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The importance of research, ASHRAE Ireland President on ERBE student led conference

ASHRAE Ireland Vice President Howard Neville, ASHRAE Ireland Jury Chair Professor Donal Finn of UCD, ERBE PhD students - Thomas Crook, Ceylin Sirin, Adam Duncan and Bara'ah Rababa and ASHRAE Ireland President Edith Blennerhassett after the poster and presentation awards at the ERBE student led conference held at Fota Wildlife Education, Conservation and Research Centre, Cork, Ireland on 4th April 2025.

The importance of research

It was a breath of fresh air last Friday to join the ERBE (Energy Resilience and the Built Enviornment) PhD cohort from Loughborough University, UCL and MaREI at University College Cork for the student led conference showcasing how their work aligns with the United Nations SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals. david donoghue, Ambassador at Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs, Ireland, gave a wonderful account of the 2015 SDG negotiation process and highlighted the importance of consensus building to achieve change and progress. The student posters and presentations covered subjects including materials research, overheating, passive solar design, retrofitting, heat pumps, life cycle assessments, energy modelling, occupant feedback, fuel poverty, data driven decision making, machine learning and smart grids. With my ASHRAE Ireland colleagues and the ERBE leadership we had the pleasure, (and hard task), of choosing the top 3 posters and best paper of the day. As a designer / practitioner, I came away with improved knowledge and awareness and the desire to engage more with academia to help solve our most pressing challenges in the built enviornment. Many thanks to our gracious hosts from MaREI University College Cork including Elaine Burns, Dominic O’ Sullivan and Brian Ó Gallachóir.