A team from Atlantic Technological University has won the Best Research Project at the 2024 Education Awards ceremony for ‘I-SWAP’, the Irish Students Wellbeing and ADHD project.
The cross border project is led by Dr Louise McBride, Dr Margaret McLafferty and James Sweeney from the ATU’s Donegal campus and Dr Elaine Murray from Ulster University.
It’s intended to enhance the wellbeing of university students with ADHD across the Island of Ireland, and is supported by the North South Research Programme.
PIC – Dr Louise McBride Head of Dept. of Nursing & Healthcare & South HEA South Principal investigator I-SWAP, ATU Donegal, Dr Elaine Murray, Senior Lecturer & HEA North Principal investigator I-SWAP Ulster University, Dr Margaret McLafferty, Research Fellow, ATU Donegal, Mr James Sweeney, Research Assistant, ATU Donegal and Dr Joanne Gallagher, Head of Faculty of Science and Health, ATU Donegal.
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Release in full –
ATU Wins Best Research Project at Education Awards
A team from Atlantic Technological University (ATU) secured the Best Research Project award at the 2024 Education Awards ceremony for their Irish Students Wellbeing and ADHD project (I-SWAP) at a gala award ceremony in Dublin last week (25 April).
The Irish Student Wellbeing & ADHD Project, led by Dr Louise McBride, Dr Margaret McLafferty, James Sweeney (ATU), and Dr Elaine Murray (Ulster University), aims to enhance the wellbeing of university students with ADHD across the Island of Ireland. Supported by the North South Research Programme, this collaborative initiative between ATU and Ulster University has garnered widespread recognition for its impactful contributions to student welfare.
Dr Louise McBride, Head of the Department of Nursing and Health Care at ATU, spoke after the award ceremony, “We are thrilled that I-SWAP has won the Best Research Project award. This accolade highlights the enduring partnership between ATU and UU since 2019, showcasing the strides we’ve made together. The research findings offer valuable insights into the experiences of students with ADHD, emphasizing the importance of supporting neurodiverse learners within university settings. We extend our gratitude to the HEA NORTH-SOUTH Research Programme for their support in funding this pivotal research.”
President of ATU, Dr Orla Flynn, congratulated the team on the award, “The recognition of I-SWAP’s success reaffirms ATU’s commitment to advancing research excellence and fostering meaningful collaborations to address societal challenges. This achievement showcases ATU’s leadership in innovative research endeavours aimed at enhancing student welfare and promoting inclusivity within higher education. It is particularly heartening to see our North South collaboration with Ulster University recognised also. I would like to extend my congratulations to colleagues from both Universities on this award.”
In addition to the Best Research Project award, ATU had three other finalists representing the university:
Best Collaboration Project: N-TUTORR, a collaborative effort involving ATU, DkIT, IADT, MTU, SETU, TU Dublin, and TUS.
Best Industry/Business – Academic Collaboration: ATU/MyCareerPath.ie, in partnership with the Insurance Institute of Ireland and Forward Emphasis International.
Best Community Academic Collaboration: ATU’s collaboration with The Arts Council on the SCEALTA project, which focuses on Stories, Curiosity, Engagement, Active Learning, Language, Theatre, and Aistear.
