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Detailed  Conference Programme

KEYNOTE

 9.45 am: Brendan Allen, co-founder of Irish agri-software company Senus

Brendan is an experienced scientist and entrepreneur with a diverse career that spans marine and environmental science, agri-food, innovation education, and, most recently, his role as founder of the University of Galway spinout company, Senus. Driven by a passion for the environment and nature, Brendan has built Senus into a company that develops cutting-edge technology to measure and monitor natural ecosystems. Currently active in 10 countries, Senus serves high-profile clients such as Diageo, Arla, Lakeland Dairies, Teagasc, EIT, and more. As the Director of Business Development at Senus, Brendan focuses on expanding the company’s presence in export markets, leveraging his expertise to drive growth and strengthen its international footprint. Through Senus, he remains committed to promoting sustainability and innovation, striving to make a meaningful contribution to the environmental technology sector.

INDUSTRIAL CAREER TALKS 

14.50: Michael Gilmore, Senior Chemist – Pharma Lab Medtronic, Parkmore Galway

Michael has been working in QC Laboratory testing for 9 years. Beginning as an analyst in Chanelle in Loughrea, Michale joined the Pharma Laboratory in Medtronic in 2017. Starting as a Technician, Michael supported Drug Eluting Stent final release before moving to Drug Coated Balloons. Michael’s role has developed over the years initially testing Potency/ Related Substances/ Drug Release and Residuals Solvents on equipment such as HPLC/UPLC and GC. Having worked through the levels of Technician, Chemist I, Chemist II Michael is now a Senior Chemist. Along the way Michael became the SME for UPLC instrumentation and now leads lab investigations for DCB product along with scheduling analysis of product to be released.

 

15.00: James Garvey, JLR Graduate Career programme- R&D Software Engineering Centre, Jaguar Land Rover Ireland (Services) Ltd.  Shannon. Co. Clare.

‘I’m a recent graduate from ATU Galway with a BSc in Applied Physics and Instrumentation where I developed problem-solving, technical skills and instrumentation design methods. I’m now working with JLR based in Shannon as part of their graduate programme, focusing on software engineering where I’m excited to apply my knowledge and continue to grow professionally.’

 

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ORAL PRESENTERS, SUPERVISORS & ABSTRACTS

Please see full titles, presenting authors, supervisors and affiliated institutions listed below. Full abstracts for oral presentations 1-11 may be found here.

1. Development of food products containing waste-to-value ingredients, Jessica Mallet Doran, Dr. Maria Dermiki, Shelley Fox, Atlantic Technology University Sligo, Sligo, Ireland

2. Microbiological Characterization of Raw Irish Honey, Nadya Doyle, Edel McNeela, SETU, Waterford, Ireland

3. High-Tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps for Children with Autism, Alison Adriaansen, Ignacio Castineiras, Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland

4. Advancing Skin Cancer Diagnostics: A Comparative Analysis of Convolutional Neural Network Models for Skin Lesion Classification, Jesse Osuji, Tania Malik, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

5. Optimising an Intracellular Cytokine Release Assay for Monitoring Clinical Outcome Post CAR T-cell Therapy, Fatima Khan^1,2, Hayley Foy-Stones², Claire Wynne¹, Larry Bacon², Nicola Gardiner^{2 1},Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ²St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

6. Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase Beta (PI4KB) Inhibitors as a Treatment Option for Multiple Myeloma, Ngoc Nguyen Nhu^1,2, Padraig D’Arcy², Joan O’Keeffe¹, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland. ²Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden

7. Investigating the Expression of c-Myc and BIRC5 in TRAIL and PBOX-15 treated Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells, Corinne Kai Leng Chew¹, Hannah O’Toole², Daniela M. Zisterer³, Seema M. Nathwani², Jade K. Pollock¹, ¹Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Ireland. ²University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ³Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

8. Greener Routes to Ring-Fused Benzimidazoles, Cormac Harte, Robert Coyle, ATU Donegal, Letterkenny, Ireland

9. To investigate the Prevalence of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) and Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) carriage in Irish sheep. Eve Foster, Lisa Murray, Mairead Quinn, Technological University of the Shannon (Athlone), Westmeath, Ireland

10. Investigation into the Effect of Aspartame on the Expression of p53 and BAX in Mouse Stomach Tissue, Angelique Cheryl, Aoife Mac Cooey, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Ireland

11. Examining the Tear Meniscus Height Measurement for dry eye detection using a ring light, Cathal Murphy, Fran Pedreschi, Claire McDonnell, TU Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

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POSTER PRESENTERS, SUPERVISORS & ABSTRACTS

Poster Spotlight 1 (Health, Sport & Nutrition Sciences)

1. Assessing the Relationship of Nutritional Knowledge and Nutrient Intake in Vegans, Aisling Bhamvra, Paula Conroy, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland

2. Exploring Nutrition Support in The Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Ireland and The United Kingdom, Róisín Cannon, Evelyn Hannon, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland

3. Examining the relationship between responses to the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module and dietary quality of parents and their children. Aisling Gilheany¹, Michelle Kearns^1,2, Heather Eicher-Miller³, Lourdes Morales³, Mwiza Uwashimimana³ ,Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ²University College of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ³Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA

4. Cephalic Phase Responses to Nutritive and Non-Nutritive sweeteners assessed with Continuous Glucose Monitoring, Eimear Howard¹, Daniel McCartney¹, Richard Mattes^{2, 1}TU Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ²Purdue University, Indianna, USA

5. The Prevalence of Food Insecurity amongst ATU Galway Undergraduate College Students. Aoife Kelly, Evelyn Hannon, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland

6. An Investigation into the Association between CFTR Modulators and Body Composition in Children with Cystic Fibrosis, Lauren McKiernan¹, Annemarie Bennett², Suzanne Doyle^{1, 1}TU Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ²Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

7. Sugary Food and Soft Drink Consumption among Female Participants of the NDNS and Comparison of Nutrient Intakes, Food Patterns and Health and Lifestyle Factors in Low Versus High Consumers. Kelly-Ann McLoughlin, Dr Marie Byrne, TUS Midlands, Athlone, Ireland

8. An Investigation into the Attitudes and Beliefs of Healthcare Practitioners on Exercise as part of Cancer Treatment – A Qualitative Study, Sharon Devine, Dr. Siobhan Leahy, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland

9. An investigation into the fluctuations in strength over the menstrual cycle in physically active college students, Grainne Pracht, Joanne Regan, ATU Sligo, Sligo, Ireland

10. Smoking and Vaping Knowledge, Attitudes and Use Among Atlantic Technological University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study, Fatima Shafique, Karen Keane, ATU, Galway, Ireland

11. Knowledge of, attitudes towards and consumption of low and zero alcohol products amongst male students, Savannah Sheridan, Dr Geraldine Cuskelly, TUS, Athlone, Ireland

12. Assessment of Equity Within Nutrition Relevant Policy: Case Study of The Gambia, Charlott Stafford, Irina Uzhova, Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, Sligo, Ireland

13. Exploring attitudes to seafood in selected segments of Irish consumers: Opportunities to increase Omega-3 Intake, Caoimhe Treacy, Francesco Noci, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland

 

Poster Spotlight 2 (Medical, Biological & Environmental Sciences)

14. Phenotypic and Genomic Analysis of a Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales (CPE) Outbreak in Southern Irish Hospitals; an Investigation of Antimicrobial Resistant Genes and their Correlation with Mobile Genetic Elements. Merit Amadasun¹, Brigid Hooban¹, Georgios Miliotis^{2, 1}Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland. ²University of Galway, Galway, Ireland

15. Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Liposomes to Treat Brain and Colorectal Cancer Cells, Rita Byrne^1,2, Bilal Javed^1,2, Furong Tian^1,2, Vinayak Sharma^1,2, Hugh Byrne^{1,2, 1}FOCAS Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland. ²School of Food Science and Environmental health and Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

16. Antibiotic resistance and effect of mucin on growth of human gut commensal Bacteroides fragilis. Araceli Campos Luna, Benoit Houeix, ATU, Galway, Ireland

17. A Comparative Exploration of Phytochemical Profiles and Antimicrobial Activities of Houttuynia Cordata Extracts from Various Sustainable Extraction Techniques, Rebecca Clarke, Louise Kearney, Tao Zhang, School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland

18. Investigating The Human Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein from the Alpha and Omicron Variants, Seán Connolly*, Darius Ionasc*, Sinead Loughran, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Dundalk, Ireland

19. Investigation into the potential contamination of faecal and water sources from Irish farms with Extended Spectrum βeta-Lactamase and Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales.Sarah Falkus, Lisa Murray, Mairead Quinn, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands, Co. Westmeath, Ireland

20. A comparison of HPV detection using isothermal and thermal cycling nucleic acid amplification assays.Gina Gelera, Denise Cornally, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

21. The impact of occupational violence and its associated factors on general nursing staff.David Haw Tay, Linda Devaney, St. Angela’s ATU, Sligo, Ireland

22. Tension recordings from primary bronchi in Acta2-GCaMP8.1-mVermilion transgenic mice.Qais Khalaf, Srijit Ghosh, Keith Thornbury, Dundalk Institute of Technology., Dundalk, Ireland

23. Creation of a Tissue Microarray for use as a Positive Control in the Immunohistochemistry Laboratory.Jackie Kirk¹, Danielle Scally², Terri Muldoon^{1, 1}ATU, Galway, Ireland. ²Other, Galway, Ireland

