You'll find the latest edition of the bulletin at our new home here -- packed with all the latest news of events, new books and happenings.
The move to WordPress was because many of you in the public sector had trouble accessing a URL that contains the term 'blog'. I'd run the two sites in parallel for a couple of months (needlessly!), but seem to have managed a seamless transfer of the e-mail subscription list.
If you subscribe by RSS, however, you may need to subscribe at the new site.
Please update your links to the new site. See you there.
Thanks, Mary M.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Forthcoming events, a reminder
There may still be some last-minute tickets for Monday’s talk about CERN’s god-damn particle accelerator, and Friday’s gathering to celebrate poetry and landscape. Plus, a reminder that the December/New Year bulletin will be published on December 1st — don’t forget to send me details now of December and New Year events.
(Click on the title above, to link to the bulletin)
The ‘big bang machine‘
Check out the possibility of last-minute tickets for Monday night’s talk about CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - the particle accelerator that was all the news a couple of months ago, and where physicists hope to discover evidence for the Higgs boson, aka the ‘god(damn) particle’, so-called because it is so elusive. CERN’s new director, Prof Rolf Heuer, will be doing the honours on Monday, November 24 at the RDS. Organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).
Poetry and landscape: likewise, we hear there may be some late tickets available for what promises to be a lovely event joining the spoken word and striking landscapes and marking International Year of Planet Earth, with seven Belfast-based poets, among them Michael Longley. Dublin, November 28, 5.30 for 6 pm. Free, booking essential. (gsni@detini.gov.uk)
December & New Year edition: Finally, a reminder to send me details of any events that you know of happening in December and early January — the next edition of the bulletin will be published on December 1. E-mail: science.culturebulletin@Gmail.com
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Science Week (click here)
No excuse for staying in and watching telly this week — when you could be out there making lightning and rainbows!
The Weather Show (Dublin City Library, Saturday, November 15) is just one of the hundreds of events taking place around the country for Science Week, with something for everyone.
Full details are online at a dedicated website, where you can find details of events taking place near you — with over 400 taking place, there’s plenty to choose from.
The programme includes science shows for all the family, talks for adults, interactive exhibitions, robot workshops . . . a science fair at Sligo Institute of Technology, a Discovery exhibition in Cork City Hall and a new planetarium at Blackrock Castle Observatory.
We look forward to seeing you at some of the events -- don't forget, we'll be talking about Lara Croft and the 'Cabra Calculator' on Thursday, and chairing the Lab Coats and Lace talks on Saturday.
We're also keen to hear your comments and feedback on Science Weel (see the comment space below).
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
November edition (click here)
In this packed edition: lab coats and lace, exploding vegetables, the meaning of life, decoding the heavens, the poetry of plants and landscapes, and lots of Science Week happenings. Plus, you can join yours truly for a sustainable science cafe, and to hear about Cabra and Lara Croft.
Art, society, culture
Poetry and landscape: the spoken word and striking landscapes join in a special event for International Year of Planet Earth, with seven Belfast-based poets, among them Michael Longley. Dublin, November 28, 6 pm. Free, booking essential. (gsni@detini.gov.uk)
The poetry of plants: our relationships with plants and gardens have found expression in art, music and literature. All will be explored in a symposium with Anna Pavord (author of The Tulip), Matthew Jebb (National Botanic Gardens), and garden designer Andrew Wilson. TCD Saturday, November 15. Coincides with an exhibition of early printed botanical and gardening books. Until December 23.
Visual Stuttering: aerial photography, farming and the Burren landscape combine in a new arts project by Eileen Healy, celebrating local culture and rural communities. Farm-owners with an aerial photograph of their farm should contact Healy.
Picasso, science and Ireland: Why is a Picasso mural hanging in the Wellcome science and art collection? And what is the Irish connection? (Clue: Tipperary-born crystallographer JD Bernal is involved.) All will be revealed at a Wellcome supper on Wednesday, November 19. Other Wellcome events include an evening devoted to the art, science and culture of hair (November 14). London, November
Turn it off! As Dublin turns on its Christmas lights a month early, a short film project starts. Turn It off features ‘brites’, LED creatures that tour the city leaving graffiti about energy wasted on lighting. The solar-powered production - possibly a world first for short film? - will be completed over the winter.
Swarm Music: how can studying bees help musicians improve their improvisation? just one of the topics in a one-day event exploring music and the mind at the Wellcome Collection, London, Saturday, November 8.
Structural steel, forged drawings: . . . and if you are in London, this sounds worth catching: current exhibition by former US shipyard steelworker turned sculptor, Richard Serra, who produces enormous forged steel pieces. The Gagossian Gallery had to be rebuilt to accommodate their massive scale. Until December 20.
Science, leisure and spectacle: a talk about the 19th-century popularity of animal displays, by science historian Dr Juliana Adelman, one of a lunchtime series at the Humanities Institute of Ireland. Friday November 14, UCD. The following week, the topic is maps, memory and meaning.
Microbes make art: how microscopic bacteria are inspiring artists, also science on screen, and science and truth… November events at the London Science Museum DANA Centre. Worth a visit if you are in London.
Science Week
Over 400 events are taking place around the country for Science Week, starting on November 9, and including a science fair at Sligo Institute of Technology, a Discovery exhibition in Cork City Hall (with a new planetarium at Blackrock Castle Observatory), and promising something for everyone from young school students to teachers, adults and the general public. Check out events in your area at Science Week.ie
On the air waves
The sound of elephants dreaming: sound in its many guises, including an explanation for ghost “sightings” (should that be hearings?), plus noisy dreaming elephants. Sound Stories is one of the best, and arguably the most scientific programme on RTE radio this season. Happily all the programmes from this and previous series are archived online. Take a bow presenter Luke Clancy and producer Kevin Brew.
The Investigators: the Irish science TV series returns, featuring research done here on everything from crops of the future and climate change to ageing and even Ireland in space. We enjoyed what we saw of series 1 - despite being sponsored by a range of scientific institutions, which could have been the kiss of death. Thursdays, RTE 1
Comedy and science: how does aspirin go to where your pain is? Great Unanswered Questions, a new comedy series on BBC Radio 4, covers a lot of science, thanks in part to the presence of Dr David Booth. (The answer? The aspirin is guided by prostaglandins released at the injury)
The naked scientists - now ‘up all night’: if you fancy your science stripped bare, then this is for you: a team of Cambridge scientists has bee nbroadcasting their Naked Science radio series to BBC regions since 2003, but now are available on late night Radio 5 Live and, thanks to the web and podcast, also online.
Blogging about science
We’ve started compiling a list of science blogs (see right), including some interesting physics teachers postings. We are particularly keen to hear about Irish science bloggers - e-mail us details of any you know.
Omniumgatherum
Recommended! Decoding the Heavens: a wonderful tale about the Antikythera mechanism. This intriguing device from ancient Greece, is over 2000 years old, incredibly sophisticated, and arguably the world’s first computer. Jo Marchant marshals drama, and tells of the research to solve the puzzle. Perfect for anyone interested in the history of astronomy or even astrology, in the history of science and instruments, in archaeology and ancient Greece and Rome. Delightful.
Zoology and the meaning of life: “maverick zoologist” (his words) and human ecologist, Dr Brendan Connolly, has just published a book that attempts to make sense of it all. In The Natural Religion (to distinguish it from those that draw on the super-natural) he looks to zoology and science to formulate his philosophy. The index runs from abortion and adolescence to xenotransplantation and Yellowstone Park, by way of meiosis and gluons. Perhaps the Sceptics will add him to their list of speakers? His publicity material shows a sense of humour, though the 226-page text looks more sober. We’re looking forward to reading it.
How well do you know fiction’s mad scientists? Test your knowledge with this quiz. (Fullabene? Great name for a drug!)
The Periodic Table of Videos: . . . one for each of the 118 elements, with properties, discovery and uses, from a team at the University of Nottingham.
The physics of pressure cookers: Did you know the pressure cooker was a French science invention from the 1700s? May explain why French cooks are so fond of them. They are also useful at Everest base camp (cooking at high altitude), and at sea (where fuel can be scarce). Not to mention, quick and tasty food, incl wild mushroom risotto in a jiffy. Googling recently for “pressure cooker” served up this tasty morsel about the science.
Conferences & opportunities…
Lab coats and lace: the lives and legacies of some inspiring Irish women scientists and pioneers including botanists and early geologists, the fabulous Boole sisters, rebel medical doctors and the fight against TB. Short talks by contributors to a forthcoming WITS collection of biographies. WITS and the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, Saturday, November 15, admission free, all welcome.
Biometrics - enhancing security, or invading privacy? The Irish Council for Bioethics half-day conference on the scientific, ethical and legal issues thrown up by biometric technologies, with speakers from Ireland and overseas. Dublin, Wednesday, November 26. Adm free.
From guns …to glassworks: one-day conference on the archaeology of Irish industry with recent excavations from sites such as an Emergency-era explosives works in Dublin, and the glassworks at Belfast’s Sirocco Works. Takes place in a former Carroll’s tobacco warehouse, now the award-winning Louth County Museum which celebrates the region’s industrial history. Saturday, November 15. €25, incl lunch & coffee.
Climate change in Cork: the Irish Environmental Network conference on ‘partnership for climate change’, will cover a range of research from water resources to landscape architecture. Cork, November 14
Conflagrations & calamities: annual conference of the Economic & Social History Society of Ireland is this weekend (November 7-8, Limerick), on the disasters and change, including long-term impact, contemporary responses, and how disasters shape historical memory.
Out & about…
The ‘big bang machine‘: Your chance to hear about CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - the particle accelerator that was all the news some weeks back? - when incoming director, Prof Rolf Heuer gives a talk in Dublin on Monday, November 24 at the RDS. Organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).
How 2 teenagers built & sold a company for millions: Patrick Collison, born in Limerick in 1988, tells how he and his brother founded a web business, Auctomatic, and sold it 10 months later for millions of dollars. One of this year’s Science Week high-profile lectures, taking place in Dublin November 10-14. Adm free, booking essential (lectures on Hollywood special effects, robots and space tourism have already sold out.)
