Science Series

Marine Institute/Royal Irish Academy Lecture - Alien World - New Discoveries of Exotic Lifeforms & Volcanic Metal Chimneys in the Deep Ocean Dr. Andy Wheeler, UCC (Chief Scientist) & the Irish-British VENTuRE Survey Scientific Team Tuesday, 24 April 2012, Academy House Andy Wheeler led a groundbreaking Irish-led marine research mission aboard the national research vessel RV Celtic Explorer investigating life at 3,000 metres below the surface of the sea on the ‘45o North MAR hydrothermal vent field’ using the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Holland 1. These vents, which spew mineral rich seawater heated to boiling point by volcanic material in the earth’s crust below, are home to a rich variety of marine life that thrives in complete darkness on bacteria fed by chemicals. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

RIA and Science Media Centre Event - Introduction to the News Media for Ireland's Geoscientists Thursday, 17 May 2012, 13:30 - 18:00, Academy House Chair: Fiona Fox – Chief Executive, Science Media Centre Speakers: Clive Mitchell – Press Officer, British Geological Survey Tom Sheldon – Press Officer, Science Media Centre Journalist Panel: Dick Ahlstrom – The Irish Times David Derbyshire – Daily Mail Leo Enright – RTE Radio 1 Tom Kennedy – Science Spin Mike McKimm – Environment Correspondent, BBC NI Geoscientist Panel: David Ball – Independent Hydrogeologist Garth Earls – Consulting Economic Geologist Ian Jackson – OneGeology Project Co-ordinator Dr. Deirdre Lewis – Technical Director, SLR Consulting Ireland Prof. John McCloskey – Seismologist, University of Ulster Prof. Pat Shannon – Petroleum Geologist, University College Dublin www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

A Conversation with Professor Peter Higgs and Colleagues Thursday, 2 May 2013, Academy House On Thursday, 2 May 2013, in the Royal Irish Academy, Professor Peter Higgs was joined by University of Edinburgh colleagues, Professor Alan Walker, Dr Victoria Martin and Francisca Garay to explore four generations of research on the Higgs boson. Speakers explained how the Higgs boson fits into modern theories of particle physics, what it's like to work at the Large Hadron Collider and the Inspiration for the Higgs boson. Finally, speakers looked at how the work of one scientist, Professor Peter Higgs, inspired generations of physicists to work in particle physics and how the Higgs boson was eventually discovered. The event was open to public. www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Public Lecture - The Double Helix and Its Irish Forbearers Nobel Laureate James Watson (Response by David McConnell) Monday, 29 April 2013, 6pm, Academy House A Public lecture by Nobel Laureate James Watson entitled “The Double Helix and Its Irish Forbearers” was held in the Royal Irish Academy . www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Academy Discourse - The Speed Gene Dr. Emmeline Hill (Response by Prof. Dan Bradley) Thursday, 7th March 2013, 6pm, Academy House Dr Emmeline Hill is a co-founder and Chairman of Equinome. She is one of Ireland's most prominent genomics scientists and leads the Equine Exercise Genomics research group at the College of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, where she is a lecturer in Equine Science. She joined UCD in 2002 with a B.A. Genetics (1995) and a Ph.D. in Molecular Population Genetics (2000) from Trinity College, Dublin. In 2000, Dr. Hill and Prof. Patrick Cunningham published one of the first molecular genetic research studies of Thoroughbreds that identified errors in The General Stud Book. Her publication record includes articles in the leading academic journals Nature, Science, PLoS ONE, BMC Genomics and Animal Genetics. In 2004 she received a Science Foundation Ireland President of Ireland Young Researcher Award, Ireland's most prestigious award for young scientists. In 2009 she published the first description of the genes that contribute to the Thoroughbred athletic physique. http://www.ria.ie Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Weather: Meteorology and Metereological Collections at the Royal Irish Academy and Met Eireann - Mairead Treanor, Librarian, Met Eireann The 2012 Science Lecture Series was organised by the Academy Library as an integral element of an exhibition Science at the Royal Irish Academy: ‘Uniting whatever is pleasing with whatever is useful’: an exhibition: July 2012-May 2013. Details of the exhibition are available at: http://ria.ie/library/exhibitions.aspx An accompanying publication may be purchased online at http://ria.ie/Publications.aspx or at the Academy. We hope you will enjoy these presentations which engage with the exhibition themes: The role of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-65), whose mathematical genius led to discoveries including his work on dynamics which formed the basis for Erwin Schrödinger’s work in quantum mechanics; The work of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), chemist, barrister, meteorologist and mineralogist; Scientific collections in Dublin, including the Worth Library, an important collection assembled by a Dublin physician, Edward Worth (1678-1733), and curated at Dr Steevens’ Hospital. Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

