Home » Staff Profiles » Feeney, Declan

MR Declan Feeney

Assistant Lecturer

Contact Details

Lecturer
Environmental Science
B2020
Institute of Technology Sligo
Ash Lane, Ballinode
Sligo, F91 YW50
Ireland

T: 071 91 55230
E: feeney.declan@itsligo.ie
 
researcher

Biography

I am a native of County Sligo, educated in Sligo Grammar School and IT Sligo.  Over my professional career I had worked with a variety of national and international organisations in the areas of environmental management.  

Since my return to IT Sligo as a lecturer I have worked on the development of environmental science and sustainable development education initiatives.  This includes the development of open distance learning resources, on-line programmes and research activities that are centred in transition of society to cope and work with a changing world.

 

Research Projects

  Project Role Description Start Date End Date
Development of Nowcasting and Forecasting methods for bathing water quality at Enniscrone Beach, Co. Sligo Project Supervisor The aim of the research project is to determine whether data provided by the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system at Enniscrone Wastewater Treatment plant could be analysed and configured so as to accurately indicate conditions indicative of Short Term Pollution (STP) at the bathing water. 01-APR-16 01-APR-18

CONTRACT_RESEARCHERS

  Researcher Name Project Role Funding Body
Dr. James Moran LEONARDO DA VINCI VETPRO Bursaries: Capacity Building for Irish Commonages Project Manager
Dr. Frances Lucy Cryptosporidiosis: Human, Animal and Environmental Interface Research staff Environmental Protection Agency

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2016 Undergraduate Awards - Earth & Environmental Sciences Section (Overall Winner) Undergraduate Awards
2015 Undergraduate Awards - Earth & Environmental Sciences Section (Highly Commended) Undergraduate Awards - International Academic Awards Programme
2015 ESRI GIS Desktop Part 2 ESRI
2014 ESRI GIS Desktop Part 1 ESRI
2008 SEAI Building Energy Rating Assessor FETAC
1996 BSc Environmental Science NCEA
1998 MSc Environmental Science NCEA

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland Member 01-JAN-15 /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland Council Member 2016 /
Local Community Development Committee IT Sligo Dept of Env Science Representative 2015 /
Environ 2015 Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium at IT Sligo Organiser & Event Management 2014 / 2015
IT Sligo Green Campus Committee Dept of Env Science Representative 2013 /
Academic Council of IT Sligo School of Science Representative 2013 / 2016
Learning Teaching & Assessment Committee School of Science Representative 2013 / 2016

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
Abbott Ireland Diagnostic Division Team Leader 03-JAN-00 / 21-DEC-07
Roscommon County Council Laboratory Analyst 25-JAN-99 / 03-APR-00
Sligo County Council Field Technician 02-SEP-96 / 02-NOV-98
Institute of Technology Sligo Assistent Lecturer (Part-time) 03-SEP-07 / 19-JUN-09

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
1996 Institute of Technology Sligo BSc (First Class Hons) Environmental Science
1998 Institute of Technology Sligo Master of Science Environmental Science

Consultancy

  Client Description
Health Service Executive, Ireland
Development and delivery of Ground Water Quality Analysis Workshop for Environmental Health Officers (Sligo Office).
IT Sligo/Environmental Services Ireland
Field biologist developing biomonitoring techniques for Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and human-virulent microsporidia.

Outreach Activities

  Description

Environmental Sciences Association

I am actively working with the ESAI over the last 18 months supporting their efforts to develop the area of environmental science within Ireland.  This includes supporting the development of young and active researchers by promoting their work and developing the yearly ENVIRON conference.

Primary School Environmental Field Guide

In collaboration with Kids' Own Publishing Partnership and Sligo County Council (via the Agenda 21 funding scheme) we are developing a field guide for primary schools.  They guide will be developed by children for other children and teachers to promote the enjoyment of the environmental and its biodiversity.

Sligo Tidy Towns:  

Development of cross community links between IT Sligo and Sligo Tidy Towns committee to further the development of the town and its local community.

Kids' Own Publishing Partnership:

Non-Executive Director of Kids' Own Publishing Partnership.  A not-for-profit registered charity  and publishing house that publishes books by kids for kids (2007 - 2011).

