Super Garden 2011: Search for Ireland's next Super Gardener

Super Garden returns to the nations screens in April 2011. This will be the third series for this popular RTÉ garden design show.

Super Garden is looking for aspiring garden designers to take part in this years series. Each week, an amateur designer works within a budget and brief to design and create a beautiful garden for one lucky garden owner. Thus launching the aspiring designer into the world of professional garden design. Each garden designer will be mentored throughout their Super Garden journey by Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medalist Mary Reynolds. Throughout this third series, a total of 5 amateur garden designers will be given the opportunity to create their Super Garden. And an overall winner will be chosen by a judging panel of gardening professionals including Gary Graham - Bloom Project Manager. The winner will recreate their winning design/ garden at Bloom 2011.

Super Garden is a wonderful opportunity for garden design enthusiasts to turn their passion into a business opportunity. All are welcome to apply to be part of the show. Super Garden is a fantastic vehicle for newly qualified garden designers, landscape architects and horticulturists to showcase their talent.

The closing date for applications is next Wednesday, 16th February.

The Green Life Project

Kevin Downey is a masters student of development in Dublin City University and has been involved in community development in Dublins North Inner City for some time. He pioneered a community garden project in Summerhill (www.summerrowgarden.com) and worked with Dublin City Council to oversee a Georgian street refurbishment program. He is currently researching the Green Life Project - a large scale, site specific ecological learning and training centre similar in ethos to the Eden Project in Cornwall (www.edenproject.com) The project is geared to be a destination for visiting tourists and Irish citizens alike and will create both employment and revenue. It would be an ideal opportunity for Failte Ireland and the Department of The Environment to promote Irelands green image in the 21st century.

While the project is aimed at utilizing unused Church lands, any idle lands in an urban context would suit the project, such as land once zoned for development and now lying idle.

The school of spatial planning and sustainable development at Dublin Institute Of Technology have agreed to cost and design the project and this should be complete by the end of 2011. Also, RTE have offered to cover the emergence of the project in a TV series. If you have any expertise or advice to offer the project please make contact by email at downeykevin@eircom.net

For a full description of the project, please download The Green Life Project

SALIS Founders’ Medal

To celebrate its 30th year in existence, the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (SALIS) has launched the SALIS Founders’ Medal for Academic Excellence. This medal acknowledges the foresight, commitment and dedication of the founding members of SALIS staff, especially that of its first Head of School, Prof. Leslie Davis, as well as the outstanding academic record of one SALIS student each year.

For the year 2010, the medal has been awarded to the SALIS undergraduate student with the highest final year results. Ms. Romina Gurdis (International Business and Languages, French/ Spanish), who achieved exceptionally high first class grades, will be presented with the first SALIS Founders’ Medal on November 2nd 2010 as part of the DCU graduation ceremonies. SALIS warmly congratulates Romina on her wonderful achievements. The medal will be presented by the IBL Programme Chair, Ms. Juliette Péchenart, on behalf of the Founding Members and all SALIS staff.

DCU Citi Speaker Series Panel Discussion - 11th November 2010

The DCU Educational Trust will hold the next Citi Speaker Series Panel Discussion on Thursday 11th November 2010 from 4pm-6pm in the Helix. Emma O'Kelly, RTE's Education and Science Correspondent and DCU Alum will be joined by Gavin Duffy (Entrepreneur, Media Coach and Dragon's Den Panelist), Padraig McKeon (Director at Drury, Director of Dublin Simon Community and Trustee of DCU Educational Trust), Una Halligan (Government Affairs Director at Hewlett Packard Ireland and Chair of Expert Group on Future Skills Needed) and Manus Rogan (Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Member of the Board of Directors of Amarin Corporation, Opsona Therapeutics and the Irish Venture Capital Association) to discuss "University of Enterprise: Delivering Ireland's Next Class of Successful Entrepreneurs" If you wish to attend this event, please R.S.V.P by 4th November to orla.holmes@dcu.ie To view the invitation for this event please go to: Citi Speaker Series Panel Discussion Invitation

DCU Students Give Back!

This year DCU Students have given back to the university! DCU Student's Union held their Annual Rag (Raise & Give) Week in February 2010. €2000 was donated to the DCU Annual Fund. The DCU Educational Trust administers the DCU Annual Fund. This year the Annual Fund made a grant of €2000 to the Student Hardship Fund on Campus. This grant was made possible by all the student in DCU who took part in Rag Week and gave back!!

The DCU Fashion Show, run by DCU Style Society, also helped to raise money on campus this year. All proceeds from the DCU Fashion Show 2010 were split between the DCU Educational Trust and Jack & Jill Foundation.

Interdisciplinary, Cross-Faculty MA in Sexuality Studies Launched in DCU