LATEST news

25 February 2012 - Workshop held on Seaweed Biodiversity and its Uses. Dr Dagmar Stengel (Lecturer in Botany and Plant Science and Theme Leader Algal BioSciences, and member of Ryan Institute) and Udo Nitschke (PhD student in Botany and Plant Science, located in Ryan Institute) held a workshop entitled ’Seaweed diversity explained: how to identify it and what to do with it!’ on 25th of February 2012. The workshop, organised by the National Biodiversity Data Centre, took place at NUI Galway and was attended by nearly 20 participants. It consisted of lectures on seaweed diversity, biology, ecology and utilisation, and practical exercises to identify seaweed species belonging to different taxonomic groupings, as well as a demonstration of a variety of Irish and international seaweed products.

13 February 2012: Visiting researcher from CIMAR/CIIMAR/ Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Genómica e Evolução, Portugal. Cristiana Moreira CIMAR/CIIMAR/ Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Genómica e Evolução, Portugal visits the Genetics and Biotechnology Lab of Prof Charles Spillane to conduct work on phylogeography and phylogenetics of a cyanobacterial species.

27 November 2011: NUIG Botany and Plant Science PhD student Anna Pielach and GMIT Art student Veronika Straberger present “Latch-on”. Anna and Veronika collaborated to develop a mixed-media interpretation (ceramic, viewing box, etc) of the interactions between hemi-parasitic plants and their host species at the microscopic, morphological and ecological level. Funding for the Guerrilla Science installations was provided by NUI Galway’s Research Office, Art Gallery and Community Knowledge Initiative (CKI) and is based on Anna’s PhD project funded by IRCSET and supervised by Dr Zoë Popper in Botany and Plant Science. See the Blog site and Irish Times article for more information or see if you can find any of the permanent installations in situ around Galway city!

November 2011: Annals of Botany review of “The Plant Cell Wall: Methods in Molecular Biology” edited by Dr Zoë Popper (BPS).

November 2011: Dr Oliver Leroux (IRCSET-funded postdoctoral researcher) and Sandra Raimundo (SFI-funded PhD student) join BPS to investigate fern and algal cell walls respectively under the supervision of Dr Zoë Popper.

27 August 2011: PhD student Hollydawn Murray wins award for algal presentation at Mexico conference. Hollydawn Murray who is a PhD student jointly supervised by Dr Dagmar Stengel (Botany and Plant Science) and Dr Rachel Cave (Earth and Ocean Sciences) attended the 'SETAC Focused Topic Meeting, Pollutants in the Environment: Fate and Toxicity', Merida, Mexico, 24-27 August 2011, and won the award for the best platform presentation at the conference. Her talk was entitled ’Voltammetric characterization of algal-exuded organic ligands and their effect on copper bioavailability in seawater’ (authors: Hollydawn Murray, Rachel Cave, Dagmar Stengel). Travel was financially supported by the Thomas Crawford Hayes Fund.e

18 June 2011: NUIG Botany and Plant Science hosts the AGM of the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI). The Discipline of Botany & Plant Science at NUI Galway hosts the 2011 annual meeting of the Botanical Society of the British Isles, which runs from 18 to 21 June. This is the first time the BSBI meeting has been held in Galway and only the second time it has been held in the Republic of Ireland in the Society’s 175 year history. The meeting is aimed at both academic and amateur botanists from throughout Britain and Ireland and consists of the AGM and a variety of talks by leading botanical experts. The 2011 meeting is taking place in Galway due to its close proximity to some of the best botanical regions in Ireland, including the Burren, Connemara and the Aran Islands. See NUIG Press Release for more details.

15 June 2011: NUI Galway enters into a Research and Education Alliance with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). NUI Galway has entered into a Research & Education Alliance with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). ICRISAT is headquartered in India with a range of research stations in Africa. This Research Alliance will combine efforts, expertise and capacity in order to advance Plant and AgriBiosciences research for poverty reduction in developing countries in the semi-arid tropics (particularly in sub-Saharan Africa). The Alliance will strengthen collaborations between research groups within the NUI Galway Plant and AgriBiosciences Research Cluster and scientists in ICRISAT. The Alliance will conduct research on staple crops of the poor to improve smallholder productivity and food security. See NUIG Press release for more details.

7-9 June 2011: Botany and Plant Science researchers win awards at Irish Plant Scientists Association Meeting (IPSAM) in Belfast. The 2011 Irish Plant Scientists Association Meeting ( IPSAM 2011) meeting was held in Queen's University, Belfast. See program for presentations and posters by NUI Galway Botany and Plant Science researchers.

