Demand for science courses up

Image: BT

The good news this morning is that figures just released by the Central Applications Office (the body that administrates college applications in Ireland) show that interest in science courses has increased significantly.

The figures show that the number of students expressing a first preference for science courses is up by 18.5% on last year and a whopping 60% over the last five years.

While it's encouraging to see such demand for science courses, it's possible, as reported by the Irish Times, that such a demand could put 'upward pressure' on the points required to study some of these popular science courses. For example, in 2006 you could study science at UCD for 300 points. Last year, that figure had reached 455.

In total, there were 71,648 CAO applications this year; up slightly on 2011.

It is more important than ever that we invest in science teaching and training at third-level to provide the courses (and places in numbers) that CAO applicants are looking for after heeding the many calls from government ministers, industry leaders and science advocates.

Like other sectors, Higher Education is being asked to do more with less. Everyone accepts that value for money needs to be an important consideration, but missing this chance to take advantage of swelling interest in science and technology courses would not do anybody any good. Without significant and sustained investment, this will be a wasted opportunity.

Women in Science and Technology

To mark International Women's Day, five leading women in science and technology will encourage young students to "walk in their stilettos" and see what a modern day scientific career is really like.

In a new video produced by Women in Technology and Science (WITS), the women share insights to their careers, which vary from evolutionary genetics, marine engineering and pharmaceutical research, as well as challenge the gender stereotype of a scientist being ‘a man in a white coat working in a lab’.

Participants include Prof. Dervilla Donnelly, a research chemist; Dr. Aoife McLysaght an evolutionary genetisist and Lt. Cmdr. Niamh Ní Fhátharta, a marine engineer with the Irish Navy.

Speaking at the launch of the film, Sadhbh McCarthy, Chairperson of WITS said: “Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) is crucial to the recovery of Ireland’s economy and there is ample opportunity for graduates of these subjects.  A lack of diversity in any industry will hamper innovation and advancement so challenging the stereotypes and narrow notions of what a scientist is and what scientific research actually involves is therefore essential.

“Opportunities in science are constantly evolving and there are many Irish people at the forefront of these exciting developments.  As Aoife put it in the film we have launched today, ‘your future career might not even exist today’, highlighting the pace at which these industries move.  I hope that this film will inspire more girls to view a career in STEM as a fulfilling and exciting one worth considering.”

In search of monkey puzzles

A. araucana, Spanaway, WA.

It's National Tree Week and earlier in the week I posted something on Araucaria araucana, the Monkey Puzzle Tree and asked for readers to let me know of any interesting examples in their area.

The thing about the Monkey Puzzle is that it is so unique and unmistakable for any other tree species that it tends to stick out in peoples' mind where they see one. As one writer put it: because of their uniqueness, they seem more common than they actually are.

They are also enough of a botanical curiosity that they are often an indication of some historic botanical connection that can be unearthed. They make for some good stories!

Melanie Brisbane was in touch from Spanaway in Washington State in the US to send a photo of her A. araucana covered in snow. The tree is quite cold-tolerant, although the roots can be damaged by severe and extended cold snaps.

Mary Higgins from Waterford mentioned the Monkey Puzzle at Doneraile Park in North Cork. The gardens at Doneraile Court and the plant collecting activities of Mary St. Leger are worthy of a post of their own. The tree is apparently still there but I don't have an image to hand. A trip North is on the cards, I think!
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Update 12/03/2012: Having travelled to Doneraile this weekend in search of A. araucana, I can safely say that if there was one in the park, it's gone now! More details in due course.
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TriploidTree commented on the specimen tree located at Tramore Road in Cork City (between Musgraves and CMP). CMP is gone from that location but at least one Monkey Puzzle is still present on the site.

