Research Matters Issue 7 - Winter 2006

ISSUE 7WINTER 06/07

Unlocking theeconomic potential ofscientific research atWIT’s ArcLabs

WIT Conferences PhD Graduates 2006 New Technologies

Unlocking theeconomic potential ofscientific research atWIT’s ArcLabs

One of the main themes of this issue is the commercialisation of research. WaterfordInstitute of Technology has a critical role to play in supporting regional developmentand in sustaining a competitive economy both in the region and the country generally.It is incumbent upon higher education to provide leadership in fostering a research,development and innovation culture from which indigenous enterprises emerge tocreate sustainable career opportunities in regionally diverse locations.

The Institute has responded to this challenge by developing a dynamic fourth leveleducation programme which is producing PhD graduates across all disciplines. Thesegraduates have the knowledge and skill to become the corporate leaders of tomorrow.A number of its recent PhD graduates are profiled in this edition.

The Institute’s philosophy of aligning Research and Innovation is exemplified by itsArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre. Funded by the Higher Education Authority(HEA), Enterprise Ireland and AIB, the ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre is the firstnew building on the West Campus - a 150-acre riverside land bank where much of theInstitute's future development will take place.

ArcLabs structures scientific research, business incubation and entrepreneurshiptraining at a single site, creating an environment that channels the research output tothe marketplace through innovation and entrepreneurship. Indeed, in order to support

regional development and economic competitiveness, WIT has forged excellent professional partnerships with industry and leadingacademic institutions across the world.

This strategy is already having an economic impact with research groups such as the Enterprise Ireland funded 3CS group creatinghigh technology start-up companies which are housed in the Arclabs Centre. This, along with a number of WIT’s other industrycollaborations are focused upon in this issue.

Dr. Willie Donnelly

Head of R esearch & Innovation

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Editorial

Contents

ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre officially opened . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Future entrepreneurs sign up to SEEPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The power of the spin-off company: from research to industry with 3CS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Best paper award at conference: “Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

What If You Had A Universal Remote That Controlled Your Universe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

WIT Award for Excellence in Research Supervision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Religion and Technology Dialogue at WIT: SophiaEuropa Local Society Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

WIT PhD Graduates 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11

WIT’s Automotive Control Group forms links with Sumitomo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

New Macular Pigment Lab at WIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Profile of a reseacher: Dr. June Frisby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Research awards won by WIT staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales (FEIW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Family law precedents: reforming the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Major Tourism Network based at WIT School of Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Managing your research accounts: WIT’s Project Accounting Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Bridging Brains through Collaborative Working Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Recent WIT workshops and conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

Recent WIT publications & conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-23

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There has been excellent progress in thispast year by all residents of ArcLabs. TheTelecommunications Software andSystems Group (TSSG) has gone fromstrength to strength and now has 110staff. There are also 11 entrepreneurialcompanies now operating out of theCentre. The sources of these companiesreflect a key intent of the Centre; someclients are former Enterprise PlatformProgramme (www.seepp.ie )participants; some are spin-outs fromTSSG product development teams; othercompanies have applied for entry basedon the reputation that the Centre isbuilding among entrepreneurs andtechnologists.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship, which ispart of the WIT School of Business and isbased at ArcLabs, has been successful inwinning funding and launching two newresearch projects; FEIW (related to

female entrepreneurship) and CRIPREDE(addressing research and technologydevelopment policy). Two companies thatare former participants of SEEPP, Nubiqand Taoglas, have been selected asregional finalists for the All-IrelandSeedcorn competition, a business plancompetition organised by InterTradeIreland.

It is also fascinating to observe andparticipate in the enterprise developmentlife-cycle which is at is at the core ofArcLabs’ strategy and to witness theformation of companies and thedevelopment of new products andservices. Researchers have undertakenthe SEEPP programme, have createdenterprises and have become clients ofArcLabs on completion. Examples ofthese ventures are Nubiq, Aceno andAkruu. Combining research withentrepreneurship training and business

incubation processes is at the heart ofArcLabs’ business development ethos.Similarly, one of the founders of a clientcompany, Rodarim, is currentlyundertaking the SEEPP programme as aroute to developing a new product andpossibly a new company.

The ArcLabs Centre has served as a venuefor a number of conferences and researchproject events and is hosting theInstitute’s executive MBA programme atevenings and weekends. The Centre forEntrepreneurship has also commencedthe delivery of Enterprise Start, aprogramme sponsored by EnterpriseIreland. This is aimed at helpingprospective entrepreneurs makedecisions regarding the feasibility of theirbusiness ideas and to gain insights intothe essential elements involved increating a new enterprise. A number oftargeted workshops have been run atArcLabs including “Blogging for Business”,“Selling into North American Markets”and “Legal Issues for Start-ups”. Theworkshops have been led byknowledgeable, experienced presentersand the sessions have been well attendedand received. The Centre will continue toexpand the range of workshops offeredin the coming months.

The focus over the next twelve monthswill be to continue to build awareness ofArcLabs in the business community, toenhance the links between clientcompanies and the Institute’s broaderresearch resources and to continue toprovide an excellent set of supportservices to early-stage companies.

ArcLabs Research & Innovation Centre officially opened

An Taoiseach opening the ArcLabs Research and Innovation Centre. Included inthe photograph are Dr. Willie Donnelly, Head of Research, WIT, Mr. JohnMcConnell, Assistant Principal, WIT, Cllr. Mary Green, Mayor of County

Waterford, Mr. Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Transport, Mr. RedmondO'Donoghue, Chairman, WIT Governing Body, An Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern

T.D., Senator Brendan Kenneally, Professor Kieran Byrne, Director, WIT

For more information contact:Tom CorcoranE-mail: [email protected]

The official opening of the Research and Innovation Centre by An Taoiseach,Bertie Ahern, took place on October 16th last, a date that coincided almostexactly with the first anniversary of the move to the new building. The occasionwas also marked by the rebranding of the centre as ArcLabs. ArcLabs is featuredon the front cover of this issue. The new name is intended to convey the spark ofinnovation occurring in an experimental, scientific environment and toencapsulate the collaborative environment of the Centre.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship inWIT’s School of Business welcomed anew cohort of start-up entrepreneurs tothe South East Enterprise PlatformProgramme (SEEPP) on Friday 22ndSeptember. The group, who will spend ayear on the programme researching andgrowing their innovative businessconcepts, are drawn from the fivecounties of the South East and countiesfurther afield such as Meath, Kildare,Dublin and Kerry. Their business ideas

cover a broad and diverse spectrumincluding environmental management,food, manufacturing, health/medicaldevices, e-learning, ICT andentertainment. Recent academic accreditation of theprogramme is a noteworthydevelopment. A progressive “LiveLearning” educational model has beenadapted for this programme, based onthe participants demonstrating, viaregular documentary submissions and

presentations, that they are integratingand implementing their learning on anongoing basis in their companies’operations. Participants whosuccessfully complete the requirementsof the programme will now receive aPost Graduate Diploma in EnterpriseDevelopment from WIT.

Future entrepreneurs sign up to SEEPP

For more information contact:www.seepp.ie

The establishment of a number of spin-off companies by 3CS is rather ironicsince the centre itself is a spin-off fromthe Telecommunications SoftwareSystems Group (TSSG). Established withfunds from Enterprise Ireland’s AppliedResearch Enhancement programme, ithas quickly grown to 50 researchers andmade significant progress in a number ofareas relating to Internet, mobile andnext generation TV services.

The Applied Research Enhancementprogramme funding was crucial,explained Downes, since the centre didnot receive any baseline funding fromGovernment. “We needed to win acompetitive tender for funding and theEUR 1.25 million we received enabled thecreation of new research centres formaterials management and convergedcommunications services.”

Since then the Centre for ConvergedServices has secured substantialadditional Enterprise Ireland fundingthrough proof of concept and technologydevelopment programmes and has alsoreceived funding from the EuropeanCommission’s eTen programme. This hasfuelled its rapid expansion andaccelerated the development of spin-offcompanies such as Nubiq and FeedHenry.

“The TSSG has a great track record inacademic research in areas such as policymanagement, but we saw a requirementto concentrate on end user services,” saidDownes. “For example, we have aproduct centre that is working withmajor international companies such asOracle and BEA Systems on IMS, a next

generation networking architecture fortelecoms operators who want to provideboth mobile and fixed multimediaservices.” IMS is being trialled or installedby mobile operators around the world.However, the capital investment involvedis sizeable so operators need rapid accessto revenue generating services to justifythis investment – which is where centressuch as 3CS come in. “We saw anopportunity for turning research intotechnology that could be licensed orspun-out,” added Downes.

3CS is dedicated to developing multi-modal applications or applications thatextend across more than onecommunication medium. This area hasattracted a great deal of interest fromtelecoms industry vendors and operators– for example, BT has launched a devicethat operates as a mobile phone whenthe user is away from his/her landlineand as a conventional fixed line handsetwhen in the home or office.

The first commercial result of thisresearch is Nubiq, which is led by HélèneHaughney and which launched its mobilewebsite product Zinadoo in September.Zinadoo began life as a Proof of Conceptwith Enterprise Ireland funding in early2005, followed by an innovationpartnership funded by Enterprise Irelandand O2. It enables end users to create amobile website from their PCs, takingexisting content and creating, deployingand managing new mobile services andsites. Users do not have to writesoftware, develop and manageconnections to operators’ networks andgateways or host, manage and monitorthe service.

The company has been funded by theeTen programme (where partnersinclude AePONA and Aceno MobileTechnologies as well as the Berlin-basedFraunhofer Institute FOKUS, OTEPlus inGreece and Spain’s Telefonica I&D) andrecently secured additional funding fromEnterprise Ireland. Operations managerFiona Haughey said further capitalinvestment would be sought next year asthe sales team is expanded and addedthat the company would considerlicensing the product and potentiallysome software library components.

Aceno’s Conor Ryan supported Nubiqwith business development for its trialcustomers, building on the close workingrelationship the centre has developedwith the mobile content distributioncompany since it emerged from the TSSGin 2003.

Nubiq used open source libraries inaddition to software developed in-houseand is investigating a number of patentopportunities. Refinements are beingmade to the service as part of the plan totarget the UK market, with a formallaunch at mobile communications event3GSM next February. Early 2007 will alsosee the launch of Hash6, which hasdeveloped technology to allow radiostations to link their current playing songto a digital media that can be purchasedby listeners. This is a slightly differentmodel to Nubiq in that 3CS researchersBernard Butler and Colm Dunphy wereapproached to conduct the research byan external source.

Another spin-off business withsignificant commercial potential isFeedHenry, a system that enables newsfeed subscribers to receive notificationswhen there are updates to their

Mr. Barry Downes,Director of 3CS


The power of the spin-off company: from research to industry with 3CS

Despite only coming into existence formally in January 2006, the Centre forConverged Services (3CS) has made rapid advances in several research areas.Director Barry Downes told Research Matters how a focus on end-user servicesand a keen awareness of technology with commercial potential have helped tofuel this growth.

subscribed services. “Peter Elger, PaulWatson and their team are doing basicresearch, applied research andcommercialisation work at the same timeon this project,” explained Downes, whois confident that the centre’s closerelationship with Oracle will give theproject a major boost.

“We are integrating FeedHenry RSSaggregation as a piece of infrastructureinto Oracle’s SDP(Service DeliveryPlatfrom). We also built a number ofservices, which are pretty basic at themoment but will be further advanced bythe time we demonstrate them at3GSM.”

