Review of The Shadow of the Precursor edited by Diana Glenn, Md Rezaul Haque, Ben Kooyman and Nena Bierbaum

Review of The Shadow of the Precursor edited by Diana Glenn, Md Rezaul Haque, Ben Kooyman and Nena Bierbau

Adsorption Studies on Evaporated Metal Films

The adsorption of hydrogen on evaporated nickel films has been studied under a variety of experimental conditions. It has been shown that, in comparison to the uptake of hydrogen on a vacuum deposited film, enhancement of the amount of hydrogen adsorbed can be achieved by depositing the metal film in the presence of the adsorbate. Some such slight degree of enhancement is observed at 273 K, but this is very much more marked at 77 K. At this low temperature, uptakes approaching one hydrogen atom adsorbed per nickel atom have been observed. The phenomenon can be explained by postulating that, in the case of a vacuum deposited film, the nickel atoms in the bulk of the structure are capable of adsorbing hydrogen but do not do so simply because hydrogen does not have access to them; in the case of a film formed in the presence of hydrogen, on the other hand, the gas has the opportunity to be adsorbed on each nickel atom as it is deposited. It is thought that the absence of greatly enhanced adsorption on films deposited in hydrogen at 273 K is due to the fact that both the adsorbed hydrogen and the nickel atoms are mobile at that temperature, and thermal movement of both species leads to elimination of hydrogen from the internal surfaces of the structure. The manner in which the hydrogen held by a film deposited at 77 K is released from its state of enhanced adsorption as the temperature rises has been studied. This has shown that the additional amount of hydrogen which is adsorbed when the temperature is decreased has reached a saturation value at a temperature above 77 K, and consequently that the measurements made at liquid nitrogen temperature have a fundamental significance as being the maximum possible. To gain information as to the manner in which the hydrogen is held by the nickel, exchange experiments have been carried out. Using tritium labelled hydrogen as the adsorbate, a radioactive tracer technique has been developed to study its exchange with gas phase inactive hydrogen. It has been found that a quantity of hydrogen equivalent to 0. 6 hydrogen atom per metal atom does not take part in the exchange process. Similar adsorption and exchange experiments have been carried out on palladium films for comparison purposes. These have shown that, although hydrogen sorption occurs to a greater extent on palladium than on nickel (owing to an additional mode of incorporation of hydrogen in palladium for which access of the adsorbate is not rate determining), the non-exchangeable ratio is still 0.6. This figure is significant in that it is in excellent agreement with the amount of hydrogen which, if bonded to the d-band of either metal, would exactly fill the electron vacancies there. It is suggested that the total filling of the d-band with electrons from the hydrogen in this way results in the absence of a type C chemisorbed component to act as an intermediate in exchange. The extent of the present work has not enabled any definite conclusions to be drawn as to the manner in which the exchangeable hydrogen is held by the metal, but experimental observations have led to the elimination of certain possibilities (i. e. physical adsorption and type C chemisorption to the d-band) as being unlikely

An Investigation of Work Placement in the Hotel Industry: Perceptions from Hoteliers and Students

The changing need of higher education to interface more effectively with industry has been widely documented, as has the rising awareness of those attributes which most benefit graduates seeking employment. A key way in which third-level institutions can build stronger partnerships with employers, and assist their students in postgraduate success, is through the provision of work placements. This paper presents research conducted in relation to work placement in the hotel industry, from the perspective of both hoteliers who facilitated the work placements and students who undertook placements. Primary research was conducted with both hoteliers and students. The findings from the paper illustrate that placement is an important component of third-level programmes and is one of the most vital experiences on which graduates base their career aspirations. There is an onus, therefore, on higher education institutions and employers to ensure that the placement experience is as rewarding as possible for students. Placement provides opportunities for higher education institutions and employers to work together to produce graduates with appropriate knowledge, skills and competence to meet existing and emerging business needs. Work placements also provide opportunities for students to develop soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and multi-tasking skills, which are essential in learning and work situations as well as part of general life skills for employees

