The 5*S project has brought together a diverse set of team members who each bring a wide range and wealth of experience to this unique project. Have a look at their profiles below:
Dr. Conor Calahane:
Dr Conor Cahalane is a Lecturer in Remote Sensing at the Department of Geography, Maynooth University. His background is in Geomatics, Applied Computing and Geocomputation. Dr Cahalane employs satellite, airborne and UAV remotely sensed data for coastal management, environmental protection, engineering works, forestry surveys and precision agriculture. Conor currently is collaborating with Ordnance Survey Ireland developing a method for automated change detection and map updating using multi-band aerial imagery. Dr Cahalane sits on council for the Society of Chartered Surveyors promoting RS and EO in the Geomatics community in Ireland and is also the Irish MC member on COST Actions ES1309 and CA16219, investigating recent advances in satellites, UAVs and optical sensors.
Sasha Brown:
Dr Sasha Brown is a Post Doctoral Researcher on the 5*S project, and lead on the student and teacher Storymap Workshops, designed to introduce students to space data and to using earth observation data to engage with the UN sustainable development goals. Sasha has a PhD in Geography from Maynooth University and his dissertation investigated state practices of refugee politics and asylum determination in Ireland. Sasha is especially interested in how communities can use data to communicate stories, and on the 5*S project Sasha focuses on school outreach, promoting ESA Copernicus satellite data through interactive Esri Story Maps.
Jonathan Faull:
Jonathan Faull is a Software Engineer on the 5*S Project and responsible for the design, development and testing of the SatelliteSkill5 Augmented Reality app for the iOS and Android Platforms. He has a Bachelor of Science and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin and is an alumni of the Space Studies Program at the International Space University (ISU). He has been part of the Mission Control team at The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and involved with research and education projects at ISU. He brings expertise in technical design and problem solving and a wide range of experience in the global space sector to this project. He is is interested in the ways space related technologies can be used to improve life on Earth and in ways to educate people about them.
Lorraine McNerney:
Lorraine McNerney is Chief Information Officer (CIO) and a General Manager at Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), the National Mapping Agency.
She is a qualified geo-surveyor, with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) and a Master in Arts (MA) in Business & IT. She is an active participant in national, international and United Nations working groups in the field of geo-spatial / geo-statistical data science and the semantic web, including funded academic research projects. She has also served as an external examiner for MSc programs in the School of Surveying and Construction Management at the Technical University Dublin (TUD). She brings geospatial expertise and the GeoHive platform as part of the 5*S project.
Dr. Avril Behan:
Dr. Avril Behan is the Director & Dean of the College of Engineering & Built Environment at TU Dublin, having worked at the Bolton Street campus since 2003.
Avril is a Chartered Geomatics Surveyor and holds a PhD in the application of geomatics to architectural historical studies, which included the use of GIS and Earth Observation technologies. Her research interests include all aspects of building information modelling & management, particularly integration of geomatics technologies & spatial information, applications of analytics & Machine Learning in Engineering & Built Environment contexts, collaborative education, and full asset lifecycle management.
Avril has worked on transition year programmes at TU Dublin both in the areas of Geomatics (Surveying TY Week) and Engineering (STEPS programme). She partakes in school visits, Open Days, and engagement events across the full college and is the sponsor for the Access to Apprenticeship programme which supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in securing employment in areas of craft apprenticeship.
Avril is also an active member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Geomatics professional group and BIM inter-professional Working Group, as well as being a member of the Royal Irish Academy’s Geosciences and Geographical Sciences Committee and a Board Member of Lean Construction Ireland.
Rachel Abernethy:
Rachel Abernethy is a GIS Consultant at Esri Ireland, currently working on the ArcGIS for Schools Program. She helps teachers who sign up to the 5*S workshops to gain access to Esri’s online mapping platform, ArcGIS Online, and provide guidance on creating accounts for their colleagues and students as well as technical support. With a background in physical geography and GIS and previous experience working with satellite data, she thinks it is great to be part of a project that makes Copernicus data accessible to students across Ireland whilst also relating it to the SDGs.
Angela Rickard:
Angela Rickard is a lecturer in the Department of Education in Maynooth University. She is Course Leader for Year 1 of the Professional Master of Education (PME). She teaches on this and on other postgraduate and undergraduate programmes in the department. She is interested in integrating education for social justice in Initial Teacher Education; supporting creative approaches to teaching and learning and exploring how emerging technologies can be used to complement these approaches. She is the departmental representative in the Ubuntu Teacher Education Network and coordinates a Development Education Week as part of the PME programme.
Eimear McNerney
Eimear McNerney is a lecturer in the School of Surveying and Construction Management at TU Dublin, her background is in Geomatics and Regional and Urban Planning. Eimear brings with her over 15 years industry experience and is a fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. She is an active member of the remote sensing and earth observation working group within the society, promoting satellite data and the Copernicus programme in the Geomatics Community. Eimear leads the school placement element for the TU Dublin BSc Geographic Science final year students, in partnership with the TU Dublin Outreach and Engagement team.
James Lonergan MSc:
James Lonergan MSc has been working in Education for over 15 Years, and specifically within the SCSI since 2016. Professionally, he would describe himself as someone who’s extremely interested in online and blended learning, specifically within the area of Surveying, for Construction, Land & Property Professionals. He is very interested in helping Surveyors or Professionals from the Construction, Land and Property Sectors to bridge the gap between their day to day work and skills and what they might need to further their careers; and for employers to ensure their staff are trained in the most up to date professional industry standards. On a day to day basis, he is continually looking at ways to provide new insights into the latest trends in education and training specifically for those within the Surveying industry.
Dr. Ronan Foley:
Dr Ronan Foley is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Maynooth University and started work here in 2003. I currently teach courses on GIS and Health Geographies at undergraduate level. I am the course leader of the MSc. in GIS and Remote Sensing and also teach on the MA Geography course. My research is primarily in the area of health geography, with significant publications on therapeutic landscapes, healthy blue space and health care services while I also research on historical and cultural geographies. I have been a PI or Co-PI on a wide range of funded research including current projects funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council. Prior to my arrival in Maynooth I worked at the University of Brighton from 1988 to 2003 and I have also taught at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2015 and as an occasional lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin.