NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Civic Engagement in the Neoliberal-Patriarchal University: Lessons from Irish Practitioners Working Within and Against the System.
No full textThis study examines civic engagement and highlights the ways community engagement practice can learn from practitioners in Ireland as they navigate present-day university environments. It explores the origins, interpretations, and common operational models of civic engagement, presenting it as a contested field shaped by differing orientations and politics. I delve more deeply into community engagement practices on the continuum from transactional to transformative, making the case for the latter throughout. I also explore how the relevant Irish civic engagement policies are enabling and restricting for practitioners, and how they may contribute to the domestication of community engagement within the neoliberal-patriarchal university.
This research is positioned within the context of the neoliberal-patriarchal framing of the Irish higher education system, and conducted within a critical feminist research paradigm, drawing from the theories of intersectionality, critical feminist pedagogy, as well as my own practice in community engagement. It is a qualitative study that consists of in-depth interviews with seven Irish female civic engagement practitioners.
The findings reveal that the participants’ commitments are to a radical and transformative model of civic engagement focused on social justice and equality, and based on the principles of holistic, engaged and nurturing pedagogy. At the same time, this study shows that the practice tends to be more traditional and tempered. This research portrays community engagement as innovative work in a rigid higher education system, and a practice that is liminal and largely invisible and unrecognised. Despite its marginal status, this research also documents the ways in which civic engagement can disturb the dominant discourse of a neoliberal-patriarchal university. The unique contribution of this research lies in its focus on the lived experiences of civic engagement practitioners, offering a new perspective on community engagement through a critical, intersectional feminist lens. It sheds light on the values, practices, and challenges faced by practitioners who work in a university environment that is often counter-normative to their practice and values, expanding our understanding of civic engagement in Ireland
BioBeo Primary Education Programme
No full textThe BioBeo Primary Education Programme consisted of six interactive sessions designed to introduce primary school children to the concept of the circular bioeconomy. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, students explored the interconnectedness of biological systems and sustainable practices. The programme aimed to foster an understanding of how natural resources can be used efficiently and responsibly, with a focus on sustainability. Emphasizing active learning and collaboration, BioBeo encouraged children to think critically about environmental challenges and solutions. By integrating the principles of the circular bioeconomy, the programme promoted environmental stewardship and community engagement
Tradition and Innovation in the Materiality of Medieval Gaelic Law Manuscripts
No full textThis article is concerned with paper in the medieval Gaelic law manuscript
tradition during the initial phases of the paper tradition in Ireland.1 Paper
was introduced into the Gaelic manuscript tradition in the late fifteenth
century, but it took several centuries before it replaced vellum entirely
as the preferred writing medium.2 Recent studies have highlighted the
gradual change to paper from vellum in manuscripts compiled in Irish
schools of learning, particularly those of medicine and history.3 The extent
to which paper usage prevailed in the professional law schools during
this initial phase has not yet been fully explored, however. This article
provides a general survey and discussion of paper use in the vernacular
Irish law manuscripts, with particular focus on the largest such collection,
which is held in the Library of Trinity College Dublin. The evidence
demonstrates that the professional Irish law schools were not isolated
from the wider trends and practices of book production taking place in
Ireland. Scribes not only adopted the new writing technology but also
implemented innovative new page layouts in both materials, drawing on
external influences of imported printed books, demonstrating flexibility
and dexterity working between both media
A review of energy storage systems for facilitating large-scale EV charger integration in electric power grid
No full textThe swift increase in electric vehicle (EV) into modern power grids presents both significant opportunities and challenges, particularly in maintaining power quality (PQ) and managing peak loads. This review synthesizes current research, providing a comprehensive analysis of the pivotal role of energy storage systems (ESS) in enabling large-scale EV charger integration while addressing critical PQ issues. A key contribution is the comparative evaluation of various ESS typologies—battery ESS (BESS), hybrid ESS (HESS), and distributed ESS (DESS)—each offering distinct advantages in mitigating PQ challenges such as harmonic distortion, voltage regulation, and peak demand control. Ensuring compliance with IEEE-519 standards is emphasized as vital for maintaining grid reliability and high PQ standards. This review paper further examines the diverse impacts of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) on power grids, including their charging and storage characteristics, which influence grid stability and efficiency. It highlights the transformative potential of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which facilitates bidirectional power flow to support grid stabilization, energy balancing, and ancillary services. Additionally, it addresses the mitigation of harmonic distortion from PEV charging, preserving transformer performance and lifespan, and explores strategies to manage large-scale PEV integration through predictive and adaptive control techniques. This study introduces