Due to lockdown restrictions, we were unable to hold our events as normal. We ran a series of online lecture through the winter and spring of 2021. You can watch back here.
Dealing with pandemics is nothing new for scientists. Throughout history new contagious diseases have emerged, seemingly out of nowhere. Physicians, researchers, and public officials then scramble towards mitigating the spread and discovering a cure while death tolls and unemployment rise. Robert Boyle and his sister, the scientific collaborator Lady Ranelagh, lived through the infamous Great Plague of London over 1665-66. What did they understand about the disease? How did they deal with it? Are there any lessons from 350 years ago that could apply to COVID-19 today? Watch historian Dr Michelle DiMeo illuminates how Robert Boyle and Lady Ranelagh’s experiences with a plague year share some striking similarities to what we face today.
In 2020, the world experienced a pandemic that caused a global economic freeze for several months. What distinguishes COVID from the common cold? How does it replicate? How does our immune system respond? What medical tools do we have to combat COVID19? What will vaccination do? Watch Professor Luke O’Neill, a world expert on innate immunity and inflammation, explain the science behind COVID19.
Every aspect of COVID19 has been contested, usually not by scientists. Professor Anthony Staines focuses on one topic: the use of masks to reduce the spread of the virus. Watch Professor Anthony Staines unveil the facts and the fakes.
(Apologies for the sound. You can enable subtitles for better comprehension)
‘Robert Boyle, Lady Ranelagh, and the Great Plague of 1665-66′, Dr Michelle DiMeo
22 March 2021
Dr Michelle DiMeo is the Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. The Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and celebrate our scientific and technological culture and to make it accessible for investigation and knowledge creation.
Michelle earned a PhD in history and English from the University of Warwick and a certificate in curation and management of digital assets from the University of Maryland.
‘COVID19: update on vaccines and therapeutics’, Prof Luke O’Neill
8 March 2021
Luke O’Neill is Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is a world expert on innate immunity and inflammation. His main research interests include Toll-like receptors, Inflammasomes and Immunometabolism. He is listed by Thompson Reuters/ Clarivates in the top 1% of immunologists in the world, based on citations per paper. Luke is co-founder of Sitryx, which aims to develop new medicines for inflammatory diseases. Another company he co-founded, Inflazome was recently acquired by Roche. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2016.
‘Science Unmasked: Covid, Science and Policy’, Prof Anthony Staines
25 January 2021
Anthony Staines is Professor of Health Systems in Dublin College University (DCU). Anthony has worked on many aspects of public health, often with a focus on policy relevant research. He has particular skills in study design, epidemiology, and policy analysis. He studies the uses of information in many different settings, including disease epidemiology, health service planning, environmental health policy, and health service funding. Anthony have often used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to develop policy relevant information. He is a member of the Independent Scientific Advocacy Group (I.S.A.G.) which is a multidisciplinary group of scientists, academics, and researchers who have come together to advocate for a SARS-CoV-2 elimination strategy for the island of Ireland.
Anthony is regularly seen on TV and radio discussions on COVID and Irelands response to the COVID pandemic.
Gallery | Robert Boyle Winter and Spring Series 2021
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