Lectures at the Royal Dublin Society

2003

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Royal Dublin Society

Brendan Finucane & Annette McDonnell

Lectures at the Royal Dublin Society

Lectures have played a role in the Royal Dublin Society Science programme for many years now - from 1891, when George Johnston Stoney proposed the term electron for the 'atom of electricity', right through to 2002, when over 5,000 people attended a science lecture in the RDS.

Over the past few years, the Science & Technology Committee of the RDS, through successful partnerships, have brought world class lecturers to Ireland to advance the public understanding of science. The Committee has also established a fund for bursaries to underwrite the cost of constructing demonstration lectures for schools as part of a wider effort to encourage young people to study and choose careers in Science.

Professor Richard O'Kennedy

The Irish Times/RDS Science Today Lectures
Professor Richard O'Kennedy gave the 2002 schools lecture, Exploiting the Immune System . In this lecture, he brought students on an exciting journey through the workings of the immune system with the help of varied demonstrations, props and costumes. He also explained how components of the immune system are being used to create some exciting new medical treatments for cancer.

Professor Kingston Mills

The public debate on vaccinations and the decline in the uptake of the MMR vaccine led Science Today to a partnership with the Irish Society of Immunology in May 2002. A lecture entitled Vaccination by Professor Kingston Mills, TCD, was the result. In this lecture, Prof. Mills addressed the safety concerns surrounding the vaccine by presenting the scientific evidence in a clear fashion.

Professor Steven Pinker

Internationally renowned cognitive psychologist Professor Steven Pinker, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, gave the 2002 Autumn Public lecture on his recent book, The Blank Slate. This book and lecture challenged a prevailing doctrine, which claims that we are all born like a blank slate, with our abilities and characteristics determined by environment alone.

Professor Richard Dawkins

Professor Richard Dawkins, the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, gave the first Science Today Lecture of 2003, which featured readings from his latest book, The Devil's Chaplain. In this lecture, he covered the topics of evolution, religion and the scientific approach in a thought-provoking and humorous manner.

Science Live
Science Live is a series of demonstration lectures created by science educators and sponsored by the RDS. The program was established in 1999 in order to increase interest and awareness of science among young people. The demonstration lectures have proved to be worthwhile and popular: over 5,000 primary and second level students attended nine different lectures last year, both in Dublin and around the rest of the country.

Primary Cycle

More Fun with Science _ _ _ Mr Randal Henly

Super Furry Animals _ _ _ Ms Catherine Daly

Nature's Electric _ _ _ Ms Lisa Jane Mooney

Blood, Murder and Mayhem _ _ _ Prof. Richard O'Kennedy

Junior Cycle

Blood, Murder and Mayhem _ _ _ Prof. Richard O' Kennedy

Where would we �be without it - Chemistry _ _ _ Dr Odilla Finlayson

Senior Cycle

The Genetics Revolution _ _ _ Dr Fergus Ryan

Babies, Badgers and Beer _ _ _ Prof. Philip Boland

The Fluke, the Snail, �the Cow and her Liver _ _ _ Dr Grace Mulcahy

Other RDS Lectures
John Jackson Lecture
(Held in association with the Royal Irish Academy)

Fossil Lilies of the Ocean _ _ _ Prof. George Sevastopulo

RDS/WITS (Women in Technology & Science) Lecture

The remarkable Agnes Clerke _ _ _ Dr M�ire Br�ck

The Dark Lady of DNA _ _ _ Ms Brenda Maddox

Went Memorial Lecture

Salmonid Riverine Rehabilitation �Programmes in Ireland -
�Past, Present and Future _ _ _ Dr Martin O'Grady

Tyndall Lecture

Sonic Boom _ _ _ Dr P�draig Dunne

Contact: Annette McDonnell, Development Executive, Science & Industry, Royal Dublin Society, Ballsbridge, Dublin 2; Tel: 01-240-7217; E-mail: [email protected]