3CS is investigating IPTV throughFeedHenry and one of the mostinteresting areas in this market isexpected to be custom-built RSS(syndication) services sitting on top ofIPTV, allowing viewers to subscribe to

Internet content via a standard remotecontrol handset. Current research isexamining issues such as how newsstories are propagated and in the longerterm there are likely to be significant

data mining opportunities.

The Centre is using its expertise inapplied research and commercialisationto explore the IMS services space and isparticularly active in SCIM (servicecapability interaction manager), whichaddresses the issue of how services aredeployed rapidly to mobile devices over anetwork. Under the direction of ProductCentre Manager Paul Savage it hasdeveloped a SCIM solution that it hopesto publicise at 3GSM and is alsocontributing to the standardisationprocess for the technology.


For more information contact:Barry Downes E-mail: [email protected]://www.3cs.info/

Best paper award at conference: “Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference”

Michelle McHugh presenting research findings to Eugene Crehan, ProgrammesManager, Centre for Entrepreneurship. Also included in photograph is JoanMcDonald, Head of Department, Management and Organisation, and Bill

O'Gorman, Head of Research, Centre for Entrepreneurship.

At the thirty-sixth Entrepreneurship,Innovation and Small Business (EISB)conference held in Solent University,Southampton (UK) in September2006, the paper “Enterprise EducationDoes Make A Difference” presentedby Bill O’Gorman and MichelleMcHugh (both from the Centre forEntrepreneurship, School of Business,WIT) received the conference’s BestPaper Award. The conference themewas Embedding EntrepreneurshipEducation in Europe: EvaluatingEffective Policy and Practice at theInstitutional, Regional and NationalLevel and it was attend by over 200senior academics representing thetop-level universities and institutes ofresearch and education from all overEurope. The review panel assessingthe papers for the conference includedeminent academics in the areas ofentrepreneurship, entrepreneurshipeducation, and enterprisedevelopment such as David Watkinsand Alan Gibb.

The paper was based on MichelleMcHugh’s Masters by Research thesisundertaken at WIT. The purpose of theresearch was to establish if there are anydifferences in the types and levels ofbusiness issues encountered byentrepreneurs with enterprise educationcompared to those entrepreneurswithout enterprise education. The

Continued on page 6

research also analysed if entrepreneurswith enterprise education approachedbusiness issues differently from thosewithout. In essence, the research was aninvestigation into the extent to whichenterprise education affects howbusiness issues are encountered andhandled by entrepreneurs.Since the 1980s, there has been anunprecedented growth in the number ofcourses offered by academic institutions,enterprise agencies and consultancygroups worldwide. Needless to say, therehas been a corresponding increase in thelevel of research regarding enterpriseeducation. However the vast majority ofthis research has been focused onevaluating the programmes throughappraisal of the programme itself, themodules or subjects offered, the qualityof teachers and facilities, the number ofstudents that go on to start their ownbusinesses, and the assessment ofchanges in attitudes from pre- to post-enterprise education tuition. Prior toMichelle’s study, there had been littleresearch into the impact of these coursesand even less research into whetherbusiness issues are handled differently byentrepreneurs with enterprise education,as opposed to those without. The research involved surveying andinterviewing entrepreneurs selected from anoriginal database of over 300entrepreneurs/owner managers, 98 of whichcorresponded to the initial stage of theresearch criteria. These entrepreneurs werefrom the South East region of Ireland andwere operating in the manufacturing,services, information technology,engineering, and pharmaceutical businesssectors. The response rate of the 98entrepreneurs that were sent the survey was45%. The final phase of data collection forthis research was to select nine of the surveyrespondents for in-depth, face-to-faceinterviews. The interviewees consisted ofthose who had been on a year-long, full timeenterprise education programme (the South

East Enterprise Platform Programme (SEEPP)and the Post Graduate Diploma in EnterpriseDevelopment), those who had receivedenterprise education through a short part-time programme, and those who had notreceived any enterprise education at all.The most significant findings from thisresearch were that differences do exist inhow entrepreneurs with enterpriseeducation, and those without, experienceand handle business issues. Not alone doentrepreneurs with enterprise educationexperience have far fewer business issuesthan their counterparts who have notreceived enterprise education (see Table 1),they also handle the issues/factors differently

(see Table 2).Overall, the findings from this researchhighlight that participation in enterpriseprogrammes does play a significant role inthe number of business issues encounteredby entrepreneurs. In particular, the researchhighlighted the differences in howentrepreneurs approach and handle thesebusiness issues. The research also indicatedthat the type of enterprise educationprogramme experienced by the entrepreneuralso has an impact on how they manage thebusiness issues they encounter.The paper, “Enterprise Education Does MakeA Difference”, can be viewed in full byaccessing it on the Centre forEntrepreneurship website.


For more information:www.centreforentrepreneurshipwit.com

In Table 1 the “X” indicates that the entrepreneur encountered difficulties with the relevant business issue in the table. NEindicates an entrepreneur without any enterprise education, SE indicates an entrepreneur that has been on the year-longenterprise education programme (SEEPP), and ST indicates an entrepreneur that has been on a short “Start Your Own Business”course. Thus, as can be seen from Table 1, those entrepreneurs that were on the year-long enterprise programme encountered farfewer business issues than those on short-term enterprise courses, and even fewer issues than those that did not receive anyenterprise education at all.

Business Issues Encountered NE11

NE2 NE3 SE11

SE2 SE3 ST11

ST2 ST3

Planning NA X X X

Market Research X

Financing X X X NA X NA

Business Law X X X X X X

Growth X NA NA X X X NA

Table 1 Major business-related issues encountered by entrepreneurs (Source: current research)

“Enterprise Education Does Make A Difference”continued

Table 2 indicates the degree to which the entrepreneurs engaged with key businessfactors in starting up and developing their businesses. Entrepreneurs withenterprise education are more likely to plan and prepare their business’development than entrepreneurs without enterprise education. For example, 100%of entrepreneurs with enterprise education (compared to 35% of entrepreneurswithout enterprise education) had business plans when starting their businesses.Also, far more entrepreneurs with enterprise education had strategic andmarketing plans for their businesses compared to entrepreneurs without enterpriseeducation. Another interesting finding was that entrepreneurs without enterprise educationwere more likely to manage more than one function in their business at the sametime. This leads to the “one person syndrome” which can cause undue levels ofstress on the entrepreneur/owner manager to the detriment of the business.

Business Practice Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs with Enterprise without Enterprise

Education Education

Prepared Business Plans 100% 35%

Prepared Strategic Plans 67% 26%

Conducted Market Research prior to start-up 70% 38%

Conducted Market Research post start-up 57% 39%

Managed the HR function 69% 86%

Managed the marketing function 60% 76%

Managed the accounting function 52% 45%

Table 2 The extent to which entrepreneurs with enterprise education engage withplanning and managing their businesses compared to those without enterprise education.


Imagine that you are watching asoccer match on your mobile phone orhandheld device, while sitting on thebus. As you enter your living room,the match automatically jumps fromthe handheld to your forty-inch HDTV. You sit back to enjoy the rest ofthe match in comfort. Then thehandheld signals an incoming call.You accept that call. The match ispaused and the call goes into videocalling mode on the big screen. Whenyou hang up, you are given the choiceto continue watching the game whereit paused or to pick up the live feed.Using your handheld device, you canselect the live feed.

Although this may sound like the stuff ofscience fiction, it is just one of manytypes of scenarios made possible throughthe research and development oftechnology in the TelecommunicationsSoftware & Systems Group (TSSG) atWIT. TSSG is a leading partner in thisthree-year research project, Daidalos II,which is being undertaken jointly bypartners around Europe. As well asleading one of the five research workpackages of this project, TSSG is in chargeof marketing and dissemination as wellas playing an important role in the designof the architecture and in thedevelopment of this technology.Additionally, TSSG has involved some ofits key people in the testing andevaluation of the project results. DaidalosII looks at the entire networkingarchitecture in order to produce an all-encompassing solution that willultimately transform the mobile phoneinto a mobile office station and mediacentre, which will be capable ofcommunicating with many devices in theenvironment around it. The project isguided by five key concepts. A high-leveloverview of some aspects of these fiveconcepts are outlined in the table above.

Daidalos II works on all levels of thenetwork to achieve these aims. At thebottom, the project is working onintegrating different kinds of networks.Daidalos II aims at achieving an efficientand scalable integration of networktechnologies including cellular, satellite,broadcast, wired networks, wirelessnetworks and sensor networks. Whereasin the past you could only get televisionbroadcasts from the terrestrial broadcastnetwork, telephone calls on your mobilephone network or fixed line network andcable television on your cable TVnetwork, in the future these will combineso that you can use any of thesenetworks for functionality that wasoriginally designed for the other.

Pervasive services are services that canrun with very little user intervention.They may not be fully automated, butthey will have features that allow them towork for the user in the background untilit is necessary for the user to intervene.For example, in the opening scenario, thelive feed jumped automatically from the

handheld device to the large screenwithout the user having to intervene. TheTSSG is heavily involved in the researchand development of a number of keycomponents of the Pervasive ServicePlatform (PSP), as well as being theleader for the work package responsiblefor this platform.

The handheld device will be much morethan a universal remote control. It will doeverything that is now carried out by anarray of different devices such as laptops,DVD players, TVs, and mp3 players.Daidalos II envisions multiple types of‘dumb’ devices that will be embedded inenvironments everywhere: in shops, barsand workplaces, that will be able tointeract with, and expand the capabilitiesof the handheld device. The TSSG isproud to be part of the research anddevelopment of this frontier technologythat will shape the future.

What If You Had A Universal Remote ThatControlled Your Universe?

For more information contact: Fiona MahonE-mail: [email protected]

Technology

1. Mobility management andthe ability to allow serviceprovision across manydifferent technologies andnetworks

2. Individualising services toeach user’s needs

3. Maintenance of user’sprivacy

4. Integration of broadcasttechnology

5. The provision of a platformthat will make it easy fororganisations to becomeservice providers on thenetwork.

Practical application

Receiving calls on a mobile network while beingable to receive TV transmissions on a broadcastnetwork

Users will be told of services that fall withintheir interest range at particular times. Forexample, while in a supermarket you are alertedon your handheld device that there is a 2 for 1offer on your favourite shampoo, because itknows you are short of shampoo at home. If youare Spanish, the 2 for 1 offer alert may be madein the Spanish language.

The concepts in Daidalos II include the collectionof a lot of information about individual users, inorder to provide a more personalised service tothem. This data must be held in a manner thatwould not breach a user’s privacy. Technology inDaidalos II separates the data from the user’sidentity so the data cannot be linked to the user.

The ability to access live feeds on broadcastnetworks is paramount to the future of theconvergence of media with mobile technology.Currently it is possible to receive data files ofevents that occurred in the past, but not livefeeds directly from a broadcast network.

This will result in an explosion of the numberand type of services that will be available tousers from their handheld devices. It should bealmost as simple to deploy a service as it is to setup a website.


