Alumni in the spotlight - December 2015

Kyle Gawley and David Turner, both MA Multi-Disciplinary Design 2013 Belfast

Get Invited Celebrates £1,000,000 of Sales!

Ulster University spin-out, Get Invited, last month celebrated a major milestone having achieved sales of £1,000,000 just four weeks following its second birthday celebrations.

Get Invited is an online ticket sales service that empowers event organisers to easily promote their events and sell tickets online. The company was founded by Ulster graduates, Kyle Gawley and David Turner along with their lecturer, Christopher Murphy, while completing their Masters at the Belfast School of Art.

In the past two years, Get Invited has hosted events across the globe – everything from local festivals like CultureTECH to the world’s largest startup conference, LAUNCH Festival in San Francisco, which has hosted speakers like Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time for us, we’re starting to see significant and consistent growth after investing years of blood, sweat and tears into growing Get Invited. We’ve recently secured some very exciting new customers and have lots of great product updates coming over the next few months,” said Get Invited CEO, Kyle Gawley.

For further information on their company, Get Invited, please click here

Image: Kyle Gawley and David Turner

Source: Graduate

Jonathan Bradley, MA Journalism 2011 Coleraine

Local man Jonathan Bradley has been appointed rugby correspondent with the Belfast Telegraph.

Jonathan, who is from Saintfield and attended Down High School, reported on this year’s Rugby World Cup, as well as covering stories and news features on the Guinness PRO 12 and European Cup Championships, Ulster Bank League, RBS 6 Nations, the Schools' Cup and grass roots rugby. He previously worked as a freelance rugby reporter.

Source: Graduate

Richard Byrne, BSc Hons Community Development 2008 Jordanstown

In 2011 Richard Byrne wrote a business plan and then a research report about singing hymns as a help for dementia sufferers and made a CD for the Alzheimer’s Society NI. This was published as part of Pastor Sheila Smyth’s Singing Circle in Dromore, and included in the Alzheimer’s Annual Report. This methodology was then used to help people with Alcohol Addiction at Cuan Mhuir Rehabilitation Centre NI.

A CD was made; concerts were given for relatives, including a dementia choir performance in front of Assembly Ministers; and the project was seen to support efforts to reduce alcohol addiction in NI.

For more information on the CD produced (priced £10) for the Alzheimer’s Society NI contact Richard Byrne

Source: Graduate

Joanne Campbell, BSc Hons Applied Psychology 1996, MSc Guidance and Counselling 1997 Jordanstown

After qualifying as a primary school teacher from Stranmillis University College, Belfast in 1998, Joanne continued her interest in art and art therapy as a result of her psychology background. Since 2013 she has worked as a full-time artist, painting with acrylics on canvas, slate and Hessian and teaching art to children and adults in Whitehead, Ballyclare and Antrim. Her work can be viewed on her Facebook page: Joanne Campbell Artwork. As a member of East Antrim Artists, she exhibits and meets with other artists. Her artwork is currently in Belfast Castle, and the UK mainland, as well as locations in Japan, Germany, and America.

Image: Joanne is pictured with a painting donated to the Salvation Army, who saved her fireman grandfather’s life during the Easter Tuesday Belfast Blitz.

Source: Graduate

Sinead Chambers, BSc Hons Physiotherapy 2014 Jordanstown

Sinead does the double but her sport takes a back seat.

There were double celebrations for badminton player Sinead Chambers recently as she won both the women’s doubles and the mixed doubles at the Forza Ulster Open. The latter was with the help of her brother Ciaran.

However, that is beginning to change for 23 year-old Sinead, who has made the decision to concentrate on her new career as a physiotherapist, at the expense of her sport.

“It was the most difficult decision I have had to make in respect of the sport I have loved.” she admitted, “I have been very lucky to have played in some amazing countries and badminton has allowed me to do that.”

“But Ciaran and I knew that if we were to really entertain getting back into the Irish squad we would have to go full-time. So for the first time in our lives we agreed that badminton would have to play a secondary role and I have since started in the Belfast Trust as a physiotherapist while Ciaran is in his final year at Ulster University completing his degree.”