innovative approaches to improving grid recovery following disturbances and evaluates the synergistic integration of renewable energy sources with PEVs to foster sustainable energy systems. Models for PEV interaction with microgrids are also discussed, emphasizing their role in enhancing energy resilience and grid flexibility. This paper underscores the critical role of advanced energy management strategies (EMS) in optimizing EV-grid integration and improving overall system efficiency. These strategies include rule-based EMSs employing fixed rules, fuzzy logic, and wavelet transforms; optimization-based EMSs utilizing techniques such as dynamic programming, genetic algorithms, model predictive control, and particle swarm optimization; and intelligent EMSs leveraging neural networks and reinforcement learning for adaptive and predictive control. By outlining innovative solutions and highlighting the importance of strategic collaboration among utilities, policymakers, researchers, and technology developers, this review provides a comprehensive roadmap for overcoming the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges associated with EV charger integration, laying the groundwork for a reliable, efficient, and sustainable energy future
Signal and Noise in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 26°N
No full textThe Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in redistributing heat within the climate system. The RAPID mooring array has observed an AMOC weakening of 1.0 [0.4–1.6] Sv per decade from 2004 to 2023, consistent with climate model projections and not consistent with a collapse in the mid‐21st century. Here, we analyze the AMOC change within a signal‐to‐noise framework. We find a strong signal in Lower North Atlantic Deep Water (LNADW) and thermocline transports. By removing the influence of Ekman transport on AMOC and LNADW estimates, we reduce noise by 30% and 22%,respectively. Moreover, we demonstrate that a simple model of LNADW yields a comparable signal‐to‐noiseratio to the full AMOC estimate. Ultimately, we conclude that current AMOC trends are unlikely to reach“unfamiliar” (signal‐to‐noise ratio > 2) or “unknown” (signal‐to‐noise ratio > 3) thresholds until the 2040s and 2060s, respectively
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in the Irish Free State, 1924–1935
No full textDespite a growing body of research on sexual violence in Irish history, and on recently reported historic sexual offences, few studies have focused on sex offenders who were prosecuted and convicted contemporaneously in the early decades of the Irish Free State. This article examines hitherto restricted archival files on sixty-five offenders who were convicted of unlawful carnal knowledge under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, and, in doing so, constitutes the first comprehensive analysis of convicted sex offenders during the formative years of the independent Irish state. The findings reveal the modus operandi of these perpetrators and that the majority of the victims were exploited by someone who was known to them. The article also challenges the view that there was little recognition of child sexual abuse as a societal problem in the early years of the state and demonstrates that there was an awareness of predatory individuals within Irish communities during this period
Semantic-Based Surrogate-Assisted Neuroevolution for Neural Architecture Search in Deep Neural Networks
No full textNeuroevolution is a popular branch of Neural Architecture Search (NAS) that searches
for high-performing artificial neural network architectures using evolutionary algorithms.
Neuroevolution of deeper, more complex architectures, like deep neural networks, however,
comes at a great computational cost, as often thousands of architectures need to be
trained and evaluated over numerous Graphical Processing Unit days. To address this,
research has turned to the use of Surrogate-Assisted Evolutionary Algorithms (SAEAs),
where less expensive surrogate models can be used to estimate the fitness of an architecture,
without the need to fully train it, resulting in a substantial reduction in the
associated computational cost. Ultimately, SAEAs have emerged as a graceful response
to tackling computational intensive workflows, such as neuroevolution, however, some
notable limitations remain, such as, issues relating to high-dimensionality and complex
encoding strategies required in current surrogate-assisted neuroevolution methods.
In this thesis, we use a semantic-inspired method to adeptly handle these issues, which
in turn, is incorporated into a novel technique named Neuro-Linear Genetic Programming
(NeuroLGP). NeuroLGP evolves chain-structured topologies with a representation closely
aligned to how neural network architectures are naturally constructed. This allows us to
perform an in-depth analysis not only on the surrogate model robustness and architecture
performance, but also allows us to analyse how the internal makeup of our architectures
change during evolution. From this, we propose a new mechanism, named NeuroLGPMB,
that is capable of evolving truly complex modern networks that exhibit multi-branch
connections. Our proposed SAEA approach was shown to not only be robust for both
NeuroLGP and NeuroLGP-MB but was also able to find high-performing individuals with
a substantial reduction in time
A Capital Perspective on the Psychological Contracts of Career Novices. A qualitative process study exploring the capital accumulation and psychological contract evolution of undergraduate intern career novices
No full textPsychological contract (PC) theory has garnered significant attention proving crucial in understanding contemporary employment relationships. Defined as “an individual’s beliefs regarding the terms of conditions of a reciprocal exchange agreement” (Rousseau 1989:123), the PC is envisioned as an exchange schema that evolves over time. However, the study of PCs often lacks consideration of time and the impact of social context, despite calls to address these gaps. This PhD aims to investigate the construction and evolution of the PC, with a career novice sample, emphasising the influence of temporal dynamics and social context.