Anne has a PhD in Adult Education andhas worked extensively in this field, bothin Ireland and the UK. In WIT she wasresponsible for developing one of the firstadult access courses in Ireland for adultreturners and the first educationalguidance service for adults. She iscurrently co-ordinator of the Masters inTeaching and Learning in HigherEducation for lecturers. Her primarydegree is in Philosophy and she has alsolectured in this subject at Trinity College

Dublin. Her current research areas includecreativity, innovation, and critical thinking.Another area of interest is that of olderlearners. Anne is responsible for a researchcluster that combines expertise from anumber of disciplines: psychology,education, arts and health, to investigateways of enhancing the quality of life ofthis target group.Dr. Anne Jordan has contributedsignificantly to the initiation anddevelopment of postgraduate research

and study with the School of Educationand within WIT generally. She hassuccessfully supervised 9 postgraduatestudents to Masters Level and hasdesigned and delivered trainingprogrammes on an Institute-wide basisto support both postgraduate supervisorsand students. Anne has beeninstrumental in the development of thenew taught Masters in Teaching andLearning in Higher Education Institutes,which is run in Waterford Institute ofTechnology and in other outreachlocations such as Limerick Institute ofTechnology. This serves to embed WIT’sSchool of Education as a significantplayer in the continuing professionaldevelopment of academic staff bothwithin WIT and nationally in otherHigher Education Institutes.One of Anne’s postgraduate studentsdescribes her as “a very generous,supportive and encouraging supervisor.Her approach to research supervision wascollaborative. She invested a considerableamount of time working with me togenerate ideas, challenge my attitudesand develop the depth and breadth of myknowledge of the research topic andrelated areas. In addition, Anne’sexcellent links with other postgraduatesupervisors and her networking abilitiesfacilitated strategic links with key peoplewho could assist me in my research.” Anne’s emphasis on publishing anddisseminating research findings alsoenabled her students to gradually build aresearch profile, and to developconfidence when presenting.

The 2006 Award for Excellence in Research Postgraduate Supervision is presentedto Dr. Anne Jordan, School of Education by the Director of WIT, Professor KieranByrne. Also in the picture are members of Anne’s family – her husband Dr. PeterJordan, Francesca Jordan and Leon Jordan-Milne, Karen Bunyan, Postgraduate

Student, WIT, Dolores Gilhooly, WIT and Dr. Venie Martin, Award organiser.

For more information contact:Dr. Anne Jordan E-mail: [email protected]

WIT Award for Excellence in Research Supervision

In 2005 WIT introduced a new annual award for excellence in postgraduateresearch supervision in order to recognise the growing importance of researchand postgraduate studies for the Institute. Nominations were sought frompostgraduate research students and the onerous task of selection was carried outby a panel of senior staff, students and an external expert. This year’s worthywinner was Dr. Anne Jordan, School of Education. The award was presented at aceremony in WIT and the citation for Anne was read by Dolores Gilhooly, Headof School of Education.

The WIT Local Society Initiative (LSI) isa project that comprises a number ofdisciplines, from Theology andPhilosophy, to Sociology, Law, VisualDesign, Science and Technology. Theproject is based in the Centre for Socialand Family Research and is fundedthrough the Philadelphia-basedMetanexus Institute by the TempletonFoundation.

The exploration of the research area(Information and CommunicationsTechnology in a post-secular society) bygroup members from their ownperspectives and disciplines is leading tothe development of a coherent researchproject focusing on the immediacy,functionality, problematics and meaning of

ICT in present day Irish society. ICT is bothmedium and message, metaphor andspirit. The focus of this group has been onthe impact of Information andCommunications Technology (particularlyhandheld devices) on religion and itspractice, values, identity and creativity andvice versa.

In the first year of the project, the groupinitiated a dialogue between scientists,social scientists, theologians, philosophers,librarians and pastors through a series ofpublic discussions and seminars in WIT.This has created a platform from which togenerate and share research ideas and hasenabled the group to grow to more than12 people. Recent public talks haveincluded guest lecturers George Wright,

from the Department of Architecture, WIT,and WLR FM’s Billy McCarthy. A report onthe Metanexus Conference 2006, attendedby Dr. Michael Howlett and JonathonCulleton, was the basis for anotherseminar in September. Recently, fourmembers of the Waterford group alsoattended an international interdisciplinaryphilosophy conference on Action Theory inRome’s Salesian University. A number offurther seminars are envisaged for thesecond year of the project, and will befacilitated by international researchers inthe areas of theology, spirituality, religionand new media.

Religion and Technology Dialogue at WIT:SophiaEuropa Local Society Initiative

For more information contact:Dr. Michael HowlettE-mail: [email protected]


Mark Statham received his PhD awardthis year, completing his research underthe joint supervision of Dr. CatherineO’Reilly and Dr. Peter Turner. Mark hadpreviously earned a Bachelors degree inZoology from the University of Dundee.

Many wild mammals justifiably avoidman. This is particularly true forcarnivorous species such as themustelids, which have been persecuted,making them very difficult to surveyaccurately. The mustelids in Ireland arethe stoat, badger, otter, mink and pinemarten. The main species of interest forMark’s study, the pine marten, is therarest mammal in Ireland. Much ofMark’s research entailed thedevelopment and use of forensic-typegenetic techniques to survey andanalyse these species. He developedmethods to investigate species and sex-type samples of unknown provenance,such as tissue, faeces and hair.

A major aspect of his research involvedilluminating the colonisation history ofIrish mustelids. As Ireland is an island onthe Western edge of Europe there ismuch debate on the origins of many“native” species. The earliest sub-fossilremains of many of these species arefound after the arrival of man, 9,000years ago. Therefore the intervention ofman cannot be ruled out. Animalsoriginating from different geographic

regions leave genetic “signatures” intheir descendants. These signatureswere used to uncover the colonisationhistory of Irish mustelids. A particularlyinteresting story was uncoveredregarding the badger and research inthis area is ongoing in collaborationwith Dr. C. Edwards, at TCD.

Mark’s research was presented atnational and international conferencesand published in the Irish Naturalist’sJournal. He won best talk in section atthe Institutes of Technology colloquium.

Mark is now a postdoctoral researcherat Kansas State University, where he iscontinuing his research on raremammals, including the black-footedferret, the most endangered mammal inNorth America.

WIT PhD Graduates 2006

For more information contact:Dr. Catherine O’ReillyE-mail: [email protected]

Department of Chemical & Life Sciences

Emma Harte recently received herDoctorate award for research takenunder the supervision of Dr. SheilaDonegan with the Surface andInterfacial Science Research Group.Emma successfully produced nano-particles of iron-oxide using micro-emulsion systems.

Most people have heard of emulsionswhere a liquid (oil or water) is dispersedin a second immiscible liquid (water oroil). Milk is an everyday example wherefats are dispersed in water. As peopleknow oil and water do not mix well so athird component - an emulsifying agentis needed to stabilise the system andprevent the two phases separating.Emulsions appear turbid (cloudy) as theparticles of the dispersed phase are largeenough to scatter light. A micro-emulsion is a special type of emulsionwhere the dispersed phase droplets arevery small, thus the light is not scatteredto the same extent and the solutionappears clear. Micro-emulsions can beproduced with either tiny droplets of oilor water using surfactants as the

emulsifying agent. Some chemicalreactions can be carried out only in oiland some only in water so it is possibleto carry out reactions inside thesedroplets, which in effect become tinyreaction chambers. This ingenioustechnique means that the reactingmolecules will bump into each otherfaster, increasing the reaction rates. Thisincreased speed of reaction means thatother possible (and unwanted) reactionsmay not have a chance to occur. Theproduction of nano-particles with anarrow particle size distribution hasmany promising applications and is of

special interest to the electronicsindustry as these particles may becapable of being magnetised and couldbe used for storing information.

Emma also studied the effect ofsurfactant systems on the crystallisationof a fatty acid called glutamic acid.Emma discovered that by crystallisingglutamic acid in a micro-emulsionsystem, one crystal form could beproduced in preference to the other.This has important implications for thepharmaceutical industry where onepolymorph of a drug substance mayhave different pharmaceutical activitythan another.

Emma Harte completed a degree inChemistry with Quality Management atWIT in the Department of Chemical andLife Sciences. She obtained a first classhonours degree and was awarded anIRCSET (Irish Research Council ScienceEngineering and Technology)scholarship to complete her PhD.

Emma has recently taken up a positionin Genzyme, Waterford.

For more information contact:Dr. Sheila DoneganE-mail: [email protected]

Emma Harte PhD

Mark Statham PhD


Department ofComputing, Maths& Physics

Paul O’Kelly graduated with a PhD thisyear in the domain of consensusbuilding in complex managementdecisions. Specifically, the projectdefined a framework for identifyingwhich (non-financial) metrics ofperformance are leading indicators forthe long term viability of companies.The project was supervised by Dr.Micheál Ó’ hÉigeartaigh, Head ofDepartment of Computing, Maths &Physics.

A series of Delphi groups, consisting ofleading professionals and academics,were constituted for a number ofmanagement functional areas. Amediation process based on theAnalytical Hierarchical Process (AHP)and Pairwise Comparison was used toidentify the indicators in each functionalarea and to provide weights for theirimportance. An additional (higherorder) Delphi group integrated thefindings into a global organisationalmodel and validated the findings on realworld data.

The research work has wide rangingapplicability and has already beenincorporated (and extended) into anumber of Doctoral research projectsunderway at WIT. Due to Paul’sresearch, he was invited to attend theLeaders for Tomorrow programme inJanuary of this year at the JFK School ofPolitics, Harvard University, Boston. Thefindings of the research are of interestto individual companies and publicadministration bodies, as well asinstitutes concerned with thedevelopment of consistent measures ofcorporate performance, such as TheInstitute of Directors, The Institute ofCorporate Governance, The Institute ofAccounting and Auditing and theInstitute of Ethics.

Paul is now working as the Corporateand E-Marketing Manager for IarnródÉireann.

For more information contact:Dr. Micheál Ó’ hÉigeartaigh E-mail: [email protected]

Department of Chemical & Life Sciencescontinued

Wayne Cummins PhD

Wayne Cummins graduated this yearwith a PhD, having completed hisresearch under the supervision of Dr.Patrick Duggan and Dr. PeterMcLoughlin. His area of research wasbased on the characterisation ofmolecularly imprinted polymers. Aseries of template (drug) species wereimprinted in polymeric media leavingbehind a cavity that was complementaryin size, shape and chemical functionality

to that of the template species. Theseimprinted media displayed a preferentialbinding of the original template relativeto a number of closely related materials.

These materials have been examined bya number of characterisationtechniques, including one that wasdeveloped within the scope of this work.The area of molecular imprinting is arapidly expanding technology that canpotentially offer huge benefits to thepharmaceutical sector among others.The findings of Wayne’s research havebeen presented at both national andinternational conferences and publishedin a number of scientific journals.

Wayne has recently taken up a positionin Pfizer in Cork.

For more information contact:Dr. Peter McLoughlinE-mail: [email protected]

Kevin Flavin PhDKevin Flavin was recently conferred withhis PhD, having completed his researchunder the supervision of Dr. PeterMcLoughlin and Dr. Helen Hughes ofthe Department of Chemical and LifeSciences at WIT. Funded by EnterpriseIreland and Merck, Sharp & Dohme (Irl.)Ltd., Kevin's PhD project was related tothe development of novel extractionmedia for sensing and pharmaceuticalseparations.

Kevin's work focused on the productionprocess of montelukast sodium, which isa chiral pharmaceutical genericallyknown as Singular®, manufactured byMerck, Sharp & Dohme (Irl.) Ltd. for thetreatment of asthma. The primaryobjective of this research was thedevelopment of novel polymericextraction media, which may be utilisedin the analytical determination ofresidual waste solvents and in thepreparation of a selective purificationmedium related to the montelukastsodium production process. The mainbody of the work was related to the on-line monitoring of environmentallyharmful residual waste solvents utilisedduring the preparation of montelukastsodium. Further work included thepreparation of a selective molecularlyimprinted polymer phase for theseparation of montelukast from its

related substances.

