At Maynooth University, the safety and security of our students and staff is a priority. In these times of global pandemic, we are making every effort to support the members of our university community. On this page, you will find information about the initiatives and contributions of Maynooth University staff and students in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the most recent Covid-19 official guidance, academic updates, advice and information, please visit: https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/international/covid-19-info-hub
MU President leads the government’s national Covid-19 modelling team
On March 30th, Professor Philip Nolan, President of Maynooth University, appeared alongside Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan in his daily press conference in his role as chair of the National Public Health Emergency Team’s (NPHET) Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group (IEMAG), a group of more than 50 experts from across the university and agency sector charged with modelling the virus. He explained the models to date and said the government’s recent restrictions on social movement are having an “enormous effect” in reducing the number of new cases of coronavirus.
“We know what an unmitigated epidemic looks like; we are not on that track.” Yet, he also warned there was “no room for complacency.”
MU Chemistry Researchers use Texas-based Supercomputer to investigate SARS-CoV-2 virus
International cooperation is key to undermine the capabilities of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the culprit of the COVID-19 Pandemic that still raging in many parts around the world. Carl A. Fogarty and Elisa Fadda of the Department of Chemistry and Hamilton Institute of Maynooth University, Ireland together with a team of researchers from the University of California in San Diego, USA have been using a supercomputer based in Texas, USA to do just that. Using the Frontera’s 8,008 compute nodes they have been able to single out one crucial element of the virus, it's sugar coating. You can check the published study here |
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Irish Universities help fight the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Irish university sector has maintained ‘business as usual’ to the greatest extent possible by a rapid transition to remote learning and assessment. Meanwhile, the sector galvanised into immediate action, contributing to the national emergency response in every way possible as the pandemic developed. Read the full report here.
Maynooth University's Dept. of Electronic Engineering responds to an Indian student in distress
Campaign #LaptopForStudents by MU Media Studies lecturer Jeneen Naji
Since March 2020, a crowdfunding campaign started by MU Media Studies Assistant Professor Jeneen Naji (@mean_neen) has been raising funds for laptops with the objective of giving them to students who need to carry out their assignments but do not have a laptop on their own. This initiative, which now has the help of IT Services (@MU_ITServices) and the MU Library (@library_MU) to set up and deliver the laptops to students who need them, has already crowdfunded more than 3,000€ from people. If you wish to participate and donate whatever you can, please do it here: https://ie.gofundme.com/f/menhc-laptops-for-students
Sleep Patterns Survey by the Maynooth University Dept. of Psychology
PhD Psychology student Sudha Raman and Professor Andrew Coogan have launched a survey with the aim of studying how prevailing is the preference between summertime or wintertime and investigate any differences in such preferences between individuals with different sleep-wake times and sleep quality during the lockdown period. This survey will help the researchers understand how our sleep patterns have changed during and after the lockdown period in which the vast majority of people had to restrict their social and professional activities to their own houses.
You can take part in the study here.
You can also check their collaboration with RTÉ Brainstorm: https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0429/1135528-lockdown-coronavirus-sleep-survey/
Maynooth University School of Law and Criminology
Maynooth University Biology Department
Biology Department loans Covid-19 testing equipment
Maynooth University Library
Maynooth University Library loans student nap pods to frontline hospital workers
Maynooth University Alumni
Maynooth University alumni organise fundraising social distancing digital relay
Maynooth University Design Innovation
Trevor Vaugh explains the origin of personal protective equipment
Maynooth University Department of Education
Maynooth University reserach assesses how primary school teachers, parents and pupils are adjusting