Electronic engineer John Breslin (31) was born in Dublin and grew up in Fanore, Co Clare. He went to school in Lisdoonvarna. Since qualifying, he has held a range of Johnresearch and teaching posts.

His current job is in one of the most exciting areas of computer science – working on the Semantic Web project at the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) at NUI Galway. (The Semantic Web is the next generation of the World Wide Web, intended to create much more meaningful connections between pieces of information.)

Among the awards he has collected are a Golden Spider and a Zeddy web award for the online community boards.ie, and a prize paper award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Degrees

BE (Electronics), NUI Galway, 1994 and PhD, NUI Galway, 2002

Career snapshot

He began his career in 1994 with the Power Electronics Research Centre at NUI Galway, where he worked on computer techniques to improve the design of electrical transformers.

From 2000 to 2004, he lectured at the Department of Electronic Engineering at NUI Galway. He taught students in both electronic and computer engineering subjects ranging from radio communications to digital logic.

Currently, he’s a postdoctoral researcher at DERI, researching social networks and community portals on the Semantic Web.

What’s so brilliant about your job?

“I’ve been fascinated by the development of online communities on the Web since I co-founded one of Ireland’s largest community sites (boards.ie) as a hobby in 2000. Boards.ie started life as a single discussion forum with a handful of members, and now spans hundreds of diverse forums with thousands of members.

“My interest has evolved from this part-time hobby to become the focus of my research at DERI: social networking on the Semantic Web.

“The idea of a Semantic Web – a semantically-annotated resource shared by humans and computers – was proposed by the inventor of the current Web, Tim Berners-Lee. It will make it easier for humans to find information than it is with today’s search engines, and will allow computers to automatically process and integrate the information available on the Web.

“The growth of social networking sites since 2003 has been phenomenal, attracting significant publicity and venture capital as a result. These are community sites where users can maintain an online network of friends or associates for social or business purposes: whether you’re looking for a job, reconnecting with old friends, moving to a new area, or dating. “I’m working on developing such a social networking site with an Irish focus, building on my previous experience in online communities.”

What do you like least about your job?

“Deadlines (for papers, proposals and deliverables)! But then again, you have deadlines in nearly all jobs and few people like them.”

How do you spend a typical day?

“My first task each day will be to check email. Typical tasks would include researching and writing technical papers; reviewing and reading other people’s papers; putting together proposals for projects and funding; programming and web development; participating in meetings of clusters and committees; and attending seminars given by researchers on a wide range of topics (a great way to learn quickly about a new area).”

Does your work require a lot of equipment?

“No – just computers!”

Are you a science nerd?

“I am a bit of a technology freak – I spend a lot of free time developing web sites or fiddling with some computer or electronic gadget. My latest home gadget is called the DreamBox. This sounds like a gaming console, but it is actually a satellite receiver.

“You can stream television from it to your PC, record to its hard disk (like Sky+), and download or upload multimedia files through its network connection. This is one of many examples we have of where communications and computing technology is converging (like mobile phones and portable media players).

“I also have a strong interest in the convergence between electronics and the Semantic Web: the World Wide Web Consortium’s CC/PP recommendation, and physical hyperlinks for electronic devices.”

Did science give you a buzz at school?

“In secondary school, I took all available science subjects (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), with some outside normal hours. I really enjoyed these subjects, and loved any chance I had to use the single Apple Lisa computer we had in school (not just Pong, but BASIC too)!

“My earliest scientific memory in primary school was making a circuit to turn on and off a light: using a battery, torch bulb and an old switch I cut off from a worn-out electric blanket.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“The highlight of my career has probably been the IEEE prize paper award I and my co-authors received for a journal publication in PELS Transactions in 2000. Each time a publication is accepted for a peer-reviewed journal or conference it is a mini-highlight, because your work has been reviewed by those foremost in your research area and deemed to be worthy of notice by others.”

Want to find out more?

Visit John Breslin’s home page

Check out DERI Galway

Johanna Bolton works as a web accessibility officer in DCU

Career snapshot

Johanna is a project officer on an important web accessibility project at Dublin City University (DCU). Web accessibility is the effort to make web pages usable by as Webmany people as possible, regardless of any disability.