Kevin's PhD research resulted in severalpeer reviewed publications in reputablejournals including Sensors andActuators B: Chemical, the Analyst andthe International Journal ofEnvironmental Analytical Chemistry, aswell as presentations at number ofinternational conferences.

Kevin has recently secured a highlyregarded Postdoctoral Marie CurieFellowship and is currently based inQueen Mary University of London. Here,he is pursuing research relating to workperformed for his thesis; synthesisingmolecularly imprinted microgels, inorder to closely mimic the physicalproperties and actions of enzymes andantibodies.

For more information contact:Dr. Peter McLoughlinE-mail: [email protected]

Paul O’Kelly PhD


WIT PhD Graduates 2006WIT School of Business

Mary T. Holden, the first WIT student toobtain a Government of IrelandScholarship, completed her researchunder the supervision of Dr. TomO’Toole, Head of the WIT School ofBusiness. Her work was examined byProf. Christine Ennew of NottinghamUniversity and Dr. Christine Domegan ofNUIG, resulting in a recommendationwithout modifications. Mary’s work islocated specifically within the field ofinter-organisational governance, butalso spanned several disciplines:communication, organisationalbehaviour, management, and marketing. Today, many firms are pursuing arelationship strategy with their businesscustomers. A relationship strategyrequires that managers move fromutilising authoritative governancemechanisms to normative ones (i.e.,norms – defined as mutually agreed-upon rules for behaviour). Norms areconsidered an optimal governancemechanism as they act as ‘an invisible hand’ to govern the inter-firmrelationship.

Focusing on the governance of closeinter-organisational relationships (IORs),Mary’s work, which is the first in herfield, concentrated on the identificationand examination of the primarydeterminants of relational norms(norms specific to close IORs),particularly the underlying socio-psychological dynamics. An integrationof research streams led to her work’soverarching hypothesis: that therelationship between inter-organisational commitment andrelational norms is mediated by theinterpersonal relationships between the

firms’ interacting personnel and theinter-firm communication patterns.Utilising structural equation modelling,three rival models were rejected infavour of the hypothesised model; 74%of the variation in relational norms wasexplained by the model’s predictors.The major theoretical and managerialimplication of results is support for thepotent role of interpersonalrelationships and inter-organisationalcommunication patterns in developingand maintaining relational norms;although inter-firm communicationpatterns are a major predictor ofrelational norms, a pivotal determinantof these patterns is an affiliatedinterpersonal relationship between thefirms’ personnel.

Mary is currently lecturing in theDepartment of Management andOrganisation at WIT.

For more information contact:Dr. Tom O’TooleE-mail: [email protected]

Mary T. Holden PhD

While it would be erroneous toattribute new product success to anysingle factor, convergent evidence doessuggest that interacting with industrialusers in stages prior to any actualdevelopment can provide firms with acompetitive advantage, through theprovision of innovative and appealingnew product concepts, accelerating thedevelopment process, reducing costs,stimulating inter-functionalcommunication and making thedevelopment process more effective andefficient. However, despite considerableresearch examining industrial userinvolvement in product developmentactivities, studies investigating thecontent and process of intense userinvolvement in those critical pre-development stages have beeninsufficiently explored empirically. Thisknowledge deficit meant that academicswere unable to provide practitionerswith the solutions needed to

implement the user involvementconcept effectively, and so, the effort ofactually cooperating with users inpractice was even more difficult toachieve. Under the supervision of Dr.Tom O’ Toole, Head of the WIT Schoolof Business, Pat’s research closed thissignificant gap in our understanding bydeveloping a scale to measure thebreadth and depth by which users areinvolved in predevelopment activities.Through detailed case descriptions, heprovided practitioners with substantialinsights into the dynamic sub-processes

that enable manufactures to successfullyinteract and involve industrial users intheir predevelopment process.

Pat’s research findings have beingpublished in academic journals and alsoat national and internationalconferences. He has also received anumber of accolades including the WITSchool of Business Research Student ofthe Year Award (2006) and also theMarketing Student of the Year Award(2002).

Pat is currently lecturing in theDepartment of Management andOrganisation in the WIT School ofBusiness.

For more information contact:Dr. Tom O’TooleE-mail: [email protected]

Pat Lynch PhD


Sumitomo Electrical Wiring SystemsEurope is a wholly owned subsidiary ofSumitomo Electric Industries.Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, with an£11 billion turnover, the group’s globalinterests include electronics, automotive,telecom and datacom, and electricutilities. The Sumitomo ElectricIndustries Group Automotive productsinclude electrical and electronic systems,brake systems and activator components,manufactured and distributed through a

global network in over 24 countriesworldwide, employing over 60,000people. Sumitomo Electric WiringSystems is responsible for supplyingaround 20% of the world's automotiveelectronic design services market. Twopostgraduates from the AutomotiveControl Group, Eamonn McDonnell andFergal Keating, are currently employed bySumitomo in the UK.The Automotive Control Group, foundedin 2000 at Waterford Institute of

Technology, was the first Irish third-levelresearch group dedicated to advancedautomotive software and electronicsystems research. Since that time allgraduates from the group have gone onto employment in the internationalautomotive industry.

This latest announcement of researchcollaboration with Sumitomo brings thetotal funding secured by the AutomotiveControl Group to almost €100,000. Thisincludes a recent success in securingfunding under the TSR Strand 1programme to investigate softwarerequirements analysis techniques for usewith AUTOSAR, a new automotivesoftware development platform.

Commenting on the latest collaborationagreement, Brendan Jackman, founder ofthe group stated that “this allianceendorses the international reputation ofthe group and strengthens our goodworking relationship with Sumitomo.”Paul Eustace, Engineering Manager atSumitomo commented ''Collaborativeresearch is very important toSumitomo's future European R&Dstrategy and this joint project will enableus to enhance our links with theAutomotive Control Group, who arealready highly regarded by our company.The 'knowledge transfer' provided bythis project will help Sumitomostrengthen its capability in the design anddevelopment of whole vehicle electricaland electronic systems architecture forthe European market.''

WIT’s Automotive Control Group forms links with Sumitomo

For more information contact:Brendan JackmanE-mail: [email protected]/automotive

From Left: Dr. Mícheál Ó hÉigeartaigh, Eamonn McDonnell (Sumitomo), Paul Eustace (Sumitomo), Jim Duffin (Sumitomo), Brendan Jackman,

Frank Walsh and David Power.

WIT’s Automotive Control Group has been chosen by Sumitomo Electrical WiringSystems Europe to research the technologies and processes required toimplement FlexRay in customer systems. FlexRay is an emerging vehiclecommunications network that will be used for safety-critical vehicle systemssuch as brake-by-wire. BMW will be the first to use FlexRay in a productionvehicle this year when it uses the technology to control the BMW X5’s ActiveSuspension system. Sumitomo will fund the MSc. research at the AutomotiveControl Group over a two-year period. The research activities will be carried outat both Sumitomo’s European Research and Development Centre, located inSwansea, Wales, and at the Automotive Control Group’s facilities at WaterfordInstitute of Technology.

The Macular Pigment Research Group(MPRG), founded in 2002, has recentlyopened a new laboratory located in themain building of the Waterford Instituteof Technology’s Cork Road Campus. Thegroup seeks to enhance the currentunderstanding of age-related maculardegeneration, with an emphasis on therole that nutrition might play in theprevention, delay, or modification of thisdisease. Since its inception, fivepostgraduates, two postdoctoralresearchers and one project managerhave been recruited to the MPRG andthey continue to actively pursue further

funding in order to attain critical mass.

The laboratory will allow the group’sscientists to carry out examinations in afully equipped environment that housesinstruments such as the maculometerand fundus camera, while remaining acomfortable and welcomingenvironment for the volunteers. Thenovel feature of an aquarium ensuresthe volunteers feel relaxed at all times.

The MPRG Laboratory will be officiallyopened in January 2007.

New Macular PigmentLab at WIT

For more information contact:Leigh-Anne MaddockE-mail: [email protected]

Dr. Audrey Hearne using themaculometer to measure macular

pigment in a volunteer


Dr. June Frisby’s research career beganwhen she graduated from WIT in 2001with a degree in Applied Chemistry &Quality Management. That same year shejoined Professor Dermot Diamond’sresearch group at the National Centre forSensor Research, Dublin City University,where she obtained her PhD in 2005. June returned to WIT in March earlierthis year to join Dr. Peter McLoughlin’sSeparation Science Research Group(SSRG). She is currently coordinating theSWINGS initiative (Separations, Wales &Ireland – Novel Generation Science) thatwas secured by funding under theEuropean Union’s INTERREG IIIAProgramme. Dr. Chris Allender from theSchool of Pharmacy at Cardiff Universityis a collaborating partner in this project.The key objective of the SWINGSinitiative is to identify and carry outlaboratory research in emergingseparation science techniques. Thisresearch involves the development ofnovel extraction and purification mediafor pharmaceutical and environmentalapplications.

Dr. Frisby is delighted to have been giventhe opportunity to return to WIT andcontinue her career here as apostdoctoral researcher. She believes thatWIT has opened many doors for her and

provides an ideal platform from which tofurther develop her career: “Togetherwith my colleagues, Dr. John Nolan & Dr.Brian Murphy, we have recently set upthe Postdoctoral Research BusinessCentre at WIT. The centre provides uswith the facilities to carry outpostdoctoral activities and allows us towork together on research issues andopportunities. This would not have beenpossible without the support of Dr. VenieMartin for which we are extremelygrateful. We hope this will form the basisof a research community that willcontinue to grow and expand over thecoming years.”

Dr. June Frisby, Seperation ScienceResearch Group, WIT.

Dr. John Nolan, Senior Scientist, andMs. Siobhan Ryan, Post-GraduateResearcher, of the Macular PigmentResearch Group have been awardedthe Medical Research Charities Group(MRCG) Grant and the Irish ResearchCouncil for Science, Engineering andTechnology (IRCSET) Scholarship,respectively.

Siobhan Ryan received her IRCSETPostgraduate Research Scholarshipapproval from the Embark Initiative inMay 2006. Siobhan’s study, “Changes inmacular pigment optical density, andserum concentrations of its constituentcarotenoids, in response to weight loss”,is the first study of its kind to be carriedout in Ireland. The purpose of this studyis to investigate the effect of controlled

weight loss on macular pigment opticaldensity and serum concentrations oflutein and zeaxanthin (the twocarotenoids which make up macularpigment). This study will recruit 120volunteers over the age of 18 with a bodymass index (BMI) greater or equal to 30.Each volunteer will be asked to attendWaterford Institute of Technology’sMacular Pigment Laboratory for a periodof one hour, on 5 separate occasions. Ifyou are interested in being considered forentry into this clinical trial or would likesome more information, please contactSiobhán Ryan ([email protected])

Dr. John Nolan received the MedicalResearch Charities Group (MRCG) grant,which is co-funded by the HealthResearch Board (HRB). His colleagues Dr.

Orla O’Donovan, Dr. Jim Stack and Ms.LeighAnne Maddock are co-applicants,while Mr. Stephen Beatty, Director of theMacular Pigment Research Group, isPrincipal Investigator. The MRCG haveundertaken a sustained and focusedcampaign to secure statutory funding formedical research. Dr. Nolan is now ableto offer a PhD Studentship and the studyinvolved will allow the group to establishwhether the total level of macularpigment, or the pattern of distribution ofthis pigment, is important for diseaserisk.