Cabra, quaternions & Lara Croft: join yours truly for a Science Week talk about Irish mathematician and physicist, William Rowan Hamilton. Cabra Library, Dublin, Thursday, November 13 6:30pm.
Build a robot . . . see inside a playstation, make your own silly putty. Some of the things you can do at Discovery, an interactive science exhibition in Cork City Hall, with workshops in schools, November 16-19
Tsunamis, earthquakes & deepsea life: Ulster geologist John McCloskey is an expert on earthquakes and tsunamis. Hear him give a public lecture for Year of Planet Earth in Cork on November 27. Other Planet Earth events this month include a talk about the new microbes discovered in deep sea drilling (Dublin, November 12 & Limerick, November 13).
Exploding vegetables: the RDS helps scientists to develop entertaining demonstration lectures aimed at school students. This year’s crop of talks includes exploding vegetables, and a physics talk that will range from rockets to rainbows. Full details of dates here.
Bubbling over at Cabra: the library in Cabra (North Dublin) will fill with bubbles of all shapes and sizes on Wednesday, November 12 at 4pm. Part of Science Week. Info: cabralibrary@dublincity.ie
Are we too posh to push? Join yours truly for a Science cafe with a sustainable twist. In association with the Environmental Change Institute & Galway One World Centre. Galway, Thursday November 20 7:30pm
Enhance your critical thinking toolkit: the Irish Sceptics November talk is how to argue badly and (still) influence people, by philosopher and author Julian Baggini, who specialises in bad arguments, and persuasive rhetoric. Dublin, Tuesday, November 18.
The stars, the stars: One advantage of long winter evenings is the return of the night sky. This month’s astronomical events include Astronomy Ireland’s one-day Expo, with planetarium, telescopes, meteorites and talks, including hunting for asteroids by Dave McDonald, one of two Irish-based amateur astronomers who recently discovered new asteroids, and China’s space programme, by author Brian Harvey. Saturday, November 8, TCD. Exhibition free, charges apply to the talks. The discoveries of Russian space science is this month’s talk at Dunsink Observatory by the same Brian Harvey for the Irish Astronomy Society (Monday, November 17). The South Dublin Astronomy Group’s talk is about light pollution (November 6, 8pm, Dublin), all welcome.
Moon rock and meteorites: Ireland’s largest ever meteorite, and a piece of moon rock are among the items in a new exhibition marking International Year of Planet Earth at the National Museum in County Mayo. Until February 2009.
Bio energy in Ireland: could biomass be a useful energy source in Ireland? Teagasc biomass expert, Dr John Finnan, is talking about this for the Irish Meteorological Society Thursday, November 6, Dublin all welcome.
Quantum puzzles: Prof Anton Zeilinger, University of Vienna, is giving an Institute of Physics lecture on quantum puzzles and their use in information technology in UCC (November 10) and DCU (November 11).
TCD makes a show of itself: sentiment index for financial markets, games for mental health, hand wash monitoring device for hospitals… some of the TCD IT projects you can try out at a special open demonstration night, Science Gallery November 6, 7.30pm, with refreshments!
The Royal Botanic Gardens of Jordan: experts from the Irish gardens are assisting the world’s newest botanic garden, in Jordan. Hear about the project, Wednesday, November 26, Dublin.
DIY astrolabes: make your own astrolabe, dabble in crystal experiments, and learn how to turn milk into butter… science week events at the National Museum.
God, black holes & the Universe: Armagh Observatory’s annual Robinson lectures will be given by Prof Peter Brand (University of Edinburgh). The public talk (Thursday, November 20) is on God and the Universe; the school’s talk on Friday will be on black holes. Adm free, booking advised. Honouring the observatory’s founder, Armagh archbishop Richard Robinson (1708-94).
Wild Wicklow: join a national park ranger for a conservation hike around Glendalough. Organised by Wicklow Mountains National Park. Saturday, November 22. Places are limited, booking essential.
Monday, September 29, 2008
October edition (click here)
Special book offer, symmetry & mosaics, Eureka as Gaeilge, synthetic biology, and are you smarter than a bag of sweets?
Society, art, culture
Donate your brain to science: Do you sometimes walk into a room and forget why you're there? Would you like to improve your memory? Who's in charge -- your left or your right brain? Your chance to participating in some live neuroscience experiments taking place in TCD's Science Gallery during October. Registration essential, as numbers are limited.
Geometry & Islamic mosaics: geometrical patterns in Islamic mosiacs is the topic for a special Maths Week talk at the Chester Beatty library, Dublin, on October 15, 6:30 pm, when maths professor, Jose Maria Montesinos (Universidad Complutense, Madrid) will be the guest speaker. Adm free, booking advised rsvp@cbl.ie
Do the circles move for you? Neuroscientists have discovered the cause of an optical illusion made famous by Isia Leviant's 1981 painting, Enigma, in which a concentric circles seem to flow. Try this and other optical illusions illusion here. The cause, it seems, is due to how our eyes constantly make tiny movements or saccades.
Artist commissions: Athlone Institute of Technology is commissioning for an external sculpture, and three internal works, for its new School of Engineering and Informatics. Total value €100,000. Closing date for expressions of interest Monday, October 6. Full details from Ms Jackie Cunnane, jcunnane@ait.ie tel: 090 642 4555
Science and creativity a full-length Guardian interview with novelist Ian McEwan, in which he discusses the differences between the creative processes in art and science, plus poet Ruth Padel's her poems about Charles Darwin. Serendipitously, this popped up under 'related links' during the recent discussion about teaching creationism in science classes in the UK.
Sculpture In Context: the largest outdoor sculpture exhibition in Ireland continues at the National Botanic Gardens until October 17, featuring the work of over 100 artists across the gardens. And all free.
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Science -- shaping our world
Can you picture science in a photograph? Or capture it in an essay? If so, and you are a second level student, then you could be in with a chance to win a prize in two competitions in advance of Science Week. Closing date for the 'science snaps' photography competition is October 20, and October 17 for the essay.
Start planning now for November's annual Science Week.
Submit details of your event at www.scienceweek.ie
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Conferences & Opportunities. . .
Best practice in science education: well-known TV medic and popular science presenter Prof Lord Robert Winston is the keynote speaker at a special international conference on science education, organised by Atlantic Corridor, in Tullamore, Thursday, October 23. Aimed at anyone in science-based industries and science education and (we quote) "all stakeholders interested and involved in sustainable socio-economic development".
The alchemy of medicine and print: A special conference to mark the 275th anniversary of Dublin's wonderful Edward Worth Library, is taking place in the Royal Society London, November 27-28, and with talks on subjects such as Robert Boyle and the uses of print, alchemy and chemistry, and picturing bones.
Synthetic biology: scientific and social implications: the European Molecular Biology Lab's ninth annual conference on science and society will consider synthetic biology and the problems arising. Germany, November 7-9. All welcome, €40
The Battle of Ideas 2008: thought-provoking debate is promised by the London-based Institute of Ideas for its annual gathering in November, when themes will include science and the environment, health and well-being, and technology and the city. Expect some discussion about the recent resignation of the Royal Society's education officer, Rev Prof Michael Reiss. London, November 1-2
India and Ireland, science and medicine: a one-day conference exploring colonial connections between Ireland and India will look at aspects of education, medicine and science, with a panel of international speakers. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, October 11th. Adm free, all welcome.
Medicine, healthcare and history: advance notice of a conference taking place at UCD next April, organised by the Society for the Social History of Medicine, and which is currently calling for proposals for papers (closing date: November 30). Students can also apply for bursaries to attend.
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Omniumgatherum
Top 10 amazing physics videos: musical Tesla coil, water droplets in zero gravity, how superconducting levitation works, and the LHC rap, among others.
Book offer -- Growing Knowledge: Why did the US post-war Marshall Aid programme for Europe fund an agricultural research agency in Ireland?
The reason, I learned from an informative chapter by economic historian Cormac Ó Gráda in this new book, was to help restore food supplies to Britain, which depended heavily on Ireland for its food supply in the 1950s. The 200-page book was published by Teagasc to mark 50 years of farm and food research in Ireland, which began in 1958. It's a delightful and informative coffee table book if you are at all interested in the topic -- and includes intriguing asides on the serendipitous nature of scientific research, including the role played by the Irish postal service in the development of a high fertility breed of sheep.
Special offer for Science@Culture Readers: €22 including p&p (Regular price €30), while stocks last. Contact Joanne.Carroll@teagasc.ie
Page-turning physics: if you enjoy a bit of particle physics with your thriller, then you may like Final Theory, by Mark Alpert: the "grand unified" novel brings together Einstein's mysterious daughter, particle accelerators, the FBI, and a gamut of guys with evil on their mind. Alpert, it turns out, is a physicist and an editor at Scientific American.
The Gradu8: an online competition aimed at Irish school students now has a US science offshoot. Graduate.ie (also at Gradu8.net) runs a weekly competition that sends Irish school students hunting the Web for information on certain websites. In researching the answers, the aim is, they learn about civic, social and political awareness, and develop computing skills. The US offshoot is being piloted to promote science, technology, engineering and maths to 35 schools in Syracuse, New York, and already gets over 12,000 competition entries.
On the air waves
Eureka! Raidió na Gaeltachta's first ever appearance in this bulletin -- with a new science series, Eureka, starting this Wednesday evening at 8 p.m., presented by Bríd Maloney, aimed at a transition year students, and covering everything from astronomy and space to the environment and competing. Go n'éirí go geall leo.
The language of the Universe: a new four-part series on the story of mathematics, presented by Prof Marcus du Sautoy, starts on BBC Four on Monday, October 6, at 9pm. Starting in Egypt, with the invention of the decimal system, the Babylonian Base 60 number system, and some ancient Greeks. Other new science series on BBC Four this autumn/winter include a Darwin season, and a look at science and Islam. Expect a massive amount of Darwin across BBC radio and television over the coming 12 months -- no word yet on any plans from RTE. But watch this space.
The Irish mind: the recent TV series produced in association with the RIA and screened on RTE television in the spring, is being screened on CNBC in the USA and Europe, and you can catch it online, with transcripts of some of the interviews, including the conversation with TCD biochemist Prof Luke O’Neill.