24. Environmental and Systemic Persistence Mechanisms of Cronobacter sakazakii and the Impact of Medium Chain Fatty Acids on Its Survival.Gráinne Lacey, Damien Brady, Katie Phair, SETU- Carlow Campus, Carlow, Ireland

25. The Impact of Social Camouflaging on Adults with Autism, Mary Concepta Lynch, Linda Devaney, Seamus Dolan, ATU/ St Angela’s College, Sligo, Ireland

26. The impact of ICU admission on family member’s well-being.Lauren Lyons, Linda Devaney, ATU St Angelas, Sligo, Ireland

27. Characterization of enzymes (particularly Laccase) from spent mushroom compost used for the bioremediation of waste water, Josh McCann, Anne Marie O’Brien, Technological University of the Shannon Midlands, Athlone, Ireland

28. Unravelling the Ecotype Influence on Metabolomics, Biochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of Mentha piperita L.Ellie Nugent, Elena Alexa, Tao Zhang, School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland

29. ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF DERRYVUNNY STREAM CO. ROSCOMMON WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES, Marion O Toole, Paul Hamilton, Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, Ireland

30. Characterization and purification of virulence factor LT from Escherichia coli ETEC for vaccination purposes, Brenda Ozeias Santos¹, Josune Salvador Erro², Carlos Gamazo², Marcus Maher^{1, 1}Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. ²University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

31. The Introduction of Fumarate Hydratase and Succinate Dehydrogenase B Antibodies for the Detection of Renal Cell Carcinomas, Chelsea Teniola^1,2, Danielle Scally², Terri Muldoon^{1, 1}Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland. ²Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland

32. EVALUATING THE VIABILITY OF SUSTAINABLY SOURCED WHELK-DERIVED PROTEIN AS A NOVEL INGREDIENT IN THE COSMETICS INDUSTRY, Madeleine Wilson, Adriana Cunha Neves, South East Technological University, Carlow, Ireland

 

Poster spotlight 3 (Computing, Physical & Chemical Sciences)

33. Danger after expiry? Testing for Carcinogenic Nitrosamines in Pharmaceuticals, Vaishnavi Anand, Jason Gavin, Technological University Dublin – Tallght campus, Dublin, Ireland

34. Synthesis and characterization of metal Schiff- base complexes, Windy Jia Chong, Technological University of Shannon, Athlone, Ireland

35. Predicting Alzheimer’s using Multimodal Deep Learning, Alannah Cullinane Cooney, JingHua Ye, MTU, Cork, Ireland

36. Evaluating the ability of fish oil emulsions to enhance the energy harvesting performance of photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems.Anna Crowley, James Walshe, George Amarandei, TUDublin, Dublin, Ireland

37. An Examination of the Impacts of Temperature and β-glucanase on Wheat Alcohol Production, Cat.M. Demers, Dr. Sinead Morris, South East Technological University, Carlow, Ireland

38. A Comparative Exploration of Phytochemical Profiles and Antimicrobial Activities of Houttuynia Cordata Extracts from Various Sustainable Extraction Techniques, Rebecca Clarke, Louise Kearney, Tao Zhang, School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland

39. Binary Emotion Detection with Multi-physiological Signals, Sherin Khalil, JingHua Ye, MTU, Cork, Ireland

40. Multimodal Depression Detection With Intelligent Emotion Models, MengJie Liu, JingHua Ye, MTU, Cork, Ireland

41. Fabrication of Flexible Electrodes for Stretchable Electronics, Amy Lynch, George Amarandei, Catherine Grogan, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

42. The analysis of biodegradable plastics in relation to structure and their possible fragmentation, Tadhg McEniff, TUDublin, Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland

43. The Identification of Tattoos Using Forensic Techniques, Queen Mudau, John Cassella, Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, Ireland

44. Sheldifier Air Quality Management System, Shelton Ngwenya, Victor Cionca, MTU, Cork, Ireland

45. Identification of Solid Powders and Quantification of an API (Aspirin) In a Model Excipient Matrix (Cellulose) Using FTIR-ATR Spectroscopy, Sumayyah Otun, Yannick Casamayou, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Ireland

46. Dynamical scattering simulations of the electron diffraction patterns of layered (2D) materials, Aryan Prasad^1,2, Bradley Siwick^{1, 1}McGill University, Montreal, Canada. ²University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

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ATU Galway 2024 SURE conference Local organising committee:

Thanks to Therese Montgomery (chair), therese.montgomery@atu.ie), Brigid Hooban, ATU, Leisha McGrath, ATU, Siobhan Leahy, ATU, Niall Maloney, ATU, Cormac Quigley, ATU, Yannick Casamayou, ATU, Karen Keane, ATU, Joan O’Keeffe, ATU  for  organising  this  years  conference with  the  support  of  the  SURE  Network.

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