Science.ie's Newsletter Vol 1

DeVore

We've asked Science.ie to post their newsletter here as we believe it will be of interest to readers here.

This is the one I just got from them. Hopefully it will be a regular feature here.

Enjoy!

DeV.

ps: it might be helpful if anyone who is going to subscribe to it, post it here when they get it, as that would be easiest for all concerned...

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A t m o s p h e r e
Science for a Successful Ireland
http://www.science.ie

Issue 1 July 2001

THIS MONTH:
1)...News and Info
2)...Place to visit - Quaternion Carving on Broome Bridge
3)...Events and What to Do This Month

Welcome to the first issue of A t m o s p h e r e, the monthly
Science, Technology and Innovation Ezine from science.ie. Please
forward this Ezine to any friends or colleagues of yours who may
find it of interest. Full subscribe and unsubscribe details below.
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* How to Subscribe *
Subscribing is easy, simply send an email to
mailto:subscribe@science.ie with 'subscribe' as the subject.
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1)...N E W S A N D I N F O

>>>43% OF IRELAND'S TOP BUSINESSES SUPPORT E-WORKING
National Survey on attitudes to Science and Technology reveals
major potential change in approaches to work. 43% of Ireland's
Top 1,000 employers claim that they are in favour of allowing
employees to work from home, using e-mail and internet facilities.
Only 16% of senior managers are against the idea.
http://www.science.ie/news_info/national_poll_latest.html


>>>AUSTRALIAN SHEEP AND CATTLE TO BREAK WIND PROBLEM
Millions of sheep and cattle in Australia are to be vaccinated
to reduce the amount of methane gas they produce. Scientists
hope to reduce the methane content of livestock flatulence by
about 20% through inhibiting some of the organisms which inhabit
animal digestive systems. This could mean a significant reduction
in Australia's contribution to global warming.
http://www.csiro.au/page.asp?type=faq&id=Methane%20vaccine


>>>IRELAND'S LARGEST INVESTMENT IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH LAUNCHES
Ten Principal Investigators have signed contracts with Science
Foundation Ireland, worth £56 million in total, to recruit and
lead teams carrying out leading-edge international research in
Irish Institutions. Research within Biotechnology and Information
and Communications Technologies fields will range from studies of
the immune system to the properties of magnetic materials.
http://www.sfi.ie/


>>>FLYING FOOT WORK HELPS TREAT SPRAINED ANKLES
A novel idea for treating sprained ankles has been developed by
scientists at Rutgers University in America. Patients exercise
and strengthen their ankle muscles whilst controlling the flight
path of a computer game aeroplane using a robot strapped to their
foot. Allowing patients to interact with virtual environments can
make repetitive, but necessary, exercises less boring.
http://www.caip.rutgers.edu/vrlab/ankle.html


>>>GOLDEN EAGLES RETURN TO IRELAND
Six golden eagle chicks arrived in Co.Donegal on 27 June as part
of a five year project that aims to re-introduce the bird of prey
to Ireland, where they have been extinct since 1912. In August
they will be released in Glenveagh National Park after being
tagged and fitted with radio transmitters to track their progress.
Breeze, a four-year-old, was the first golden eagle to be
reintroduced when released in Glenveagh National Park last year.
http://www.goldeneagle.ie/


>>>LATEST SCI AND TECH NEWS NOW ON SCIENCE.IE WEBSITE
Catch up on the latest science and technology headlines from
around the world on the Forfás Science.ie website.
http://www.science.ie/news_info/index.html
Check out the new profile of Sarah Flannery, Young Scientist of
the Year 1999, first prize winner EU Contest for Young Scientists
1999 and author of 'In Code - A Mathematical Journey' on the
science.ie Careers Role Model pages.
http://www.science.ie/careers/index.html


