Harney star-gazes at observatory opening

Thick and freezing fog does not bode well for star-gazing. The sun wasn't even visible to the naked eye when the Tánaiste opened a new observatory at NUI, Galway, yesterday.

Undeterred, Ms Harney quoted Sean O'Casey as she examined the optical telescope which has been installed as part of the university's physics and astronomy programme. Together with a radio telescope, the equipment comprises the new Imbusch Observatory which has been named after Prof George F. Imbusch, recently retired professor of experimental physics at NUI, Galway.

The first crop of students on the physics and astronomy course are due to graduate this year, and the Tánaiste expressed delight yesterday that seven of the nine are women. Ms Harney restated the strategic importance of continued investment in science, engineering and technology, and stressed that the importance of a vibrant Irish third-level education sector "could not be overemphasised in our quest to make Ireland a secure, knowledge-based economy".

Prof Michael Redfern of NUI Galway's Department of Experimental Physics said that the observatory would add an important dimension to the study of astronomy. "For instance, students will now be able to make observations of the transits of a planet orbiting a distant star, a so-called exo-planet," he said. Mapping and "weighing" the galaxy will form part of the work. Secondary school students would also be encouraged to visit the observatory to experience the excitement of astronomy first-hand, he said.

The Tánaiste also initiated a new "access to third-level education" programme at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology yesterday. The "Equal Ireland" initiative is geared towards people in the workplace who cannot commit to full-time courses, and is backed by social partners SIPTU, FÁS, IBEC and Líonra, a network of third-level education bodies.

The programme focuses on distance learning in the Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region, according to Ms Nuala Keher, chief executive officer of Líonra.

"The social partnership programme pledged to tackle social inclusion and equality as a matter of urgency," she said, and Equal Ireland was a part of this approach.