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The Anderson Bridge, developed in 1891 by Professor Alexander Anderson, recognised as a landmark in electrical engineering innovation One of University of Galway’s former presidents has been recognised with a prestigious commemoration for his groundbreaking invention in electrical measurement, more than 130 years on from the discovery. IEEE - the world's largest technical professional organisation advancing technology for humanity - has formally dedicated an IEEE Milestone for the Anderson Bridge which was developed at the University in 1891 by Professor Alexander Anderson. The recognition is marked by a commemorative plaque now on permanent display in the University’s Alice Perry Engineering Building, named after the first woman to graduate in engineering in Ireland and the UK in 1913. Used as the standard method for measuring electrical inductance for much of the 20th century, the Anderson Bridge refined how inductance was understood and taught in electrical engineering worldwide. Built on the principles first explored by Michael Faraday, Joseph Henry, and James Clerk Maxwell, the device became a cornerstone in engineering education and practice. The IEEE Milestones program recognises significant achievements in technology that have had a lasting impact on humanity. The Anderson Bridge joins this prestigious list, honouring Professor Anderson’s enduring contribution to science and engineering. Alexander Anderson was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy in 1885 and subsequently served as President of the University from 1899 to 1934. The laboratory where Anderson carried out his work is located in the main Quadrangle of the University and today is home to the Alexander Anderson Boardroom.              Professor Peter McHugh, Interim President of University of Galway, said: “Professor Alexander Anderson’s work has influenced generations of engineers worldwide, and we are proud to see this legacy honoured here on our campus. This recognition by the IEEE is a testament to the lasting contributions of research carried out at our university and reminds us of the how discoveries made here in Galway can shape the world.”             Kathleen Kramer, 2025 IEEE President and CEO, said: “Participating in IEEE Milestone dedication ceremonies, which recognise outstanding technical developments around the world, have always been joyful to me. Visiting these historically significant locations, where local volunteers have worked with technical experts, historians, and the public to celebrate pioneering achievements and the people behind them, is truly inspiring and a testament to how technological innovation benefits humanity. They are a great way to experience the history of technology alongside the global IEEE community.”             Professor Gerard Hurley, Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering at University of Galway and member of the IEEE, said: “As an undergraduate in electrical engineering in UCC, I became aware of the Anderson Bridge for measuring inductance. I didn’t realise then that its invention was close to home. Incredibly, my whole career in Power Electronics has revolved around transformers and inductors and fate intervened to place me in Galway, home of the invention. Achieving the Milestone crowns a long association with its applications.”             Professor Johan Enslin, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Clemson University and President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, said: “Power Electronics engineers understand the term - To Measure is to Know - very well and this IEEE Milestone is an excellent reminder of this principal. The principles of the Anderson Bridge are embedded in our controls and development of power electronic inverters.” Ends

Researchers supported to become future leaders through European Commission Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network University of Galway is leading three new projects that aim to make medical treatments safer, faster and more effective after researchers secured the support of one of Europe’s most prestigious funding programmes. The awards were made by the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network programme (MSCA DN), as part of Horizon Europe 2020. The programme supports researchers to become future leaders while investing in the University of Galway projects to improve lives and pave the way for better, more affordable healthcare. The network also provides training to make the researchers more creative, entrepreneurial and innovative, boosting their employability in the long-term. One University of Galway project has an emphasis on sustainability and a move away from animal testing for brain disease; a second is looking at cardiovascular issues, specifically around improving heart stent durability and longevity; and a third seeks to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in