Irish Surfing Association:

A Non-Exective Director of the Irish Surfing Association, the national governing body of surfing in Ireland (2010 - 2012)

Other Activities

  Description

External Examiner: 

External Examiner on the BSc & BSc(Hons) Environmental & Resource Management programmes at Institute of Technology Limerick, Thurles, Co. Tipperary (2014/15 to 2016/17) 

Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management (CIWEM) Course Accreditation:

Coordinator of the a accreditation committee, which successfully obtained accreditation from the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management (CIWEM) for the following IT Sligo courses;
  • Higher Certificate in Environmental Management (Level 6)
  • BSc (Ordinary) in Environmental Management (Level 7)
  • BSc (Ordinary) in Environmental Protection (Level 7)
  • BSc (Honours) in Environmental Management (Level 8)
  • BSc (Honours) in Environmental Science (Level 8)
  • MSc in Environmental Health and Safety Management (Level 9)
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Protection (Level 9)
  • MSc in Environmental Protection (Level 9)

Course Development:

I have been involved in the development, ratification and rollout of the following full time and open distance learning courses;
BSc. in Environmental Management (Level 7 ODL) 2009
BSc. Energy, Sustainability & the Environment (Level 7 FT) 2010
BSc. in Environmental Engineering (Level 7 FT) 2011
BSc (Honours) in Environmental Management (Level 8 ODL) 2013

LEONARDO DA VINCI VETPRO Bursaries:

Capacity Building for Irish Commonages (May/June 2012)

Development and delivery of a training week (2 days travel; 5 days training) in Scotland and Northern England on approaches to building capacity for common land management, policy frameworks for commonage and encouraging collaboration on commonages.  

Training was undertaken in two areas: one in Scotland and a second in Northern England. Course content will include an introduction to common land in UK, set in context of legal frameworks, organisational structure, constraints, CAP and Rural Development. 

See my Linkedin Profile for further details:
https://ie.linkedin.com/in/declanfeeney

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests are centred in the development of educational systems that impart clear knowledge to the student on various environmental science topics all under the framework of sustainable development and the transition of society into a low carbon future.

The challenge in environmental eduction is to instil an understand that change is inevitable and we need to work with this principle.

What will be certain for all students of environmental science is that we are in a dynamic state, what is current will not be in five years time and will mostly likely need to be redundant in twenty.  The challenge of change brings about a lot of educational opportunities allowing students to consider the past, think beyond the now and plan for the future.

Note - I also have an unhealthy degree of optimism!  

Recent Postgraduates

  Graduation Student Name University Degree Thesis
2015 Eithne Davis Institute of Technology, Sligo BSc A Spatial Study of Sites Susceptible to Coastal Erosion in County Sligo
2015 Simon Keegan Institute of Technology, Sligo BSc Investigation into the potential of Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge as a Potential Sustainable Renewable Energy
2015 Wayne Egan Institute of Technology, Sligo BSc To Assess the Impact of the Bellawaddy River on the Microbiological Quality of the Bathing Waters of Enniscrone Beach
2015 Padraig Cullen Institute of Technology, Sligo BSc Cost Benefit Analysis of Retrofit Options for a Domestic Dwelling
2015 Aishling Ruddy Institute of Technology, Sligo BSc The Feasibility of Rainwater Harvesting Following the Introduction of Domestic Water Charges in Ireland
2014 Antoin Callaghan Institute of Technology, Sligo BSc A Study on the Feeding Habits of Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis) on the Maugherow Peninsula, Co. Sligo.
2013 Joan McCarthy Institute of Technology, Sligo MSc A Presence/Absence Survey of the Smooth Newt (Triturus vulgaris L) in a selected area in Co. Clare and the Variations affecting their Habitat Choice, in particular Water Quality

Internal Collaborators

  Name Institute Country
CERIS - Centre of Environmental Research Innovation and Sustainability Institute of Technology Sligo IRELAND
Dr. Frances Lucy Institute of Technology Sligo IRELAND

External Collaborators

  Name Organisation / Institute Country
Ed Bentham Atlantic Whale Foundation (AWF) UNITED KINGDOM
Joseph Gilhooly Leitrim County Council IRELAND
Mr. David Tobin Lagan Cement Group IRELAND