Water Institute Events

DCU will tomorrow (May 2nd) host a one-day conference and workshop, DCU and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Recognising and Enhancing our Research Contribution.

The conference will feature scholars from across the university, highlighting key DCU research relating to the SDG’s and promoting future cross-faculty collaboration.

Each of the 17 SDG goals to be highlighted and discussed by a member of DCU academic staff who is internationally recognised within this topic. Each invited speaker will be providing an overview of their selected SGD topic, its relevance and their related work – pitched to inspire thought about links to academic teaching and research. Each expert has 12 minutes to discuss their goal.

The schedule for the conference is as follows:

GOAL 1: No Poverty (Dr. Deiric O’Broin)

GOAL 2: Zero Hunger (Prof. Anne Matthews)

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being (Prof. Anthony Staines)

GOAL 4: Quality Education (Dr. Charlotte Holland)

GOAL 5: Gender Equality (Prof. Maura McAdam)

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation (Prof. Fiona Regan)

GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy (Dr. James Carton)

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth (Prof. Edgar Morgenroth)

GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (Prof. Alan Smeaton)

GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality (Dr. Maeve O’Brien)

GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities (Prof. Caroline McMullen)

GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production (Prof. Barry McMullen)

GOAL 13: Climate Action (Dr. Diarmuid Torney)

GOAL 14: Life Below Water (Prof. Christine Loscher)

GOAL 15: Life on Land (Dr. Blanaid White)

GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions (Dr. Rob Gillanders)

GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal (Prof. Brian MacCraith)

Our Ocean Wealth Summit, in association with PwC, takes place on 10 June at Cork’s City Hall. Our Ocean Wealth Summit is Ireland’s flagship event for the marine sector. From engineering to shipping, from aquaculture to energy, from technology to biosciences, this Summit brings together Irish and International organisations working to create innovative, sustainable solutions with global impact that drive our blue economy.

As an island nation, this year we are acknowledging the role of islands in Our Ocean Wealth, and the theme for the 2019 Summit is Shared Voices from Small Island Nations. The Summit will hear from global leaders including environmental activist and former US Secretary of State John Kerry and a host of world leaders of island nations as well as researchers, entrepreneurs and academics to engage, network and shape discussions about the maritime economy, and the related opportunities and challenges.

Go on Our Ocean Wealth Summit website for more information and to book your tickets.

Registration is closed… but don’t worry. After our goal of 100 signups, we received over 800 following our official launch. We’ll be aiming at making this an annual event so check back for the 2020 WaterBlitz!

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Help monitor the conditions in Dublin’s freshwater sites! As a citizen scientist, you can help gather data on our waterways to contribute to our understanding of water health.

We’ll be collecting water samples from the Liffey and other freshwater sites in coordination with FreshWater Watch. If you live along rivers, streams, ponds or lakes around Dublin or wish to travel to one and assist us gathering data on one of our most precious resources, we’d love your help.

The water testing is very easy and sampling could be something to do with friends and family!

To sign up and for more info see:

https://earthwatch.org.uk/dublin-waterblitz-interest

The Water Institute’s Prof. Fiona Regan will be speaking at Environment Ireland this October – Ireland’s major environmental policy and management conference. Her talk will discuss ‘Innovations In How We Monitor Our Water Environment’. The event is in its 15th year and is run with the Environmental Protection Agency and Dept of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

The event will be an excellent opportunity to discuss pressing matters for the sector, allowing industry leaders, experts, practitioners and policy makers both nationally and internationally to share and connect. The conference has been advertised as a must-attend for those in the environmental sector, with the Dáil having declared a climate and biodiversity emergency.

For more see:

https://www.environmentireland.ie/

This is an opportunity for companies to meet face-to-face with experts at Dublin City University (DCU) and Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) who are actively engaged in research that has applications across many industry sectors. You can profile your business, outline the challenges for your business, explore new ideas and understand the various options to collaborate and fund R&D projects through state and European supports. Companies with both an established R&D programme and start-ups with new ideas are welcome.

The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate targeted exchanges between researchers and industry and explore opportunities for collaboration through access to talent, knowledge transfer, training and industry/academic partnerships.

