Robert Boyle Summer School

The 9th Robert Boyle Summer School was scheduled to take place from 25 – 28 June 2020 at Waterford and Lismore to address the theme “Women in STEM: past, present and future”. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it will take place at a later date. Details to be announced.

The 8th Robert Boyle Summer School took place from 20 – 23 June 2019 at Waterford and Lismore

See Robert Boyle Website for more information

Leading presenters explored the theme SUPERHUMAN

The school was based in Waterford’s historic Viking Triangle

In the 17th Century Boyle produced a list of things he thought that the new experimental philosophy might deliver. Top of the list was the “prolongation of life”, and he would surely be amazed at the advancements made. How much further can we advance life expectancy and what can we do to ensure that our ageing population is healthy and fit? How can technologies help people suffering illness or infirmity to lead more active and engaged lives? These are all worthy sounding developments, but what about the aim of enhancement from human to superhuman? This is no longer science fiction and the 8th RBSS explored the possibilities and perils of SUPERHUMAN.

The school was based at the recently refurbished Tower Hotel in the heart of the City’s Viking Quarter. A coach transfer brought attendees to Lismore on Saturday 22nd for a programme at the Lismore Heritage Centre and an evening garden party at Boyle’s birthplace, Lismore Castle. A special session took place on Friday evening at Waterford City Hall.

Speakers include: Prof Annraoi de Paor, Dr Natalie Kaoukji, Cambridge, Prof Luke O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin, Prof Niall Moyna, Dublin City University, Prof Tomás Ryan, Trinity College Dublin, Prof Madeleine Lowery, University College Dublin, Nuala Clarke, Artist, Oliver Feeney, NUI Galway, Calmast Team: Cordula Weiss, Sheila Donegan, Eoin Gill (WIT) and Paul Nugent (IOP). See below for programme.

8th Robert Boyle Summer School Programme

Thursday 20 June 2019

2pm – 5 pm Lismore Heritage Centre

Irish Association for Physicists in Medicine Meeting:

IAPM RPSIG Meeting: A dialogue on the usefulness of the Physics Testing Methods of Modern Interventional Cardiology and Radiology Systems

Venue: Tower Hotel Waterford

7 pm Superhumans in Ancient Irish folklore: the career of Lugh Lámhfhada

Prof Annraoi de Paor

Friday 21 June 2019

Venue: Tower Hotel Waterford

9:30 Registration

10:30 Overturning natural limitations: prolonging life in the seventeenth century.

Dr. Natalie Kaoukji, University of Cambridge

11:45 Inspired by Boyle: Experiments and Considerations Touching Colour

Nuala Clarke, Visual Artist

13:00 – 14:30 Lunch break

14:30 – 15:30 Recreations of Boyle’s Experiments Touching Colour

Evening Session. Venue: Waterford City Hall

17:00 Humanology

Prof Luke O’Neill, TCD

18:00 Stone age genes and space age technology – Impact on human health

Prof Niall Moyna

20:00 School Dinner at Hobson’s Restaurant Tower Hotel

Saturday 22 June

Venue: Lismore Heritage Centre. Coach Transfer Leaving Waterford 9 am

10:30 Engineering the Human Body: from bionics and exoskeletons to brain-computer interface

Prof Madeleine Lowery, UCD

11:45 What is the future of human evolution?

Prof Tomás Ryan, TCD

13:00 Lunch

14:30 From the Human Genome Project to CRISPR-Cas9: a reassessment of the ethical, legal and societal issues

Dr Oliver Feeney, NUIG

19:00 Garden Party at Lismore Castle Gardens with locally produced food prepared by award winning Eunice Power, Robert Boyle Gin and Metalman craft beer.

21:30 Coach transfer back to Waterford

Sunday 23 June

11:30 Visit Waterford’s Viking Triangle and Medieval Museum

Myles Dungan, Dr Sheila Donegan from WIT, Lord Burlington and Eoin Gill from WIT pictured at Lismore Castle for the launch of the Robert Boyle Summer School, Lismore – David Clynch

enquiries to calmast@wit.ie