7 June 2011: Prof Charles Spillane attends high-level Roundtable meeting on Innovation and Competitiveness in European Agriculture (Warsaw, Poland). Prof Spillane attends Roundtable meeting on Innovation and Competitiveness in European Agriculture as part of the European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) delegation. The meeting (under Chatham House rules) was organised by the Polish Ministry of the Economy in the context of preparatory work of the Polish Presidency of the EU.

21-27 May 2011: BPS Genetics and Biotechnology Lab members act as instructors on EMBO Practical Course on microRNA profiling. Dr. Mark Donoghue and Duygu Selcuklu contributed as instructors to the EMBO Practical Course on microRNA profiling which was hosted in NUI Galway. The course brought to NUI Galway basic and clinical researchers with interests ranging from marine algae, and viniculture to regenerative medicine and cancer therapy to learn the latest advances in microRNA techniques.

15 April 2011: Prof Charles Spillane, Leonardo Group advisor to Science Gallery is member of curatorial team for the Human : The Future of Our Species exhibition in the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. Prof. Spillane is a member of the Leonardo Group of advisors to the award-winning Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin. Prof. Spillane is one of the curators of the Wellcome Trust funded Human :The Future of Our Species exhibition which aims to provoke thinking on the challenging topics of human enhancement and transhumanism. See Science Gallery website and Irish Times article.

2-3 April 2011: Botany Society of National University of Ireland, Galway hosts "A Weekend of Ecological Workshops" in the NUIG Máirín de Valéra Carron Field Research Facility. All are welcome to a talk by Sharon Parr (Saturday, 12pm) with complimentary lunch to follow:  " Farming the blooming Burren – agriculture or floriculture?". Saturday Workshops (each 2hrs long & costing €15): (1) “Introduction to the identification of ground beetles”, 10:00-12.00 by Brendan Canning (Applied Ecology Unit, NUIG); (2) “ Introduction to bryophyte identification features”, 12:00-14.00 by Rory Hodd (Botany & Plant Science, NUIG); (3) “ Native trees and shrubs - identification and uses”, 14:00-16.00 by Anna Pielach (Landscape Architect, Botany & Plant Science, NUIG). Sunday Art Class (4hrs, €20, lunch and drawing materials included, but feel free to bring your own pencils etc.). Free-hand PENCIL DRAWING by Anna Pielach. Places are limited. See NUIG Botany Society webpage for booking details. Overnight accommodation and dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday can be provided for an additional €20. Package deal available: Saturday and Sunday workshops, meals and accommodation: €70

1 April 2011: Matthias Schmid joins research group of Dr. Dagmar Stengel as research assistant. Matthias Schmid from Germany (who is funded under the EU Leonardo Programme) joins the research group of Dr. Dagmar Stengel as a research assistant until October 2011.

28 March 2011: Dr. Danny Hunter from Bioversity International (Rome) visits Botany and Plant Science to lecture students on agrobiodiversity conservation and sustainable use. Dr. Danny Hunter is a staff scientist in Bioversity International (Rome) and an Adjunct Lecturer in Botany and Plant Science NUIG. Danny is a specialist in agrobiodiversity, and is also on the board of Genetic Heritage Ireland. See Danny's blog on agrobioversity in Ireland at: http://agrobiodiversitie.wordpress.com/

17 January 2011: BPS Guest Lecturer Dr. Claire Belcher visits Botany and Plant Science to lecture on Long-term Climate Change and Paleobotany.  Dr. Claire Belcher is an interdisciplinary paleo-scientist investigating the relationship between plants and climate change over millions of years since the advent of plants on earth. Claire’s research interests include: mass extinction events, fire ecology, accuracy of fossil charcoal as an indicator of palaeowildfire, charcoal characteristics and taphonomy, biogeochemical cycling and ancient atmospheres with particular interest in using wildfire as a proxy for atmospheric oxygen.

12 January 2011: Prof Charles Spillane appointed as Irish National Representative to the Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee (MASC).  Arabidopsis thaliana is the most intensively studied plant on the planet, with a research community of almost 30,000 researchers worldwide. The Multinational Arabidopsis Steering Committee (MASC) is composed of representatives from each country with major Arabidopsis functional genomics efforts or a coalition of countries with smaller programs. The Steering Committee meets once a year in conjunction with the International Conference on Arabidopsis Research.

12 January 2011: Dr. Zoe Popper's book on The Plant Cell Wall: Methods and Protocols (2011) is published. Dr. Zoe Popper has edited a major book on the Plant Cell Wall which In The Plant Cell Wall: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field describe detailed methods which are currently being applied to investigate the many aspects of the plant cell wall including its structure, biochemical composition, and metabolism. 

