The Focas Institute, DIT, has been established under the HEA Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions Cycle 1. Officially opened in November 2004 by Dr Barry McSweeney, Chief Science Advisor to the Government, the Institute addresses the common needs of research activities in Science and Engineering. The venture is founded on established expertise within the Institute and aims to consolidate and develop this expertise, while nurturing developing research activities within the DIT. Thus it aims to support a range of undergraduate and postgraduate research activities, to promote interdisciplinary collaborations within the Institute and with other national and international bodies, and to provide a support service for national industry. It will contribute strongly to the development of self-sustaining research teams in a number of strategic areas. It will furthermore underpin postgraduate research as well as undergraduate project work and undergraduate and postgraduate course curriculum development.
The Focas Institute
The Institute provides state of the art core laboratory support for a range of research groups, as well as administrative and technical support. It also boasts excellent seminar and meeting room facilities which regularly host events covering a broad range of topics. Research activities span the areas of novel materials synthesis and characterization, nanotechnology, surface science and engineering, biotechnology, sustainable energies, and communications networks.
Pictured at the opening of the Focas Institute are L to R: Prof. Brian Norton (President, DIT), Dr. Barry McSweeney (Chief Science Advisor to the Government), Mr. Tom Boland (Secretary/Chief Executive HEA Executive), Dr. Hugh J. Byrne (Manager Focas Institute), Dr. Matthew Hussey (Director, Faculty of Science DIT)
Beginning in June 2005, the Institute hosts the SFI Ureka site FEATURE, (Focas on Education in Advanced Techniques and Research Expertise) which aims to utilise the framework and infrastructure of the Focas Institute, DIT, to train young scientists in the application of advanced experimental techniques for the analysis of materials, while exposing the participants in a "fun and engaging way" to the research environment. In addition to the specific research projects, the participants engage in a programme of Core and Group Seminars, as well as a Support training programme. The programme culminates in a two day symposium at which the students present their work. FEATURE ran for 12 weeks from June until September 2005, and will be repeated in 2006 and 2007.
Contact: Dr Hugh Byrne, Manager, FOCAS Institute,
Dublin Institute of Technology, Camden Row, Dublin 8;
Tel: (01) 402 7900;
Email:
[email protected]
;
Web:
www.focas.dit.ie
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