After 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.

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!

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. 

Brainwaves 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.

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.

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.

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.

Newly 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.

Mount 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.

Brainwaves 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 

The 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. 

Lotti 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.

Thanks 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! 

Some 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.

A 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. 

As 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.

We 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.

This year's EU Green Week runs from 31st May to 4th June 2021.