already in place. Spending 3.5 months studying in Limerick, sandwiched in-between 1.5 months working in New Jersey this summer and a month relaxing there this winter (and 17 years of growing up there) have shown me the incredible similarities between parts of the Emerald Isle and the United States – or more specifically, Limerick and New Jersey.

A Forbes article once noted, “On St. Patrick’s Day we’re all Irish.” In New Jersey, in some municipalities, this holds true year round. More than 10% of the population claims Irish ancestry along the shore and in the Philadelphia and New York suburbs. Several Jersey shore towns have over over 30% of residents claiming Irish heritage. A stretch of Irish communities along the shore – not too far from the quaint town of Seaside Heights that hosted the TV series the Jersey Shore – is nicknamed the Irish Rivera.

Maybe it is the shared chromosomes, or the shared heritage that manifests in houses on both sides of the Atlantic flying the Irish flag, but at the cultural level there are uncanny similarities between my Limerick and New Jersey experiences. Both Limerick and New Jersey have a touch of sandwiched-by-big-cities complex, Limerick by economically successful Cork and party-town Galway and New Jersey by historic Philadelphia and adjective-not-needed New York City.  As a result, both have strong, proud cultures that one can say is only found in Limerick or only in New Jersey. Limerick buzzes with a remarkable energy during Munster rugby games, with a level of cohesion and passion that I have only seen equaled in the prolific spread of ‘Jersey Strong’ and ‘Stronger than the Storm’ bumper stickers in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Downtown Limerick, with the 700-year-old St. John’s castle excluded, could be mistaken for dozens of New Jersey towns, with its three story brick facades and slew of small businesses.

Exemplifying their robust, proud culture, both New Jersey and Limerick are looking past the heavy industrial heydays and building post-industrial economies based on pharmaceutical and high-tech industries. While over the past two decades Bell Labs’ headquarters and offices in New Jersey were pared down significantly, Bell Labs’ younger Dublin office’s connection to the University of Limerick’s Stokes Institute is has grown stronger.  Dell Computers closed down its Limerick processing plant in 2009 loosing Limerick about 1,900 jobs, but on the other side of the Atlantic IBM has continued to reaffirm its 99-year-old relationship with the State of New Jersey providing thousands of jobs.  New Brunswick, NJ, ‘The Healthcare City’, is my home and headquarters of Johnson & Johnson, which operates a subsidiary plant in the Irish National Technology Park that is a six-minute walk from my Limerick apartment. New Jersey hosts growing labs of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which in 2013 announced plans to buy a plant and start operations in Limerick – in the very factory Dell abandoned in 2009.

In these similarities, I can see the foundation for meaningful cooperation and exchange. However, the United States is a big place of which much does not resemble New Jersey; Limerick is just a small slice of Ireland; Washington D.C. is a city with an decreasingly coherent Irish voice; Dublin is going to have to navigate flack over low corporate taxes effectively to solidify Ireland’s relationship with many American pharmaceutical and high-tech companies.

I could not imagine another place outside of New Jersey that would feel more like home than Limerick. (And I’m not even touching on that cliché ‘my last name is Brennan and I’m finding my roots’ conversation.) As the Ellis Island era migration stories are now tales about great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, and young Irish now arrive at Toronto Pearson and Dubai International Airport alongside JFK and Boston Logan Airport, I am heartened by the bigger implications of these similarities between Limerick and New Jersey.

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