The US Under Secretary of Energy Dr Kristina Johnson among three recipients conferred with Honorary Degrees
Posted on: 02 July 2010
The US Under Secretary of Energy, Dr Kristina M. Johnson, former Director General of the International Atomic Agency , Dr Mohamed ElBaradei and Artistic Director of Rough Magic Theatre Company, Lynne Parker, were among three recipients of honorary degrees at Trinity College Dublin on July 2nd last.
Dr Kristina M. Johnson, Chancellor Mary Robinson, Lynne Parker, Provost Dr John Hegarty and Dr Mohamed ElBaradei.
Dr Kristina M. Johnson is currently the Under Secretary for Energy at the Department of Energy in Washington, DC and she was conferred with a Doctor in Science at TCD.
Prior to her appointment as Under Secretary, Dr Johnson was Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Johns Hopkins University. A graduate from Stanford, her academic career in electrical engineering started with a postdoctoral fellowship in Trinity. She served as Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centre for Optoelectronics Computing Systems at the University of Colorado for five years and then served as Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University (1999- 2007).
Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, former Director General of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) is also a joint recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 with the IAEA for their efforts “to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way.” He was conferred with a Doctor in Laws at Trinity.
The Egyptian born Dr ElBaradei, is a lawyer by training and headed the IAEA from 1997 until the end of his third and final term in 2009. His courageous and committed work for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and his contributions to peace have been widely recognised internationally.
Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Rough Magic Theatre Company, Lynne Parker was conferred with a Doctor in Letters. Rough Magic is one of the most innovative theatre companies in Ireland which was co-founded 25 years ago by Lynne Parker, a graduate in English from Trinity and also a former member of the College’s DU Players. Under the leadership of Lynne Parker, the company has in recent years become a major force in Irish Theatre, winning the Irish Theatre Award for Best Production four times in six years. The company is committed to developing and producing new Irish work for the stage, commissioned from leading playwrights and theatre artists.