Physics & Instrumentation student wins prestigous national award

A GMIT Physics & Instrumentation student has become the top student in Ireland in her discipline after winning the prestigious ‘Instrumentation Systems Automation Award 2012’ from the Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society (ISA).

Geraldine Toner from Raphoe, Co. Donegal was presented with a silver medallion and award by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork Emmett O’Halloran at a formal ceremony in UCC last evening (Tuesday 11 December 2012). Geraldine, who is in the fourth and final year of the honours degree programme in GMIT’s Galway campus, was accompanied to the awards ceremony by her lecturer and Programme Director John Cunningham, lecturer Gareth Roe and fellow students from the GMIT School of Science.

She was nominated for the ‘Best Final Year Degree student (level 7) award’ by lecturers on her programme, for consistently achieving excellent marks in her exams and assessments.

John Cunningham, Programme Director and GMIT lecturer in Computerised Instrument Systems and Thermodynamics & Energy, says: "The Physics department in GMIT is delighted Geraldine has won this national award. She achieved an average mark of 84% in the B.Sc. in Physics & Instrumentation so we are not at all surprised she has been recognised nationally.”

“Previous students have won this accolade - Instrumentation Systems Automation (Ireland Section) - for GMIT so it reflects well on the quality of the degree we offer here. Students from universities and ITs across the country compete for the ISA awards so Geraldine has really done us proud."

Brian Curtis, spokesperson for the International Society of Automation, says: “This is the 31st year of the ISA awards which is open to universities and Institutes of Technology in Ireland and Geraldine is the third student from GMIT to win this award. The calibre of students and the quality of the programme are producing high quality instrument engineers for the future.”

ISA, the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society has 30,000 members in 95 countries. The ISA is a global, nonprofit, educational organisation connecting people and ideas in automation and control. The Society fosters advancement in the theory, design, manufacture and use of sensors, instruments, computers and systems for automation and control in a wide variety of applications. In addition to hosting international conferences and exhibitions for automation and control. ISA is a leading technical training organisation and a respected publisher of books and standards. Their website is www.isa.org and the Ireland section is www.isa.ie

For further information on GMIT Science programmes and the Physics & Instrumentation Programme: see: http://www.gmit.ie/science/level-7-programmes/bsc-physics-instrument.ht…