17th-18th November 2010: NUIG Botany and Plant Science PhD student Simrat Kaur (Genetics and Biotechnology Lab) wins runner up prize for oral presentation at 6th Annual Meeting of the Irish Cytometry Society. The 6th Annual Meeting of the Irish Cytometry Society was held in the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin. Simrat won runner up prize for her presentation on her PhD research on flow cytometry for biotechnological enhancement of microalgal cells.

9 November 2010: NUIG Botany and Plant Science lecturer Dr. Dagmar Stengel wins prestigious national award for excellence in teaching. Dr Dagmar Stengel, NUIG BPS Lecturer Dr Dagmar Stengel recently received a 2010 National Academy for Integration of Research Teaching and Learning ( NAIRTL) Annual Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dagmar received specific praise for her approachable and empathetic manner with students, which encourages them to strive for her high standards of excellence. Her inclusion of new research in lectures and her ability to relate marine botany and plant science to the local area was also noted particularly. See NUIG Press Release.

13-15 October 2010: NUIG Botany and Plant Science PhD researcher Angela Mina-Vargas travels to Leuven, Belgium to attend the 2nd International VIB PhD Student Symposium. This 3-day symposium is organized by PhD students for PhD students and has all the ingredients to encourage thinking beyond the niche of your PhD, networking and skills development in the field of biosciences. The VIBes 2010 Symposium allows PhD students to interact with inspiring leaders in science. Angela was awarded an international scholarship to attend the Student Symposium.

13 October 2010: Annual NUIG Botany and Plant Science visit to the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Zoe Popper brings the 4th year Botany and Plant Science students and PhD students on the annual trip to the Botanic Gardens, for a tour of the gardens and an overview of the research underway in the Botanic Gardens. The National Botanic Gardens were established in 1790, originally to promote a scientific approach to the study of agriculture. In its early years the Gardens demonstrated plants that were useful for animal and human food, animal feed, human medicine and industrial applications, but it also grew plants that promoted an understanding of systematic botany.

9-10 October 2010: Prof Michael O'Connell leads NUIG Botany and Plant Science student outing to the Irish Met Society meeting in Valentia Observatory, Co. Kerry. Over 290 people attended the Irish Meteorological Society field trip to Valentia Observatory, Caherciveen, Co. Kerry.

6-8 October 2010: NUIG Botany and Plant Science PhD student Dorota Duszynska (Genetics and Biotechnology Lab) travels to Würzburg, Germany to give talk at the 3rd International PhD School on Plant Development.

1 October 2010: Dr. Zoë Popper from NUIG Botany and Plant Sciences invited to join the Editorial Panel of the journal Annals of Botany. Dr. Zoë Popper has been appointed to the panel of 22 editors of Annals of Botany, a long-established (1887) international journal which publishes original research on all aspects of the Plant Sciences. The journal is available in electronic format (as well as hard copy) and has recently established a blog site which posts a diversity of articles including commentary on, and links to, recent scientific discoveries in the field of Botany and Plant Sciences.   

20-24 September 2010: NUIG Botany and Plant Science PhD student Aurelie Comte (Genetics and Biotechnology Lab) attends the European Networking Summer School (ENSS) on Plant Epigenetics 2010 .

July 2010: NUI Galway Botany and Plant Science Students Field Excursion in the Italian Alps. Prof. Michael O'Connell, Dr. Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington and Pat O'Rafferty led the 2010 NUIG Annual Botany Field trip to the Italian alps.The week long botanical excursion centred on the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, in the high Alps, north of Bergamo, Italy. A biodiversity hotspot, this National Park is renowned for its flora (forests, alpine grasslands and meadows), fauna, glaciers and spectacular mountain scenery. The NUI Galway botanists were accompanied by Italian staff and students from the University of Milan (Universita degli Studi di Milano), who assisted with their detailed knowledge of the region and its flora. The NUI Galway delegation were provided with first-hand accounts of the research being carried out by the Italian researchers. The research included study of the local flora and vegetation, and investigations into the effects of climate change and a changing farming economy on the Alpine environment. The local hosts were Professor Marco Caccianiga and Professor Carlo Andreis, University of Milan (Universit degli Studi di Milano) and their students (PhD, MSc and final year students). 

5-10 July 2010: NUIG Botany and Plant Science PhD student Antoine Fort (Genetics and Biotechnology Lab) travels to Poland to attend the 8th Poznan Summer School of Bioinformatics.

