Kayle Crosson | Staff Writer
Marking the 40th anniversary of the Trinity College Graduate Students’ Union, the organization launched its twelfth volume of the Journal of Postgraduate Research yesterday evening in Trinity’s Long Room Hub. The journal consists of in-depth research conducted in the 2012-2013 academic year and its launch was attended by a variety of guests, such as senior members of the college, graduate students, editors, and contributors to the journal.
The Journal of Postgraduate Research, commonly referred to as the JPR, had its first issue published in 2001, and has continuously been a testament to the academic excellence that thrives in Trinity College Dublin’s postgraduate student body. While the journal follows a similar system of peer-review that is used in the production of other academic publications, the JPR stands out among common academic journals as it is entirely authored, edited, and produced by postgraduate students.
The editor of the JPR, Jonathan Creasy, spoke passionately of not only the content of the academic journal, but also the wide scope of submissions to the publication as well as the experience and opportunities it provides for its contributing authors.
“The Journal is dedicated to postgraduate research in all disciplines, giving students from all areas of the College the opportunity to gain experience in the process of writing for publication, while also providing a valuable form to present the substance of their research. I’m delighted to be a part of it,” Creasy said.
The Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) will continue to celebrate its 40th anniversary throughout 2014, and remains extremely active within the College.
GSU President, Ryan Kenny, acknowledged the challenges faced by postgraduate students across the country: “As the number of students progressing to postgraduate study has risen dramatically in recent years, so have the challenges they face. Fees are being increased while funding is cut, and job prospects are at an historic low.”
Kenny went on to emphasize that in these challenging economic times, the so-called “knowledge economy” needed to reconstruct the Irish economy heavily relies on the work and funding of post-graduate students.
“If we are truly building a ‘knowledge economy’ in this country, those who are most deeply involved in acquiring that knowledge simply have to be supported.”
The launch honoured the important research being done by Trinity’s postgraduate students, and also set a high standard for the next coming thirteenth volume, which Olivia Wilkinson will be primarily responsible for its publication as she now tackles the position of Editor-in-Chief of Volume XIII of the JPR set to be published in 2015.
