Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (May 2011)

20 MTR May 2011

Please provide a brief synopsis of yourself & your career.

Fogarty A native of Dublin City, Ireland, I graduated with a B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Technology from

Sligo Institute of Technology in 1998 and a Ph.D. in

Environmental Analytical Chemistry from Limerick

Institute of Technology in 2002 followed by a Post

Doctoral Position in The University of Kansas where I focused on the development of microseparation systems for biological and environmental analysis. In 2005, I moved back to Ireland and joined Tyndall National

Institute in Cork, where I worked on the development of integrated microsensor systems combining miniaturized sampling, preparation and detection components for envi- ronmental monitoring. I was appointed to my current position in 2009 and currently coordinate Ireland’s

National Marine Technology Program on behalf of the

Irish Marine Institute.

What are your responsibilities in your position?

Fogarty The ultimate aim of the National Marine

Technology Program is to support the development of next generation technology solutions for marine related sectors and their delivery to global markets. One of my key responsibilities is to consolidate and build Ireland’s current capacity in the area of marine technology specifi- cally sensing, information and communication systems. A key element involves actively networking with research groups, industry and Government Agencies Nationally and Internationally to support the development of a criti- cal mass of activity in the development of ICT solutions for Marine Related Sectors. This is currently achieved through the facilitation of targeted networking sessions, workshops and working groups to identify key areas of opportunity for Irish based companies and academic researchers. We are specifically focused on to raising awareness of current activities and expertise, identifying new project development opportunities and research part- ners and facilitate industrial and academic researchers to target appropriate funding to resource new activities. I also monitor the progress of projects funded directly by the Marine Institute and other organisations and act as a

National Contact Point for National Activity in the area of marine technologies.

Please provide a brief overview of the top two or three programs/initiatives of which you are currently involved.

Fogarty At program level we are currently supporting a number of national initiatives in the area of marine ICT.

One of our flagship infrastructure projects is called

SmartBay. Originally inspired by related activities of our colleagues in Newfoundland and Labrador, the ‘Irish’

SmartBay was established as a pilot project in 2008 off the west coast of Ireland to provide a real world testbed for the development of technology products and services for the marine sector. Key industry partners who have trialed technologies in the infrastructure to date include compa- nies not immediately associated with the marine sector such as IBM who have developed web portal interfaces and streaming data analytics for subsea acoustic monitor- ing applications and Intel who recently complete testing a

Five Minutes With

Barbara Fogarty

Coordinator Advanced Marine Technology

Program – SeaChange Management Unit by Greg Trauthwein

At OceanTech Expo 2011, May 17-19, 2011, in Newport, Rhode Island Dr. Barbara Fogarty will lead the way as the Keynote Speaker for the 2011 Industry Outlook Panel Sessions. Marine Technology Reporter recently spent some time with Dr. Fogarty for her insights on emerging subsea technology trends.