Research awards won by WIT staff

For more information contact:www.wit.ie/mprg

Profile of a reseacher: Dr. June Frisby

For more information contact:Dr. June FrisbyE-mail: [email protected]


Part of the research involved aquestionnaire sent out to 129 women-ledbusinesses in the South East. From thechart above it can be seen that Waterfordand Wexford have the highest levels offemale entrepreneurs in the South Eastregion. Overall however, the South Easthas an above average level of femaleentrepreneurial activity compared to therest of Ireland. For example 16% ofbusinesses in the South East are ownedby women. This compares favourablywith the average for Ireland which isestimated to be anywhere between 7.5%to15% (Henry and Kennedy, 2002).

Also contrary to previously publishedresearch about the ambitions andattitudes of female entrepreneurstowards growth, this current researchidentified that the majority of women inthe South East wish to grow theirbusinesses. Previous research suggestedthat women intentionally start lowgrowth, low potential businesses. Forexample, according to researchers such asButtner and Moore (1997); Cliff (1998);Henry et al (2004), women favour slowergrowth and actually place a limit on theextent to which they are willing to grow. The FEIW research also established that

there appears to be a lack of awarenessof the business supports available towomen and that women who hadavailed of these supports rated them as“fair.” This low level of awareness andassessment may be due to the fact thatmost supports and enterprise trainingand development programmes are‘menstreamed’ as opposed to genderneutral and as such, fail to take accountof the needs of women business owners(OECD, 2004). In fact many programmesare viewed as being male dominated andpatronising, with little evidence of‘female management styles’ inprogrammes (Fielden et al, 2003). Theexpectation is that women shouldconform to male behaviours (Carter,2000).

Thus the enterprise developmentprogramme developed by the FEIW teamis unique in that it is based on the needsof women who have the desire to growtheir businesses. The programme, withtwenty participants representing a broadspectrum of industry sectors, waslaunched in September 2006 and will runon a pilot basis for 12 months.

Another major recent success for theFEIW team was the well-supported,extremely successful one-day conference,‘Moving Centre Stage – Giving A Voice toWomen in Business’, held in the FaithleggHouse Hotel, 8th November 2006. Theconference was opened by ProfessorKieran Byrne, Director, WIT, whoemphasised the contribution women inbusiness currently make to the economyin the South East, and encouraged theCentre for Entrepreneurship to continuedeveloping programmes to both supportwomen in business today as well as toencourage other women and femalegraduates to consider entrepreneurshipand business as a career.

The presenters at the conference were agood mix of academics from Ireland andthe UK such as Dr. Colette Henry, Head ofCentre for Enterprise, DKIT, ElaineAylward, Research Assistant on the FEIWProject, Dr. Sue Lawton, Director,PROWESS UK; and successful womenentrepreneurs such as Maree Morrissey,MD, Irish Entrepreneur, and MajellaRyan, MD, Ivowen.

Senator Mary O’Rourke closed theconference, providing the audience withinsights into balancing family prioritieswith a career in politics.

Female Entrepreneurship in Ireland and Wales (FEIW)

For more information contact:Ms. Louise DaltonE-mail: [email protected]

Women business owners are increasingly recognised as having an importantimpact on the economy, both as a source of employment and of potential growth(OECD, 2004; GEM, 2004; and Henry and Kennedy, 2002). As a result, theCentre for Entrepreneurship, School of Business, WIT has developed anINTERREG IIIA-funded education and development programme with theirpartners from the School of Business and Management, University of Wales,Aberystwyth. The programme is the first of its type to be run in South EastIreland. The programme’s aims are to facilitate the growth and development ofwomen-owned businesses in South East Ireland and South West Wales. Theresearch for the programme determined the level of women-led businesses inboth regions, the type of businesses women set up and the challenges they face.The research also identified the specific training needs of women in business.

Pictured at the FEIW Conference, "Moving Centre Stage-Giving a Voiceto Women-Led Business" held on November 8th is Margaret Durand FEIW

Project, Dr. Colette Henry of Dundalk Institute of Technology (Speaker),Majella Ryan of Ivowen Ltd (Speaker), Sue Lawton of Prowess UK

(Speaker), Professor Kieran Byrne Director WIT, Elaine Aylward of the FEIWProject (Speaker), Margaret Tynan, FEIW Project and Bill O'Gorman Head

of Research, Centre for Entrepreneurship WIT".

Percentage of women-led businesses in the South East region


In law, a precedent is a legal caseestablishing a principle or rule that acourt may need to adopt whendeciding subsequent cases involvingsimilar issues or facts. It also refers toa collective body of case law that acourt should consider wheninterpreting the law. In all legalproceedings that are heard in court,such as criminal and civil cases,precedents of previous judgements aidin what may be the final outcome foreither party, and either party maydepend on such precedents to wintheir case.

Due to confidentiality and the delicatenature of family law issues, almost allfamily court proceedings are heard ‘incamera’ or in private. This is largely toprotect parties and their families fromthe disclosure of confidential andsensitive details. There is no informationavailable at present as to how decisionsare reached in the family law courts andpersons facing litigation do not knowwhat to expect. This situation, whererumour and anecdote abound, can onlybe counteracted by the release ofcomprehensive information.

For instance, domestic violence statisticsthat are collected by the Gardai andCourt Services are extremely limited anda more detailed breakdown ofinformation is needed. In relation tocustody and access issues, there has beenevidence that violent men use access tochildren to further abuse and controlformer partners. A study carried out in2003 by Women’s Aid

1on custody &

access proceedings in relation todomestic abuse against women, foundthat there seemed to be a general trendin Irish Courts to grant very liberal accessand shared custody to men that areabusive to their partners. The issue ofviolence was often not taken intoaccount when children were involved,and the question of custody and accesswas seen as a totally separate issue to theabuse being experienced. Men that hadbeen violent to their partners had beengranted unsupervised access to children,due to the lack of information availableto the family courts in child custodyproceedings regarding levels of risk andcriminal prosecutions.

A welcome development has been theintroduction of Section 40 of the CivilLiability and Courts Act, 2004, which hasamended the operation of the in camerarule in family law proceedings, to allowlimited reporting from family law courts.

Section 40(3) allows for classes of people(such as bona fide family lawresearchers) to attend the family lawcourts for the purpose of the preparationand publication of a report of theproceedings. Additionally, the researchermust be nominated by a body specifiedin the Schedule to the regulations and beapproved by the Minister for Justice,Equality and Law Reform. In March 2006according to the District and CircuitCourt Directorate, no one had yet availedof this legislation and Elaine Lonergan, apostgraduate student of WIT, wasgranted full approval to attend bothCircuit and District Court family law incamera proceedings.

The relaxation of the in camera rule isbeing availed of in order to review andreform current practice in such cases. Atpresent, the District Court is empoweredto make orders on issues such asmaintenance, guardianship, access,custody and domestic violence. It mustbe ensured that the legal system dealseffectively with these issues whileprioritising the safety of women andchildren. The main purpose of thisresearch is to analyse and access theimpact of court proceedings on childrenand the family, while looking at thefamily law jurisdiction of the DistrictCourts. It involves an analysis of familylaw proceedings in both Cork andWaterford Districts in order to create aprecedent for dealing with family lawissues and to gauge the court’s impact onthe family unit. As the researcher, Elaine

has attended both Courts regularly sinceMarch and has gathered information onalmost one thousand cases. Astandardised form will be used tointerpret the information and to getstatistical data on court proceedingsregarding children and their families. It ishoped that the final report will be readyin summer 2007. In the past, Women’sAid and other voluntary organisationshave gathered information throughsurveys from frontline service providersand studies of individual cases. There isscant information on the actual decisionsreached in the family courts, and thisleads to myths about its workings. Theinformation gathered from analyses ofcourt cases is extremely important, as thecurrent absence of systematic, consistentand reliable data means that bothpractitioners and their clients do notknow what to expect in court, as there isno knowledge of judgements being builtup in this area.

Thus, it is imperative that the way inwhich our courts deal with such issues beopen to the public for scrutiny anddebate. This research will add to theknowledge available for professionalswithin the legal system, and will help tocreate a more reliable frameworkallowing them to better advise theirclients.

Elaine Lonergan is a postgraduatestudent in the Department of AppliedArts (Law) and is being supervised by Dr.Sinead Conneely.

Child Custody and Access in the context of Domestic Violence: Women’s Experiences and theResponse of the Legal System, (2003)

1Women’s Aid, Dublin.

Family law precedents: reforming the system

For more information contact:Elaine LonerganE-mail: [email protected]


The School of Business at WaterfordInstitute of Technology has beenengaged by Fáilte Ireland to developand implement an active learningenvironment for tourism enterprisesacross a seven-county regionstretching from Wexford to Kerry. Theaim of the project is to assist the smalltourism and hospitality enterpriseowner in developing his/her businessthrough providing access to a range oftraining and development supports ata flexible and local level. The mergoproject is concerned with four aspectsof knowledge transfer: local networks,regional events, research and webcommunications resources. Tourismproviders will, through this project, beable to co-operate on issues such ascounty-based research and marketing.Up to 675 enterprises are set tobenefit from the programme by theend of 2008.

Workshops (called Best Practice Forums)covering issues such as peoplemanagement, product bundling, productinnovation, co-operative marketing,pricing, and regulatory environments arecurrently carried out by mergo across theregional networks. All participants wereasked to compile a Learning NeedsAnalysis and to develop a Business ActionPlan and the topics were chosen based onthis feedback. At a practical level, theregional events provide an opportunityfor attendees to meet and cooperate withother providers outside their owncounties.

The mergo office at the WIT School ofBusiness has since become a source ofinformation for tourism enterprisesinterested in finding out more aboutaccess to the region, funds and supportavailable for product innovation,

marketing and investment in localinfrastructure.

Businesses across all sectors are now verymuch aware of the benefits ofcollaboration, rather than having anarrow adversarial approach. Throughmergo, the School of Business at WIT haspioneered a very effective model forfacilitating effective learning networks. Ithas developed its own best practicemodel to manage all elements of alearning network (including managinglearning sets), and to develop a fulllearning programme, both online andoffline, thereby building on earlierinitiatives from the School such asFinestra and Enact. The programme isanchored by trained facilitators(including a number of WIT staff) whoare a key link to local tourism serviceproviders in the network. The mergoproject also showcases a best practiceproject management resource at theSchool of Business, led by Anne-MarieFrampton, which is clearly meeting thedevelopment needs of the Irish tourismsector.

Mergo is based at the Waterford CrystalCentre for Marketing Studies, and isfacilitating important research activityacross a number of key marketingthemes in branding and reputationmanagement, marketing strategy,product development, and learningnetworks.

The three-year, €1.8m project is inexistence for ten months, and has alreadyachieved most of the strategic objectivesset for the initiative. Fáilte Ireland hasindicated its commitment to mergo withthe awarding of two additional projects:the development of a national websitefor the Fáilte Ireland County-BasedTourism Learning Networks and a speciallearning networks programme in Kerry.

Recruitment to the 2007 mergo TourismNetwork has now commenced. Smallbusinesses with a tourism remit areeligible to apply to become part of thisexciting initiative. The team would bedelighted to discuss your participation at051 845636/845635. Additionalinformation is available on the mergowebsite.

