The names of the new Scholars and Fellows of Trinity College Dublin were read out on the steps of the Examination Hall today by Provost Patrick Prendergast.
73 new scholars were announced across 30 disciplines, along with 13 new Fellows and eight new Professional Fellows. This is the second year in a row that the event has had to be held remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The event was livestreamed at 10:00am.
Prendergast acknowledged the unfortunate circumstances, saying: “I would like to congratulate all of the students and academics who have been named Scholars and Fellows this year, we are extremely proud of their hard work and impressive achievements.
“Unfortunately, the prevailing circumstances mean that they cannot be here in person, but rest assured, the entire college community are standing with them side by side in spirit on this important day”.
The number of Scholars elected has jumped back up after just 57 were elected last year and 58 in 2019. Incidentally, the number elected this year is the exact same as that of those elected in 2018.
The award is handed out based on the academic merits students display in a series of “searching exams”. The exams, taken by second year students in January, are meant to allow students to demonstrate particular depth of knowledge in their respective subjects.
On top of the students and staff who received these honours, Maureen Harding Clark, Harry Clifton, Heather Hancock and Luke Drury received Honorary Fellowships.
Maureen Harding Clark was the judicial visitor to Trinity for 12 years and currently serves as a judge on the Appeals Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia.
Harry Clifton is a celebrated writer and taught at Bremen and Boudreaux Universities, as well as University College Dublin (UCD) and Trinity, receiving numerous accolades from both.
Heather Hancock has worked extensively in business and the public sector, and became Master of St John’s College, Cambridge in October 2020. She has also been a senior member of the civil service and acted as Deputy Chair of the World Athletics Championships and Paralympic Athletics Championships from 2013 to 2016.
Luke Drury serves as Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, and acted as Honorary Andrews Professor of Astronomy in Trinity from 1998 to 2018. He has received particular attention for his work on particle acceleration in astrophysical plasmas, as well as on the origin of cosmic rays. He has played a central role in establishing the Irish Centre for High-End Computing.
The event was followed at 10:30am by a thanksgiving service, delivered by Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, and a memorial service led by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar an hour later.
