CoDesResTeam Bios
Dr Anita McKeown (FRSA) Principal Investigator, WP 1 and 5 Lead
Dr Anita McKeown is an award-winning itinerant artist, curator and researcher working at the intersection of art, equitable spatial planning and technology. Using a range of tactics; situated arts practice, publication and education, she works to facilitate the co-creation of locally scaled interventions that are context-responsive and ecologically sensitive. Working across artforms, digitally and analogue, her projects arise from extended relationships with people and place to contribute to and encourage systemic self-organisation and resilience.
Recognition of her artistic practice includes the only non-American citizen awarded a BRAVO award, for Memphis 45s, a digital AV motion sensor project (Memphis, TN. USA (2004) and the first Artist in Residence in the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, hosted by the Bureau of Land Management, Taos Field Office, Land Experience and Art of Place and OCHO, (2013).
With over 80 international exhibitions, performances and residencies to date, she continues to perform and exhibit as a solo artist and in collaboration with artists and organisations, nationally and internationally. Research interests include Open Source Culture and Technology (ethical and ecological implications) and STEAM education. In 2016 /17 she developed the Beautiful Midden Arts Lab for Amigos Bravos, an integrated arts ecology curriculum focussed on water and waste. In 2012, she was co-theme leader for the Inter-Symposium of Electronic Arts’ Education programme with Agnes Chavez, (STEMarts curriculum tool and consulting on the Los Alamos National Laboratory STEMarts challenge, 2012, 2013) whom she continues to work with on the STEMarts Lab, New Mexico advisory team.
Lucy Hunt, Research Asst. WP 2 Lead Youth Transition
Lucy Hunt has been running marine awareness and education workshops for over 15 years for adults and children. She is founder & managing director of Sea Synergy Marine Awareness & Activity Centre, Waterville, Co. Kerry, an award-winning marine research & education centre specialising in educational workshops on marine biodiversity & conservation opened in July 2014. Sea Synergy won the tender for Marine Explorers in 2016 -2017 bringing the Marine Institute's schools education programme to Kerry for the first time and has worked with over 35 schools in Kerry with an outreach of over 1750 primary students. Every summer over 400 international English language youths come to learn about marine biodiversity and conservation in Sea Synergy.
In 2017 Lucy, developed an education programme for the Volvo Ocean Yacht Race. Available in 6 different languages, this is currently being used in 32 different countries with an educational outreach of over 65,000 students motivating people into positive action for the ocean! With Sea Synergy, Lucy also initiated an exhibition in the Volvo Ocean Race Turn the Tide on Plastic Volvo Ocean Race Education Programme, created the teambase with Circular Ocean on circular economy using materials like fishing nets. This exhibition will be potentially viewed by up to 1M people!
As a director of the Integrated Regional Development board of Waterville Lucy initiated a Blue Way feasibility study to be undertaken for Iveragh Peninsula with support of EU FLAG funding to help promote marine tourism in the area. In 2008 she initiated marine outreach workshops for Kerry County Council on Kerry’s Blue Flag beaches that has a multi-generational outreach of over 500 people every summer in the past 10 years. Lucy will be consolidating this experience within the CoDesRes team to develop educational resources for Transition year students, teachers and community contexts to encourage understanding and action of SDG 14 - Life below water in their daily lives.
Eleanor Turner, Research Asst. WP 3 Lead - Community Transition
Eleanor Turner is a Marine Biologist and educator, with several years experience in management and financial services. She is passionate about outdoor education, sustainability and connecting people with their local place.
As CoDesRes Research Assistant, Eleanor is the lead on WP2 Community Transition with her contribution to the project focused on raising awareness and developing engagement with the project’s SDG goals, in particular SDG 15 – Life on Land. Eleanor has initiated several community development projects in South West Kerry that have gained international interest. Her support to these groups includes engaging local stakeholders, aiding through grant application processes and advice on best practice environmental management. In addition, Eleanor is consolidating her professional experience and passion for place-based sustainability by undertaking a Ph.D. within the SMARTlab Inclusive Design Centre at UCD, researching in the area of Community engagement in coastal biodiversity conservation.
In addition, Eleanor is consolidating her professional experience and passion for place-based sustainability by undertaking a PhD within the SMARTlab Inclusive Design Centre at UCD, researching in the area of Community engagement in coastal biodiversity conservation.
Eleanor is Manager of Sea Synergy Marine awareness and Activity centre and through this role is responsible for running several marine education and outreach programmes, including the Marine Institute funded Marine Explorers in primary schools’ programme in Kerry. She is also a member of the Heritage in Schools heritage experts panel and provides hands on classes in marine, freshwater and biodiversity-based topics.
Rebecca White, Research Asst. WP 4 - Media Transition
Rebecca is an educator, language consultant and curriculum developer, with an interest in task-based teaching and professional development for holistic learning.
With over thirteen years experience in Australia, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Ireland, she joins the project, keen to incorporate blended learning, media and task-based education amongst schools and communities.
Rebecca worked as part of a consultant team in the Middle East, with a focus on developing curriculum and enhancing methodology in the key areas of English, Science, Mathematics, and Information Technology. She has leadership experience in a global education company, and in 2015 was nominated for a Kaplan Way Leadership Award. For more information on Rebecca's work please visit http://greenspaceeducation.com/
James Murphy, Research Asst. WP 4 - Media Transition
James is an experienced video editor and Company Director of Bold Puppy Ltd, an independent film and media company based in Dublin & Kerry. The company operates on a national and international level, offering a wide range of services from television productions, concept creation, advertisements & post-production services. Samples of his work include ‘Crimes That Shook Ireland’ for TV3, music videos for Kodaline and Walking on Cars, corporate advertisements for Lidl, Liberty Insurance and Flo Gas, and documentaries such as ‘La Violencia’ for Hope Guatemala and ‘From Field to Road’ on South Kerry cyclist Eoin Ryan.
