The Academy Gold Medals 2011

2011 Academy Gold Medals in the Social Sciences and Engineering Sciences presented to Professor William Schabas and Professor John O. Scanlan.

 

Media Release - 16 December 2011

 

PRESS RELEASE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION RUAIRI QUINN PRESENTS RIA GOLD MEDALS

 The Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Ruairi Quinn, TD, today presented the Royal Irish Academy Gold Medals to the international human rights scholar Professor William Schabas and engineer Professor John O. Scanlan in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Social Scienes and the Engineering Sciences. The Royal Irish Academy Gold Medals acclaim Ireland’s foremost contributors to the world of learning and science. The Gold Medals are awarded to two outstanding academics each year and are recognised as a truly national expression of celebration for scholarly achievement. The medals are sponsored by The Higher Education Authority and The Irish Independent.

In presenting the Medals Minister Quinn said the Academy Gold Medals acclaim Ireland’s foremost contributors to the world of learning and sciencee. The work of todays reipients illustrates Ireland’s high standing in the world of learning.

Professor William Schabas (NUI Galway) is one of the leading scholars in the field of international criminal law. His work is closely linked with a range of international judicial institutions including, the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court (ICC). His writings are regularly cited by international courts and tribunals, including the ICC and the European Court of Human Rights. Indeed, his seminal book on the Genocide Convention was cited in the opinions of the ICC in the 2007 Bosnia v. Serbia judgement and clearly influenced the thinking of the court as a whole.

Professor John O. Scalan (UCD) is widely recognised as one of the leading international living circuit theorists who has made a fundamental contribution to the field of electronic engineering, including electronic circuit and system design, digital circuits and computing, communications and signal processing. Professor Scanlan has many awards and distinctions, a former President of the Royal Irish Academy (1993-1996); he is also a life fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and is a recipient of the Golden Jubilee Medal of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society.

Previous Medal winners include:
2005 Professor John Dillon, Professor Michael Coey,
2006 Professor Peter Neary Professor James Dooge,
2007 Professor George Eogan, Dr John Fuller Atkins
2008 Professor David Livingstone Professor Charles Hepworth Holland
2010 Professor Cormac Ó Gráda Professor Samson Shatashvili

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
John Maguire j.maguire@ria.ie, 01 6090640 and 087 9380374