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Join us for an evening exploring Ireland's coasts, communities, and science up close. A pilot-scale push to extract high-value bioactives — fucoxanthin, fucoidan, laminarin, alginate, protein — from Alaria esculenta using clean tech, proving macroalgae can scale sustainably. A look at the Maharees, where residents, businesses, and tourists are restoring dunes and protecting biodiversity from the bottom up — one sand grain at a time. And a deep dive into marine genetics: the code behind biodiversity, population connectivity, and species adaptation, and the backbone of smarter conservation and …
The use of genetics in marine science
Tom Cross
(Emeritus Professor)
Genetics are crucial in marine science because they enable researchers to understand biodiversity, population connectivity, and species adaptation, which underpin effective conservation, fisheries management, and ecosystem resilience.
Advancing Sustainable Seaweed Biorefinery
Advancing Sustainable Seaweed Biorefinery
(PhD Student)
A pilot-scale, sequential extraction of high-value bioactives — fucoxanthin, fucoidan, laminarin, alginate, and protein — from Alaria esculenta using clean, eco-friendly technology. We compare cultivation and post-harvest methods to see what drives yield, bridging lab and industry to prove macroalgae bioactives can scale — sustainably.
Citizen Power Blue Economy
Martha Farrell
(Lecturer and Researcher)
A coastal community rewriting the rulebook on conservation. In the Maharees, action starts at the kitchen table — residents, businesses, and tourists pulling together to restore dunes, protect biodiversity, and safeguard one of Ireland's standout blue tourism spots. Proof that bottom-up beats top-down, one sand grain at a time.
Seaweed production and biodiversity
Roderick van Roosmalen
(Post Doctoral Researcher)
The effect of salmon aquaculture on seaweed farming. Biodiversity within a seaweed farm. What products can be produced from seaweed.
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