Irish Research Council to Light Up Central Dublin for Science Week

To mark Science Week 2016, the Irish Research Council will be lighting up the well-known Dublin City Council building on Dame Street with a series of light projections celebrating Irish researchers past and present.

The light projections will be switched on from 5pm to midnight every day from Monday, 14th November to Friday, 18th November. Projected from the adjacent Dublin City Hall, the light show will be visible on the side of the Dublin City Council building on Barnados Square, Dame Street, Dublin 2.

Nobel prize-winners, biologists discovering the mysteries behind fossils, and biomedical engineers fighting diseases such as osteoporosis are just some of the researchers highlighted in the light show. The work of six researchers, three past and three present with close ties to the Irish Research Council, will be highlighted as part of the show. The researchers include:

· Ernest Walton, physicist and joint Nobel Prize winner for his pioneering work on splitting the atom.
· Paleobiologist Maria McNamara, whose research has shed light on the nature of fossilised animals which are millions of years old.
· Biomedical Engineer David Hoey, who integrates engineering mechanics into the fight against diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

Announcing details of the light projections, Dr Eucharia Meehan, Director of the Irish Research Council, said: “Science Week 2016 is a perfect opportunity to highlight some of the amazing work Irish researchers have done and are currently doing.

“By lighting up Barnados Square with research achievements past and present, we’re hoping to get the public thinking about how research has influenced their own lives – from the food we eat to how we can better fight diseases.”

The light projections form part of the Irish Research Council’s #LoveIrishResearch campaign which has been running throughout 2016, aiming to increase public awareness of the important research conducted in higher education institutions throughout the country.