HM Queen Elizabeth II meets CRANN personnel

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visited Trinity College Dublin yesterday, Tuesday, May 17th, 2011.  In honour of the royal visit, the Provost, Dr John Hegarty, hosted a reception in Trinity’s Long Room where Ireland’s wealth of talent in all aspects of research and education at both Trinity College Dublin and the wider university sector in Ireland, as well as in culture and the arts, and innovation and entrepreneurship were represented.

The Queen met with members of Trinity’s staff, students and academic community along with representatives from the sciences, medicine, arts, humanities and culture from both Trinity College and the wider university sector in Ireland, as well as those from leading Irish institutions and society.

Amongst those selected to meet the Queen were Prof John Boland, Director of CRANN and Arlene O’Neill, postgraduate student in CRANN. John Boland is SFI Professor of Chemistry and Director of the CRANN Institute and Professor of Chemistry at TCD. His research interests are nanoscale processing and materials properties for advanced device applications, including the development of new protocols for assembling, fabricating, and testing nanometre-scale device structures. In 2010 he was awarded the distinction of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his contributions to the field of surface chemistry, particularly the role of stress in surface chemical reactivity; mechanisms of surface cycloadditions reactions; mechanical properties of nanoscale wire systems and transport through nanowire networks.

Arlene O’Neill began her research in October 2008 with Prof Jonathan Coleman, CRANN PI and Professor in TCD’s School of Physics. She was recently shortlisted with just 3 other candidates for the Shell and Institute of Physics Very Early Career Woman Physicist award. She was the only Irish researcher to make the shortlist.

The groups selected to meet the Queen represented areas in which Ireland excels.  Ireland is ranked 6th in the world for nanoscience research, based on impact of publications and 8th for materials science.

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