How to think about science: this regular series from CBC Radio 1, now online, features interviews with leading historians, sociologists and anthropologists of science, including Simon Schaffer. Worth a listen, and thanks to Julianna for bringing this to our attention.
Science on screen: what is the collective noun for science film festivals? The first international science film festival takes place in France October 18-26. The Imagine Science Film Festival – 'putting the science back into science fiction' – is rolling in New York at the same time (October 16-25). Then, a short intermission before the annual World Congress of Science and Factual Producers gathering in Italy, December 1-4.
Out & About
10 ways to win a maths bet in the pub: the provocative title for this month's Alchemist Cafe, presented by entertaining mathematician, author and broadcaster Rob Eastaway, and part of Maths Week. October 14, 7.30 pm, Dublin. Adm free.
Warped passages: this year's Hamilton lecture, marking that day in 1843 when William Rowan Hamilton invented quaternions, will be given by Harvard's Prof Lisa Randall, who will be asking are there other universes with more dimensions than our own? October 16, 7:30 pm, TCD. Adm free, booking advised.
Are you smarter than a bag of sweets? can you beat a bag of sweets at noughts & crosses? Find out in this intriguing Maths Week presentation for secondary school students organised by Dundalk Institute of Technology, October 16, 5pm. Just one of the many interesting events taking place around the country during quaternion week.
Mills, millers and milling: a tour of Fancroft mill in Co Tipperary, and the economics of small hydro mills, are part of the weekend programme for the Mills & Millers of Ireland AGM, October 18-19. Adm €30. Email stephbourke@eircom.net
Watching ice melt: global glacier changes is the topic for an EPA climate change lecture to be broadcast live to Limerick, Galway and Waterford, in addition to the talk's Dublin venue. The speaker is Dr Wilfried Haeberli, director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service in Geneva. Adm free, booking advised. October 21, 7pm.
Mimesis, memory, and the hyper real: the intriguing title for a lunchtime seminar by Dr Susan Schreibman (director, Digital Humanities Observatory, Dublin) at the UCD Humanities Institute of Ireland (Friday, 3 October, 1pm). Later in the same series, DCU Prof Michael Cronin will be talking about "space, time and diversity in late modern Ireland" (Friday, October 31). UCD
Birds, bogs and beautiful trees: the October programme of events at the National Botanic Gardens includes a guided walk of the great trees there (October 9), a talk on birdwatching (October 17, 7:30 p.m.) and another on beautiful bogs (October 23, 8 p.m.).
Stargazing: the dark evenings mean that astronomy returns to the agenda. This month's line-up includes a talk about the search for planets around other stars systems (Astronomy Ireland, Monday 13, 8 p.m., Dublin). A talk by Dublin cosmologist Prof Luke Drury (DIAS) about the "new gamma-ray sky" (Irish Astronomy Society, October 20, 8 p.m., Dunsink Observatory). And an introduction to meteor watching at the South Dublin Astronomy Society (October 2, 8 p.m.)
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Next scheduled edition: November 1st 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
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Monday, September 1, 2008
September edition
Fascinating placebos, big bang day, the aesthetics of trash, and science in the Dublin Theatre Festivals . . . all this and more in our packed September edition. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art & Society. . .
The Aesthetics of Trash: two-day international conference taking a cultural perspective on objects and obsolescence, by way of literature, geography, consumption and production. UCD, Sept 4-6
Based On Our Current Science . . . : time travel, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories . . . and visual culture. Special exhibition at Dublin's Gallery of Photography exploring how the lens can carry the ideological concerns for a particular time. Until September 21, plus special outdoor screenings in the adjacent Meeting House at Square September 3-5.
LAB01: Pay Attention! Brain research joins the fringe programme of the Dublin Theatre Festival, when TCD's science gallery is transformed into a working brain research lab, and you get the chance to become a live experimental subject. Make art using your brain waves, and test and control your attention. October 4-31.
The robots are coming: ArtBots comes to Dublin, in time for Culture Night and the fringe theatre festival. Events include Forcefield, by sound artist and theremin player, Ray Lee (September 19, adm free, booking essential). Plus work by 15 artists from nine countries, workshops and a panel discussion about living with robots. September 19-21
Sculpture In Context : over 100 artists rose to the challenge of responding creatively to the National Botanic Gardens, and the result is Ireland's largest outdoor sculpture exhibition. Until 17th October
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Conferences & Opportunities. . .
Bodies and books, medicine and print: the wonderful Edward Worth Library at Dr Steeven's Hospital in Dublin, is 275 years old, and its founding will be marked by two special conferences, the first in Dublin this September 22, and the second in London (November 27-28), when the topic will be science, medicine and book collecting in Ireland during Worth's lifetime (1678-1733). That event takes place at the Royal Society, where Worth was a Fellow. The Dublin meeting concludes with the re-issue of a history of the hospital, first published in 1924.
Science, society and synthetic biology: the uses and abuses of new knowledge, and paradigm shifts vs science fashion shifts . . . some of the topics for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) annual science and society conference, which this year looks at systems and synthetic biology. Germany, November 7-9; all welcome, adm e40/20
Science & technology in 19th-century Ireland: that's the theme for a 2-day conference next July 2-3, at the RIA, Dublin, and organised by the Society for the Study of 19thC Ireland in association with the RIA and the Open University. Proposals for 20-minute papers are invited; the closing date for abstracts is the end of this month. Details: g.hooper@open.ac.uk or
juliana.adelman@gmail.com
Science week, 2008: this year's festival is on November 9-16.
Irish science open forum Expo: a showcase for Irish scientific and technological research, education, and industry, organised by the Irish Science Open Forum (ISOF, modelled on a similar European forum) takes place in Dublin on November 13-15, as part of this year's Science Week.
Offaly rocks: 10,000 years of history, no less, will be explored at a special geology gathering this weekend (Sept 4-7) organised by Offaly Naturalists Field Club, including field trips. Kinnitty Community Centre. Booking essential, cost e20, info: apedlow@offalycoco.ie ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Omniumgatherum . . .
An end to 'blue sky' thinking: that's the motto of the wonderful Cloud Appreciation Society, where over 13,000 members in 66 countries, including 145 in Ireland, are not ashamed to say that they love clouds and want to see more of them. We highly recommend Gavin Pretor-Pinney's wonderful book, The Cloudspotter's Guide, which combines lucid scientific explanations of physics and meteorology, with musings on art, film (the killer stratus cloud!), architecture and much more. Guaranteed to change the way you look at clouds.
Snapping landscapes: the annual geological and landscape photography competition, organised by the Geological Survey of Ireland, promises a prize fund of €800, and accepts entries from across the world. Held in honour of 19th-century artist and geological surveyor, George Victor Du Noyer, the closing date is 10th October. See last year's winners here.
Big bang day: Wednesday, September 10, is when the world's biggest machine, and our most sophisticated and expensive ever science experiment, will be officially switched on. We're talking the LHC, or large hadron collider, the world's biggest and fastest ever particle smasher at CERN on the French-Swiss border. (Pedants among you will rightly point out that it will take months for the particle beams to reach full speed and actually start producing real data, but don't let that get in the way of the story). Ireland is not a member ( and that's another story), so coverage here will be muted, by comparison with say Britain, where BBC Radio 4 is devoting a whole day to coverage, live from the control room, with everything from topical discussions, news programmes, satire and even a play. You'll also find lots of background information on the Guardian and New Scientist, and other events at other venues, such as the Science Museum.
Burren rock: the GSI has a new geological map of the Burren that should appeal to anyone who likes to put landscape and terrain together. The reverse includes detailed information on how the limestones formed, sea-level changes, visitor attractions, key geological localities to visit, and more. Price €5
Sugar-coated pills: Did you know, for instance, that the tranquilliser diazepam works only if the recipient knows that they are being given the drug? That similarly, morphine works best if you know that you are receiving it -- else the dose has to be higher. Learn more in Ben 'bad science' Goldacre's two-part series on the history and science of the fascinating placebo phenomenon on BBC Radio 4.
iPhone apps for science geeks: a genetic decoder, star map, periodic table of the elements, 3D chemical molecules . . . who'd have thought there could be so many applications so soon for the new iPhone. Thanks to Wired.com for the list, most of them for free.
Out & about . . .
Is Ireland racist? That's the challenging topic for the Irish Skeptics Society monthly lecture, by UCD social psychologist Dr Mick O'Connell. September 10, 8 p.m., TCD Science Gallery.
Culture vultures: over 100 cultural organisations and venues open their doors for the annual Dublin culture night on September 19. It includes a chance to visit the wonderful library at the Royal Irish Academy, an after-dark tour of the National Botanic Gardens, and the opportunity to handle specimens from the Natural History Museum.
And not a drop to drink: water shortages and climate change is the topic for a special Planet Earth talk by Dr Pat Leahy, director of the American Geological Institute, in Dublin (Sept 24) and Galway (Sept 25).
Glassmaking in Ireland 1780-1850: Anne Moran (NCAD) will give a talk about historic Irish glassmaking at Collins Barracks, September 6, noon; adm free. Other free public events from the National Museum include 'My, what big teeth you have', a chance to find out the differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores (September 3)
Dublin's trams: past and present trams will be the subject of a special engineering heritage talk by transport historian and enthusiast Michael Corcoran -- always worth listening to -- hosted by Engineers Ireland and the Irish Railway Record Society; Dublin, September 29, 8pm, adm free all welcome.
Wild bird safari: join the wonderfully knowledgeable Glynn Anderson, guide at the National Botanic Gardens, for a special bird safari; bring binoculars; suitable for children aged 9-12. September 27, 2:30 pm.
The denial of global warming: why are so many climate change sceptics in the US? That is one of the questions that may be addressed by geologist and science historian, Prof Naomi Oreskes (University of California, San Diego), who is giving a free public lecture in Dublin this Wednesday (September 3, 6 pm, TCD), organised by the geophysics section of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. All welcome, adm free.
The stars, the stars: August's total solar eclipse is the topic for this month's meeting of the the South Dublin Astronomy Society (11 Sept, Gonzaga College Ranelagh, 8pm); the Irish Astronomy Association September talk is about the future for the Hubble space telescope (September 3, 7:30 pm, QUB Belfast). And finally, light pollution is the topic for Astronomy Ireland's September talk, by Albert White, a founder of the Irish light pollution awareness campaign; next Monday, September 8th, 8 pm, TCD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next scheduled edition: October 1st 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ends
Art & Society. . .