Full story can be found: Lisburn Star

Gerald Dawe, BA Hons Arts 1974 Coleraine

Gerald Dawe is Professor of English at Trinity College Dublin and has published nine volumes of poetry including Selected Poems (2012) and Mickey Finn's Air (2014).

Of War and War’s Alarms: Reflections on Modern Irish Writing is a unique study of war and revolution and their impact on the writing lives of Irish poets and novelists from WW1 and the Easter Rising through the War of Independence to the Spanish Civil War, WWII and the Northern 'Troubles'.

These timely reflections on literature in wartime include such figures as W B Yeats, Thomas MacGreevy, Seamus Heaney along with Francis Ledwidge, Charles Donnelly and Padraic Fiacc, John Hewitt and Christabel Bielenberg. Of War and War's Alarms is a fascinating narrative that builds upon Gerald Dawe's achievement in his ground-breaking anthology of Irish war poems, Earth Voices Whispering. The hardback publication is priced: £35

For more information on Professor Dawe's poetry click here.

Source: Graduate

Simon Hunter, BA Hons Accounting 1997 Jordanstown

Simon Hunter, chief executive of Hunter Apparel Solutions, a family-run business based in Derry~Londonderry and Ulster University alumnus, has been awarded the Overall Director of the Year Award by the Institute of Directors.

The company has been manufacturing uniforms and safety clothing, including for the Fire and Rescue Service, paramedics and the police, for three-quarters of a century.

The judges – 33 governance, business and marketing experts from the IoD network across the UK – said that Simon ‘demonstrated excellent personal achievement while showing strong leadership and the ability to deal with difficult issues at the heart of a family business’. Simon is a member of Ulster University Business School’s 40th anniversary advisory board.

Full story can be found: Institute of Directors

Source: Ulster University

Oliver Jeffers, BA Hons Visual Communications 2001 Belfast

Two of Ireland's most popular children's writers have joined forces. Irish children's laureate Eoin Colfer and illustrator and writer Oliver Jeffers decided to collaborate on Imaginary Fred due to a chance meeting in New Zealand.

"We were there for the Auckland book festival and we met up at a story slam competition," Mr Colfer said, "At the end of the night we said let's do something together."

Imaginary Fred tells the story of Fred, who becomes the imaginary friend of Sam, a boy in need of company. The two embark on a series of adventures together, but when Sam meets Sammi, a girl with an imaginary friend of her own, Fred has to move on from Sam.

The story, unusually, is told from Imaginary Fred's point of view.

"I like to do that with my books," said Mr Colfer. "To take what is often a secondary character and make them the main character."

But with Mr Colfer living in Dublin and Mr Jeffers in New York, how did the collaboration work? Mr Jeffers said modern technology made it all possible.

"Years ago we would have had to send carrier pigeons to each other," he said

"We used e-mails, phone calls, and I would hold my drawings up to the camera on the laptop via Skype and we'd have a chat that way.”

Now they've done it once both hope to collaborate again. Mr Colfer said he thinks the interest in Imaginary Fred shows that interest in reading remains healthy.

"Every 10 years or so, somebody says that books are coming to an end - cinema was going to kill books, then it was TV, then e-books, but it's never happened," he said. "Because nothing beats sitting down with your mum and dad and listening to your favourite story."

Full story can be found: BBC

Philip Larkin, DLitt 1983 Coleraine

Richard Bradford, Professor of Literary History and Theory, School of English and History has published The Importance of Elsewhere. Philip Larkin’s Photographs. Philip Larkin, who died in 1985, lived in Northern Ireland from 1950 to 1955, when he was a librarian at Queen’s University, Belfast, and he went on to become one of the most important poets of the 20th century: in 2008 The Times judged him to be ‘the greatest post-war British writer.’ Philip received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the then New University of Ulster in 1983.

Professor Bradford discovered an archive of 5000 previously unseen photographs in Hull which showcase Larkin’s talents as a photographer and provide us with a new perspective on the man and the poet. The book is attracting a great deal of media attention, with features and reviews in the Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Observer and The Spectator. Professor Bradford has already been interviewed on several occasions by the BBC.

