UCC postgraduates demystify scientific data

A MORE effective vaccination for many viruses could result from research in University College Cork’s microbiology department.

The work of one of its postgraduate research team earned her the top prize in a competition which required students to explain the their work in plain English.

Heather McLaughlin developed the findings of a former postgraduate student who had identified a gene in the listeria monocytogenes bacteria which is required to make iron available from the body. As iron is needed by bacteria to cause infection, the research aimed to find out if removing the gene would reduce the level of infection caused by listeria.

Ms McLaughlin was one of six finalists in UCC’s Science for All competition, which encourages postgraduate researchers to explain their work in an easily understandable manner to a non-scientific audience.

Among the other research work highlighted was Brendan Cahill’s investigations at the Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre into how wave energy conversion devices could best be deployed to optimise the energy generated from wind farms off our coast.

David Daly explained his work at the Moorepark Food Research Centre to find ways of preventing cracking defects which occur during the manufacture of cheeses.

The potential for internet speeds hundreds of times faster than those currently available which are being developed through research with fibre-optic technology was explained by Tyndall National Institute researcher Naoise Mac Suibhne.

The complex world of quantum physics and how it might be used to develop nanochips that will one day replace microchips in computers, phones and music devices was simplified by Tadhg Morgan from UCC’s department of physics.

Ran Wan, also of Tyndall National Institute, demonstrated how her work there has helped in the development of a microchip transistor which will revolutionise electronic devices.