We are delighted to welcome Ms Laurie Stevenson to the Brainwaves team. We caught up with her recently and she told us all about her studies and how she became involved in the project.
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We are delighted to welcome Ms Laurie Stevenson to the Brainwaves team. We caught up with her recently and she told us all about her studies and how she became involved in the project.
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We were delighted to welcome award-winning broadcaster, science communicator and columnist Kathriona Devereux and her RTE film crew to our research facilities in the School of BEES, UCC recently.
Read moreWe were gratified to recently join our UCC-based Ireland Wales project colleagues to attend the reception for Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Welsh Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths on UCC campus.
Great to showcase the richness of the Ireland Wales Cooperation with our project on duckweed and wastewater valorisation. Interesting discussions and great enthusiasm shared for the project with the Welsh Rural Minister, Lesley Griffiths.
Read moreCian Redmond, a native of Co. Wicklow, bravely agreed to undertake an interview for our Researcher Profile section. Cian recently graduated with a B.Sc. in Applied Plant Biology from University College Cork (UCC) where his interest in studying duckweed started.
We are delighted to hear that Cian will continue his passion for working with duckweed plants, as he begins a PhD funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to work on the Duck-Feed project in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences here in UCC.
Congratulations Cian and we wish you all the best in your future studies.
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Many thanks to all who came by to visit our stand at UCC Distillery Fields- Explore Climate Change and Biodiversity event on Culture Night 2022. Great engagement and interest in the project from all those who stopped by and chatted to our research scientists!
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We are delighted to share the current Newsletter for the Community of Duckweed Research & Applications, which is edited by the International Steering Committee on Duckweed Research & Applications (ISCDRA).
Read moreAfter a 2-year absence, the Royal Welsh Show came back with a sizzle last month taking place during the hottest days ever recorded in Wales! Our project team was delighted to showcase Brainwaves on the 18th & 19th July with a stand outside the Aberystwyth University Education Pavilion.
Read moreThis Research Assistant post is a key appointment in the FORWARD project, that brings together researchers from Technological University Dublin (TUD), Munster Technological University (MTU), and University College Cork (UCC). The central objective of FORWARD is to develop a “waste-to-value” bioeconomy by assessing, quantifying and developing a circular bioeconomy approach to food waste. The primary purpose of the research role is to design a roadmap for the waste management industry and policymakers for converting household food waste into sustainable biobased products using the cascading approach of a biorefinery. The roadmap will provide a framework for making the transition from food waste to food resource by exploring the literature, and other knowledge sources, for established and emerging technologies for bioconversion and valorisation of food waste. Specifically, the RA will review international knowledge re the biochemical profile of food waste, explore scope for a biorefinery approach to extract high value compounds from waste, explore scope for production of high value synthons from food waste using bacterial, fungal or yeast systems, assess the energy value of food waste, and the scope for mineral recovery using primary producers.
The Research Assistant will be based at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UCC, and report to Prof Marcel Jansen. The Research Assistant will closely liaise with the overall project coordinator, Dr Anushree Priyadarshini (TUD), co-PI Dr Gaurav Rajauria (MTU) and a project postdoctoral researcher (TUD).
More details on the Research Assistant post are available to download here
Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Prof Marcel AK Jansen, School of BEES, Email: m.jansen@ucc.ie
Ms Marion Blanchard, a French Masters student from Toulouse in Southwest France recently spent some time volunteering on the Brainwaves Project. Sounds like she really enjoyed the experience gained and the Irish culture.
We tested our interview skills on Marion and asked her about her time spent in Ireland.
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After a 2 year absence, the Cork Carnival of Science came back with a bang this month. Our project team was delighted to showcase Brainwaves at the science-filled spectacular, held at Fitzgerald’s Park on June 11th and 12th.
Organised by Old Cork Waterworks Experience with support from Cork City Council and SFI, the free, weekend long event showcased the wonders of science for all ages. We joined a jam-packed lineup that featured live demonstrations, hands on workshops and interactive experiments.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat to our research team, discover our tabletop flow through system in action, watch our video and share their own insight and perspectives with us. We were particularly thrilled to see over 54 new people sign up to our project newsletter. Who knew one little plant could be so interesting!
Read moreBrainwaves project Principal Investigator Professor Marcel Jansen took to the airwaves for popular RTÉ Radio 1 wildlife and nature show Mooney Goes Wild. Appearing alongside UCC President Professor John O'Halloran, the segment highlighted the groundbreaking work on climate change, biodiversity loss and the circular economy being done in University College Cork.