For more information on Professor Bradford's publication click HERE

Source: Professor Richard Bradford

Lynsay-Erin Mercer, BA Hons Contemporary Applied Arts 2014 Belfast

Lynsay Erin Mercer Ulster graduate and ceramicist Lynsay-Erin Mercer is to produce the awards for the 2016 Allianz Arts & Business NI Awards ceremony.

Lynsay-Erin is a sculptural ceramicist with an architectural background. Her work is derived from conceptualising studies of human behaviour and cognitive processes. Each construction explores the connection between physical sensation and abstract concept.

She is a local artist who, as a studio based maker, produces a range of ceramic craft for both private commissions and exhibitions, including the 133rd and 134th Royal Ulster Academy annual exhibition.

Facilitating workshops and one to one tutorials are important aspects of Lynsay-Erin’s artistic process, as her work continually develops in response to the human-product interactions that take place when a person is introduced to one of her highly textured sculptures.

Lynsay-Erin believes that this year’s theme of the 2016 Allianz Arts & Business NI Awards, Variety, is captured in her concept and design.

Full story can be found: artsandbusinessni.org

Lisa McCausland, BDes Hons Product and Furniture Design 2013 Belfast

Lisa McCausland No more plastic cones - Belfast designer invents pet suit for injured dogs.

They are hated by pets, vets and owners: the cumbersome plastic cones dogs have to wear after operations or injuries. Now a Belfast-based designer and entrepreneur has come up with an innovative answer.

DogEase is a medical pet suit made from soft, stretchy bamboo fabric that fits snugly on to the dog and covers the wound, preventing the animal from disturbing the stitches or licking the affected area.

Lisa McCausland came up with the idea when her own dog Heidi had surgery.

Lisa said "I didn't want to put the plastic cone on her and asked the vet for an alternative. When he said there wasn't one, I decided to find a solution."

The vets and nurses tested out her various designs and customers took the suits on trial, reporting back on how their pets fared.

John Heatherington, senior vet and partner at Cedar Grove, said: "We have been using DogEase suits in our small animal veterinary practice for the last six months and have found them a very useful tool."

Lisa added: "The first run of my product arrived a few weeks ago and sales are going really well with local vets and in England. I've even shipped a few to Australia. The DogEase suits come in a range of sizes, with prices ranging from £15.99 to £25.99."

Lisa's now working on her next product - a long-leg version of the suit which should be on the market by next summer.

Lisa was awarded the Beard Scholarship in 2014. Established through the generosity of Dr Linda and Professor Larry Beard, the Scholarship provides additional financial assistance to talented postgraduate students within the Belfast School of Art.

For more information on DogEase contact: lisamccausland@gmail.com.

Full story can be found: Belfast Telegraph

Source: Graduate

Sharon Moore, PhD in Arts 2008 Belfast

Sharon Moore Dr Sharon Safia Moore has won the international Bath Short Story Award. Her prize-winning story, That Summer, is set in a small town in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and is narrated by an adolescent boy. It will appear in the Bath Short Story Anthology, which is due for publication in November 2015.

Sharon graduated from the MA in Irish Literature in English in 2004 (with distinction) and went straight into a PhD on the poetry of Seamus Heaney and Michael Hartnett, awarded in 2008, both at Coleraine. During a maternity break in 2011 she started writing fiction and has had various publications in journals and was a regular contributor to The Honest Ulsterman. Sharon now lives in the UAE where she teaches English and Creative Writing in a self-employed capacity and will soon take up an Adjunct position at the American University of Sharjah teaching Advanced Academic Writing.

For more on Sharon’s winning story http://bathshortstoryaward.co.uk/winners-2015/

Source: Graduate

Lucinda Mulholland, BDes Hons Product and Furniture Design 2015 Belfast

Lucinda Mulholland hasn't let being profoundly deaf become a barrier to her educational success. The Carryduff woman achieved first class honours in her product and furniture design degree, and it is all down to her tenacity and a life-transforming piece of technology.