The Aesthetics of Trash: two-day international conference taking a cultural perspective on objects and obsolescence, by way of literature, geography, consumption and production. UCD, Sept 4-6
Based On Our Current Science . . . : time travel, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories . . . and visual culture. Special exhibition at Dublin's Gallery of Photography exploring how the lens can carry the ideological concerns for a particular time. Until September 21, plus special outdoor screenings in the adjacent Meeting House at Square September 3-5.
LAB01: Pay Attention! Brain research joins the fringe programme of the Dublin Theatre Festival, when TCD's science gallery is transformed into a working brain research lab, and you get the chance to become a live experimental subject. Make art using your brain waves, and test and control your attention. October 4-31.
The robots are coming: ArtBots comes to Dublin, in time for Culture Night and the fringe theatre festival. Events include Forcefield, by sound artist and theremin player, Ray Lee (September 19, adm free, booking essential). Plus work by 15 artists from nine countries, workshops and a panel discussion about living with robots. September 19-21
Sculpture In Context : over 100 artists rose to the challenge of responding creatively to the National Botanic Gardens, and the result is Ireland's largest outdoor sculpture exhibition. Until 17th October
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Conferences & Opportunities. . .
Bodies and books, medicine and print: the wonderful Edward Worth Library at Dr Steeven's Hospital in Dublin, is 275 years old, and its founding will be marked by two special conferences, the first in Dublin this September 22, and the second in London (November 27-28), when the topic will be science, medicine and book collecting in Ireland during Worth's lifetime (1678-1733). That event takes place at the Royal Society, where Worth was a Fellow. The Dublin meeting concludes with the re-issue of a history of the hospital, first published in 1924.
Science, society and synthetic biology: the uses and abuses of new knowledge, and paradigm shifts vs science fashion shifts . . . some of the topics for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) annual science and society conference, which this year looks at systems and synthetic biology. Germany, November 7-9; all welcome, adm e40/20
Science & technology in 19th-century Ireland: that's the theme for a 2-day conference next July 2-3, at the RIA, Dublin, and organised by the Society for the Study of 19thC Ireland in association with the RIA and the Open University. Proposals for 20-minute papers are invited; the closing date for abstracts is the end of this month. Details: g.hooper@open.ac.uk or
juliana.adelman@gmail.com
Science week, 2008: this year's festival is on November 9-16.
Irish science open forum Expo: a showcase for Irish scientific and technological research, education, and industry, organised by the Irish Science Open Forum (ISOF, modelled on a similar European forum) takes place in Dublin on November 13-15, as part of this year's Science Week.
Offaly rocks: 10,000 years of history, no less, will be explored at a special geology gathering this weekend (Sept 4-7) organised by Offaly Naturalists Field Club, including field trips. Kinnitty Community Centre. Booking essential, cost e20, info: apedlow@offalycoco.ie ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organising a course or conference?
Advertise your event here, and reach the perfect audience. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omniumgatherum . . .
An end to 'blue sky' thinking: that's the motto of the wonderful Cloud Appreciation Society, where over 13,000 members in 66 countries, including 145 in Ireland, are not ashamed to say that they love clouds and want to see more of them. We highly recommend Gavin Pretor-Pinney's wonderful book, The Cloudspotter's Guide, which combines lucid scientific explanations of physics and meteorology, with musings on art, film (the killer stratus cloud!), architecture and much more. Guaranteed to change the way you look at clouds.
Snapping landscapes: the annual geological and landscape photography competition, organised by the Geological Survey of Ireland, promises a prize fund of €800, and accepts entries from across the world. Held in honour of 19th-century artist and geological surveyor, George Victor Du Noyer, the closing date is 10th October. See last year's winners here.
Big bang day: Wednesday, September 10, is when the world's biggest machine, and our most sophisticated and expensive ever science experiment, will be officially switched on. We're talking the LHC, or large hadron collider, the world's biggest and fastest ever particle smasher at CERN on the French-Swiss border. (Pedants among you will rightly point out that it will take months for the particle beams to reach full speed and actually start producing real data, but don't let that get in the way of the story). Ireland is not a member ( and that's another story), so coverage here will be muted, by comparison with say Britain, where BBC Radio 4 is devoting a whole day to coverage, live from the control room, with everything from topical discussions, news programmes, satire and even a play. You'll also find lots of background information on the Guardian and New Scientist, and other events at other venues, such as the Science Museum.
Burren rock: the GSI has a new geological map of the Burren that should appeal to anyone who likes to put landscape and terrain together. The reverse includes detailed information on how the limestones formed, sea-level changes, visitor attractions, key geological localities to visit, and more. Price €5
Sugar-coated pills: Did you know, for instance, that the tranquilliser diazepam works only if the recipient knows that they are being given the drug? That similarly, morphine works best if you know that you are receiving it -- else the dose has to be higher. Learn more in Ben 'bad science' Goldacre's two-part series on the history and science of the fascinating placebo phenomenon on BBC Radio 4.
iPhone apps for science geeks: a genetic decoder, star map, periodic table of the elements, 3D chemical molecules . . . who'd have thought there could be so many applications so soon for the new iPhone. Thanks to Wired.com for the list, most of them for free.
Out & about . . .
Is Ireland racist? That's the challenging topic for the Irish Skeptics Society monthly lecture, by UCD social psychologist Dr Mick O'Connell. September 10, 8 p.m., TCD Science Gallery.
Culture vultures: over 100 cultural organisations and venues open their doors for the annual Dublin culture night on September 19. It includes a chance to visit the wonderful library at the Royal Irish Academy, an after-dark tour of the National Botanic Gardens, and the opportunity to handle specimens from the Natural History Museum.
And not a drop to drink: water shortages and climate change is the topic for a special Planet Earth talk by Dr Pat Leahy, director of the American Geological Institute, in Dublin (Sept 24) and Galway (Sept 25).
Glassmaking in Ireland 1780-1850: Anne Moran (NCAD) will give a talk about historic Irish glassmaking at Collins Barracks, September 6, noon; adm free. Other free public events from the National Museum include 'My, what big teeth you have', a chance to find out the differences between carnivores, herbivores and omnivores (September 3)
Dublin's trams: past and present trams will be the subject of a special engineering heritage talk by transport historian and enthusiast Michael Corcoran -- always worth listening to -- hosted by Engineers Ireland and the Irish Railway Record Society; Dublin, September 29, 8pm, adm free all welcome.
Wild bird safari: join the wonderfully knowledgeable Glynn Anderson, guide at the National Botanic Gardens, for a special bird safari; bring binoculars; suitable for children aged 9-12. September 27, 2:30 pm.
The denial of global warming: why are so many climate change sceptics in the US? That is one of the questions that may be addressed by geologist and science historian, Prof Naomi Oreskes (University of California, San Diego), who is giving a free public lecture in Dublin this Wednesday (September 3, 6 pm, TCD), organised by the geophysics section of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. All welcome, adm free.
The stars, the stars: August's total solar eclipse is the topic for this month's meeting of the the South Dublin Astronomy Society (11 Sept, Gonzaga College Ranelagh, 8pm); the Irish Astronomy Association September talk is about the future for the Hubble space telescope (September 3, 7:30 pm, QUB Belfast). And finally, light pollution is the topic for Astronomy Ireland's September talk, by Albert White, a founder of the Irish light pollution awareness campaign; next Monday, September 8th, 8 pm, TCD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next scheduled edition: October 1st 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ends
Thursday, August 28, 2008
September issue . . . coming soon
The next edition will be up shortly, after the summer break, with our usual eclictic mix of what's on and what's hot around the country.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
July edition
In this packed edition . . . a juggling fly, hunting the Higgs, a chance to win immortality, and what to call our new book?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art & Society. . .
We are here 3.0 : This year's festival, now on at venues around Dublin, explores contemporary urban experience through technology and live performance, probing the lives of citizens online, and offline in the real world. Different, and definitely worth a look. Until July 5.
Art and Darwin 200: celebrations have begun at the great man's birthplace in Shrewsbury, with an art exhibition by noted Irish artist Dorothy Cross, who spent time in the Galapagos Islands last year (we are envious as hell!) on a Gulbenkian artist residency. Her exhibition, Stage, is in the town's Unitarian Church, where Darwin attended as a small child with his mother. Meanwhile, plans proceed for a programme of Darwin 200 events in Ireland. Contact egill@wit.ie if you would like to contribute.
Through the looking glass: world premiere of an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens by artist and sculptor Jon Mitton, promises "a perspective into nature in its element, seen through the magic of three-dimensional portals". 'For Alice' runs July 2-22. Adm free.
Imagining the planet: Art & Science Collaborations Inc (ASCI) is inviting artists, designers, scientists and, well, anyone it seems... "to examine their environmental concerns, indulge their fantasies, and then share their fabricated/montaged visions of how a sustainable future might look", for the 10th International Digital Print Open Competition. Closing date: August 10.
Roll up, roll up! See the amazing juggling fly! (we kid you not) The microscopic world of cheese mites!! And other fantastic phenomena. Yes it's the fascinating world of science filmmaking from the early 1900s, in a new exhibition at London's Science Museum. Thanks to online video and YouTube, we can now see some of these historic films. Early filmmakers went to extra ordinary lengths to capture microscopic life and timelapse photography. Most films last only a minute, the length of an early reel of film. Films of Fact at the Science Museum, runs until February 2009.
The strongman fly -- see it juggle!
The Birth of a Flower
New Scientist video report,
Science Museum exhibition
100 years of wildlife filmmaking
Symmetry, mathematics and immortality: these days you can have a star named after you, but how about a mathematical object? New scientist is offering one lucky reader the chance to have a mathematical symmetry named after them. The particular group of symmetries lives in hyperspace, so you won't have a three-dimensional object to impress your friends with. But still, a minor inconvenience when you are being offered immortality. Entries by July 11.
What to call the new book? our new book of tips on sustainable living -- 101 ways to save money, time and some of the planet's other scarce resources -- is coming out in the autumn from New Island. But we haven't yet settled on a title, and since hopefully some of you might buy the book, we'd welcome feedback on the possible titles here, at our new blog.
