Tag Archives: LIT

MORE THAN 3,000 courses are to be made available through colleges serving the Midwest, following an investment in an initiative to upskill people in response to the economic impact of the pandemic. 271 additional post-graduate places and 2,769 additional modular places will be available at the University of Limerick (UL), Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) after an investment of €30 million. Senator Martin Conway said the new free and subsidised higher education places would “help get people back to work, upskill workers and build economic confidence while continuing to manage the impact of Covid-19”. “People are really suffering as a result of this pandemic and the government is working to provide opportunities for those who have been most affected and ensure that they have the skills that are needed by employers today,” the Fine Gael member said. “Many courses focus on future proofing the skills of …

A BRIDGETOWN technology and engineering teacher put his skills to good use during the Covid-19 lockdown by making and distributing protective about 2,400 visors for frontline staff in health care facilities and hospitals. Tom English teaches in St Clements school in Limerick. Using a 3D printer from his home, he supplied vital Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) free of charge when it was in extremely short supply. The visor includes a strong plastic band with a shield that drops down to protect a person’s face. The main benefit of a visor is to prevent fluid transmission between people. “I had the machinery in school and before the schools closed down and took home three of my own 3D printers. “In the first week of April, I test printed five or six different designs to see what would be suitable. There were loads of different designs available on line. “It was more a case of curiosity more than anything else. By the …

A CLARE hurler is the latest person to come on board to help the nation keep fit and well when confined to home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. David Reidy, the sports and marketing officer at Limerick Institute of Technology, has developed an online exercise programme. Starting next week, he will present recorded videos of 20 to 30 minutes, which will be posted on The Clare Champion and LIT social media forums at lunchtime on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Starting on Monday and running over three weeks, the Éire Óg hurler will present a total of nine training routines, which will suit people of all level of fitness and ages. “I’m looking forward to this challenge. People who are stuck in their home during this crisis need to keep their mind and body active. I’m showing them through The Clare Champion and LIT social media how they can do this without having any kind of gym equipment. If they have …

AN Ennis art student has drawn on his talents to be named among the winners of a video animation competition. ELVES, the End-of-Life Vehicle compliance scheme and Limerick School of Art & Design LIT have announced the winners of their recent joint video animation competition. The purpose of the contest was to help ELVES www.elves.ie raise awareness about how End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) in Ireland should be processed properly. Mikey Cashell from Ennis was one of the winners in the competition. As the compliance scheme for the End-of-Life Vehicle sector, part of ELVES remit is to create public awareness about how people should correctly scrap their cars and small vans, once they are no longer roadworthy.  To help achieve this aim, ELVES partnered with Limerick School of Art and Design LIT to task some of its students with creating commercial standard video animations which would best convey this message. Mikey, along with fellow students Anna Dreimane and Kate Deegan were awarded runners up …

LIT has confirmed its plans to open a new campus in Ennis on foot of a proposed capital investment of €0.75 million by Clare County Council. Located on Bindon Street in the town’s historic core, the new facility will enable a substantial increase in higher education activity in the town. Reflecting LIT’s regional development remit, the LIT Ennis campus will join LIT’s existing campuses at Clonmel and Thurles in County Tipperary; Moylish and Clare Street in Limerick City; and a new engineering-focused campus currently under development at Coonagh in Limerick. A total of six degree programmes in Social Care, Early Childhood Care and Education, and Marketing and Management are now available through the CAO at LIT in Ennis for September commencement. Possibilities for evening and professional learning will also be opened up. Commenting on the news, LIT President, Professor Vincent Cunnane said, “We are delighted to be able to progress our plans in Ennis. We intend to provide an expanded …

ENNIS is pulling out all the stops when it comes to reaping the benefits of coach tourism, including job creation and increased visitor numbers. The county capital will shortly be the first in the country to offer an accredited course for tour guides. It is expected that the Certificate in Arts in Local Heritage Tour Guiding, run through Limerick Institute of Technology, will be up and running in the coming months. Details of the initiative were unveiled at this week’s meeting of members of the Ennis Municipal District. Councillor Johnny Flynn, a member of the Ennis Coach-Friendly Committee, called for financial support to be given for its delivery. The course will be run as a joint tourism initiative between the local authority, local businesses, Ennis Chamber and LIT. The venture is the result of efforts being made to capitalise on Ennis’ achievement of Coach-Friendly Destination accreditation last year. Brian McCarthy, acting director of services, explained, “A working group/committee was formed …

PLANTS cultivated by a local biochemist and her team at the LIT CELLS research group look set for life on Mars, after a period in Antartica. The plants are scheduled to arrive in Antartica in the coming weeks for tests in extreme temperatures that replicate those of the red planet. A state-of-the-art plant cultivation facility, known as the EDEN-ISS Future Exploration Greenhouse (FEG) – which was also designed and built by the Limerick scientists and their EDEN-ISS partners – will house the growing plants and will be located beside Neumayer-Station III. Dr Tracey Larkin is one of the research scientists working as part of the EDEN-ISS consortium, which has been tasked with developing the technologies that will allow for sustainable food production facilities on the moon and on Mars. A native of Mill Road, Corbally, Dr Larkin moved to Ballina, Killaloe, about 16 years ago. The BSc PhD biochemistry graduate from NUI Galway has completed a post-doctorate with the Life …

A MAJOR political upset could be on the cards in General Election 2016 in Clare should the results of a Clare Champion-commissioned opinion poll be replicated on February 26. Using a sample ballot paper, the poll, undertaken by the marketing department at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), indicates that Independent candidate Dr Michael Harty and Sinn Féin’s Noeleen Moran are poised to take seats, at the expense of sitting TDs, Joe Carey of Fine Gael and Labour’s Michael McNamara. Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley and Fine Gael’s Pat Breen are effectively home and dry. With national polls indicating that the outcome of General Election 2016 is poised delicately in the balance, the Clare result could be a major contributory factor in determining the shape of the next government in the 32nd Dáil. The closeness of the contest at national level has been heightened by the reduction in the number of seats by eight to 158. Conducted last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, …