WIT is partnered in this initiative byFáilte Ireland, Cork Institute ofTechnology, and the LEADER groups(rural development organisationssupported by EU and national funding).

mergotourism network

Major Tourism Network based at WIT School of Business

Fergal O'Byrne CEO of Irish Internet Association with Neil Lucey, Gougane BarraHotel at the mergo On-line Marketing Training Seminar in October 2006

For more information contact:Mr. Anthony FoleyE-mail: [email protected]


Managing your research accounts: WIT’s Project Accounting TeamIn line with the Institute’s statedstrategy it has seen a very substantialyear-on-year increase in the number ofself funding initiatives, includingresearch, with a concomitant increasein the level of annual income andexpenditure. In the academic year2005/2006, self funding income of€9.4m was generated by the Institute.

With such significant sums involved theInstitute has dedicated two accountantsto deal solely with the financial aspects ofresearch and other self-financinginitiatives. This small team is made up ofSusan Green, Project Accountant, andMelissa Hanly, Assistant ProjectAccountant. They report directly to ElaineSheridan, Management Accountant. Theteam works closely with the ResearchSupport Unit (RSU), theTelecommunications & Software Group(TSSG), teams of researchers, individualresearchers and Project Managers.

Research funding comes from a widerange of sources, each with its ownfinancial rules and regulations. Examplesof funding bodies include the EuropeanCommission, Enterprise Ireland, theHigher Education Authority, theDepartment of Agriculture and Food,Science Foundation Ireland and FáilteIreland. Some of the bodies havedifferent streams of funding and, indeed,financial rules and regulations may differnot only between bodies but alsobetween streams. Many requirequarterly reporting, some annual andothers monthly. It is our responsibility towork with researchers to ensure that theappropriate rules and regulations areapplied rigorously. With increasedresearch funding coming into theInstitute from a diverse number ofsources it is important to consistentlyupdate the internal financial knowledgebase to incorporate new fundingagencies and their particular rules andregulations.

So, how do we know which rules andregulations to apply to which project?For every research project a contract isagreed between the Institute and thefunding body. The contract, inter-alia,establishes the basic financial rules andregulations that the funding body expectsthe Institute to adhere to. Reportingrequirements and the need for AuditCertificates are also reflected in thecontract. The Project Accounting team

works with the research team to ensurethat the project-specific financial rulesand reporting requirements are clearlyunderstood. This is very important as ithelps to ensure that resources can bededicated in a well planned and timelymanner.

The Project Accounting team workswith research and RSU colleaguesthroughout the life of a project, fromproposal to final report, to ensure thatthe financial management of a projectmeets the following requirements:

• Compliance with appropriate rulesand regulations.

• Financial probity.

• Transparency of financialtransactions.

• Accountability of officers forfinancial decisions.

• Clear audit trails.

It is important that these standardsare met as the majority of self-funding initiatives are funded frompublic monies. We must also bear inmind that all funding bodies expectthat internal rules, regulations andprocedures, for instance, procurementprocedures, be followed.

As well as reviewing proposals, providingadvice and guidance on theinterpretation and implementation ofwhat can be complex financialregulations, and preparing the external

financial reports for funding bodies, theProject accounting team monitorsexpenditure against budget. Monthlymanagement reporting packages arebeing enhanced and it is hoped thatregular reporting will make it easier forresearchers to financially manage theirprojects. As well as monthly reports,each project leader is scheduled to meetat least 3 times per year with theirnamed project accountant.

It is important that the team is involvedwith the budget costing of projects atproposal/submission stage. Thisinteraction with the project accountantsat proposal/submission stage is critical asit provides an opportunity for theresearcher to avoid any potentialfinancial pitfalls which otherwise maynot come to light until after the projecthas been approved. It is essential thatwe meet with project leaders early in thelife of the project in order to get anunderstanding of the project and assesswhat support we can give.

We are here to provide you withdedicated financial support throughoutthe project life cycle from proposal tofinal report.

Ms. Susan Green and Ms. Melissa Hanly, WIT Project Accounting Team.

For more information contact:Susan GreenE-mail: [email protected] HanlyE-mail: [email protected]

The first workshop of the EU / USSummit Series on Cyber Trust: SystemDependability & Security was held inFinnstown Country House, Dublin,Ireland on 15th and 16th November,2006.

The aim of this workshop, and aplanned subsequent workshop to beheld in Illinois in April/May 2007, was togain a shared understanding of prioritycritical issues and promisingdependability and security research

directions, and to foster collaborationbetween EU and US research teams.Application areas and characteristics ofinterest included critical informationinfrastructures, e-commerce, e-government and e-voting, the future ofthe Internet, scalable and self-regulatingsystems, and ubiquitous and pervasivecomputing.

In particular, the workshop identifiedand initiated some ideas for jointactions. One example of this is the

establishment of interconnected test-beds constituting international large-scale experimental facilities forsupporting the testing and evaluation ofemerging systems. This could lead to asignificant increase in the extent andeffectiveness of transatlantic co-operation in this research domain.

EU/US Summit Series on Cyber Trust:System Dependability & Security

Collaborative Working Environments(CWE) can be viewed as the tools,technologies, infrastructure and peoplethat encourage individuals, eitherremotely or on site, to be innovative intheir working lives. In today’s society,work is not carried out in one singleplace, but often by utilising a networkof resources (other people, equipmentetc). The question of distance alsobrings obstacles into the workingprocess. The knowledge societyrequires access to knowledge andalternative views and experiences in

order to fully leverage creativity andinnovation. Therefore, the focus onCWEs has become both timely andimportant.

The Telecommunications Software &Systems Group (TSSG) is currentlyparticipating in a European project,BrainBridges, funded under the EuropeanIST Framework 6. This is a coordinatedstrategic European research programmein the area of Collaborative WorkingEnvironments (CWE) and enablingtechnologies. The objective is to developa vision for a European research

programme that aspires to enable CWEs.Within the BrainBridges project, CWEsare further defined as integrated(networked, connected and looselycoupled) collections of hardware,software, network communications andprocedures, which enable collaborativeinnovation and support distributedactors. By enabling distributedresearchers to openly collaborate, newchannels for innovation can be explored.

For more information contact:Claire FahyE-mail: [email protected]

Bridging Brains through Collaborative Working Environments


The Telecommunications Software &Systems Group (TSSG) hosted theManweek 2006 event in Dublin fromthe 23rd to the 27th of October. Theevent comprised five academicworkshops (DSOM 2006, MMNS 2006,IPOM 2006, MACE 2006 and IPOM2006) each addressing aspects of themanagement of communicationsnetworks and services. The event wasattended by over 200 academic andindustrial researchers from Ireland, theUK, mainland Europe, north and southAmerica and Asia. The programme included a number ofstimulating keynote speeches from well-

known figures including Dr HamidAhmadi (Chief Architect of MotorolaInc.), Martin Creaner (CTO of theTeleManagement Forum) and UlfDahlsten (Director, Directorate F, DG-INFSO, European Commission). Aparticular success was the 1st IEEEWorkshop on Modelling AutonomicCommunications Environments (MACE2006), which was conceived and

organised by the TSSG, and which wasvery well attended, with lively andstimulating debate.

Recent WIT Workshops and Conferences

For more information:http://www.manweek2006.org

ManweekConference

For more information contact:http://www.securitytaskforce.eu

Delegates attending the 2006 Manweek Conference


BrainBridges ConferenceLast September, a successful workshop on Collaborative Working Environments(CWE) took place at the Enterprise Ireland premises in Dublin. The event washosted by the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group(http://www.tssg.org ) at Waterford Institute of Technology as part of the researchproject, BrainBridges. The workshop was attended by representatives from Eircom,Vodafone Ireland, Intel Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

Project co-ordinator, Michael Nilsson (Centre for Distance Learning, Luleå TechnicalUniversity, Sweden) introduced the project and its findings. Claire Fahy, TSSG,discussed a technological vision for a secure, inclusive and seamless infrastructurethat supports distributed collaboration. This included an Open Service Architecturefor adaptable creation, validation and deployment applications that support avariety of multi-modal interfaces, context sensitive applications, automatic resourceand service discovery within a secure, trusted and dependable environment.Patrizia Hongisto (Centre for Knowledge and Innovation Research, Helsinki Schoolof Economics) introduced the concept of the “Living Lab” which is recognised as anenabling infrastructure for CWE.

The Living Lab is an idea that originated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) and refers to a multi-site, multi-stakeholder research and developmentinfrastructure which provides an experimental platform for researching,prototyping and validating innovations in a real life context such as in a communityor region.

Recent WIT Workshops and Conferences continued

One of the major goals and areas ofresearch for the Centre forEntrepreneurship, WIT School of Business,is its role in the development ofEntrepreneurial Regions. This is very muchevidenced by its role as project leader of theEU Regions of Knowledge 2 funded projectCRIPREDE. The aim of CRIPREDE is todevelop an Adaptive Model for thedevelopment of RTD investment policiesand strategies for regions in emerging anddeveloped economies. A major output fromthis work was the successful internationalconference held in Kilkenny on 25thOctober last. Delegates to the conferencelistened to and debated the content ofinsightful research papers presented byinternational speakers, two of which (Mr.Kjell-Erok Bugge and Dr. Borut Roncevic)are involved in the CRIPREDE Project.

In addition a very significant development at the conference was the launching of theSouth East region’s Spirit of Enterprise Logo. The logo has beenadopted by the South East Enterprise Forum and is the umbrellaunder which entrepreneurial and enterprise development acrossthe region will continue to be nurtured.

Tourism andHospitalityResearch

ConferenceBuilding on the success of theinaugural Tourism and HospitalityResearch Conference hosted by theUniversity of Ulster in June 2005, theDepartment of Languages, Tourismand Hospitality were pleased to hostthe second Annual Tourism andHospitality Research Conference inWaterford Institute of Technology on13th and 14th June 2006. The themeof this year's conference was‘Addressing the Challenges’. The eventproved an invaluable opportunity topresent research on the current andfuture challenges facing the Irishtourism and hospitality industry.

For more information:http://www.brainbridges.info

For more information contact:Mr. Bill O’GormanE-mail: [email protected]

EntrepreneurialRegionsConference

Guest Speakers at the 'Developing a Spirit of Enterprise' conference, picturedfrom left: Mr. Kjell-Erik Bugge, Senior Scientist and lecturer, Sustainable

Development of Areas Group, Saxion Universities, The Netherlands; Dr. CliveWinters, Programmes Director, Coventry University Enterprises Ltd.; Dr. Borut

Roncevic, Head of Dept. of Development, Novo Mesto Municipality, Slovenia andMs. Maria Ginnity, Manager of the Enterprise Policy and Communications

Department, Forfás.

For more information contact:Ms. Noelle O’ConnorE-mail: [email protected]


■ ■ ■ PUBLICATIONS ■ ■ ■

Agoulmine, N., Balasubramaniam, S., Botvich, D., Strassner, J.,Lehtihet, E., & Donnelly, W. (2006) Challenges for AutonomicNetwork Management. Proceedings of 1st IEEE International Workshopon Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments (MACE).

Barry, M. & Pitt, I. (2006) Interaction Design: a MultidimensionalApproach for Learners with Autism. Proceedings of 5th InternationalConference for Interaction Design and Children (IDC). University ofTampere, Finland, June 7-9.

Balasubramaniam, S., Barrett, K., Strassner, J., Donnelly, W., & van derMeer, S. (2006) Bio-inspired Policy Based Management (bioPBM) forAutonomic Communication Systems. Proceedings of 7th InternationalIEEE Workshop on Policies for Distributed Systems and Networks (Policy).

