IT companies should recruit more women for better team performance

Mixed-gender software development teams perform better than male-only teams, with female developers helping offset psychopathic traits of some male developers, according to researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. The researchers, who surveyed 483 software engineers pre-screened for competency, also found women improved team performance and reduced workplace delinquency, such as...

Novice Drivers talking on hand-held smartphones are more likely to run red-lights

Young novice drivers who speak into hand-held smartphones while driving are also likely to drive while under the influence of drink or drugs, according to researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software. The study “Smartphone Use While Driving: An Investigation of Young Novice Driver (YND) Behaviour,” also found that speaking on...

Improved use of databases could save billions of euro in osteoporosis-related health care costs

Years of suffering and billions of euro in global health care costs, arising fromosteoporosis-related bone fractures, could be eliminated using big data to target vulnerable patients, according to researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and National University of Ireland Galway. A study of 36,590 patients who underwent bone mineral density...

All views needed to get a full picture of digital contact tracing

An ongoing international survey on the impact of COVID-19 contact tracing apps wants to hear from individuals and communities whose views are not always heard and those who disagree with various aspects of digital contact tracing. Researchers at Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, are conducting the survey which aims to explore...

Huge increase in those willing to share their personal data to combat COVID-19

A new Lero-led study shows an increase of 47% in those willing to share their personal data since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, Irish attitudes to privacy in COVID-19 times, found that there has been a huge increase in respondents, from 14% pre-pandemic to 61%, willing to share personal data including location,...

Why maintaining software is like updating War & Peace

Opinion: those who maintain the software which runs our computer systems and apps face many unseen trials and tribulations. First published on RTÉ Brainstorm, on Wednesday, 03 February, 2021. Imagine your boss calls you next Monday morning. “Listen, about that War and Peace novel. It isn’t doing so good. We’ve had some customer feedback, and...

Why 61% of us are willing to share personal data to save lives

Analysis: a new study has found that Irish attitudes to privacy and the Covid-19 tracker app have changed during the pandemic. First published on RTÉ Brainstorm, on Wednesday, 03 February, 2021. Contact tracing apps used in tracing and mitigating the spread of Covid-19 have sparked discussions and controversies worldwide. The major concerns in relation to these...

Minister announces €37m investment in Lero

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD today announced an investment of €193 million in five SFI Research Centres for a further six years. This investment by Science Foundation Ireland will support approximately 1,060 graduate and Post-Doctoral students and Research Fellows employed by the Centres. Lero, the Science Foundation...

Knowing what you want from digital transformation is the first step

Opinion: Dr Noel Carroll explains why you need to start with the ‘what’, not the ‘how’, when it comes to digital transformation. First published on Silicon Republic, on Sunday, 31 January, 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic is arguably one of the most defining crises over the past 50 years and has had massive implications on organisations...

10 students receive WiSTEM2D awards

Ten University of Limerick students from around Ireland were presented with Johnson & Johnson Ireland’s (J&J) Women in STEM2D (WiSTEM2D) Awards, supported by Lero. Irish Aeronautical Engineer and award-winning STEM advocate, Dr Norah Patten, presented scholarships to the women at a virtual awards ceremony on January 29. WiSTEM2D refers to Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics,...