Enda O'Connell 2016 Research Article

How Things Work – Meet the GEEC!

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Niamh Keogh, mechanical engineering student and driver of the Geec. (Photo credit Enda O’Connell)

In the second in our series of Research Videos for 2016, mechanical engineering students Niamh Keogh and Shane Queenan demonstrate the Geec (Galway Energy Efficient Car), an eco-car designed and built by Mechanical, Energy Systems and Electrical & Electronic engineering students from NUI Galway, mentored by Dr. Nathan Quinlan, Dr. Rory Monaghan and Dr. Maeve Duffy.

Last year in Rotterdam, in a first for Ireland, the Geec team competed against almost 200 other teams at the Shell Eco-marathon Europe, where cars are challenged to drive 16 km around a closed street circuit using the least amount of fuel or energy. The team finished in the top half of the leaderboard in prototype battery-electric class, with a score of 287 km/kWh – roughly equivalent to 8,000 miles per gallon for a petrol or diesel car, making it the most energy efficient car ever to drive in Ireland!

Video by Claire Riordan, Science Engagement Associate at CÚRAM . Geec footage courtesy of Dr. Nathan Quinlan.

Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

Medicines, by Dr. Enda O’Connell

In the ninth of our weekly series of articles, I have taken off my ReelLIFE SCIENCE hat and put on my Scientist hat.  Or labcoat, gloves and goggles, to be more precise…  As a Senior Technical Officer in NUI Galway, I support a range of research projects across the campus, from Cancer Biology and Stem Cell Research to Chemistry and Biomaterials.  In this article, I write about ‘Medicines’ and how researchers at NUI Galway are looking for new uses for old drugs.

The History of Medicines

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Chinese Emperor Shennong tasting plants to test their qualities on himself (image from Wikipedia)

The word ‘medicine’ originally comes from the Latin phrase ‘ars medicina’, which translates as the ‘art of healing’, while the Oxford English Dictionary defines medicine (n) as ‘a substance or preparation used in the treatment of illness; a drug’. The earliest medicines were plant extracts, animal parts and minerals, and their use in healing rituals overseen by medicine men and shamans, often involved much more art than science.  Continue reading “Medicines, by Dr. Enda O’Connell” →

Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

Science in the Garden by Dr. Naomi Lavelle

This week, in the seventh of our series of articles, we have a real treat in store for our readers. The one and only Dr. How (aka Dr. Naomi Lavelle) has written a very special article for us about Science in the Garden, and has enlisted the help of two very capable junior scientists, Culann (aged 8) and Rohan (aged 4), who you will meet in the videos below!

The Hot, Dry Biome, Eden Project - geograph.org.uk - 219410 by Pam Brophy
The Hot, Dry Biome, Eden Project, Cornwall, UK (Licenced under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons)

I watched the ReelLIFE SCIENCE school video competition with great interest last year. What a wonderful way to get children excited and involved in Science. I was delighted to be asked to write an article this year in celebration of the launch of the 2014 competition. I think the topic of Science in the Garden is a great way to open children’s minds up to the science around them… literally right outside their door!

Continue reading “Science in the Garden by Dr. Naomi Lavelle” →