Lucinda was diagnosed at the age of one-and-a-half as profoundly deaf and had cochlear implant surgery which she credits as having been truly life-changing.

"My cochlear implant has given me the confidence to be more social and grab opportunities with both hands. At Ulster University I got support to overcome any barriers, including a note-taker for lectures and seminars," she said

During her third year of study, Lucinda got the opportunity to take part in a one-year work experience placement with James Leckey Design.

“I got the opportunity to work on Leckey's Firefly Scoot Seat project, which is designed to help children with mobility problems get about with minimum effort," she said.

"I was involved in the whole process, right through from concept design to production. The product has won the international Red Dot Design Award, which is an amazing achievement. It's always been a dream of mine to receive this award and I never thought I would get it so soon, or even before I graduated!"

Lucinda's dream is to design the next wonder product.

"In the future I want to travel the world to gather design inspiration from different countries and cultures," she said.

Full story can be found: Belfast Telegraph

Christopher Weir, PGD Library and Information Management 2015 Jordanstown

Christopher Weir Christopher Weir took the honour as the top performing student in a two-year postgraduate diploma course designed to enhance the skills of information professionals in Northern Ireland.
The advanced programme, supported by law firm Allen & Overy, was developed in collaboration with the Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals and the Library and Information Services Council (Northern Ireland).

"The support and guidance of the tutors and classmates has been invaluable and I'm grateful to my colleagues for their assistance and encouragement over the last two years," he said.

Sarah Fahy, Allen & Overy's global head of libraries, said the firm was "committed to developing the professional careers of staff and established this award three years ago to encourage excellence in the profession. Christopher has achieved this recognition against a strong, talented cohort."

Dr Sam McGuinness, Head of the School of Education at Ulster University, said the information management diploma is the only "professionally accredited" course of its kind here, and added that it "seeks to develop academic and professional understanding of library and information management".

Image: Dr Sam McGuinness, Christopher Weir, Sarah Fahy.

Full story can be found: Belfast Telegraph

Kenneth Vaughan, BSc Hons Computer Science 2015 Magee

Kenneth Vaughan

It is never too late to follow your dream is the message from Ulster University graduate Kenneth Vaughan who has already secured a full-time job with global IT company Civica.Kenneth (28) said he had been passionate about IT since he was a child "I have always had an interest in computers ever since I first got to use one in my first year of secondary school," he said.

"I didn't, however, progress straight to university after school.”

Eventually he decided to take the plunge and enrolled at the Ulster University to study computer science. He hasn’t looked back since - he was the recipient of the Asidua scholarship in 2012, which provided him with financial support worth £25,000 during his four years of study, and also with guaranteed summer internships, and a one-year work experience placement.

After his work placement, Kenneth secured a full-time software engineer position with Civica, which recently acquired Asidua.

"I am delighted that on my graduation day, I have already secured the job of my dreams," he said.

Full story can be found: Belfast Telegraph

Kerri Young, BSc Hons Public Relations 2009 Jordanstown

Carrick-born PR professional has proved she is at the top of her field after picking up a prestigious award last month.

Ulster University graduate Kerri Young was chosen as the Gold Winner in the Outstanding Young Communicator category during the CIPR Northern Ireland PRide Awards at the Culloden Hotel and Spa.

She started with Smarts Communicate six years ago after graduating with a BSc Hons in Public Relations from Ulster University Jordanstown. The 29-year-old faced stiff competition from three other young PR professionals during the awards ceremony.

“I was in complete disbelief; I didn’t expect to win,” said Kerri.

Kerri’s work has seen her involved with a number of world-leading brands, including campaigns for Bushmills and Johnnie Walker. She was also involved in the campaign to launch David Beckham’s Haig Club whisky in duty free last year.

Commenting on Kerri’s win, the CIPR said: “In a highly competitive category, Kerri is without doubt, an outstanding young communicator. Her commitment, drive and determination to achieve and indeed exceed expectations was truly inspiring.”

Full story can be found: Carrickfergus Times