Oct 14, 2015Oct 14, 2015 Enda O'Connell 2015 Research Article

Heroines of Science: The story of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin

In the latest of our series of articles, Linda Connor, an MSc student working with Advance Science and the Glycoscience Research Group, tells the story of the remarkable scientist Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin.

Dorothy Hodgkin © Peter Lofts Photography, National Portrait Gallery, London — Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
© Peter Lofts Photography, National Portrait Gallery, London

The story of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin begins in Cairo, Egypt where she was born May 12, 1910. Her parents were John Winter Crowfoot, who worked in the Egyptian education service, later retiring to focus on archaeology, and Grace Mary Hood Crowfoot who was a botanist and illustrated a lot of the different flora found in Sudan.

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Sep 30, 2015Sep 30, 2015 Enda O'Connell 2014 Competition

Special Feature: 2014 Primary School Winners, Sooey NS

In 2014, students from Sooey National School, Co. Sligo, were awarded First prize at Primary school level, for their brilliant video ‘The Secret Life of Honey Bees’.

The video was produced by Fifth and Sixth class students, with the help of their teacher Thomas Egan. Special Guest Judge Professor Stephen Curry commented: “Sooey National School’s video had good science content, with a very, very funny script and the kids were clearly having a lot of fun which makes the film hugely appealing.”

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Sep 22, 2015Sep 22, 2015 Enda O'Connell 2015 Research Article

What is a Medical Device?

In the third of our series of Research Articles for 2015, Claire Riordan, Science Engagement Officer with the CÚRAM Centre for Research in Medical Devices in NUI Galway, writes about the history of medical devices and tells us about some of the exciting research being carried out at CÚRAM.

What is a Medical Device?

When you think of a medical device, what do you see? An inhaler? A stent? An artificial hip or a wound dressing?

Actually, one of the very first medical device inventions was the magnifying glass! It was designed in 1250 by Roger Bacon. It was the first convex lens designed for scientific purposes. In 1280, these lenses were used to correct farsightedness. Now, they are crucial in any surgical procedure.

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