Monkey Puzzle at Tramore Road, Cork

The size of the tree indicates that it has been located on the site for much longer than the current occupiers. A quick check of some old maps confirms the site was a plant nursery in the middle of the 19th Century and the tree was positioned at the entrance to the establishment. Surely a great way to impress prospective customers, by exhibiting one of the botanical curiosities of the age at the front gate.

c.1840 map of the Tramore Road Nursery site showing approximate position of the Monkey Puzzle tree (red dot)

OpenPlaques brought my attention to a tree at the bottom of Malone Road in Belfast which must surely be associated with the nearby Botanical Gardens? A quick search hasn't shown up anything there at the moment. Can any Belfast readers shed some light on the matter?
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Update 12/03/2012: Prof. John Pilcher from Queens University, Belfast contacted me recently to tell me that, as far as he knew, there was no Monkey Puzzle in the Gardens now. "Some of the old Belfast postcards seem to show one near the Malone road gate (near the Kelvin statue)" says John. "There are some specimens of [the related species] Araucaria heterophylla, one in the Tropical ravine and I think two in the Palm House".
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Finally, one other specimen of note is the fine example to be found at what is now Mahon Point in Cork City. This tree is all that remains of the once impressive Lakelands Demesne built by none other than William Crawford. As we've already learned, he was a keen plantsman and developed spectacular gardens on the site now occupied by suburban housing, a shopping centre and a dual carriageway. Sic transit gloria mundi.

I'll write more on Lakelands and Crawford's botanical exploits at a later date, but for National Tree Week it's good to know that this unique tree can act as a reminder of Crawford's Lakeland gardens.

A. araucana at Mahon Point, Cork

Improbable Frequency

Science and theatre fans are in for a treat this month with the Irish musical Improbable Frequency making a triumphant return to the Dublin stage from the 13th - 24th March.

Having seen the show in its first run some years ago I can highly recommend it as a piece of brilliant entertainment with a distinct scientific slant.

Rough Magic Theatre Company brings Arthur Riordan's comedy musical (Ireland's only show fitting into that particular genre?) back to Dublin as part of the  City of Science celebrations.

Featuring the Austrian physicist and Nobel Prize winner Erwin Schrödinger and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, the show follows the exploits of a British crossword enthusiast, the wonderfully titled Tristram Faraday, sent to Dublin to investigate suspicious radio broadcasts.

Improbable encounters with English poet John Betjeman, Ewrin Schrödinger, satirist Myles naGopaleen, the mysterious Agent Green and the innocent (or is she?) Philomena O’Shea, lead to plot twists, double crossings and, inevitably, to the Palace Bar.

It's a show that sounds great, will have you genuinely laughing out loud and has loads of scientific references to keep us science geeks happy. It's also visually stunning with a larger set promised for this run. In fact, I'm told the new set it based on a cross section of CERN's Large Hadron Collider!

From this reviewer, the show gets 5/5 stars! Well worth a trip to the theatre.

The show opens on the 13th March. See Gaiety Theatre for more.

+PLUS Skip on over to The Frog Blog where they have tickets to give away!

A Puzzling Tree

Monkey Puzzle at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford

The Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) is a familiar yet exotic sight in many large gardens and parks across Ireland and Britain.

Native to South America,it's the national tree of Chile where it is commonly known as Pehuén.

Despite some commentators despising the things (even going so far as to encourage owners to chop them down!), I quite like them.They've got a bizarre, reptilian quality about them which makes them, at the very least, impossible to mistake for any other species.

It's an evergreen, growing relatively slowly and reaching more than 40 metres in places at maturity. The tree can reach a spectacular age - up to 1,300 years old.

The flowers are dioecious, which means they are either male or female. If you want to produce viable seed to propagate the tree, you'll need two trees - one male and one female. The seeds themselves are pretty large and apparently tasty enough to eat.

The leaves are thick, scale-like and triangular with sharp edges. The leaves are so sharp that there has been calls to remove a number of the trees where they are grown close to schools. Madness of course!

There is some concern for the tree in its native South America where logging, human-set fires and land clearance since Europeans arrived have reduced its range. Its tasty seed and sought after timber means it is at a real risk of being over-collected.

Monkey Puzzle at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford

The tree first reached Britain in 1795, when Archibald Menzies, a botanist and surgeon with the British Navy brought five saplings home. Menzies had been served the seeds as a desert at a dinner party hosted by the governer of Chile. Sir Joseph Banks at Kew planted two of the saplings in his own garden and three at Kew.