Melting Greenland caught on camera: Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, John McConnico, went to Greenland to photograph the impact of climate change there in 2007 -- when temperatures reached a record sultry 22°C. The resulting exhibition is touring Europe, and in Dublin until July 11, in the OPW offices, 51, St Stephen's Green -- checkout the wonderful marble exhibition in the foyer! -- open 9-5, Mon-Fri; adm free.
Meanwhile, the EPA's successful public lectures on climate change, held this winter and spring, are now available as video broadcasts.
TechnoThreads: fashion and technology meet at the TCD Science Gallery's current exhibition, which continues until July 25 with a programme of associated events. You can also watch the opening night online.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Know of events that would interest Science@Culture readers?
Send details of forthcoming talks, exhibitions, books, etc
to Science.CultureBulletin [@] gmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conferences & Opportunities. . .
Mathematics & calendars: the second international Computistics Conference 2008 in Galway, July 18-20, brings together experts on mathematics, calendars, astronomy, Biblical interpretation, time-reckoning and Celtic manuscripts . . . Organised by the Foundations of Irish Culture project.
Digital Humanities Summer School: How digital technologies are changing the nature of libraries and facilitating research in the humanities, including text encoding, digital imaging and the future of libraries. . . summer school this week, July 1-5, organised by the Digital Humanities Observatory (DHO), at the RIA.
Humanism in the Global Village: that's the title for an all-Ireland humanist summer school, organised by the three humanist associations on the island. Carlingford Heritage Centre, Co. Louth August 29-31
Dublin, City of Science, 2012: in our June bulletin we canvassed for contributions to a possible programme of events for Dublin 2012. Thanks to those who replied, and apologies: we inadvertently gave the impression that Juliana Adelman was on the organising committee, where as she was helpfully assisting some committee members. Apologies to all concerned.
Shooting landscapes: the Copper Coast GeoPark, Co Waterford, is running a summer photography competition for students aged 11-16. Categories: landscape, nature and geology; closing date September 30.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organising a course or conference?
Advertise your event here, and reach the perfect audience.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omniumgatherum . . .
Bad astronomy: To the growing list of sceptical scientific blogs -- our favourite remains Ben Goldacre's badscience.com --we can add bad astronomy, from astronomer and self-confessed sceptic Phil Plait who "likes reality the way it is, and aims to keep it that way". A recent post investigates the Tunguska blast. . . . a powerful dietary supplement originating from the miracle of 1908 in the Tunguska region of Russia, no less!
Voyage to the ends of the Earth: follow a BBC television crew as they explore the Arctic Ocean, having departed early June, on their blog and website. For a new series on Arctic waters to be screened this autumn.
Subatomic radio: What have Irish people ever invented? Subatomic, the new radio series aimed at a young audience, and broadcast on Sunday mornings on East Coast FM, is devoting a programme to Irish inventions on Sunday, July 6. Tune in, at 10:30 a.m.
The end of the scientific method? We have entered the petabyte age: sensors are everywhere, there is infinite data storage and clouds of processors. Chris Anderson argues in a thought provoking article in Wired that the data deluge makes the scientific method obsolete: just mine the data, and information should follow. Hmm.
Hunting the Higgs -- and: Massive bosons blew my unit! The world's most expensive and biggest ever scientific experiment will be switched on in July, when the first beams are introduced into the larger hadron collider (LHC) particle accelerator at CERN on the Swiss-French border. The main aim is to search for a subatomic particle, the Higgs boson. If this is double-Dutch to you, then try this two-minute elegant explanation on YouTube of both the experiment and the boson. For a more detailed account, see the Guardian's supplement. We hear that BBC Radio 4 will devote a full day to science to mark the experiment's start.
Nobel physicists & the Higgs: Nobel physicists gathering for the 58th meeting of laureates at Lindau, Germany, are giving their expectations for the LHC on July 1. See the live webcast.
LabLit: Many bulletins ago we mentioned the LabLit (laboratory/science literature) project when it started, and promptly forgot about it. So we were pleasantly surprised to see how active it is now.
Can mobile phones really cook popcorn? If you missed this viral video a couple of weeks back, catch up here, and then here. But how is it done? Some suggestions here. Sadly, seems we still have to pop corn the old-fashioned way.
Out & about . . .
Walking, talking geology: a packed programme of events for Planet Earth year continues. A special is the chance to spend an afternoon exploring the geology of the Giants Causeway with expert and author Paul Lyle ( County Antrim, July 19); and a field trip exploring nearby Murlough Bay and Fair Head (August 2). Events are free. Check the website for events near you.
Could St. Swithin Have Predicted Global Warming? public talk about climate change by John O'Flanagan, from Met Eireann's station in Ireland West Airport (Knock). Adults and children over 7; National Museum Turlough Park, Co Mayo. July 20, 2:30pm; adm free. educationtph@museum.ie
How would you have fought the foot and mouth epidemic? If you are in London this week, you can find out: a summer exhibition at the Royal Society includes an interactive mathematical simulation to fight and control animal disease epidemics. Adm free, until July 3.
Wild Wicklow: the national park's busy summer programme includes nature-based Thursday afternoon sessions for primary schoolchildren (July 10-August 28); an evening bat walk (July 17, 9:15pm,bring insect repellent!), a bog walk (19th July), and a season of Thursday evening lectures on topics such as pine martens, conserving Canada's bogs, the wild game industry in South Africa, golden plovers in Ballycroy National Park County Mayo, and reintroducing the red kite to Wicklow.
Star gazing: in the days before television, people were reduced to watching the night sky! What do they learn from the stars? Find out, in a special afternoon event for children aged 7-12 at the National Museum, Kildare Street July 6. One of a number of educational events organised by our friends at the Natural History Museum, despite its closure. Details of this and other events at the website.
From Babylon to the Big Bang: a history of astronomy from ancient times is the ambitious topic for Astronomy Ireland's July public talk, but it will be no trouble to best-selling authors and TV producers Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest, who are in Ireland to promote their new book on the history of astronomy. Dublin, July 14; Cork, July 15 -- both at 8 p.m. Adm €7.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next edition: August/September 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ends
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art & Society. . .
We are here 3.0 : This year's festival, now on at venues around Dublin, explores contemporary urban experience through technology and live performance, probing the lives of citizens online, and offline in the real world. Different, and definitely worth a look. Until July 5.
Art and Darwin 200: celebrations have begun at the great man's birthplace in Shrewsbury, with an art exhibition by noted Irish artist Dorothy Cross, who spent time in the Galapagos Islands last year (we are envious as hell!) on a Gulbenkian artist residency. Her exhibition, Stage, is in the town's Unitarian Church, where Darwin attended as a small child with his mother. Meanwhile, plans proceed for a programme of Darwin 200 events in Ireland. Contact egill@wit.ie if you would like to contribute.
Through the looking glass: world premiere of an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens by artist and sculptor Jon Mitton, promises "a perspective into nature in its element, seen through the magic of three-dimensional portals". 'For Alice' runs July 2-22. Adm free.
Imagining the planet: Art & Science Collaborations Inc (ASCI) is inviting artists, designers, scientists and, well, anyone it seems... "to examine their environmental concerns, indulge their fantasies, and then share their fabricated/montaged visions of how a sustainable future might look", for the 10th International Digital Print Open Competition. Closing date: August 10.
Roll up, roll up! See the amazing juggling fly! (we kid you not) The microscopic world of cheese mites!! And other fantastic phenomena. Yes it's the fascinating world of science filmmaking from the early 1900s, in a new exhibition at London's Science Museum. Thanks to online video and YouTube, we can now see some of these historic films. Early filmmakers went to extra ordinary lengths to capture microscopic life and timelapse photography. Most films last only a minute, the length of an early reel of film. Films of Fact at the Science Museum, runs until February 2009.
The strongman fly -- see it juggle!
The Birth of a Flower
New Scientist video report,
Science Museum exhibition
100 years of wildlife filmmaking
Symmetry, mathematics and immortality: these days you can have a star named after you, but how about a mathematical object? New scientist is offering one lucky reader the chance to have a mathematical symmetry named after them. The particular group of symmetries lives in hyperspace, so you won't have a three-dimensional object to impress your friends with. But still, a minor inconvenience when you are being offered immortality. Entries by July 11.
What to call the new book? our new book of tips on sustainable living -- 101 ways to save money, time and some of the planet's other scarce resources -- is coming out in the autumn from New Island. But we haven't yet settled on a title, and since hopefully some of you might buy the book, we'd welcome feedback on the possible titles here, at our new blog.
Melting Greenland caught on camera: Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, John McConnico, went to Greenland to photograph the impact of climate change there in 2007 -- when temperatures reached a record sultry 22°C. The resulting exhibition is touring Europe, and in Dublin until July 11, in the OPW offices, 51, St Stephen's Green -- checkout the wonderful marble exhibition in the foyer! -- open 9-5, Mon-Fri; adm free.
Meanwhile, the EPA's successful public lectures on climate change, held this winter and spring, are now available as video broadcasts.
TechnoThreads: fashion and technology meet at the TCD Science Gallery's current exhibition, which continues until July 25 with a programme of associated events. You can also watch the opening night online.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Know of events that would interest Science@Culture readers?
Send details of forthcoming talks, exhibitions, books, etc
to Science.CultureBulletin [@] gmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conferences & Opportunities. . .
Mathematics & calendars: the second international Computistics Conference 2008 in Galway, July 18-20, brings together experts on mathematics, calendars, astronomy, Biblical interpretation, time-reckoning and Celtic manuscripts . . . Organised by the Foundations of Irish Culture project.
Digital Humanities Summer School: How digital technologies are changing the nature of libraries and facilitating research in the humanities, including text encoding, digital imaging and the future of libraries. . . summer school this week, July 1-5, organised by the Digital Humanities Observatory (DHO), at the RIA.
Humanism in the Global Village: that's the title for an all-Ireland humanist summer school, organised by the three humanist associations on the island. Carlingford Heritage Centre, Co. Louth August 29-31
Dublin, City of Science, 2012: in our June bulletin we canvassed for contributions to a possible programme of events for Dublin 2012. Thanks to those who replied, and apologies: we inadvertently gave the impression that Juliana Adelman was on the organising committee, where as she was helpfully assisting some committee members. Apologies to all concerned.