12 April 2010: Postgraduate student from Botany and Plant Science to represent NUI Galway at National Science Speak Competition at the RDS on 27 April 2010. Ms Merry Zacharias who is a PhD student at NUI Galway in the Discipline of Botany and Plant Science within the School of Natural Sciences won the internal competition to represent NUI Galway at the Ireland-wide Science Speak Competition to be held in Dublin at the RDS on 27 April 2010. Science Speak is an annual inter-varsity science communication event involving all seven Irish universities where postgraduate research students are challenged to present their research work to the general public in non-expert language. Merry’s winning talk was entitled ’ Marine Algae: the missing link to cloud formation? Investigations on the emission and exudation of organic compounds’. Merry’s PhD focuses on the responses of marine algae (seaweeds and microscopic phytoplankton) to environmental stresses and the key  role algae play in climate change research. Algae release organic compounds into the air and seawater which can make a significant contribution to the formation of clouds over the oceans and thereby affect our climate. Merry is conducting her PhD in the Algal Research Group in Botany and Plant Science under the supervision of algal expert Dr. Dagmar Stengel. Her research is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of a larger interdisciplinary project on climate change entitled ’Exchange at the air-sea interface: air quality and climate impacts’ at the Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies at NUI Galway. Research is conducted in collaboration with atmospheric scientists at NUI Galway, UCC and research scientists in Italy. Before starting her PhD in Botany and Plant Science at NUI Galway Merry completed an MSc in Environmental Science at Bharathidasan University in India and worked as a project assistant at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (India). She was also employed as a research assistant at the Environmental Change Institute, NUI Galway. Merry Zacharias is one of 20 PhD students currently conducting research within the Discipline of Botany and Plant Science at NUI Galway.

Above: Photograph showing Merry Zacharias conducting experiments in NUI Galway Botany and Plant Science on marine algae

18 October 2009 - International workshop on crop wild relatives hosted at Botany & Plant Science, NUI Galway, Ireland

The Botany & Plant Science discipline at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) hosted an International Workshop on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Crop Wild Relatives (17-18 October 2009). The workshop featured expert speakers involved in crop wild relatives conservation and sustainable use activities from Bolivia, Madagascar, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Ireland. Participants from the UNEP-GEF funded Global Crop Wild Relatives project were also taken on a study tour of plant conservation activities in the Burren region of Ireland.  Sponsors and partners for the workshop were NUIG Botany & Plant Science, Genetic Heritage Ireland, Bioversity International and Irish Aid. Left: Global Crop Wild Relatives Project scientists on study tour of the Burren, Ireland. Left to right: Dr. Sativaldi Djataev (Uzbekistan); Dr. Beatriz Zapata Ferrufino (Bolivia); Dr. Anura Wijesekara (Sri Lanka); Jeannot Ramelison (Madagascar).

Press Release
Workshop poster

For further information also see the following websites:
http://www.cropwildrelatives.org/
http://www.geneticheritageireland.ie/

18 September 2009 - Head of NUIG Discipline of Botany and Plant Science, Professor Charles Spillane, makes submission on importance of plant research to the Government of Ireland's Innovation Taskforce.

LINKS

RESEARCH TOOLS

GenFrag is a bioinformatics software program developed by Pjotr Prins (Wageningen Agricultural University) in collaboration with the Genetics and Biotechnology Lab, Botany and Plant Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. Genfrag allows the direct identification of genes from knowledge of the size of cDNA-AFLP transcripts and the primer combinations used to generate the transcript derived fragment (TDF). Genfrag can be accessed online from the following URL: https://staffmail.nuigalway.ie/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL="http://genfrag.biobeat.org/

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Blackboard at NUI Galway

BOTANY AND PLANT SCIENCE ORGANISATIONS

American Society of Plant Biologists

European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO)

Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

Society for Economic Botany

The Botanical Society of the British Isles

BOTANY & PLANT SCIENCE OUTREACH 

Images of the Botany stand at the Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition
at Leisureland in November 2008 

For Schools and Prospective Students:
What is Botany? Why study Botany at NUI Galway?
Download  NUI Galway OPEN DAY brochure here

BOTANY AND PLANT SCIENCE CAREERS

Careers in Plant Biology CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

10th Global Botanic Gardens Congress 2010

XIIth Cell Wall Meeting, Porto, 2010

Information on courses run by the Tropical Biology Association

IPSAM 2006 at NUI Galway pages and pictures

BOTANIC GARDENS

The Eden Project, Cornwall, UK

MISCELLANEOUS

http://plantphys.info/botany.poem.html

http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/

Plant photo of the day
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/

Pictures of plant families & plant evolution
'The Tree of Life' Project
http://www.tolweb.org/tree/

Uses of plants by humans (particularly in Scotland but also Ireland )
http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/celtica/scotuseb.htm

German Botanical Congress 2009 (Dresden)

Irish Plant Scientists' Meeting 2007 (Cork)

XI^th Cell Wall Meeting 2007 (Kopenhagen)

An alternative way of looking at the importance of biodiversity http://www.daversitycode.com/earthscope/

Environmental Research Themes supported by the European Union http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/themes/themes_en.htm

Some Botany-related internet links for browsing
http://bubl.ac.uk/link/b/botany.htm

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