The common name of the plant apparently derives from the 1850's when the proud owner of an early British example of the tree was showing off his prized possession when one of them remarked: "It would puzzle a monkey to climb that". The name has stuck.

There are plenty of Monkey Puzzle trees dotted around the country. Where's your favourite? Send locations (and pics!) and I'll post the best. You can email communicatescience1@gmail.com

This post is part of a series to mark National Tree Week 2012.

National Tree Week 2012

This Sunday sees the start of National Tree Week in Ireland - a week-long series of events celebrating the impact of trees on our lives and on our environment.

>> Here at Communicate Science, we'll have a series of tree-themed posts to mark the occasion. Stay tuned! <<

National Tree Week runs from 4th-10th March and the theme for 2012 is 'Trees- Our Past, Our Present, Our Future'.

National Tree Week will kick off this Sunday with a series of events in Ardee, Co. Louth at which President Michael D. Higgins  will participate in a tree planting ceremony at 12 noon.

There are loads of events throughout the country - check out the website for full details.

Highlights include:

Clare - A guided tree walk in the Burren where there is famously "not enough wood to hang a man".

Cork - A guided walk at the Gearagh Nature Reserve near Macroom - the finest surviving example of ancient, post-glacial wooded floodplain on the River Lee.

Cork - A guided tour of the spectacular Fota Arboretum by Head Gardener David O'Regan.

Dublin - 'In Celebration of Trees' - An exhibition of Bonsai at the National Botanic Gardens.

Dublin - The inaugural National Tree Week lecture takes place at the National Botanic Gardens. "The Once and Future Forest" will be delivered by Dr. John Feehan.

Wexford - A forest walk at JFK Arboretum featuring a description of forest species, forest management, timber uses, wildlife and a demonstration of how to plant and fell trees.

Full details of times, dates, cost (where applicable), etc. can be found on the NTW website.

Irish Research Priorities

Today sees the launch by the Government of its Research Prioritisation Plan.

The plan aims to target the majority of the Government's core €500m budget for scientific research on 14 specific areas of greatest opportunity.

To be prioritised, the area had to represent a global market in which Irish-based companies could compete. Ireland must have strengths in related areas already and have the capability of conducting public R&D to exploit the area. Also, a national or global challenge must exist which Ireland needs to respond to.

The 14 priority areas of focus are:

Future Networks & Communications
Data Analytics Management, Security & Privacy   
Digital Platforms, Content & Applications
Connected Health & Independent Living
Medical Devices
Diagnostics
Therapeutics - synthesis formulation, processing and drug delivery
Food for Health
Sustainable Food Production and Processing
Marine Renewable Energy
Smart Grids & Smart Cities
Manufacturing Competitiveness
Processing Technologies and Novel Materials
Innovation in Services and Business Processes

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr Richard Bruton, T.D.said at the launch “In recent years we have built up a very substantial base of world-class scientific research taking place in Ireland. The challenge now is to ensure that this activity is translated into commercial outcomes and sustainable businesses and sustainable jobs. With determined implementation of the recommendations of this report we can make sure that this happens”.

As an example in my own field, one of the priority research areas is "Sustainable Food Production and Processing". The report concludes that "global demand for food is projected to increase by 70 per cent over the next 40 years" and that Ireland is ideally placed to exploit such a demand.

"Alongside the need to increase food production is the challenge of doing so in a manner that does not impact on greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, biodiversity or fish stocks. The focus of this priority area is on sustainable, competitive and efficient agri- & marine food production and processing."

"Growth in global population and changing diets in emerging countries are projected to bring about a 70 per cent increase in food demand to feed 9 billion people by 2050. The greatest challenge faced by agriculture is to meet development and sustainability goals, while increasing production. Over the coming decades, there will be increased global competition for land use. This is the ‘food, energy and environment trilemma’, where increased demand for food and energy combine, pressure on land conversion is increased, leading to further climate change, which in turn may affect productivity and availability of land."

Are there areas missing that you would have liked to see included? Let us know by adding a comment below.

You can read the report in full here (pdf).