This EU-funded project, Support-EAM, aims to help create a web accessibility quality mark. The DCU team works with six other organisations throughout Europe.

Johanna is from Galway and went to Salerno Secondary School in Salthill. Previously, Johanna worked as a designer in a web development company.

Degrees

• BEng (Electronic and Computer Engineering), NUI Galway, 2002
• MSc (Multimedia Systems), TCD, 2004

What’s so brilliant about your job?

“I love my job as I have always been fascinated by the Web and all that it can offer. It was designed to be accessible to all regardless of disability and it’s important to ensure that as web technologies evolve we don’t lose sight of the initial goals. “One quote from Dr ZhangXu is often used when people speak about web accessibility, and I think it gets the point across; ‘If anybody asks me what the Internet means to me, I will tell him without hesitation: To me (a quadriplegic) the Internet occupies the most important part in my life. It is my feet that can take me to any part of the world; it is my hands which help me to accomplish my work; it is my best friend – it gives my life meaning.’”

What do you like least about your job?

“As jobs go it’s pretty great, but if I really had to pick something it would be the fact that it is sometimes difficult for me to motivate myself to keep focused constantly in the research environment.”

How do you spend a typical day?

“I do all of my work in front of a computer. It involves, research, writing documents, commenting on documents and website evaluations.”

Does your work require a lot of equipment?

“No, just a computer.”

Are you a science/engineering/technology nerd?

“No, I don’t think so, but as technology evolves constantly I do try to keep up-to-date with new technologies. I enjoy the arts, particularly electronic art and film, since my time on the multimedia course.”

Did those subjects give you a buzz at school?

“I always preferred the science, engineering and technology subjects. I found them more interesting.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“I suppose that would have to be going to Brussels for a meeting on the project I’m currently working on. A lot of the important organisations involved in Web accessibility were there.”

Want to find out more?

Check out the e-access lab in DCU
Have a look at the Support-EAM website

Elaine McGlynn, Project officer in DCU

Career snapshot

Elaine McGlynn is a project officer at the Research Institute for Networks and Communications Engineering (RINCE) at Dublin City University (DCU). She is part of a team working on a number of projects in web accessibility. (“Accessibility” means making web resources usable by people regardless of any disability they may have.)

She has also designed a course on accessibility for staff at DCU. This course introduces accessible document authoring and online resources.

Elaine is from Swords in Co. Dublin and went to school in Loreto College in Balbriggan. Her enjoyment of maths in school led her to study information and communications technology at university.

Degree

• B.A. (Mod) Information and Communications Technology, Trinity College Dublin, 2003.
• M.Sc. in Multimedia Systems, Trinity College Dublin, 2004.

What’s so brilliant about your job?

“I learn something new every day. My job involves a lot of research into web accessibility, which is a vast and very interesting subject. “

What do you like least about your job?

“Fortunately I’m very happy.”

How do you spend typical day?

“My role is so diverse; it’s difficult to describe a typical day. At the moment, I’m running an online accessibility course for academic staff in DCU, which I spent a number of months designing. The course is delivered entirely online.”

“I log into the course every morning and spend a lot of the day reviewing any assignments submitted, adding and updating resources and replying to questions and comments on the course forum. In addition, I spend time researching web accessibility, reviewing websites for accessibility and organising seminars.”

Does your work require a lot of equipment?

“No, just my brain and a computer.”

Are you a science/engineering/technology nerd?

“I’m a bit of a technology nerd. I do spend a lot of time on the Internet outside of work (like most people, I think) and love designing websites. I also love finding out how things work – my current interest being my car, but only because it’s giving me trouble and I’d love to know how to fix it myself.”

Did science/engineering/technology give you a buzz at school?

“Yes, I was a total mathematics nerd in school! I’d spend hours working out complicated math problems. I also loved computer classes which we had every Wednesday.”

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

“My career has only started, but the highlight so far is being introduced to the world of web accessibility, which I really enjoy being a part of.”

Learn more:

Check out RINCE on the Web
Find out about the Web Accessibility Initiative
See the National Disability Authority’s accessibility guidelines