Balasubramaniam, S., Botvich, D., Donnelly, W., & Agoulmine, N.(2006) Applying Blood Glucose Homeostatic Model Towards Self-Management of IP QoS Provisioned Networks. LNCS 4268 –Proceedings of 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations andManagement (IPOM)

Balasubramaniam, S., Donnelly, W., Botvich, D., Agoulmine, N., &Strassner, J. (2006) Towards Integrating Principles of MolecularBiology for Autonomic Network Management. Proceedings of 13th HPOpen View University Association Workshop (HP-OVUA)

Caracy, M. Long, G. Remenyi, D. (2006) A First Evaluation of a NewStudent Management Information System (MIS) at an Institute ofTechnology in Ireland - A Case Study. Proceedings of European Conferenceon Information Technology Evaluation (ECITE), Genoa Italy pp. 121-129.

Carroll O., O'Driscoll I, Hegarty S.P., Huyet G., Houlihan J., ViktorovE.A., Mandel P. (2006) Feedback induced instabilities in a quantumdot semiconductor laser Opt. Express, 14 (12),10831.

Carroll, R., Fahy, C., Lehtihet, E., van der Meer, S., Georgalas, N., &Cleary, D. (2006) Applying the P2P paradigm to management of large-scale distributed networks using a Model Driven Approach. Proceedingsof 2006 IEEE/ IFIP Network Operations & Management Symposium(NOMS)

Carroll, R., Strassner, J., Cox, G., & van der Meer, S. (2006) Policy andProfile: Enabling Self-knowledge for Autonomic Systems. Proceedings of17th IFIP/ IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems:Operations and Management (DSOM)

Cowman, M. and McCarthy, A. (2006), Evaluating HRD in the HealthCare Sector – Towards a Conceptual Model. Proceedings of 7thInternational Conference on HRD Research and Practice Across Europe,Tilburg University..

Cowman, M., McCarthy, A. (2006) Modeling Training andDevelopment Outcomes: A case study in the health care sector.Proceedings of Irish Academy of Managers Annual 2006 Conference CorkUniversity.

Davy, A., Botvich, D., & Jennings, B. (2006) An Efficient Process forEstimation of Network Demand for QoS-aware IP Network Planning.Proceedings of 6th IEEE International Workshop on IP Operations andManagement (IPOM)

Davy, S., Barrett, K., Balasubramaniam, S., van der Meer, S., Jennings,B., & Strassner, J. (2006) Policy-based Architecture to EnableAutonomic Communications. Proceedings of IEEE ConsumerCommunications and Networking Conference (CCNC)

Davy, S., Jennings, B., & Strassner, J. (2006) Conflict Prevention viaModel-driven Policy Refinement. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/ IEEEInternational Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations andManagement (DSOM)

Donnelly, W., Popescu-Zeletin, R., Strassner, J., Jennings, B. & van derMeer, S. (2006) Multicon Lecture Notes, Modelling AutonomicCommunications Environments. Proceedings of 1st IEEE InternationalWorkshop on Modelling Autonomic Communications Environments(MACE).

Drohan, S., Stapleton, L. & Stack, A. (2006) Problem Solving Skills inInformation Systems Development Curricula. Proceedings of AISHEConference on Creating and Sustaining an Effective Learning Environment,NUI Maynooth.

Drudy D, Quinn T, O'Mahony R, Kyne L, O'Gaora P, Fanning S. (2006),High-level resistance to moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin associated witha novel mutation in gyrB in toxin-A-negative, toxin-B-positiveClostridium difficile, J Antimicrob Chemother. Oct 3.

Drudy D, O'Rourke M, Murphy M, Mullane NR, O'Mahony R, Kelly L,Fischer M, Sanjaq S, Shannon P, Wall P, O'Mahony M, Whyte P, &Fanning S. (2006) Characterization of a collection of Enterobactersakazakii isolates from environmental and food sources. Int J FoodMicrobiol.110(2):127-34.

Feeney, M., & Frisby, R. (2006) Autonomic Management of SmartSpaces, Proceedings of 3rd International Workshop on ManagingUbiquitous Communications and Services

Fewer, T. G. (2006) From mitcher to skater: some school-dayreminiscences and life thereafter Newtown Review 2005-6, p.92.

Foley, S. N., Fitzgerald, W., Bistarelli, S., O'Sullivan, B., & Ó Foghlú, M.(2006) Principles of Secure Network Configuration: Towards a formalbasis for Self-Configuration. Proceedings of 6th IEEE InternationalWorkshop on IP Operations and Management (IPOM).

Galvin, L. (2006) Managing Stakeholders in IT investment evaluationsProceedings of the 2nd European Conference on IS Management: Leadershipand Governance, Paris.

Harrington, D., & Keating, M., (2006) Quality Management Issues inIrish Hotels - Emerging agendas in a changing environment. Journal ofTourism and Hospitality Research.

Hayden, H., & Blount, C., (2006), Library student shelvers atWaterford Institute of Technology, New Library World 107, 5/6 pp.247-257

Helmy, A., Jennings, B., Murphy, L. &Pfeifer, T. (2006). AutonomicManagement of Mobile Multimedia Services. Proceedings of 9th IFIP/IEEE International Conference on Management of Multimedia and MobileNetworks and Services (MMNS). Springer Lecture Notes on ComputerScience, 4267.

Hurley, T., Hegarty, N., & Bolger, J., (2006), Crossing a Bridge: thechallenges of developing and delivering an information literacy coursefor international students, New Library World 107, 7/8 pp.302-320

Issa S, Nolan J, & Beatty S. (2005), A novel index for predictingintraocular pressure reduction following phacoemulsification cataractsurgery, Br J Ophthalmol;89:543-6.

Jennings, B., & Malone, P. (2006) Flexible Charging for Multi-providerComposed Services using a Federated, Two-phase Rating Process.Proceedings of 2006 IEEE/ IFIP Network Operations & ManagementSymposium (NOMS).

Kelliher, F. & Henderson, J.B. (2006), A learning framework for thesmall business environment, Journal of European Industrial Training,30(7): pp.512-28

Khan, M I., Flynn, T., O’Connell, E., Stack, J. & Beatty, S., (2006), Theimpact of new regulations on the incidence and severity of ocularinjury sustained in hurling, EYE.

Koh H-H., Murray I.J., Nolan D., Carden D., Feather J., & Beatty S.(2004), Serum and macular responses to lutein supplement insubjects with and without age-related maculopathy: a pilot study. ExpEye Res, 79:21-27

Lehtihet, E., Strassner, J., Agoulmine, N., & Ó Foghlú, M. (2006)Ontology-based Knowledge Representation for Self-governingSystems. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/ IEEE International Workshop onDistributed Systems: Operations and Management (DSOM)

Liew S.H.M., Gilbert C.E., Spector T.D., Mellerio J., Marshall J., VanKuijk F.J.G.M., Beatty S., Fitzke F., & Hammond C.J., (2006), Heritabilityof macular pigment: a twin study.” Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci.

Recent WIT publications & conferences


McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S., Power, J. & Marsh, A. (2006).Recent Advances in the Development and Application ofMicroemulsion Electrokinetic Chromatography. Electrophoresis – CEand CEC Special Edition. Wiley Interscience.

Moran, S. (2006) Do we deal in knowledge in science lessons? SchoolScience Review. 88(322) pp.113-117

Neelam K., Nolan J., O'Gorman N., O'Donovan O., Au Eong, K-G., &Beatty S.(2005) Measurement of macular pigment: Ramanspectroscopy versus heterochromatic flicker photometry, Curr Eye Res.Invest Ophth Vis Sci; 46: 1023-32.

Neelam K., O'Donovan O., Nolan J., O'Gorman N., Kavanagh H., &Beatty S. (2005), Macular pigment levels following successful macularhole surgery, Br J Ophthalmol; 89:1105-1108.

Nolan J, O'Donovan O, Kavanagh H, Harrison M, Muldoon A,Mellerio J, & Beatty S. (2004), Macular pigment and percentage ofbody fat, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science; 45:3940-3949.

O’ Gorman, B. & McHugh, M. (2006). Enterprise Education DoesMake A Difference. Proceedings of 36th EISB Conference, SolentUniversity, UK.

Osmani, V., Balasubramaniam S., Gu, T., (2006), A DistributedHierarchical Structure for Object Networks Supporting HumanActivity Recognition, Proceedings of 9th IFIP/ IEEE InternationalConference on Management of Multimedia and Mobile Networks &Services (MMNS), vol. 4267/2006, pp.128-133.

Parr, G., Malone, D. & Ó’Foghlú, M. (2006). Autonomic Principles of IPOperations and Management. Proceedings of 6th IEEE InternationalWorkshop on IP Operations and Management (IPOM). Springer LectureNotes on Computer Science (LNCS), 4268.

Pfeifer, T. (2006) Autonomic Position Management, Proceedings of 2006IEEE International Symposium on Wireless Pervasive Computing (ISWPC)

Quinn T, O'Mahony R, Baird AW, Drudy D, Whyte P, & Fanning S.(2006), Multi-drug resistance in Salmonella enterica: effluxmechanisms and their relationships with the development ofchromosomal resistance gene clusters, Current Drug Targets. (7):849-60.

Raymer, D., Strassner, J., Lehtihet, E., & van der Meer, S. (2006) End-to-End Model Driven Policy Based Network Management. Proceedingsof 7th International IEEE Workshop on Policies for Distributed Systems andNetworks (Policy)

Serrano, J., Serrat J., Strassner, J., & Carroll, R. (2006) Policy-BasedManagement and Context Modelling Contributions for SupportingAutonomic Systems, Proceedings of IFIP/ TC6 Autonomic Networking2006 ñ SMARTNET 2006: Tools for Autonomic Networking

State, R., van der Meer, S., O’Sullivan, D. & Pfeifer, T. (2006). LargeScale Management of Distributed Systems. Proceedings of 17th IFIP/IEEE International Workshop on Distributed Systems: Operations andManagement (DSOM). Springer Lecture Notes on Computer Science(LNCS).

Strassner, J. (2006) Convergence Seamlessly: A Look Inside Motorola'sSeamless Mobility Initiative, Proceedings of 1st IEEE Workshop onBroadband Convergence Networks (BcN)

Strassner, J. (2006) A Context-Aware, Policy-Based, AutonomicArchitecture for Dependable and Secure Telecommunications,Proceedings of 2nd IEEE International Symposium on Dependable,Autonomic and Secure Computing (DASC)

Strassner, J., Agoulmine, N., & Lehtihet, E. (2006) FOCALE - A novelAutonomic Networking Architecture, Proceedings of 1st Latin AmericanAutonomic Computing Symposium (LAACS)

Strassner, J., & Menich, B. (2006) Fusion of Sensory Information,Internal Models, and Policy in Autonomic Computing Systems,Proceedings of Modeling Decisions for Artificial Intelligence (LNAI)

Tynan, M., O’Gorman, B., Aylward, E., Sinnott, E. & Durand, M. (2006).Women in business – Exploding some myths about entrepreneurshipeducation for female entrepreneurs. Proceedings of 36th EISBConference, Solent University, UK.

van der Meer, S., Davy, A., Davy, S., Carroll, R., Jennings, B., &Strassner, J. (2006) Automonic Networking: PrototypeImplementation of the Policy Continuum, Proceedings of 1st IEEEWorkshop on Broadband Convergence Networks (BcN)

van der Meer, S., Donnelly, W., Strassner, J., Jennings, B., & Ó Foghlú,M. Emerging Principles of Autonomic Network Management,Proceedings of 1st IEEE International Workshop on Modelling AutonomicCommunications Environments (MACE )

Viktorov, E.A., Mandel, P., O’Driscoll, I., Carroll, O., Huyet, G.,Houlihan, J., Tanguy, Y. (2006). Low frequency fluctuations in two-state quantum dot lasers. Optics Letters, 31, 2302.

