News in Brief
By Daniel Keenan | Nov 13 2012
UCD Foundation Day Medal for Dr. George MooreDr. George Moore has been awarded with the UCD Foundation Day Medal, an award that marks the foundation of University College Dublin’s charter in 1854. It is presented every year to a graduate of the University who has made a significant contribution to Irish life.The award was presented to Dr. Moore at an evening event in O’Reilly Hall by UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady, who called Dr. Moore “an extraordinary individual; a truly global citizen; an innovator and a serial entrepreneur.”Dr. Moore is considered one of the founding fathers of the data analytics industry. He is also known for being the co-founder of TargusInfo, whose analytics technologies is used by many Fortune 500 companies, including Facebook, to help firms analyze customer behaviour and anticipate customer needs. The company was sold earlier this year to Neustar for an estimated US$700M.“George’s ongoing support for the UCD School of Business and UCD’s new Science Centre will provide a legacy that will greatly enhance the experience of UCD students for generations,” Dr. Brady added. “Its impact will be measured not only in the impact it makes for UCD but for Irish society.”The UCD Foundation Day Medal was inaugurated in 2004 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the opening of UCD’s antecedent institution, the Catholic University of Ireland.UCD Earth Institute showcase ResearchThe Earth Institute at UCD hosted a showcase on its research around energy, the environment and climate change, and aimed to identify opportunities for partnerships between industry and academia on Tuesday 6th November. The event was held in the O’Reilly Hall, and attracted researchers, representatives from industry and state agencies.This development comes after the Irish Government revealed its plans to help establish a low-carbon economy in its ‘Our Sustainable Future’ strategy earlier this year. The Earth Institute hosted the event in an attempt to showcase the institute's research, and also to provide possibilities for future links with industry.This linking process was initiated on the day by networking sessions, which sought to identify collaborations between research and industry, focussing on harnessing energy, water and mineral resources, climate change and smart cities.Speakers on the day included Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who spoke about the UCD spin-out, Bioplastech, a company he set up, and Dr. Ciaran Peyton from Tullow Oil, as well as Steve Clark from Mainstream Renewable Power, who discussed their collaborations with academia.HiberGene Diagnostics Ltd appoint new CEOHiberGene Diagnostics, a company utilising the latest medical technology to develop, market and manufacture molecular diagnostic tests for humans with infectious diseases, announced the appointment of Tony Hill as Chief Executive Officer on November 1st 2012.Hill previously worked for an international diagnostics company, where he was Global Sales Director until his appointment at HiberGene. He has experience from more than 20 years in the diagnostic and life science industries.Brendan Farrell, Executive Chairman of Hibergene says he is “delighted to have secured someone of Tony’s calibre to lead Hibergene. He has a great range of experience across diagnostics and life sciences, coupled with a strong track record of success.”Hibergene is based at Nova UCD, the centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at UCD. They have developed a molecular diagnostic test for Meningococcus, and plan to develop a test for Pneumococcal Meningococcus, which are the two most common forms of meningitis.The company is currently fundraising to bring the tests for meningitis to commercialisation. This fundraising will also fund further research and development on a range of human infectious diseases.