He believes that the fundamental purpose of the arts is to nurture critical thinking in the population of its surrounding area and beyond. Art has the ability to instigate and open up dialogue on issues and topics relating directly to its consumer. In the advent of social media, the art form of video and film production has vastly become more prevalent in everyday life, creating a new platform to stimulate national discussion on local issues such as politics, culture, sports, family, and faith.
For him, to enable the process of talent development in rural communities would not only help give voice to the people there, but would also be instrumental in developing new viable business opportunities within the video and film industries in the region, and assist in the strengthening of resilience in the community. He is a strong advocate for local community growth, playing an active role in the Portmagee Development Committee and Skellig Coast Tourism Network.
External Expertise
The CoDes Res project is lucky enough to have additional expertise from a number of partners and local experts.
The research would not be possible without the external expertise of Mr. Seán O’Laoghaire and Dr. Colin Keogh. We would like to thank Mr. Seán O’Laoghaire for his creativity, local knowledge, leading the Storybank Primary School Education Programme and his work on the various projects and weekly team-teaching – please see https://www.codesres.ie/blog and for more information on Seán's work please visit www.https://seananseanchai.com/ Also, Dr Colin Keogh, and the Rapid Foundation who developed the Community 3D printing module and initial 3D printing workshops.
Seán O'Laoghaire, Seanachai in Residence, in partnership with
Portmagee Development Group
As a teacher, storyteller, puppeteer, artist, writer, but most of all, an igniter of the imagination! Seán is always coming up with new ideas for engaging students in the creative process and using that engagement to further their hunger for more education and community participation. Seán has researched and shares a lot of Irish stories, mythology and folklore to give adults and children alike, an introduction to Irish culture, as well as using these stories and myths as tools for making sense of today’s world and our place within it.
This year saw the birth of the “Tribal Challenge” where he takes students into the countryside and asks them to build something using natural materials - trees, grass and stone. The challenge is not just in the creation of these ‘living and growing sculptures’, but in the working together as a tribe, in a spirit of inclusiveness. It is such a great experience for participants who get to learn so much about themselves and others.
Seán says “I feel most comfortable when my work is where the learner learning is more important than the teacher teaching, yet where the teacher is keen to observe, evolve and able to steer the student towards best solution, ensuring a stimulating, focused and fun time for all”
For more information please visit https://seananseanchai.com/
The Rapid Foundation Bio
The Rapid Foundation goal is to empower people around the world to create, innovate and tackle the challenges they face head on by giving them access and training to new forms of disruptive technologies.
Dr Colin Keogh, Rapid Foundation Engineer
Colin is an award winning highly driven & innovative Engineer, with qualifications & experience in innovative technologies in the Mechanical and Energy engineering sectors such as Biomass Energy, 3D Printing,Additive Manufacturing, Biomedical Engineering & Innovative Design
He has been working as a research engineer in UCD since graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Energy Systems Engineering from UCD. After working with a number of large European Union FP7 funded research projects (Arbor and EnAlage), he undertook his own research in the product design, innovation and additive manufacturing areas. Colin lectures in the Institute of Technology Tallaght & UCD and co-founded The Rapid Foundation in 2014, which aims to disperse 3d printing technology to 3rd world locations and conduct printing workshops with schools in the UK and Ireland.
The Rapid Foundation's IMechE Charity grant, won him the 2016 Fritz Schumacher award and was a noted project in the 2016 UN Global Sustainable Development Report. Colin is very active in the engineering profession in Ireland, having been a committee member of Engineers Ireland and the IMechE since 2011, Vice Chair of both young members divisions from 2014-2016, now Chairman both young members divisions. He is an avid science communicator and loves to attend/mentor/support events in engineering, design and hackathon space, working with UCD, TCD Science Gallery, TOG, Engineers Ireland and Dublin maker.
Dr Shane Keaveney, Rapid Foundaton Engineer
Shane completed his honours degree in Mechanical Engineering in UCD in 2010 continuing his final year project into his PhD with funding and support from the Irish Research Council and Depuy (Ireland). During his PhD on medical device manufacturing, he spent time researching in the Institute of Machining Technology (ISF), Dortmund TU, Germany. This was under the supervision of Prof. Petra Kersting, chair of CIRP Research Affiliates, and funded by the DAAD.
He worked with Dr. Eoin O’Cearbhaill in establishing the MDD group (funding proposals, project supervision etc.) before working with SolidCAM UK as their lead Irish applications engineer. Whilst working with SolidCAM UK full time, he worked part time in the group on various research projects.
He is heavily involved in the success of the MTTRF award since 2011 in UCD. This award provides state of the art manufacturing and research facilities to the school along with access and collaboration with a global network of the best researchers and companies in the world. He is also involved with various public engagement events (design and innovation workshops, 3D printing/additive manufacturing workshops and talks etc.), charity organisations, and start-ups.
His team won the UCD Student Innovation Fund in 2014 for a start-up in the area of Biomass energy and he is co-founder of the Rapid Foundation.