Following a light breakfast the plenary session will outline research at DCU & DkIT and how the institutions collaborate with industry. You will hear from companies who have previously collaborated with DCU & DkIT. This will be followed by pre-scheduled one to one meetings which will take place between individual DCU & DkIT researchers/business development managers and industry representatives who are interested in extending their R&D capability by working with third level institutions.

Speakers

• Richard Stokes – CEO DCU Invent & Director of Commercialisation, DCU
• Prof. Noel O’Connor – CEO Insight Centre for Data Analytics
• Lewize Crothers – CEO and Founder of Exit Entry
• Neil McLoughlin – Technology Transfer Manager at DkIT
• More to follow

Focus of the event

• Get to know the research capabilities at DCU & DkIT
• Learn how to fund R&D through collaboration with DCU & DkIT
• Meet with research experts to discuss challenges for your business
• Find out how DCU & DkIT do Business

Main Sector/Topic Areas

• ICT & Digital Services
• Internet of Things
• Lifesciences and Health
• Biopharmaceuticals
• Medtech
• Advanced Manufacturing & Materials
• Engineering
• Water Resource Management
• Energy & Environmental Sustainability
• Social & Economic Concerns
• Manufacturing Competitiveness
• Physical Science
• Education
• Humanities & Social Sciences
• Business Innovation
• Social and Ethical Impact
• Legal Studies
• Communications and Public Engagement
• Social Enterprise

The 30th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium will be hosted in a collaboration between the ESAI (Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland) and the DCU Water Institute. The conference will be hosted in Glasnevin, DCU. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Ireland’s Water, Energy & Environment in a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency.’

Environ is the longest running and largest forum for environmental researchers in Ireland with an average of 275 delegates attending the event annually. It provides a high-visibility platform for young and experienced researchers to present their findings to an audience drawn from academia, government bodies and agencies, as well as industry.

A number of events run over the three days, including a variety of workshops, oral and poster presentations, plenary speakers, Q&A panel discussions and a conference gala dinner.

For more information, please see the following link.

This event will discuss forthcoming activities for World Water Day 2022 on the theme of ‘Groundwater’ and introduce the 2022 edition of the UN World Water Development Report on the same theme.

Through a multi-stakeholder approach, the World Water Day 2022 campaign on the theme of groundwater will contribute to a raised public, policy and scientific awareness of the opportunities and risks of addressing groundwater in the context of achieving SDG 6.

Groundwater provides almost half of all drinking water worldwide, about 40% of water for irrigated agriculture and about 1/3 of water supply required for industry. It sustains ecosystems, maintains the baseflow of rivers and prevents land subsidence and seawater intrusion. Despite its importance, groundwater is invisible. And out of sight oftentimes also means out of mind.

Through this event that will introduce World Water Day 2022 and the UN World Water Development Report on the theme of groundwater, participants will be able to shape the campaign through suggestions of activities but also get the information and the tools needed to raise awareness of groundwater.

We cannot live without water, many millions don’t have enough and flooding regularly hits areas of Ireland and of countries around the world.
These complexities of water will be discussed in an online round table hosted by the Mary Mulvihill Association and DCU Water Institute.
The panel will include people with particular interests in water quality, our damp weather, equity and security of supply, and the pleasures of contemplating rivers, lakes and seas.
The wonders of water include its chemical simplicity (H2O) and its biological indispensability, its calming and healing qualities. The worries of water include the dangers it represents and the challenges of managing it equitably and effectively.

This panel discussion takes place ahead of World Water Day (22 March) which this year has the theme of Groundwater.

It also takes place in association with the Mary Mulvihill Award, a science media competition for students which this year has the theme, Water. Entries for this competition may
address the theme from social, political, scientific, engineering, artistic or other perspectives.

The panellists for this discussion will include:

• Susan Hegarty, Head of the School of History and Geography at Dublin City University and leader of citizen science projects on water quality
• Padraic Larkin, former deputy director-general of the Environmental Protection Agency and former chair of Water JPI, a European programme on Water Challenges for a Changing World
• Theo Dorgan, poet, social commentator and ocean sailor
• Niamh Shaw, STEAM artist and prospective space explorer, who wants to know if there is water on Mars

Please register in advance for this meeting:

https://lnkd.in/gSMsJex2

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.