Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Three University of Limerick students were honoured in this year’s Undergraduate Awards. Their work was selected by an international panel as being among the very best out of a total of 6,472 submissions from nearly 300 institutions across 47 countries.

The Undergraduate Awards is the leading academic awards programme for undergraduate students, recognising the best, most innovative, and creative coursework.

Joey O' Brien, who recently graduated with a BSc in Financial Mathematics was named Regional (Ireland) Winner in the Mathematics and Physics category with his work titled: “On the Theory of Feedback-based Stock Trading Strategies”. Joey, who is from Clonmany, Donegal, is currently doing his PhD in the maths department in UL.

Two other UL students were highly commended for their work, placing in the top 10% of submissions from the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare category.

Leanne Ahern, Limerick, was highly commended for her Final Year Project, titled: “Risk factors for hamstring injuries: An investigation into the difference in isokinetic strength, range of motion, posture, dynamic balance and neuromuscular control between injured athletes and non-injured athletes”. Leanne recently graduated with a BSc in Sport and Exercise Sciences from UL.

Clare student Susan Williams, a fourth year BSc Physiotherapy student was also highly commended for her paper: “Rehabilitation Encourages Independence – The Use of Prehabilitation in Cancer Treatment”. 

Dr Brenda Cullen, Executive Director of the Undergraduate Awards says: “It is an immense achievement for undergraduate students to benchmark their work globally. To be recognised for their creativity and innovative approach within their discipline can only propel them to become global thinkers and potential change-makers. We are very appreciative of the support of the global academic community who work closely with The Undergraduate Awards to identify these impressive students.”

President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins said: “The Undergraduate Awards celebrates original, creative thinking among students, and the world’s need for such critical capacity has never been greater”