On January 17th last, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr Paul Deane to talk about Ireland’s energy futures.
Paul’s talked about nuclear energy, classical fossil energy and renewable energy, and what decisions lie in store for Ireland in the coming decades.
As Paul was eager to point out, there are no silver bullets. Even a best case scenario will not rid us of fossil fuels entirely, but there is an imperative to reduce our dependence on fossils fuels, given the dire impacts on health and the environment.
Paul is a passionate speaker and it was a terrific talk all round. Our thanks again to Paul for enlightening us.
Paul has graciously shared his slides with us. I am attaching the slides here, along with some photos from the meeting.
Is It Time For Ireland To Give Nuclear Power A Chance?
Friday 17 January at Blackrock Castle Observatory
This is an interactive talk and audience members are asked to bring their smartphone to share their thoughts.
About the Speaker: Dr Paul Deane is a research scientist in clean energy futures at UCC. He is also a fellow at the Colorado School of Mines and in 2018 was the Royal Irish Academy speaker on computer science.
His research helps us understand the choices involved in delivering clean, affordable energy to all.
He has co-authored over 100 technical papers in diverse areas such as electricity production, farming and agriculture, natural gas futures, energy access and international aviation. His research has been published in Nature, Joule and he is a regular contributor to print, television and social media in Ireland.
The talk will begin at 8.00pm on Friday 17th January. It is free to attend, and we welcome anyone with an interest in the topic to come along on the night. For directions to Blackrock Castle, see our Skeptics In The Castle information page.
Taking Arms Against the Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Pseudoscience
Thursday 28 November at Blackrock Castle Observatory
5th generation mobile networks are coming in for increasing criticism by otherwise reputable sources and commentators. They have been demonised as mind-control, as using ‘untested, weapons-grade, ultra-high frequency technology’ and purported to cause severe harm to the population just by existing.
Are they a back-door for governments to manage their population through technology? Are we simply leaving ourselves open to other countries infiltrating our national infrastructure? Are there real dangers to this new technology?
Sean Slater of Edinburgh Skeptics will try to address these fears head-on and clarify what 5G is and what it is not.
About the Speaker: Sean has worked in the mobile phone business for over 25 years and has seen 2G, 3G, 4G and now 5G being rolled out by several different networks. He is also the vice-chair of Edinburgh Skeptics and as such has taken an interest in the pseudoscience surrounding his industry.
The talk will begin at 8.00pm on Thursday 28th November. It is free to attend, and we welcome anyone with an interest in the topic to come along on the night. For directions to Blackrock Castle, see our Skeptics In The Castle information page.
If you’re worried about the hordes of killer spiders invading our shores, or the swarms of seagulls reigning death from above, this talk is for you. Science Communicator, Rob O’ Sullivan, separates the fact from the fiction and shows you how to do the same.
About the Speaker: Rob O’Sullivan is an Irish Zoologist turned Space Nerd.
He knows far too much about animal sex, and nowhere near enough about Space. Rob has received glowing recognition for his Science Communication work including an award of a SMASH Fellowship and getting called a pervert by Phill Jupitus.
You can find Rob by day pottering around CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, and after dark on Twitter @Rob0Sullivan.
Please note: Due to the nature of this talk, some sections may not be suitable for a younger audience.
The talk will begin at 8.00pm on Thursday 27th June. It is free to attend, and we welcome anyone with an interest in the topic to come along on the night. For directions to Blackrock Castle, see our Skeptics In The Castle information page.
West Cork Skeptics return to DeBarra’s Folk Club, Clonakilty this month to discuss a current issue from the perspective of scientific skepticism. This month’s presentation ‘The Baloney Detection Kit’ by Colm Ryan.
In a wide-ranging talk, Colm explores the world of strange beliefs and discusses some ways to distinguish between good and bad ideas.
The meeting takes place this Wednesday, October 17th, at 8pm.