Dec
03
Coffee Morning with Brendan O'Neill
December 3, 11.00 am on Zoom
Join us for this week's coffee morning with Brendan O'Neill from the School of Archaeology!
Dec
08
Pathways to Horizon Europe
8 December, 10-11:30 on Zoom
Leading or participating in European-funded research consortia is an ambition for some researchers. Working on these large-scale projects can provide opportunities to work on larger scale projects in collaboration with diverse academic and non-academic partners across Europe and internationally. This funding is competitive but can allow for research projects that are broader in reach and more comparative than can be realised with national funding alone.
It's not always clear what the route is from success on a national level to being part of or leading EU-funded projects. The scale of the projects and the complexities involved in building a consortium and navigating the Commission’s application process can be daunting. Our panel of Karen Foley, Francesco Pilla (both from School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy) and Nick Holden (School of Biosystems and Food Engineering) are or have been involved in EU funded research programmes. The discussion will set out to demystify the process and provide some examples of routes towards engaging with Horizon programmes.
Looking ahead to Horizon Europe, we will also have an update from the EU Team in the Research Office plus National Contact Points for European Research Matthew Clarke (NCP for Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Bioeconomy) and Mark Sweeney (NCP for Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials. This will focus on preparing for the environmental strands of Horizon Europe.
Register: Please complete this short form to register and indicate topics of interest.
Dec
10
Institute Research Theme Meeting: Sustainable Communities
10 December, 1 pm on Zoom
Over the course of December, we're hosting six meetings of our research themes to discuss opportunities for collaboration and funding and input into the Institute's plans for the coming year. These short informal networking meetings are being hosted by our theme leads - all are welcome to join, whether the theme is your core area of interest or something you'd like to discover more about - we look forward to seeing you at one or more of them!
The Sustainable Communities meeting will be hosted by Karen Foley (Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy) and Nessa Winston (Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice).
Dec
11
Institute Research Theme Meeting: Climate
11 December, 2 pm on Zoom
Over the course of December, we're hosting six meetings of our research themes to discuss opportunities for collaboration and funding and input into the Institute's plans for the coming year. These short informal networking meetings are being hosted by our theme leads - all are welcome to join, whether the theme is your core area of interest or something you'd like to discover more about - we look forward to seeing you at one or more of them!
The Climate research theme meeting will be hosted by Frank McDermott (Earth Sciences) and Conor Sweeney (Mathematics and Statistics).
Dec
14
Institute Research Theme Meeting: Ecosystems and Evolution
14 December, 1 pm on Zoom
Over the course of December, we're hosting six meetings of our research themes to discuss opportunities for collaboration and funding and input into the Institute's plans for the coming year. These short informal networking meetings are being hosted by our theme leads - all are welcome to join, whether the theme is your core area of interest or something you'd like to discover more about - we look forward to seeing you at one or more of them!
The Ecosystems and Evolution meeting will be hosted by Sonia Negrao and Jon Yearsley (both Biology and Environmental Science).
Dec
15
Institute Research Theme Meeting: Water
15 December, 2 pm on Zoom
Over the course of December, we're hosting six meetings of our research themes to discuss opportunities for collaboration and funding and input into the Institute's plans for the coming year. These short informal networking meetings are being hosted by our theme leads - all are welcome to join, whether the theme is your core area of interest or something you'd like to discover more about - we look forward to seeing you at one or more of them!
The Water research theme meeting will be hosted by Mary Kelly-Quinn (Biology and Environmental Science) and Fiachra O'Loughlin (Civil Engineering).
Dec
16
Institute Research Theme Meeting: Built and Constructed Environment
16 December, 3 pm on Zoom
Over the course of December, we're hosting six meetings of our research themes to discuss opportunities for collaboration and funding and input into the Institute's plans for the coming year. These short informal networking meetings are being hosted by our theme leads - all are welcome to join, whether the theme is your core area of interest or something you'd like to discover more about - we look forward to seeing you at one or more of them!
The Built and Constructed Environment research theme meeting will be hosted by Shane Donohue (Civil Engineering) and Graeme Warren (Archaeology).
Dec
17
Institute Research Theme Meeting: Crops for the Future
17 December, 10 am on Zoom
Over the course of December, we're hosting six meetings of our research themes to discuss opportunities for collaboration and funding and input into the Institute's plans for the coming year. These short informal networking meetings are being hosted by our theme leads - all are welcome to join, whether the theme is your core area of interest or something you'd like to discover more about - we look forward to seeing you at one or more of them!
The Crops for the Future research theme meeting will be hosted by Angela Feechan (Agriculture and Food Science) and Rainer Melzer (Biology and Environmental Science).
Dec
17
Perspectives on plastic pollution
December 17, 2 pm on Zoom
We’re delighted to announce our final event of the year, a marine pollution seminar by Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS of the University of Plymouth, followed by a panel discussion capturing a range of perspectives on plastics from Earth Institute members and associate members. Richard is one of the world's leading experts on marine pollution and will address solutions to the global environmental challenge of marine litter.
Marine litter: are there solutions to this global environmental challenge?
Plastic debris is widely distributed at the sea surface, on the sea bed and on shorelines. Nearly 700 species are known to encounter marine litter, with many reports of physical harm resulting from entanglement in and ingestion of plastic. At the same time it is very clear that plastic items bring many societal benefits. Can these benefits be achieved without emissions of waste to the environment? Progress requires systemic changes in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastic. A key solution to two major environmental problems, our non-sustainable use of fossil carbon (to produce plastics) and the accumulation waste, lie in recycling end-of-life plastics into new products.
Prof. Richard Thompson OBE FRS
Richard Thompson is a Marine Biologist and one of the world's foremost experts on plastic pollution. In 2004, he published the first paper describing the long-term accumulation of microscopic fragments of plastic in the environment, naming them 'microplastics'. He and his team have been at the forefront of microplastics research and have shown their global distribution, the potential for transfer from the gut to the circulatory system, and their role in the transport of chemical contaminants. This pioneering early work was pivotal in recognition of microplastic contamination in policy, such as Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Richard has an extensive track record of collaboration across the disciplines, with an emphasis on identifying ways to use plastics more sustainably. His recent work has guided policy on the release of microplastics from cosmetic products and textiles. His wider research focuses on the ecology of shallow water habitats, including artificial structures. He received the Marsh Award for Marine and Freshwater Conservation in 2017, an OBE for services to marine science in 2018 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2020. His team at the Marine Litter Research Unit won the NERC Impact Award (2018) and based on their work the University of Plymouth received the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2020.
Panel:
Dr Noreen O’Meara, School of Law, University of Surrey
Dr Treasa De Loughry, UCD School of English, Drama and Film
Associate Professor Tancredi Caruso, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science
Chaired by Professor Tasman Crowe, UCD Earth Institute
Please register: https://ucdplasticpollution.eventbrite.ie