Professor Jansen focused on the important work being done by the Brainwaves team in developing an innovative method of phytoremediation – cleaning agricultural wastewater using native duckweed plants. He explained the application of duckweed-based systems in on-farm settings, the research challenges being tackled to optimise these systems for large scale commerical use, and the economic benefits for farmers, including the creation of a high-protein feed source using duckweed biomass.
The segment aired live on April 11th, but you can listen back here at 43 minutes in.
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To mark Europe Day 2022, Brainwaves joined a public showcase of EU-funded projects held at Wexford County Council offices on May 9th.
Nearly a dozen projects across the south and east regions of Ireland attended on the day, highlighting the extent of the exciting EU-funded work happening across a diverse array of sectors including tourism, technology and climate change.
Across the Irish Sea in Wales, the research team enjoyed an outdoor picnic with other EU-funded projects at Aberystwyth University.
Below: The Welsh team enjoying a well-earned break in the fresh air on Europe Day
For the past year, Abby Campbell and Kirsty Allwood have been working within the BRAINWAVES research group based in Aberystwyth University as a part of the year in industry degree scheme.
Both of them have a keen interest in botany and sustainable agriculture, and so were both eager to join the ongoing research in duckweed and its potential to remediate against agricultural waste.
Post lockdowns they were very excited to get as much laboratory experience as possible.
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UCC researchers on the EU-funded Brainwaves Project have developed an innovative, sustainable method of wastewater remediation – all with the help of a common native Irish plant.
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February 11th 2022 marked the seventh International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Held annually, this day exists to recognise and promote the contributions of women and girls in STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics) fields.
Read moreNewly published paper from Brainwaves’ researchers highlights the challenges and opportunities for large-scale indoor Lemnaceae growth
Nothing beats duckweed (Lemnaceae) when it comes to fast growth! These amazing plants can double in biomass in just over a day. However, these plants don’t just grow fast, they are also highly nutritious, and can be used in animal feed or as human food. By culturing these plants indoors, a steady stream of fresh produce can be generated, irrespective of seasons.
Read moreMount Lucas farm near Daingean in Co. Offaly is a rather unique place. Apart from its dramatic setting on several acres of windswept blanket bog, it is also home to an exciting circular economy project. Through the AquaMona project, former Bord na Móna peatlands have been transformed into Ireland’s only large-scale commercial duckweed-based fish farm.
Read moreBrainwaves Co-PI Dr Dylan Gwynn Jones was a member of an expert panel on ‘The Science of Climate Change’ held during a one-day AberClimate Symposium “Loss, Damage, Renewal” on the 18th October. The symposium was part of a special week-long festival showcasing the breadth of Aberystwyth University’s research, which focussed on key questions and potential solutions to the global climate and ecological crisis http://aber.ac.uk/researchfest
Read moreThe National Dairy Show is Ireland’s premier indoor agricultural event; the place where dairy farmers and dairy industries do meet. This year’s meeting took place in the evening of October 20th and 21st, 2021, and was organised as a virtual event, as a result on the ongoing Covid19 crisis.
The on-line event covered a full range of topics relevant for the dairy industry, covering everything from innovation and machinery, to cattle breeding, sward-care, animal welfare and finance. Two critical areas for discussion related to the relationship between dairy farming and the environment. Discussions emphasised the complex relationship between climate change and dairy farming, and between slurry and the environment.
Read moreLotti joined the Brainwaves team at Aberystwyth University as a technician for the summer of 2021 to assist with the outdoor duckweed systems. We bid her a fond farewell and wish her the best of luck with the rest of her studies in the BSc in Plant Biology course at Aberystwyth University.
Lotti left us with a short inspirational overview as to why she had to know more about the humble duckweed.
Read moreThanks to all who came by to visit our outdoor stand at Culture Night at the Old Cork Waterworks Experience and chatted to our research scientists. Great engagement and interest in the project on a fine sunny September evening!
Dr Dylan Gwynn-Jones presented at Wales Tech 2021. He gave a presentation on the challenges and opportunities for indoor crop production in Wales. He introduced the Brainwaves project as an example where circular economic approaches can make systems viable. He highlighted that that Welsh farmers and growers are multi-skilled and multi-tooled. They know how to produce food and are a part of existing supply chains. There are now significant opportunities for them to diversify and build on what they already do.
