Science 140 Team

Science 140 was coordinated by four Irish science communicators, (L-R) Humphrey Jones, Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, Maria Delaney & Paul O'Dwyer. Below are short biographies of each of them!

Aoibhinn hails from Co. Mayo and has always held a fascination for science. An Entrance Scholar to University College Dublin, she graduated with first class honours in BSc. Theoretical Physics and was delighted to achieve a studentship in CERN, Europe’s largest scientific research centre. Aoibhinn has taught mathematics, science, physics and applied mathematics in post-primary school and is currently a recipient of the Ussher Award as a PhD candidate in Mathematics Education in Trinity College Dublin. As well as presenting many Irish language and traditional Irish music shows, Aoibhinn has enjoyed a weekly slot as the ‘Daily Show Scientist’ explaining the science of everyday phenomena. She is also lead presenter with ‘The Science Squad’ exploring current research in Ireland. A member of the Leonardo Group, Aoibhinn has enthusiastically worked with the Science Gallery for a number of years and is also an ambassador for Dublin City of Science 2012. Twitter: @aoibhinn_ni_s

Humphrey is a Science Teacher in St. Columba's College in Dublin. Throughout his eleven year teaching career he has sought to bring science alive in the classroom, revealing science as an ever expanding and dynamic field of study to his pupils. Central to this objective is the Frog Blog (www.frogblog.ie), a frequently updated website aimed at enthusing young people (and the general public) about the world of science and technology. The Frog Blog won the “Big Mouth” Award at the 2010 Eircom Spider Awards and also took home ‘Best Science Blog’ at the 2011 Irish Blog Awards. Humphrey is also a regular contributor to BANG, the Irish Times science monthly supplement and has also written for Science Spin, Ireland's dedicated science and discovery magazine. He is also heavily involved in-service teacher training for the sciences, working with the Professional Development Service for Teachers. He holds a B.Sc, a B.Ed and a Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance & Psychotherapy from the University of Limerick, Ireland. Twitter: @TheFrogBlog

Maria is a native of the Laois / Carlow border tipping just inside Laois and has lived in Dublin for a number of years. Science has always been her passion and she graduated with a first class degree specialising in genetics from Trinity College Dublin. During her college career, she was the recipient of a Bill Vincent Award to work in Prof. Chenghua Gu’s Neurobiology Lab in Harvard Medical School. As a Health Research Board Summer Student Scholar, she completed a project in Dr. Aoife McLysaght’s Molecular Evolution Laboratory. In June 2011, Maria set up a science blog, ScienceCalling.com. It was named the Best Science / Education Blog at the Blog Awards Ireland 2012. It is also shortlisted for the Eircom Spiders Social Media Interaction Award 2012. Maria is currently completing an MA in Journalism in Dublin City University. Twitter: @mhdelaney

Paul, a native of Cahir in Co Tipperary, studied dentistry in University College Cork (UCC). While an undergraduate, his research on Enamel Microstructure was published in the JIADR and won the (All-Ireland) Crest Undergraduate Research Award. He was subsequently appointed Senior Medical Demonstrator/Tutor with the Department of Anatomy at UCC. Later, while working in general practice, his passion for health science education can be found in his newspaper column “Word of Mouth”. As a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, oral health promotion, dental science and communication are never far from his thoughts. A social media enthusiast, Paul is an inveterate Tweeter. As a dentist, Twitter allows him to offer “bite-sized” information to his followers. He hopes that the Science 140 project will help people “get their teeth” into Science! Paul is married with four daughters and lives in Nenagh. Twitter: @ShirtNTie