Shooting landscapes: the Copper Coast GeoPark, Co Waterford, is running a summer photography competition for students aged 11-16. Categories: landscape, nature and geology; closing date September 30.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organising a course or conference?
Advertise your event here, and reach the perfect audience.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omniumgatherum . . .
Bad astronomy: To the growing list of sceptical scientific blogs -- our favourite remains Ben Goldacre's badscience.com --we can add bad astronomy, from astronomer and self-confessed sceptic Phil Plait who "likes reality the way it is, and aims to keep it that way". A recent post investigates the Tunguska blast. . . . a powerful dietary supplement originating from the miracle of 1908 in the Tunguska region of Russia, no less!
Voyage to the ends of the Earth: follow a BBC television crew as they explore the Arctic Ocean, having departed early June, on their blog and website. For a new series on Arctic waters to be screened this autumn.
Subatomic radio: What have Irish people ever invented? Subatomic, the new radio series aimed at a young audience, and broadcast on Sunday mornings on East Coast FM, is devoting a programme to Irish inventions on Sunday, July 6. Tune in, at 10:30 a.m.
The end of the scientific method? We have entered the petabyte age: sensors are everywhere, there is infinite data storage and clouds of processors. Chris Anderson argues in a thought provoking article in Wired that the data deluge makes the scientific method obsolete: just mine the data, and information should follow. Hmm.
Hunting the Higgs -- and: Massive bosons blew my unit! The world's most expensive and biggest ever scientific experiment will be switched on in July, when the first beams are introduced into the larger hadron collider (LHC) particle accelerator at CERN on the Swiss-French border. The main aim is to search for a subatomic particle, the Higgs boson. If this is double-Dutch to you, then try this two-minute elegant explanation on YouTube of both the experiment and the boson. For a more detailed account, see the Guardian's supplement. We hear that BBC Radio 4 will devote a full day to science to mark the experiment's start.
Nobel physicists & the Higgs: Nobel physicists gathering for the 58th meeting of laureates at Lindau, Germany, are giving their expectations for the LHC on July 1. See the live webcast.
LabLit: Many bulletins ago we mentioned the LabLit (laboratory/science literature) project when it started, and promptly forgot about it. So we were pleasantly surprised to see how active it is now.
Can mobile phones really cook popcorn? If you missed this viral video a couple of weeks back, catch up here, and then here. But how is it done? Some suggestions here. Sadly, seems we still have to pop corn the old-fashioned way.
Out & about . . .
Walking, talking geology: a packed programme of events for Planet Earth year continues. A special is the chance to spend an afternoon exploring the geology of the Giants Causeway with expert and author Paul Lyle ( County Antrim, July 19); and a field trip exploring nearby Murlough Bay and Fair Head (August 2). Events are free. Check the website for events near you.
Could St. Swithin Have Predicted Global Warming? public talk about climate change by John O'Flanagan, from Met Eireann's station in Ireland West Airport (Knock). Adults and children over 7; National Museum Turlough Park, Co Mayo. July 20, 2:30pm; adm free. educationtph@museum.ie
How would you have fought the foot and mouth epidemic? If you are in London this week, you can find out: a summer exhibition at the Royal Society includes an interactive mathematical simulation to fight and control animal disease epidemics. Adm free, until July 3.
Wild Wicklow: the national park's busy summer programme includes nature-based Thursday afternoon sessions for primary schoolchildren (July 10-August 28); an evening bat walk (July 17, 9:15pm,bring insect repellent!), a bog walk (19th July), and a season of Thursday evening lectures on topics such as pine martens, conserving Canada's bogs, the wild game industry in South Africa, golden plovers in Ballycroy National Park County Mayo, and reintroducing the red kite to Wicklow.
Star gazing: in the days before television, people were reduced to watching the night sky! What do they learn from the stars? Find out, in a special afternoon event for children aged 7-12 at the National Museum, Kildare Street July 6. One of a number of educational events organised by our friends at the Natural History Museum, despite its closure. Details of this and other events at the website.
From Babylon to the Big Bang: a history of astronomy from ancient times is the ambitious topic for Astronomy Ireland's July public talk, but it will be no trouble to best-selling authors and TV producers Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest, who are in Ireland to promote their new book on the history of astronomy. Dublin, July 14; Cork, July 15 -- both at 8 p.m. Adm €7.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next edition: August/September 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ends
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Bealtaine (May) edition
In this packed edition . . . a summer school on Cape Clear Island, bursting a water balloon, and much much more
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art & Society
New compounds: a musical composition inspired by the immune system, a film about architecture and the brain, bacterial paintings, and an intelligent room... four projects from the Wellcome Trust SciArt scheme, that will be presented at a special evening in the Wellcome Galleries, LONDON on May 29. For more about the projects and the event, see: http://tinyurl.com/4ps6rm
The future of fashion?: shirts that send hugs, spray-on dresses and even living garments... just some of the clothing in the latest exhibition at TCD's Science Gallery. TechnoThreads, curated by Irish fashion and technology expert Marie O'Mahony, and featuring fabrics and designs from around the world, runs until July 25. Note, the gallery keeps unusual hours: Tues-Fri noon-8pm, Sat-Sun noon-6pm, closed Mondays. http://www.sciencegallery.com/events
The art of botany: the world's first gallery dedicated to botanical art has opened at Kew Gardens, London. Unfortunately, it is not also online -- you just have to go there. Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/6knbtn
Thanks to the Guardian, however, here is a glimpse behind-the-scenes of Kew's herbarium: http://tinyurl.com/473837
From atoms to patterns: a creative group of X-ray crystallographers, designers and manufacturers were inspired by the patterns discovered in crystal structures to create textiles, wallpapers, carpets and more, for the 1951 Festival of Britain. Their work has been rediscovered in a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London, until August 10
http://tinyurl.com/3a8uyb
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Know of any events that would interest Science@Culture readers?
We are always keen to hear about forthcoming talks, exhibitions, etc
Send details to Science [dot] CultureBulletin [at] gmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conferences & Opportunities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Island ecology, summer school: ecosystem sustainability, bird identification, the Irish names of plants and animals, and the ecology of Irish farmland. Just some of the topics for a 5-day summer school onIsland ecology, on Cape Clear Island, Co Cork Cape Clear July 7-11 2008 . Open to all. Cost: €200. For full details, see: http://tinyurl.com/66z6eu or phone Mary on 086 063 7060
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data auditor, Natural History Museum: the National Museum of Ireland seeks a data auditor to work with the Natural History Museum records. Work will involve assessing data sources, checking against registers and mapping data from various data sets into a common format in the NMI collections management system (Adlib). This must be done in advance of full documentation of exhibits by the team responsible for the evacuation of collections from Merrion Street as part of the museum restoration. Daily rate euro220, 70 working-day contract. Closing date for applications 7 May, 2008. Full details at www.museum.ie/jobs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study the Earth: if you've ever wondered how continents move, how old the earth is, how landscapes and fossils formed, or where minerals come from, then this new introductory geology course will be of interest. Run over five evenings (May 26-30), and culminating in a weekend field trip (June 1st), the course includes lectures and practicals and focuses on the geology of the Waterford coast. Organised by the Copper Coast Geopark. Course Fee: €110, places limited to 24 and allocated on receipt of €40 deposit. To book, contact Paula at 051-292828 or Sophie at 01-6782741. www.coppercoastgeopark.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pay Attention!: the first international conference on attention, brings together experts from the fields of psychology, neuroscience and the philosophy of mind and language, to explore attention and its role in thought. Humanities Institute Ireland, UCD School of Philosophy, May 29-30. http://www.ucd.ie/philosophy/attention/index.html
Picturing life and landscapes: your mission -- if you are over 60! -- is to take a photograph illustrating fauna, flora or a landscape, for the Natural History Museum Bealtaine photographic competition, and submit your entry by June 27. There will be prizes! http://tinyurl.com/697oyy
Science & technology in 19th century Ireland: a conference on this theme takes place in Dublin in July 2009, organised by the Society for the study of 19th century Ireland, the RIA committee for the history of Irish science and the Open University. The organisers are calling for 20-minute papers, and the wide range of suggested themes include Darwinism in Ireland, built and natural heritage, scientific publishing, and the linen industry. Deadline for submissions: 30th September 2008. Contact: juliana.adelman@gmail.com and g.hooper@open.ac.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organising a course or conference?
Advertise your event here, and reach the perfect audience. Rates reasonable!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omniumgatherum
Take the dog for a walk: Amazing to see where modern robotics have got to -- the latest Boston Dynamics 'big dog' robot is incredibly lifelike. . . what is somewhat unexpected, is the emotional response as you watch this --we worried when it started to slip on an icy road! See it go through its paces in this YouTube video
http://tinyurl.com/27sh4l
Splitting the atom . . . You never know what you'll find on Wired.com. So maybe we shouldn't have been surprised, when Ireland's only Nobel scientist gazed out at us from the website on April 14. Turns out, it was the anniversary of the day in 1932 when Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft successfully split an atom. Read Wired's nice summary with some useful links here:
http://tinyurl.com/4a3wpm
The FitzGerald letters: there are many archive digitisation projects underway, such as the major Darwin one (see below), but also a new RDS project on its collection of letters by noted Irish physicist, George Francis FitzGerald (1851-1901). Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at TCD, and a member of the RDS, among other noted contributions, he famously was the first person to suggest, in a letter to Nature, that perhaps nothing could travel faster than the speed of light. The RDS Library holds 2,116 of his letters, and these are being digitised, and will be available online in a project due to finish this autumn. http://tinyurl.com/3ph5uw
Wasps, figs and biscuits: Another climate change anecdote, it seems -- but if you haven't been able to buy fig roll biscuits recently, then this could be why. http://tinyurl.com/3s943h
What happens when you puncture a balloon filled with water? Watch, at 2,000 frames a second, and you don't even need to speak Japanese. Wish they'd followed the water all the way to the ground, though. http://tinyurl.com/6z6xr7
When galaxies collide . . . stunning images of galaxies colliding, from the Hubble space telescope, just released in a new gallery of nearly 60 images http://tinyurl.com/49z935
Learn some science. . . From the Big Bang, to the 'little hobbit', from energy and entropy, to viruses . . . The Guardian newspaper has been publishing science courses each day this week, written by a fine team of experts and science writers. Not something you expect from a newspaper, even the Guardian (of which, as you may have gathered, we're a fan). http://tinyurl.com/5lfxlz
Digital Darwin: in the run-up to the great Charles Darwin anniversary next year (200 years since he was born, 150 years since Origin was published), there are now several good websites, including a stunning online archive of nearly 100,000 pages of manuscripts, notes, photographs and sketches, including his first draft of the theory of natural selection.
http://www.darwin.rcuk.ac.uk/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/darwinbicentenary
http://darwin-online.org.uk/
Evolution for the perplexed: meanwhile, New Scientist recently published an interesting and entertaining explanation of some of the confusions, myths and misconceptions that arise about evolution and natural selection. Such as, why do no animals have sensors that can detect radio waves? http://tinyurl.com/4kdzn2
Read...