>>>SOLAR-POWERED, HIGH-ALTITUDE PLANE LIFTS OFF
Helios, an unmanned craft powered by 62,000 solar cells and with
a wingspan greater than that of a Boeing 747, has taken its first
test ascent over the Pacific Ocean. Set to break previous altitude
records, Helios should eventually be able to stay aloft for months
at a time. It could act as a low-cost satellite service as well as
for monitoring weather and environmental conditions. There could
even be military uses for the craft which is undetectable by Radar.
http://www.aerovironment.com/news/news-archive/nasahi.html


More Science and Technology Headlines at:
http://www.science.ie/news_info/index.html
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* Fact of the Month *
The Republic of Ireland has 204 deaths from respiratory
diseases per year for every 100,000 of population. Based
on this figure, Ireland holds The Guinness World Record
for highest death rate from respiratory diseases.
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2)...P L A C E T O V I S I T

>>>QUATERNION CARVING ON BROOME BRIDGE
A quaternion is a mathematical expression that is widely used in
the creation of computer games, such as Tomb Raider, and military
and commercial flight simulators.

William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) discovered quaternions whilst
walking on the Royal Canal in Dublin on 16 October 1843. He could
not resist the impulse to carve the formulae for the quaternions
in the stone of Broome Bridge, which crosses the canal in Cabra.
A plaque marks the spot today.

In Hamilton's own words "Time is said to have only one dimension,
and space to have three dimensions. The mathematical quaternion
partakes of both these elements; in technical language it may be
said to be 'time plus space', or 'space plus time': and in this
sense it has, or at least involves a reference to, four dimensions."

The Hamilton Building in Trinity College, Dublin is named after him.

You can read a lively account of his life, loves and mathematics at:
http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Hamilton.html
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* Link of the Month *
100% Irish owned Wild Ireland are Ireland's leading
Wildlife and Environment publishing company. Check out
this award winning site for wildlife news and discussion.
http://www.wildireland.ie/
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3)...E V E N T S

National Science and Technology Journalism Awards 2001
These awards recognise and encourage science and technology
journalism in Ireland.
>>>Entries must be in by Fri 12 October 2001.
http://www.science.ie/events/journalism-awards/index_s-t.html

The National Innovation Awards 2001
Entries have now closed. Many thanks to all who entered.
>>>Shortlisted companies will be announced at end August

Science Foundation Ireland
Calls For Proposals have been announced for Fellow and
Principal Investigator awards in Biotechnology and
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT).
http://www.sfi.ie/
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...W H A T T O D O T H I S M O N T H

Read...
'The Shannon Dolphins, a guide to the bottlenose dolphins in the
Shannon estuary, Ireland.' By Simon Berrow and Sarah Ferriss.
>>>Published July 2001. IEP £3.50, or £4.00 incl p&p, from:
Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation Scattery, Island
Visitor Centre, Merchants Quay, Kilrush, Co.Clare, Ireland.

Watch...
'Space' Ground-breaking documentary series covering topics such
as Black Holes, extraterrestrial life and transport in Space.
>>>BBC1, Sundays, 08:30pm

Listen to...
'Mooney Goes Wild on One.' Entertainment, environmental news and
in depth reports on wild animals, plants and ecology.
>>>RTE Radio 1, Sundays 11:00am

Surf...
A new science discussion bulletin board has been launched on
Boards.ie. Why not start your own discussion thread or get
involved in existing discussions about such topics as time travel,
genetic disorders, first human head transplant and hayfever cures.
>>>http://www.boards.ie/cgi-bin/bulletin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&foru
m=Science&number=30

Visit...
The Glasgow Science Centre. Officially opened on 5 July, the GSC
brings science and technology to life through hundreds of
interactive exhibits in the Science Mall and the unique experiences
of the GSC IMAX Theatre and the Glasgow Tower.
>>>Full details on the GSC website http://www.gsc.org.uk
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Next Issue - August 2001
http://www.science.ie

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Copyright (c) Forfás 2001


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Bob the Unlucky Octopus

Some very interesting articles there(not least the ones about animal gas and rehabilitative virtual machines), and a nice coup for all Science fans on boards.ie- plyd DeV

Bob the Unlucky Octopus