Work-Based Learning Symposium Proceedings 2009

Prof. Michael Ward Head, Department of Food Business and Development, University College Cork I am honoured to have been invited to chair this morning’s session. My day job is here in UCC where I’m the Professor and Head of the Department of Food Business and Development and the Director of the Centre for Cooperative Studies. I’ve a particular interest in this work-based learning symposium because I, with my colleagues in both the department and the centre, have been involved in Work-Based Learning initiatives of various kinds over the years. So it is a great pleasure to be invited to chair this morning’s proceedings. This work-based learning symposium is being hosted by CIT in association with UCC. The focus of this Higher Education Authority Strategic Innovation Fund project is on work-based learning opportunities through partnership, which is a particularly important focus. Certainly for any of us who have been involved in this type of activity, we know you’re not going to go far without that focus on partnership and getting the various actors to integrate and work together. The focus is very much on education for those in employment, which might sound very strange this morning in the context of when we turn on the radio we hear all of the people who are unemployed or are losing their jobs on a continuous basis. But, in fact when you think about it, it makes very great sense indeed, because the only way we are going to, “create jobs” is to maintain the jobs that we already have. That can only be done through a focus on upskilling, on training, on preparing for a different world, competitiveness and so on. So, as I said the focus is on partnership, and no better person to welcome us all here this morning than someone who is very much involved in partnership and that is Dr Tom Mullins. Dr Tom Mullins is the Director of the Centre for Adult Continuing Education here in UCC. Prior to taking up that position a little over a year ago, Tom spent most of his academic career in the Department of Education

A Partnership Approach to Work Placement in Higher Education

Abstract There is a perceived gap between traditional university education and a readiness to enter the workforce which is often addressed by the inclusion of a work-based learning experience within the undergraduate education process. The intention of the curriculum designers is that the work placement experience will provide learners with an opportunity to develop their employability skills and to apply the knowledge that they have gained within a practice setting. This practice-focused paper summarises the work conducted under the REAP (Roadmap for Employment-Academic Partnerships) project, illustrating existing practice in work placement and gathering input and experiences from higher education staff and employers. The aim of the work was to explore practice in work placement in undergraduate programmes in Ireland and to develop an outline guide to support good practice. The importance of the work placement interaction in contributing to the development of a broader more sustainable relationship is considered briefly. REAP is a collaborative project funded by the HEA (Higher Education Authority), involving a number of Higher Education institutions in Ireland aimed at developing systems and structures which support good practice in engagement interactions between higher education and enterprise. The research into work placement practice was undertaken in a number of ways. Higher education staff were invited to partake in seminars and workshops. The employers participated mainly by way of a survey with some in-depth interviews providing deeper insights into work placement and other potential interactions. The research allowed a generalised view of the work placement process to be developed and a series of stages with associated practice recommendations were identified. The importance of engagement with the employer before, during and after the placement process was highlighted and the role of the employer as a partner in the learning development underlined

An Exploration of Higher Education Engagement with Small and Medium Enterprise in Ireland

Higher education institutions are increasingly expected to support regional economic development through knowledge generation and exchange in collaboration with enterprise and industry. In many geographies small and medium industries form the backbone of regional economies and present best opportunities for employment and export growth. While it is understood that working with higher education learning and research expertise can contribute to competitiveness and success for small enterprises, the reality is that many enterprises experience barriers to these partnerships (Collier, Grey, & Ahn, 2011). Barriers relating to cultural differences, inaccessibility, resources and funding availabilities have been reported. Dadameah & Costello (2011) report that SMEs lack awareness of what higher education has to offer and lack clarity on who to contact to establish links. In Ireland the agri-food sector is of significant importance, employing in the region of 50,000 people directly, as well as providing the primary outlet for the produce of 128,000 family farms. While it is understood that the technology-intensive information and communications sectors tend to have educational and research links with higher education providers, the researchers sought to explore the extent of those links with the more traditional food sector. The sector accounts for just over half of exports by indigenous manufacturing industries. This study explores the perceptions of employers in small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in the food sector in the South of Ireland in relation to their interactions with higher education, the potential for their organisation, the barriers to these interactions and key factors which could support the development of broad long-term relationships. The research methodology employed is a semi-structured interview process and this paper reports on the findings from 26 interviews. The interviewees’ awareness of Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) as a higher education provider in the south of Ireland, as well as their expectations and aspirations in relation to interaction with the institute were considered. The research findings indicate a very limited awareness and significant barriers to engagement were reported. Engaging with small and micro enterprises, in particular, presents some challenges for higher education institutions and some recommendations are made for structures, systems and processes in higher education institutions as well as providing a basis for further exploration of university industry interactions and the opportunities for higher education to take intentional steps to enhance and encourage interaction