Navigating the Shannon: the river Shannon is the longest river in Ireland or Britain -- 251 kilometres from source to estuary; plus 83 km of estuary, 15 lakes and numerous tributaries making a total 1,500 kilometres. This vast system drains 20% of Ireland and 12 counties, and for centuries has been a major transport artery and source of hydropower, but also a barrier -- the grey squirrel for example, has yet to cross the Shannon to the west.
In the 1750s, work began to make it navigable. By the 1840s, it was largely complete creating the fine navigation enjoyed today. The work also helped improve the annual flooding problems. Writer Ruth Delany, one of Ireland's best known inland waterways experts has written a new history of the Shannon Navigation, in a richly illustrated new book. Ideal for anyone who lives in Shannon territory, or keeps a boat on the river. The Shannon Navigation, Lilliput Press 2008, 304pp €30 (pbk) €60 (hbk) http://tinyurl.com/59fj97
Picturing science: Robert Hooke's first views of microscopic organisms, Copernicus's diagram of the solar system, Watson and Crick's sketch of DNA's double helix structure... just some of the images in a new book about the role of imagery in developing our understanding of science. The book is by noted Cambridge cosmologist and author, John Barrow. Cosmic Imagery: Key images in the history of science, contains over 200 images and explores the importance of images in both explaining a concept, and furthering the development of that concept. Bodley Head, £25 Read a Guardian essay here: http://tinyurl.com/5c9lop
Out & about
The God question: are religion and skepticism mutually incompatible? That's the question up for discussion at this month's meeting of the Irish Sceptics, on May 7, 8 p.m. in Dublin, when the panel will include UCD psychologist Dr Gary O'Reilly, 'believer' Dr Donal O'Mathuna (DCU School of nursing), and non-believer Ms Ann James of the Humanist Association. Should be fun. http://www.irishskeptics.net/?p=169
Judging books by their covers: the little-known Edward Worth Library, founded in 1733, is celebrating its 275th anniversary. Located in Dr Steevens' Hospital, adjacent to Hueston Station, Dublin, which is now home to HSE offices, it is not normally open to the public, but is open to scholars and worth a visit if you can make it to one of the monthly seminars, and this month the topic is the bookbindings in the library, by Prof Nicholas Pickwoad, from the University of the Arts, London. Friday, May 9, 4 pm www.edwardworthlibrary.ie
150 years of the Natural History Museum: when our favourite museum was forced to close last summer, it couldn't have come at a worse time, as the museum was about to celebrate its 150th anniversary. But now its director or 'Keeper', Nigel Monaghan -- always an entertaining speaker -- is giving a special public talk on the museum's history in the RDS, May 21, 6 p.m. Book your free ticket(s): lectures@rds.ie or phone (01) 240 7254. www.rds.ie
Natural history mystery: No, not how the Natural History Museum manages to run public events despite being closed, but the title for one of its events for children 7-12, this Saturday morning. Other coming events include a rock pool workshop (May 25), and several events on Saturday, June 7 marking world ocean day. Note: all events are free, and take place in the National Museum on Kildare Street, Dublin. See: http://tinyurl.com/y94nap
How to become a fossil: just one of the talks during Planet Earth Week (May 26-June 2). The many walks and talks around the country include the poetry of landscape, and the private lives of quarries, plus a week of events at Copper Coast geopark in Co Waterford, with its rich heritage of geology and mining. (See above for details of the Copper Coast geology course.) http://www.planetearth.ie/Events/
Rock on . . . more geology! Explore the spectacular folds in the rocks at Loughshinny beach, Co Dublin (this Saturday, May 3, noon), and a chance to have your rock samples and fossils identified by an expert at an open evening (wine, coffee and nibbles provided), May 8, 8 pm at the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin. See: www.geology.ie
Bugs or Us, and nuclear energy: Just why is nuclear energy on the agenda? That's the question posed by British energy policy expert, Dr William Nuttall, who is giving a public talk for the RDS on Monday, May 12. Bugs, immunity, and the battle for survival is the topic for a 2nd RDS science talk, by TCD immunologist Prof Cliona O’Farrelly, May 15. Both start at 7pm. Adm free, booking advised. See: www.rds.ie/science/lectures.
Canary plants: Been to the Canary islands? Now's your chance to learn more about their fascinating plant life. This year's Moore lecture at the Botanic Gardens will be by David Amwell, director of the botanic gardens on Gran Canaria. May 8, 8 p.m., free, booking essential. While in the gardens, you could take in their exhibition on the history of the potato, and Hard Rain, an outdoor exhibition combining the lyrics of Bob Dylan's song with photographs that illustrate climate change, poverty, pollution, habitat loss and human rights. http://tinyurl.com/rb83p
Summer science: the Celtic festival of Bealtaine marked the start of summer, and at Waterford IT, the science and outreach project is running a week-long Bealtaine festival of outdoor science (May 11-18), with events for the general public, adults and school students, and everything from bat walks to building bird boxes. http://www.calmast.ie/
Human nature: that's the topic on the menu at this month's Alchemist Cafe. May 15, 7:45pm Dublin; adm free, all welcome http://www.alchemistcafedublin.com/
Wild Wicklow: the national park's summer programme has begun, including a woodland walk at Knocksink Nature Reserve (Saturday, May 10, booking essential, not suited for children); a 'dawn chorus day' gathering (Sunday, May 18, open to all; followed by optional birdsong workshop -- Glendalough, 5 am!), and a tree identification walk at Knocksink (Saturday, May 24, booking essential, not suited for children). See: http://tinyurl.com/pp52t
3D astronomy: the enthusiastic Robert Hill, from Armagh planetarium, promises a 3-D public talk demonstrating how the latest stereo animation technology could revolutionise classroom teaching. Astronomy Ireland monthly talk, May 12, 8pm, TCD www.astronomy.ie
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next edition: June 1st 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Art & Society
New compounds: a musical composition inspired by the immune system, a film about architecture and the brain, bacterial paintings, and an intelligent room... four projects from the Wellcome Trust SciArt scheme, that will be presented at a special evening in the Wellcome Galleries, LONDON on May 29. For more about the projects and the event, see: http://tinyurl.com/4ps6rm
The future of fashion?: shirts that send hugs, spray-on dresses and even living garments... just some of the clothing in the latest exhibition at TCD's Science Gallery. TechnoThreads, curated by Irish fashion and technology expert Marie O'Mahony, and featuring fabrics and designs from around the world, runs until July 25. Note, the gallery keeps unusual hours: Tues-Fri noon-8pm, Sat-Sun noon-6pm, closed Mondays. http://www.sciencegallery.com/events
The art of botany: the world's first gallery dedicated to botanical art has opened at Kew Gardens, London. Unfortunately, it is not also online -- you just have to go there. Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/6knbtn
Thanks to the Guardian, however, here is a glimpse behind-the-scenes of Kew's herbarium: http://tinyurl.com/473837
From atoms to patterns: a creative group of X-ray crystallographers, designers and manufacturers were inspired by the patterns discovered in crystal structures to create textiles, wallpapers, carpets and more, for the 1951 Festival of Britain. Their work has been rediscovered in a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London, until August 10
http://tinyurl.com/3a8uyb
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Know of any events that would interest Science@Culture readers?
We are always keen to hear about forthcoming talks, exhibitions, etc
Send details to Science [dot] CultureBulletin [at] gmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conferences & Opportunities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Island ecology, summer school: ecosystem sustainability, bird identification, the Irish names of plants and animals, and the ecology of Irish farmland. Just some of the topics for a 5-day summer school on
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data auditor, Natural History Museum: the National Museum of Ireland seeks a data auditor to work with the Natural History Museum records. Work will involve assessing data sources, checking against registers and mapping data from various data sets into a common format in the NMI collections management system (Adlib). This must be done in advance of full documentation of exhibits by the team responsible for the evacuation of collections from Merrion Street as part of the museum restoration. Daily rate euro220, 70 working-day contract. Closing date for applications 7 May, 2008. Full details at www.museum.ie/jobs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study the Earth: if you've ever wondered how continents move, how old the earth is, how landscapes and fossils formed, or where minerals come from, then this new introductory geology course will be of interest. Run over five evenings (May 26-30), and culminating in a weekend field trip (June 1st), the course includes lectures and practicals and focuses on the geology of the Waterford coast. Organised by the Copper Coast Geopark. Course Fee: €110, places limited to 24 and allocated on receipt of €40 deposit. To book, contact Paula at 051-292828 or Sophie at 01-6782741. www.coppercoastgeopark.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pay Attention!: the first international conference on attention, brings together experts from the fields of psychology, neuroscience and the philosophy of mind and language, to explore attention and its role in thought. Humanities Institute Ireland, UCD School of Philosophy, May 29-30. http://www.ucd.ie/philosophy/attention/index.html
Picturing life and landscapes: your mission -- if you are over 60! -- is to take a photograph illustrating fauna, flora or a landscape, for the Natural History Museum Bealtaine photographic competition, and submit your entry by June 27. There will be prizes! http://tinyurl.com/697oyy
Science & technology in 19th century Ireland: a conference on this theme takes place in Dublin in July 2009, organised by the Society for the study of 19th century Ireland, the RIA committee for the history of Irish science and the Open University. The organisers are calling for 20-minute papers, and the wide range of suggested themes include Darwinism in Ireland, built and natural heritage, scientific publishing, and the linen industry. Deadline for submissions: 30th September 2008. Contact: juliana.adelman@gmail.com and g.hooper@open.ac.uk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Organising a course or conference?