Walsh C, Duffy G, O'Mahony R, Fanning S, Blair IS, McDowell DA.(2006) Antimicrobial resistance in Irish isolates of verocytotoxigenicEscherichia coli (E. coli)—VTEC, Int J Food Microbiol. Jun 15;109(3):173-8.

Wohlfiel, M. & Whelan, S. (2006). Consumer Motivations toParticipate in Event-Marketing Strategies. Journal of MarketingManagement, Vol. 22, No. 5-6, pp.643-669.

■ ■ ■ CONFERENCES ■ ■ ■

Birney, R., Barry, M & Ó hÉigeartaigh, M. (2006), ‘The Use of Weblogsas a Tool to Support Collaborative Learning and Reflective Practice inThird-Level Institutions’, EdMedia World Conference on EducationalMultimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications. Orlando, FL.

Birney, R., Barry, M & Ó hÉigeartaigh, M. (2006), ‘Blogs: CollaborativeLearning for the Next Generation’, ALT-C. Edinburgh, Scotland

Coffey A.B., (2006), ‘Transcrystallinity-A Method for AssessingInterfacial Stress Transfer in a Thermoplastic Composite?’ MaterialsCongress 2006 (IOM3), London, UK (April)

Coffey A.B., (2005), ‘Interfacial Stress Transfer in an AramidReinforced Thermoplastic Elastomer.’ International Conference onInterfaces and Interphases in Multicomponent Materials, Lyon, France, 13Sept.

Crosbie, V., Kennedy, F., Pechenart, J., Sudhershan, A., (2005) '(Self)-assessing the intercultural dimension of language learning: theexperience of the Language On-Line Portfolio Project (LOLIPOP) as aNew Tool for Language Learners in Higher Education Contexts'.EUROCALL conference, Integrating CALL into Study Programmes, Granada,Spain (4-7 September)

Dowling, F. (2006) ‘The Value and Values of Visual Design in a DigitalAge: A Framework for Debate on Visual Culture and DesignCommunities in a Global Context’. Limerick SophiaEuropa Conference,Limerick (May)

Felicia, P. & Pitt, I.J. (2006) ‘5 Keys to More Effective EducationalGames: A systematic Approach to Emotionally Sound Games’. 9thInternational Conference on Computer Games: AI, Animation, Mobile,Educational & Serious Games, Dublin (22-24 November).

Fewer, T. G., (2006) ‘Conserving space heritage: the case of TranquillityBase’, Archaeology in Space Symposium, British Interplanetary Society,London (10 May).

Ford, M., Stevens, J., Ronan, J., (2006) ‘Initial Results from an IPv6Darknet13’ International Conference on Internet Surveillance andProtection (ICISP'06) Côte d’Azur, France.

Heynen, M. (2005). ‘Providing Accredited Courses for LiteracyPractitioners in Ireland.’ Conference on Training Language, Literacy andNumeracy Teachers: A European Perspective. Lewisham College, London.

Howlett, M. (2006). ‘Handheld Devices and Cultural Change.’SophiaEuropa Conference, Limerick (April).

Recent WIT publications & conferences cont’d...


Howlett, M. (2006) ‘A Cultural Critique of ICT led Irish Society:Religious and Historical Perspectives.’ Continuity + Change:Perspectives on Science and Religion. Philadelphia, PA, USA (June).Paper available on: www.metanexus.net/conference2006/papers

Keating, M., (2006) ‘Narrating the experience of Middle Managementin the Implementation of Change Initiatives’. 2nd Annual Conference ofTourism and Hospitality Research in Ireland, Waterford Institute ofTechnology (13 - 14 June).

Keating, M., (2006) ‘Narrating the experience of Middle Managementin the Implementation of Change Initiatives - a methodologicalperspective’. 5th European Conference on Research Methods in Businessand Management. Trinity College Dublin, (17-18 July).

Kelliher, F. (2006) ‘A critical analysis of the power relationshipbetween the independent community pharmacist and softwarevendors: assessing the potential for a cooperative construct amongsmall firms’. 2nd Workshop on Competition strategy: toward a new kind ofinterfirm dynamics Proceedings, SDA Bocconi School of Management,Milan, Italy, (14 – 15 September).

Lally, A. & Fynes, B., (2006) ‘Articulating Service Concept to enhanceTourism Experience Design’. Academy of Management Conference,University College Cork

Maher, J. (2006). ‘Consumer Savings or Saving Consumers: aConsumer Perspective.’ Conference of Committee of European Insuranceand Occupational Pensions Supervisors. Frankfurt am Main, Germany(14 November).

Maher, J. (2006). ‘Policy Submission to the Dept. of An Taoiseach inresponse to the public consultation on Regulatory Appeals.’ PRNA6/1047 (31 October).

Mulhall, C. (2006) Lexical Variation in Idiomatic Expressions inBilingual Italian-English dictionaries, Australex 2006, Linguistics inQueensland, University of Queensland, Brisbane (6 July).

Murphy, A. and Garavan, T., (2006), ‘A Conceptual Model to ExplainAdoption and Diffusion of Excellence Through People’, Tourism andHospitality Research Conference, Waterford Institute of Technology, (13 -14 June).

Murphy, A. and Garavan, T., (2006), ‘A Conceptual Model to ExplainAdoption and Diffusion of A National HRD Standard’, Irish Academy ofManagement Conference, University College Cork, (6 -8 September)

O'Connell, B. (2006) ‘Newfoundland and Irish Fiddle Styles: AComparative Study’. European Seminar of Canadian Studies, Graz,Austria. (28 – 31 September).

O’ Duill G., (2006) ‘Sir Samuel Ferguson (1810-1886) and hisengagement with Irish language and culture’ Ceangal Dha ChulturConference - Celtic Revival Summer School in Christ Church Cathedral,Dublin (July).

Walsh, A., Foley, A. & Lally, A.M (2006) "An Application of ServiceTypologies within a Hospitality Context", 2nd Annual Tourism andHospitality Conference, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford(13-14 June)

Walsh, A., Lally, A.M & Foley, A. (2006) "Towards furtherUnderstanding of Relevant Service Typologies for the HospitalityIndustry", Irish Academy of Management Annual Conference, UniversityCollege Cork, Cork (6-8 Sept)

Wohlfeil, Markus and Susan Whelan (2006), "Confessions of aMovie-Fan: Introspection into the Experiential Consumption of Pride &Prejudice", Proceedings of the 9th Irish Academy of ManagementConference, University College Cork, Cork: on CD-Rom.

■ ■ ■ BOOK CHAPTERS ■ ■ ■

Connolly, R., O’Gorman, B.& Bogue, J. (2006). An Exploratory Study ofthe Process by which Recent Graduate Entrepreneurs (RGEs) BecomeSelf-Employed. The Irish Journal of Management, Vol. 26. BlackhallPublishing, Dublin, pp.185 – 210.

McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S. & Power, J. (2006) CapillaryElectrophoresis for Pharmaceutical Analysis. CRC Handbook of CapillaryElectrophoresis 3rd edition. James Landers (Ed.). CRC Press.

McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S. & Power, J. (2006) CapillaryElectrophoresis: Microemulsion Electrokinetic Chromatography.Encyclopedia of Separation Science, Update 1. Elsevier.

McEvoy, E., Altria, K., Donegan, S. & Power, J., Marsh, A. (2006) LiquidChromatography: Microemulsion Based HPLC Methods. Encyclopediaof Separation Science Update 1. Elsevier

Neelam K & Nolan J., (2006) Vitamins. Nutrition and Vision. 2006;Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Neelam K & Nolan J., (2006) Minerals and Trace Elements. Nutritionand Vision, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Nolan J & Neelam K. (2006) Carotenoids. Nutrition and VisionButterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

Nolan J & Neelam K.( 2006) Oxidative Stress. Nutrition and Vision.Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

O'Donovan O. (2006) Proteins. Nutrition and Vision. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

O'Donovan O. (2006) Lipids. Nutrition and Vision. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

O'Donovan O. (2006) Carbohydrates. Nutrition and Vision.Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.

O'Donovan O & Beatty S. (2006) The Lutein - 'Evidence that macularpigment protects against AMD and the relationship between macularpigment and serum and dietary levels of lutein and zeaxanthin. TheLutein - Prevention and Treatment of Age-Related Diseases, a review bookseries of Chem. Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPS), Noboru Motohashi (Ed).Transworld Research Network, Chapter 9.

Spillane, M., O’Gorman, B., Birdthistle, N. (2006) Family Business andConsultation to them in Ireland. Handbook of Family Business andFamily Business Consultation – A Global Perspective. F. Kaslow (Ed.)International Business Press, New York. pp. 165-178.

Taie R Al, Neelam K & Nolan J., (2006) Age-related maculardegeneration. Nutrition and Vision. Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford,UK

■ ■ ■ OTHER ■ ■ ■

Beatty S. “Epidemiology and pathogenesis of age-related maculardegeneration.” http://www.eyetext.com

Fewer, T. G. Various entries in Bobby Hitt (ed.), Pen & Paper: R PG[Role-Playing Game] Database (http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php).

O’Duill , G. (2006) The Watch Disturbed, The Black Mountain Review,Raw Brae; Beast, his Mark; Crows; 14, ed. Niall Magrath, Ballyclare, Co.Antrim.

O’Duill , G. (2006) Nua, a journal of contemporary Irish writing, Arrest;Spring; Bales; Burial; ed. Shawn O’Hare, Carson-Newman College,Jefferson City, Tennessee, October.

O’Duill , G. (2006) Inattention in the ProCathedral; The Surface;Making Tracks; Outward and Return, Cork Literary Review 11 ed. FredJohnston, Cork



O’Duill , G. (2006) The Shop 20, versions in Irish and in English,Faoileoir / Glider, eds John and Hilary Wakeman, Schull, Co. Cork.

O’Duill , G. (2006) The Blackbird’s Nest, Sionnach/ Fox: an anthologyof poetry from Queen’s University Belfast, ed. Frank Ormsby, BlackstaffPress, Belfast.

O’Duill , G. (2005) Reviews on Celia de Fréine and on Michael Davitt,ed. Peter Sirr Poetry Ireland Review 84.

Simmons, J. (2006) Flycatcher, The flow, Energy to burn A Journey ofPoetry, 25 years of Poetry Publishing in Ireland. Salmon Press.

Simmons, J. (2006) The Blackbird’s Nest, Salt Carress. Blackstaff Press,Belfast.

Simmons, J.,(2005) The Bowsprit, Lagan Press, Belfast, July.

Simmons, J. (2006) The Sirens, The Book of Irish America Poetry fromThe Eighteenth Century to the Present, Notre Dame Univ. Press.

Simmons, J. (2006) Heliotrope, Wild Carrot, Susan Sindall (Ed.),NewYork City.

Simmons, J. (2005) The Ark, The Independent on Sunday poem, July,


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Research Matters Issue 7 - Winter 2006

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