Utilising a qualitative individual-level process methodology, data were collected from 30 undergraduate interns over 12-15 months, using Bourdieu’s theory of practice (1977) as a complementary theoretical framework to the PC. Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, habitus, and field, provide a lens to examine the PC as a dynamic social exchange influenced by the broader social context. The study argues that Bourdieu’s theory can enhance understanding of the PC by highlighting the interplay between individual and social factors and their evolution.
Despite being theorised as dynamic, much PC research assumes a static view, neglecting temporal processes and social influences. This PhD addresses these gaps by exploring the construction and evolution of the PC within the context of undergraduate internships. The study's findings indicate that the accumulation and depletion of various forms of capital underpin the dynamic PC exchange, and that capitals operate in a mutually influencing and reinforcing manner. The study also captures interns’ perceptions of which organisational practices enhanced or hampered their accumulation of capitals.
In conclusion, this research contributes to PC theory by integrating Bourdieu’s sociological concepts, offering a nuanced understanding of the PC as a temporally and socially embedded construct. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, educators, and interns
Extensions of Bayesian Non-Parametric Causal Inference Machine Learning Methods with Applications to Large Scale Educational Studies
No full textWhen exploring how a unique individual’s characteristics can lead to variations
in their response to treatment, Bayesian non-parametric causal inference machine
learning methods based on Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) and
Bayesian Causal Forests (BCF) have emerged as leading approaches. This thesis
presents a series of studies focused on extending and applying these methods to
large scale educational studies.
We begin by demonstrating the broad potential for these methods in educational
studies by applying BART to English data from the Teaching and Learning
International Survey (TALIS 2018). By estimating the effect of multiple treatments
on teacher job satisfaction, we identify positive factors such as continual
professional development and induction activities that may be used to improve
job satisfaction, thus encouraging teachers to stay in their jobs and new entrants
to join the profession.
Our second contribution is a multivariate extension of Bayesian Causal Forests,
designed to estimate the effect of an intervention on multiple outcome variables
simultaneously. By allowing the tree structure of BCF to benefit from the shared
information across all outcome variables, we demonstrate the performance gains
made possible with this approach. Applying this method to Irish data from the
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2019), we also
investigate the effect of a number of home-related factors on student achievement
such as having access to a study desk at home, often being absent, or often feeling
hungry when arriving at school.
Later, we augment this multivariate model in order to investigate the separate
effects of homework frequency and homework duration on student achievement in
mathematics and science, again using data from TIMSS 2019. We find that while
increasing homework frequency can lead to greater homework benefits, increasing
homework duration beyond 15 minutes has no additional effect.
Our final contribution is a longitudinal extension of BCF, designed to estimate
treatment effects from multiple waves of data, using a structure similar to that
of the difference-in-differences approach. With the help of simulation studies, we
demonstrate the performance gains made possible with our new method. Applying
this model to data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS), we
also reveal the negative effects of participation in intensive part-time work by high
school students
An examination of the Irish in South Africa, c.1919-61
No full textThis thesis breaks new ground by examining the Irish population in South Africa during the
twentieth century. While the Irish diaspora continues to captivate the minds of scholars around
the world, South Africa has generally occupied a marginal position within this much larger
discourse. As a result, the historiography that has developed around the Irish in South Africa
is quite modest and overwhelmingly focused upon the nineteenth century. Even for the handful
of existing works that do venture into the twentieth century, analysis tends to end either before
the Great War or immediately after the Irish Revolution.
What is wrapped up in this is the assumption that the Irish in South Africa ceased to be a
coherent group after the initial decades of the twentieth century. Historians of South Africa
have also tended to concur with this thought, assuming that Irish identity was inherently
transient in South Africa and that Irish individuals were destined to shed their distinct ethnic
awareness within South Africa’s racially charged society.
This thesis puts these popular beliefs to the test, by examining the Irish population in South
Africa during the rough time period between the Irish Revolution and South Africa’s
declaration of a republic. It demonstrates that previous assumptions regarding the Irish
experience in South Africa do not hold up to close inspection and argues that far more nuance
is required when discussing English-speaking white cohorts in South Africa generally. While
the early to mid-twentieth century was a period of immense change in Ireland and South Africa
– from which Irish South Africans were not immune – this thesis maintains that the Irish
continued to represent a distinct ethnic cohort in South Africa throughout the first half of the
twentieth century