Advertise your event here, and reach the perfect audience. Rates reasonable!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Omniumgatherum
Take the dog for a walk: Amazing to see where modern robotics have got to -- the latest Boston Dynamics 'big dog' robot is incredibly lifelike. . . what is somewhat unexpected, is the emotional response as you watch this --we worried when it started to slip on an icy road! See it go through its paces in this YouTube video
http://tinyurl.com/27sh4l
Splitting the atom . . . You never know what you'll find on Wired.com. So maybe we shouldn't have been surprised, when Ireland's only Nobel scientist gazed out at us from the website on April 14. Turns out, it was the anniversary of the day in 1932 when Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft successfully split an atom. Read Wired's nice summary with some useful links here:
http://tinyurl.com/4a3wpm
The FitzGerald letters: there are many archive digitisation projects underway, such as the major Darwin one (see below), but also a new RDS project on its collection of letters by noted Irish physicist, George Francis FitzGerald (1851-1901). Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at TCD, and a member of the RDS, among other noted contributions, he famously was the first person to suggest, in a letter to Nature, that perhaps nothing could travel faster than the speed of light. The RDS Library holds 2,116 of his letters, and these are being digitised, and will be available online in a project due to finish this autumn. http://tinyurl.com/3ph5uw
Wasps, figs and biscuits: Another climate change anecdote, it seems -- but if you haven't been able to buy fig roll biscuits recently, then this could be why. http://tinyurl.com/3s943h
What happens when you puncture a balloon filled with water? Watch, at 2,000 frames a second, and you don't even need to speak Japanese. Wish they'd followed the water all the way to the ground, though. http://tinyurl.com/6z6xr7
When galaxies collide . . . stunning images of galaxies colliding, from the Hubble space telescope, just released in a new gallery of nearly 60 images http://tinyurl.com/49z935
Learn some science. . . From the Big Bang, to the 'little hobbit', from energy and entropy, to viruses . . . The Guardian newspaper has been publishing science courses each day this week, written by a fine team of experts and science writers. Not something you expect from a newspaper, even the Guardian (of which, as you may have gathered, we're a fan). http://tinyurl.com/5lfxlz
Digital Darwin: in the run-up to the great Charles Darwin anniversary next year (200 years since he was born, 150 years since Origin was published), there are now several good websites, including a stunning online archive of nearly 100,000 pages of manuscripts, notes, photographs and sketches, including his first draft of the theory of natural selection.
http://www.darwin.rcuk.ac.uk/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/darwinbicentenary
http://darwin-online.org.uk/
Evolution for the perplexed: meanwhile, New Scientist recently published an interesting and entertaining explanation of some of the confusions, myths and misconceptions that arise about evolution and natural selection. Such as, why do no animals have sensors that can detect radio waves? http://tinyurl.com/4kdzn2
Read...
Navigating the Shannon: the river Shannon is the longest river in Ireland or Britain -- 251 kilometres from source to estuary; plus 83 km of estuary, 15 lakes and numerous tributaries making a total 1,500 kilometres. This vast system drains 20% of Ireland and 12 counties, and for centuries has been a major transport artery and source of hydropower, but also a barrier -- the grey squirrel for example, has yet to cross the Shannon to the west.
In the 1750s, work began to make it navigable. By the 1840s, it was largely complete creating the fine navigation enjoyed today. The work also helped improve the annual flooding problems. Writer Ruth Delany, one of Ireland's best known inland waterways experts has written a new history of the Shannon Navigation, in a richly illustrated new book. Ideal for anyone who lives in Shannon territory, or keeps a boat on the river. The Shannon Navigation, Lilliput Press 2008, 304pp €30 (pbk) €60 (hbk) http://tinyurl.com/59fj97
Picturing science: Robert Hooke's first views of microscopic organisms, Copernicus's diagram of the solar system, Watson and Crick's sketch of DNA's double helix structure... just some of the images in a new book about the role of imagery in developing our understanding of science. The book is by noted Cambridge cosmologist and author, John Barrow. Cosmic Imagery: Key images in the history of science, contains over 200 images and explores the importance of images in both explaining a concept, and furthering the development of that concept. Bodley Head, £25 Read a Guardian essay here: http://tinyurl.com/5c9lop
Out & about
The God question: are religion and skepticism mutually incompatible? That's the question up for discussion at this month's meeting of the Irish Sceptics, on May 7, 8 p.m. in Dublin, when the panel will include UCD psychologist Dr Gary O'Reilly, 'believer' Dr Donal O'Mathuna (DCU School of nursing), and non-believer Ms Ann James of the Humanist Association. Should be fun. http://www.irishskeptics.net/?p=169
Judging books by their covers: the little-known Edward Worth Library, founded in 1733, is celebrating its 275th anniversary. Located in Dr Steevens' Hospital, adjacent to Hueston Station, Dublin, which is now home to HSE offices, it is not normally open to the public, but is open to scholars and worth a visit if you can make it to one of the monthly seminars, and this month the topic is the bookbindings in the library, by Prof Nicholas Pickwoad, from the University of the Arts, London. Friday, May 9, 4 pm www.edwardworthlibrary.ie
150 years of the Natural History Museum: when our favourite museum was forced to close last summer, it couldn't have come at a worse time, as the museum was about to celebrate its 150th anniversary. But now its director or 'Keeper', Nigel Monaghan -- always an entertaining speaker -- is giving a special public talk on the museum's history in the RDS, May 21, 6 p.m. Book your free ticket(s): lectures@rds.ie or phone (01) 240 7254. www.rds.ie
Natural history mystery: No, not how the Natural History Museum manages to run public events despite being closed, but the title for one of its events for children 7-12, this Saturday morning. Other coming events include a rock pool workshop (May 25), and several events on Saturday, June 7 marking world ocean day. Note: all events are free, and take place in the National Museum on Kildare Street, Dublin. See: http://tinyurl.com/y94nap
How to become a fossil: just one of the talks during Planet Earth Week (May 26-June 2). The many walks and talks around the country include the poetry of landscape, and the private lives of quarries, plus a week of events at Copper Coast geopark in Co Waterford, with its rich heritage of geology and mining. (See above for details of the Copper Coast geology course.) http://www.planetearth.ie/Events/
Rock on . . . more geology! Explore the spectacular folds in the rocks at Loughshinny beach, Co Dublin (this Saturday, May 3, noon), and a chance to have your rock samples and fossils identified by an expert at an open evening (wine, coffee and nibbles provided), May 8, 8 pm at the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin. See: www.geology.ie
Bugs or Us, and nuclear energy: Just why is nuclear energy on the agenda? That's the question posed by British energy policy expert, Dr William Nuttall, who is giving a public talk for the RDS on Monday, May 12. Bugs, immunity, and the battle for survival is the topic for a 2nd RDS science talk, by TCD immunologist Prof Cliona O’Farrelly, May 15. Both start at 7pm. Adm free, booking advised. See: www.rds.ie/science/lectures.
Canary plants: Been to the Canary islands? Now's your chance to learn more about their fascinating plant life. This year's Moore lecture at the Botanic Gardens will be by David Amwell, director of the botanic gardens on Gran Canaria. May 8, 8 p.m., free, booking essential. While in the gardens, you could take in their exhibition on the history of the potato, and Hard Rain, an outdoor exhibition combining the lyrics of Bob Dylan's song with photographs that illustrate climate change, poverty, pollution, habitat loss and human rights. http://tinyurl.com/rb83p
Summer science: the Celtic festival of Bealtaine marked the start of summer, and at Waterford IT, the science and outreach project is running a week-long Bealtaine festival of outdoor science (May 11-18), with events for the general public, adults and school students, and everything from bat walks to building bird boxes. http://www.calmast.ie/
Human nature: that's the topic on the menu at this month's Alchemist Cafe. May 15, 7:45pm Dublin; adm free, all welcome http://www.alchemistcafedublin.com/
Wild Wicklow: the national park's summer programme has begun, including a woodland walk at Knocksink Nature Reserve (Saturday, May 10, booking essential, not suited for children); a 'dawn chorus day' gathering (Sunday, May 18, open to all; followed by optional birdsong workshop -- Glendalough, 5 am!), and a tree identification walk at Knocksink (Saturday, May 24, booking essential, not suited for children). See: http://tinyurl.com/pp52t
3D astronomy: the enthusiastic Robert Hill, from Armagh planetarium, promises a 3-D public talk demonstrating how the latest stereo animation technology could revolutionise classroom teaching. Astronomy Ireland monthly talk, May 12, 8pm, TCD www.astronomy.ie
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next edition: June 1st 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Darwin 200
One of the most important scientific discoveries of all time was announced 150 years ago, on 1 July 1858, when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace jointly announced their ideas about natural selection. A year later, at the age of 50, Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. ... making next year the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of Origin.
Celebrations are now beginning, the first Irish event takes place later this month, on Saturday June 21st, and plans are under way for further events in Ireland marking Darwin 200.
Celebrating Darwin 200 in IrelandDr Bob Bloomfield, Natural History Museum London and co-ordinator, Darwin200
Darwin Events in Ireland, Eoin Gill & Nigel Monaghan (iSCAN) followed by discussion.
Science
Sat 21st June 2pm, Adm free.
Organised by iSCAN (Irish Science Centres Awareness Network) to highlight the coming anniversary and encourage activity for 2009. And a chance to see the new Science Gallery, if you have not already done so.
Dr Bloomfield will explain why it is important to celebrate Charles Darwin, give an overview of
Dr Bob Bloomfield :
Head of Innovation and Special projects at The Natural History Museum,
iSCAN: this is a network for all those running science visitor centres, science awareness groups and individuals interested in science awareness on the
Contact: Eoin Gill, Chair iSCAN / egill[at]wit.ie / + 353 (0) 86 2630902
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next edition: July 2008.
We try to ensure links are valid when we go to press• but can't be responsible for other websites.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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