Scientific Collections of the Edward Worth Library - Elizabethanne Boran, Librarian, Edward Worth Library The 2012 Science Lecture Series was organised by the Academy Library as an integral element of an exhibition Science at the Royal Irish Academy: ‘Uniting whatever is pleasing with whatever is useful’: an exhibition: July 2012-May 2013. Details of the exhibition are available at: http://ria.ie/library/exhibitions.aspx An accompanying publication may be purchased online at http://ria.ie/Publications.aspx or at the Academy. We hope you will enjoy these presentations which engage with the exhibition themes: The role of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-65), whose mathematical genius led to discoveries including his work on dynamics which formed the basis for Erwin Schrödinger’s work in quantum mechanics; The work of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), chemist, barrister, meteorologist and mineralogist; Scientific collections in Dublin, including the Worth Library, an important collection assembled by a Dublin physician, Edward Worth (1678-1733), and curated at Dr Steevens’ Hospital. Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

The 2012 Science Lecture Series was organised by the Academy Library as an integral element of an exhibition Science at the Royal Irish Academy: ‘Uniting whatever is pleasing with whatever is useful’: an exhibition: July 2012-May 2013. Details of the exhibition are available at: http://ria.ie/library/exhibitions.aspx An accompanying publication may be purchased online at http://ria.ie/Publications.aspx or at the Academy. We hope you will enjoy these presentations which engage with the exhibition themes: The role of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-65), whose mathematical genius led to discoveries including his work on dynamics which formed the basis for Erwin Schrödinger’s work in quantum mechanics; The work of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), chemist, barrister, meteorologist and mineralogist; Scientific collections in Dublin, including the Worth Library, an important collection assembled by a Dublin physician, Edward Worth (1678-1733), and curated at Dr Steevens’ Hospital. Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

The 2012 Science Lecture Series was organised by the Academy Library as an integral element of an exhibition Science at the Royal Irish Academy: ‘Uniting whatever is pleasing with whatever is useful’: an exhibition: July 2012-May 2013. Details of the exhibition are available at: http://ria.ie/library/exhibitions.aspx An accompanying publication may be purchased online at http://ria.ie/Publications.aspx or at the Academy. We hope you will enjoy these presentations which engage with the exhibition themes: The role of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-65), whose mathematical genius led to discoveries including his work on dynamics which formed the basis for Erwin Schrödinger’s work in quantum mechanics; The work of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), chemist, barrister, meteorologist and mineralogist; Scientific collections in Dublin, including the Worth Library, an important collection assembled by a Dublin physician, Edward Worth (1678-1733), and curated at Dr Steevens’ Hospital. Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.

The 2012 Science Lecture Series was organised by the Academy Library as an integral element of an exhibition Science at the Royal Irish Academy: ‘Uniting whatever is pleasing with whatever is useful’: an exhibition: July 2012-May 2013. Details of the exhibition are available at: http://ria.ie/library/exhibitions.aspx An accompanying publication may be purchased online at http://ria.ie/Publications.aspx or at the Academy. We hope you will enjoy these presentations which engage with the exhibition themes: The role of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-65), whose mathematical genius led to discoveries including his work on dynamics which formed the basis for Erwin Schrödinger’s work in quantum mechanics; The work of Richard Kirwan (1733-1812), chemist, barrister, meteorologist and mineralogist; Scientific collections in Dublin, including the Worth Library, an important collection assembled by a Dublin physician, Edward Worth (1678-1733), and curated at Dr Steevens’ Hospital. Disclaimer: The Royal Irish Academy has prepared the content of this website responsibly and carefully, but disclaims all warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information contained in any of the materials. The views expressed are the authors’ own and not those of the Royal Irish Academy.