The timing of Dr Gwynn-Jones's introduction and talk begins at 1.54 to 16.52.
Read on youtube.comSome fine poets have graced the shores of Ireland and here on the Brainwaves Project we are excited about this poem on Duckweed by our PI Professor Marcel Jansen.
Reflecting on his experience of working with this miracle plant Duckweed (Lemna minor) over the course of his career, he has created a wonderful short poem on the benefits of the humble duckweed plant.
Enjoy.
Read moreA 3rd year AU Plant Biology student Lotti did work on duckweed growth during her year in industry and is joining the AU team as a technician for the summer.
Lotti grew up in West Sussex and started her BSc in Plant Biology at Aberystwyth University in September 2018. Her interest in plants grew when she joined her local Young Farmers club in 2016 and from there she increasingly felt that it was her mission to highlight the importance of plants to mitigate global climate change impacts. Having completed her year in industry at Aberystwyth University assisting on the Brainwaves project she now joins for the summer as a technician. She hopes to continue onto a research masters in Controlled Environment Agriculture after finishing her BSc in 2022.
Read moreAs part of our work on Brainwaves we will be using polytunnels to develop an affordable system for growing duckweed. The use of polytunnels will extend the growing season, optimising biomass production and maximising the water remediation capacity. Recently re-covered, our polytunnel at Aberystwyth University, is now ready for our first prototype system to be installed and tested.
Read moreWe were delighted to welcome Professor Ed Byrne, the Chair Professor of Process & Chemical Engineering to our lab in BEES recently! Ed advised our team on system flow rates and experimental design for our duckweed tank.
Read moreThis year's EU Green Week runs from 31st May to 4th June 2021.
Read moreThe ‘Brainwaves’ project, which is being led by University College Cork, will use duckweed to treat wastewater, typically slurry, from both beef and dairy farms.
Duckweed has a natural ability to thrive in and purify polluted water and is amongst the fastest-growing plants.
It is also edible and considered a supply of animal feed which is high in protein, making it a promising feed-stock to replace costly soybean.
Read on echolive.ieLed by Prof Marcel Jansen of UCC’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and the Environmental Research Institute, the project ‘Brainwaves’ has just received € 1.4 million in funding under the Ireland Wales 2014-2020 European Territorial Co-operation (ETC) programme.
Prof Jansen speaking at the launch of the project said, “The availability of copious amounts of cheap, chemical fertilisers can’t be taken for granted any longer, and novel techniques are required to re-use plant nutrients and enhance the environmental sustainability of modern agriculture across the board. In Europe as a whole we have duckweed as a neglected source of high quality protein, and excellent potential as a feed additive.”
Read on westcorkpeople.ieSpeaking to That’s Farming, Professor Marcel Jansen, environmental plant biology at University College Cork, said:
“BRAINWAVES will develop a circular economic approach to manage the thin fraction of slurry, developing technology to remediate this wastewater, to generate economically valuable feed, and, thus, to enhance the competitiveness of the beef and dairy industry in Ireland and Wales.”
Read on thatsfarming.com“Brainwaves is looking at farmyard slurry, enormous amounts of which need to be stored,” professor Jansen explains.
In concentrated amounts slurry is a good fertiliser, he explains, adding however, that farms also have enormous amounts of a watery slurry known as ‘thin fraction’ slurry:
“There are enormous volumes of this across Ireland. Farmers must store it, so what we want to come up with are ways of using thin fraction slurry to generate value.”
Read on irishexaminer.comResearchers in UCC and Wales are collaborating on three newly launched environmental projects, which focus on the shared natural heritage between our two countries and our joint responsibility to preserve it.
Read on thecork.ieThe team has found a specific plant species, duckweed, or Lemna, that can grow on thin fraction slurry — and which can be turned into nutritious, low-cost animal feed: “Duckweed or Lemna is an aquatic plant that floats on the water and grows very fast.
“There’s no other plant which grows as fast as duckweed. It can double in size in just two days — and it can grow on thin fracture slurry.”
The other important thing about duckweed is that it also has a very high protein content: “Duckweed is not just high in protein but it is the right protein.
“It is believed to be as nutritious as soybean which is widely used in the agricultural industry as feed-stuff for animals,” Professor Jansen explains.
Read on medpartnership.comBRAINWAVES is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation Programme
BRAINWAVES, School of Biological Earth & Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland , T23 TK30