clinical trials. Professor Fidelma Dunne, Director of the Institute for Clinical Trials at University of Galway, said: “These projects show how research can make a real difference in people’s lives. University of Galway is proud to be leading the way in creating smarter, safer, and more sustainable healthcare solutions.” Professor Ted Vaughan, Interim Director of the Institute for Health Discovery and Innovation at University of Galway, said: "These projects exemplify the mission of our new Institute – to accelerate fundamental and applied understanding of disease and enable disruptive solutions to health-based challenges. By combining cutting-edge science with collaborative training, we are not only advancing medical technologies but also shaping the next generation of research leaders. This investment from the European Commission underscores the importance of innovation that is ethical, inclusive, and focused on improving patient outcomes across society." The University of Galway projects funded by the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network are: Dr Mihai Lomora leads the €4.2 million CerebroMachinesTrain Doctoral Network research project - Smarter Drug Delivery for Brain Diseases. Using advanced 3D brain models that mimic real brain tissue, the project will test tiny machines which are being developed to bring medicine exactly where it is needed. It avoids animal testing, making research faster, more ethical, and more accurate. Dr Lomora is a Lecturer and Principal Investigator in Bio(material) Chemistry at the University’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences in the College of Science and Engineering and a Funded Investigator at CÚRAM - the Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices. This network project involves 14 partners from eight countries, including the US. Four PhD students will be supported through the project at University of Galway.   Dr William Ronan leads the €2.71 million MEDALLOY research project - Stronger, Safer Materials for Life-Saving Devices. It focuses on making materials used in minimally invasive medical devices - like stents and heart valve supports - stronger and longer lasting. Dr Ronan is a Lecturer and Principal Investigator in Biomedical Engineering at the University’s College of Science and Engineering. The project includes partners from six countries - the US, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Czechia and Sweden. It will train nine PhD students, who will spend at least half of their time working directly in industry earning hands-on skills ranging from material science to patient care.   Dr Eimear Morrissey leads the €4.4 million EDICT research project - Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials. It is a research and training network led by the Health Research Board-Trials Methodology Research Network, based at University of Galway, which seeks to include older adults, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, or those from lower-income backgrounds in clinical trials. It will develop new tools, methods and policies to make clinical trials more inclusive, fair, and effective across Europe. A Lecturer in Evidence-Based Healthcare at the University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr Morrissey’s project will train 16 PhD researchers across 26 organisations in 12 countries, including universities, clinical trial networks, patient organisations, regulators and industry partners.   A fourth project, DECADOCS – Decadent Travellers and the Reception of Classical Antiquity, is in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London and the Cúirt International Festival of Literature. DECADOCS is the first doctoral network dedicated to the study of decadence, the disruptive societal phenomenon traditionally associated with accelerated decline and decay. Involving Dr Muireann O’Cinneide, a researcher in English, Media and Creative Arts at the University’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, this part of the network will explore late nineteenth-century travel and mobility as producing radical explorations of counter-cultural sexualities and complex imperial identities. It will also investigate the literary legacies of decadence in how contemporary literature grapples with concepts of civilizational mobility, decay, and regeneration.   The Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network programme involves researchers from different sectors working in international partnerships which are responding to well-identified needs. The network has academic and non-academic members. Dr Mihai Lomora said: “Our goal is to make brain treatments more precise and less invasive by using tiny machines that can deliver medicine exactly where it is needed. By combining advanced drug delivery with relevant brain models, we’re not only speeding up research - we’re also reducing the need for animal testing. This is a big step forward for both science and society.” Dr William Ronan said: “Nitinol is a remarkable material used in life-saving heart devices, but it can still be improved. Through the MEDALLOY project, we’re making these devices more durable and affordable, which means better outcomes for patients and faster innovation for the healthcare industry. We’re also training researchers who will work directly with companies to bring these improvements to life.” Dr Eimear Morrissey said: “Clinical trials are how we assess the effectiveness of new treatments and improve healthcare, but they often fail to include the full range of people affected by disease and who could benefit from treatments. Who gets included in clinical trials shapes the evidence we rely on to make healthcare decisions. With the EDICT project, we’re building a future where trials better reflect the people they’re meant to help. This work is urgent, and I’m proud that we at HRB-TMRN at University of Galway will be leading a project that can shift how clinical trials are conducted internationally.” Dr Muireann O’Cinneide said: “Irishness has always been a vital part of our understanding of late-19th-century concepts of decadence as an artistic force, especially given the influence of Oscar Wilde, whose time in Naples will be an important part of our research. University of Galway and Goldsmiths want to explore how seemingly elite frameworks of cultural reception can become reshaped by alternative cultural encounters, and how even travel associated with fixed locations and decayed pasts can become a way to imagine different geographies and futures.” Ends  

D’fhógair Ollscoil na Gaillimhe go bhfuil bronntanas suntasach daonchairdiúil faighte aici ó Dheirdre agus Irial Uí Fhionnáin, chun tacú le tógáil Leabharlann agus Ionad Foghlama nua na hOllscoile. Mar aitheantas ar fhlaithiúlacht mhuintir Uí Fhionnáin, tá Seomra Léitheoireachta na gCartlann agus na mBailiúchán Speisialta athainmnithe ag an Ollscoil agus tabharfar Seomra Léitheoireachta Cartlann agus Bailiúchán Speisialta Dheirdre agus Irial Uí Fhionnáin air feasta. Is áis agus seirbhís ríthábhachtach i Leabharlann na hOllscoile an spás tiomnaithe seo, áit a bhfuil cosaint á déanamh ar lámhscríbhinní uathúla, leabhair neamhchoitianta agus bailiúcháin chultúrtha, agus san am céanna áit a dtugtar rochtain do mhic léinn, do thaighdeoirí agus don phobal i gcoitinne ar an ábhar seo. Bhain Irial Ó Fionnáin céim amach ón Ollscoil in 1977, agus i gcomhar lena bhean chéile Deirdre, tá siad ag cur chun cinn an oideachais agus an chultúir trína ndaonchairdeas agus a rannpháirtíocht le hOllscoil na Gaillimhe, in Éirinn agus sna Stáit Aontaithe araon. Is léiriú é a dtiomantas go gcreideann siad gur cheart an fhoghlaim agus an léann a chothú ar mhaithe leis na glúnta atá le teacht.  Bhí an méid seo le rá ag Uachtarán Eatramhach Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, an tOllamh Peter McHugh: “Táimid thar a bheith buíoch de Dheirdre agus Irial as a bhfís agus a bhflaithiúlacht. Neartóidh a ndaonchairdeas misean na hOllscoile chun eolas a chaomhnú, fionnachtana a spreagadh agus ár mbailiúcháin a dhéanamh inrochtana do chách. Is tionscadal nach dtarlóidh ach uair amháin lenár linn é an Leabharlann agus Ionad Foghlama nua a bhfuil tacaíocht agus tiomantas alumni agus chairde na hOllscoile ag teastáil lena chur i gcrích, agus táimid buíoch as an tacaíocht atá curtha ar fáil ag Irial agus ag Deirdre chomh luath seo sa phróiseas.” Dúirt Leabharlannaí Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, Monica Crump: “Is údar áthais agus bróid dúinn gur cheadaigh Irial agus Deirdre Uí Fhionnáin dúinn an Seomra Léitheoireachta Cartlann agus Bailiúchán Speisialta a athaimniú mar aitheantas ar a dtacaíocht dár Leabharlann agus Ionad Foghlama nua.”  Mar chartlannaí, tuigeann Deirdre go maith an tábhacht a bhaineann lenár seomra léitheoireachta chun spás a chur ar fáil inar féidir le mic léinn, taighdeoirí agus an pobal i gcoitinne cur ar a gcumas spéis a chothú san oidhreacht, sa chultúr agus sa stair trínár gcartlanna agus bailiúcháin speisialta. Agus an t-am a caitheadh á chaomhnú agus á roinnt sa seomra léitheoireachta, cumasaíonn tacaíocht fhlaithiúil Dheirdre agus Irial an todhchaí, trí eispéiris foghlama níos comhoibríche, níos cruthaithí agus níos digití dár mic léinn sa Leabharlann agus Ionad Foghlama.” Tá Leabharlann agus Ionad Foghlama nua Ollscoil na Gaillimhe á thógáil faoi láthair i lár champas chathair na Gaillimhe agus beidh sé ina mhol lárnach do chomhoibriú, taighde agus pobal. Tá tacaíocht Rialtais ag an tionscadal trí dheontas caipitil €15 mhilliún tríd an Roinn Breisoideachais agus Ardoideachais, Taighde, Nuálaíochta agus Eolaíochta faoin gCiste Bonneagair Straitéisigh um Ardoideachas (HESIF) agus an tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas. Meastar go mbeidh an tógáil tugtha chun críche go luath sa bhliain 2027. Críoch