Mary Heanue

Mary chose Maynooth University because she was fascinated by Physics from primary school. Mary admits “From the moment I entered the gates of the old campus I felt at home. It is a special place that filled my five senses and was a true collegium of scholars, where learning was paramount. I quickly made friends, many of them studying Arts proving the easy mix there was between faculties.

Students naturally integrated living in this tiny university town wherever they came from in Ireland or internationally, be they mature, undergraduate or postgraduate.” While studying science Mary also sang in the College Choir and even studied Ancient Greek. There were never barriers put in her way. Professors sat beside first years in the canteen, even the Cardinal was saluted merely as Father. It was the ideal environment to grow her confidence for the working world.

Mary spent her summers in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and after graduation joined Intel as an automation engineer. In 1997 Mary was called to the Central Statistics Office in Cork where she has served as a statistician initially in health and then in agriculture. In 2006 Mary was seconded for 5 years to work in the World Health Organisation in Lyon, France on cancer research and have since returned to CSO to work in business statistics.

Mary added "I came back this summer to attend a Maths conference and found with all the developments over the past 20 years that it was still the same and that I’m still learning."