Green-tech course devised in partnership with GE Energy, Airtricity, ESB and Bord Gáis, plus Wavebob.
Minister Eamon Ryan TD launched the B.E. Programme in Energy Systems Engineering today at NUI Galway (NUIG). The course has been developed in partnership with energy industry providers including ESB, GE Energy, Airtricity, Bord Gáis and the wave energy technology firm Wavebob and consulting engineers’ practices Arup and RPS.
Speaking today, Minister Ryan said: “The Government has set out ambitious plans for energy, and particularly renewable energy over the next 10 years. For these plans to come to fruition, we must seek to build on our technical expertise, and continue to add to the highly skilled energy workforce in this country.
For Ireland to transgress from its current level of 15pc renewable electricity to 40pc by 2020, he said building a strong academic platform with practical, onsite experience would be vital.
As well as having a very practical element by linking up with some of Ireland’s key energy providers, the Energy Systems Engineering course will also support innovation and technology transfer, working with a cluster of energy companies in the west of Ireland including Wavebob, Eirecomposites, Enerit and C&F Engineering.
The course will be given in the new Engineering Building on NUIG’s campus, which is due for completion next summer, The building itself will also host sustainable energy and environmentally friendly features, as well as providing a real-life experimental environment for students of the new programme.
Career prospects
Aspects of the programme will include traditional civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, with an emphasis on energy policy, economics, environmental issues and a strong focus on informatics. It will also include a range of additional optional modules, giving students the flexibility to opt for diverse career paths in the green-tech field.
The Energy Systems Engineering course will culminate in integrated design projects that address the sourcing, conversion and use of energy. Subjects on offer will also include strong elements of civic engagement and service learning, with, for example, student volunteers travelling to India and Africa to install solar systems. Students will also study a range of related subjects, including economics, sociology, politics, law and science.
The new degree programme can be applied for through the CAO as a change of mind option.
Professor Gerry Lyons, dean of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway, said the course has been designed to meet Ireland’s future demand for graduates in the emerging energy sectors.
“These energy graduates are critical to Ireland’s recovery and can play a crucial role in the emerging fields of renewable energy and smart grids”.
By Carmel Doyle
Storm over the Pacific is a game depicting the Pacific War in a wide historical context. The gameplay is similar to that of the Grand Strategy classics. A good variety of scenarios provides several hours of exciting gameplay. Players can enjoy battles on land and sea with realistic historical units. It’s up to you to decide who will be the great victor, the fate of the world during the Pacific War is in your hands. The whole area of the Pacific is included in the campaign.
MAKING HISTORY II: The War of the World marks a dramatic step forward in the MAKING HISTORY series. From the factories and shipyards on the homefront, to epic battles across the globe, MHII gives WWII grand strategy gamers the opportunity to lead a nation and remake history. MHII reflects the reality that economics win wars as much as combat, so players can customize the development of specific cities, regions and units to support their objectives. Along the way they will face rival political factions both domestic and international, diplomatic choices that affect their nation’s status and reputation, and a reactive artificial intelligence that alters its strategy based on player actions. The detailed 3-D map creates an immersive environment that lets players spend more time on the map building their cities and planning battles.
Transformers: War for Cybertron challenges players to become the ultimate weapon as a TRANSFORMERS character in the final, epic war that will determine the survival of their entire race. Armed with a diverse arsenal of lethal, high-tech weaponry and the ability to instantly convert from robot to vehicle at any time, players will engage in heart-pounding battles on land and in the air in this gripping, 3rd person action shooter set in the TRANSFORMERS’ war-ravaged homeland. Complete with several multiplayer modes, Transformers: War for Cybertron allows gamers to play through story missions with their friends in drop in/drop out online co-op, and also create their own TRANSFORMERS character for competitive head-to-head multiplayer modes, choosing among four distinct character classes, personalizing its look and selecting from a huge variety of weapons, skills and abilities.
Winchester Systems Inc.,
The 
Samsung 
