UL Sustainability Challenge - Finalists for 2024/25 decided

A total of 19 excellent applications were submitted for the UL Student Sustainability Challenge 2024-25. 

The applications came from a mix of group and individual proposals, across all four UL Faculties: Science & Engineering; Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; Education & Health Sciences; Kemmy Business School.  

The following top 5 projects will receive funding of up to €5,000 each to develop and implement their work prior to UL Research Week 2025: 

1.                  ‘Manufacturing Complacency? The Effect of ESG Discourse on Climate Risk Perception’ - PhD candidates Keelan McMahon, Finn Lannon, and Emer Owens are investigating how corporate ESG communications affect public climate risk perceptions. 

2.                  Nature Signage on Campus - James Organ and Karl Gilmartin are enhancing campus biodiversity appreciation with interactive interpretation boards featuring QR codes and NFC tags. 

3.                  Documentary: The Wildlife of the University of Limerick - James Organ is also producing a documentary to showcase UL’s native wildlife and address the impact of invasive species. 

4.                  Sustainable Agriculture Io Sensors Powered by Hybrid Vibrational Energy Harvester (SAG-IoT-HVEH) - PhD candidates Ibnu Taufan and Nouman Ghafoor are developing renewable energy sources to power IoT sensors in agriculture, using vibrations from farm equipment. 

5.                  Tidal Energy Turbine Redesign with Biomimicry - Emilia Ziolek is creating a bladeless tidal energy turbine inspired by marine life to harness energy without harming ecosystems.  

TIMELINE: 

· April 1-10, 2025 : Panel members will review and score the final five applications individually 

· April 11, 2025 : Finalists will present their projects in person to the panel. 

·April 28 – May 2, 2025:  Teams will present their projects during UL Research Week 2025, and winners will be announced.  

The Judging Panel for  UL Student Sustainability Challenge 2024-25 is: 

1.                  Andrea Deverell, Director, Centre for Sustainable Futures and Innovation, UL (Chair) 

2.                  Dr Ger Downes, Postgraduate Research Development Manager, UL 

3.                  Rebecca Tumwebaze, UL PhD candidate and Winner of UL Student Sustainability Challenge 2022

4.                  Niamh Terranova, UL Applied Physics candidate and previous Student Sustainability Challenge participant 

5.                  Michael Gleeson, Social Enterprise Officer, PAUL Partnership, Limerick 

6.                  Joanne Fitzgerald, Programme Executive Research Development & Demonstration, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).