Our Speakers
Mark Leslie is a 'narrative architect', who works to integrate the design of multimedia exhibits and buildings. He trained as an architect at Jesus College Cambridge and the Harvard GSD. He first became involved with science awareness when he won the Battersea Power Station Redevelopment Competition in 1984, with a proposal for a science theme park. Mark founded Martello Media in 1986. It is one of Ireland's older 'new media' companies. Science related projects can be seen in the London Science Museum, the London Natural History Museum, the Irish Historic Science Centre at Birr and the Birmingham ThinkTank. Recently Martello designed the Irish Pavilion at EXPO 2005 in Japan and a Gallery on health related issues in W5 in Belfast. Current projects include W B Yeats at the National Library, the Cliffs of Moher Centre, the Lartigue Railway Centre and 'Extreme Life' in Blackrock Castle in Cork.
Diarmuid O'Brien has a degree in Science of Materials from TCD and a PhD in Physics from the University of Sheffield. He carried out post-doctorate research at Kyushu University, Japan and Princeton University, USA prior to joining TCD as a lecturer in the Physics Department. He has published over thirty research papers in the area of the electrical and optical properties of organic materials. He has worked internationally in different senior management roles in three nanotechnology start-up companies: NTera Ltd., Xoliox S.A. and Deerac Fluidics. In these companies he has focussed on the successful commercialisation of products based on technologies initially developed at universities. Currently he is the Executive Director of CRANN, Ireland's first purpose-built Research Institute with a mission to advance the frontiers of nanoscience. In addition, he is leading the project to develop the 'Science Gallery', a new initiative in Trinity College. The Science Gallery will be an innovative center for public engagement with science. Housed in an iconic new building in Trinity College, this flagship project will probe big scientific issues through an ever-changing programme of interactive exhibitions, events, discussions and debates.
Jane Jerry started her museum career with the Children's Museum of Rhode Island (now the Providence Children's Museum.) Once the Museum opened, in 1976, she became the Director and quickly soaked up as much knowledge as possible from a network of colleagues she met through the New England Museum Association. After ten years as Director of CMRI she became the first Executive Director of the Children's Museum of Houston, another start-up museum. During her ten years in Houston the museum moved from rented warehouse space into a purpose-built facility designed by Robert Venturi, located in the heart of the burgeoning Museum District. In 1994 she moved to Nashville, Tennessee to become the President and CEO of Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art. During her time in Nashville a successful $18million capital campaign enabled Cheekwood to renovate its existing buildings and gardens, build a new education centre and outdoor sculpture trail and reinvent itself as a family friendly institution. Jane returned to the field of interactivity in 2005 when she moved to Dublin, Ireland to become the Executive Director of Exploration Station, the Republic's first interactive science centre for children. A 2009 opening is anticipated for Exploration Station, which Government has designated as the cultural facility in the Heuston Gate Redevelopment area, adjacent to Heuston Station and the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Christopher Moriarty has had an affectionate relationship with the Natural History Museum over the past sixty years and even remembers visiting its long lost Fossil Hall. After graduating from Trinity College in Natural Science, he entered the Government Fisheries Service - where he remained for the greater part of his professional career. There he specialised in the study of the eel and discovered enough about this elusive species to gain his PhD. An incurable scribbler, he has published many articles and books on Irish heritage. A combination of his love for the museum and being Secretary of the National Committee for Biology, led to his appearing as first author of the Royal Irish Academy's report on the Natural History Museum.
Nigel Monaghan graduated with a BA in Geology from TCD and then spent three years mapping out the geology of south Tipperary and north Waterford for the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI). This was combined with a year teaching geology and geophysics in DIT Bolton Street. Holiday work with museum collections in TCD and in the GSI helped him to get a job in the National Museum in 1981. Starting out as a museum curator responsible for the fossil collections allowed him to develop his interests in palaeontology while cataloguing the wonderful and varied collections in the Museum. Over time he has been involved more in project planning as the Museum has developed and has opened new sites at Collins Barracks in Dublin and in Castlebar. Since July 2001 he has been Keeper of the Natural History Division, responsible for the collections of zoology, entomology, palaeontology, mineralogy and also the curators and the technical staff who look after them.