The Research & Innovation Conference & Exhibition was held earlier this week. It was a busy day, especially as this year the conference was co-located with the inaugural National Health Expo. Each of the events had a main stage and several seminar rooms where talks were held throughout the day. With a line-up of over 100 speakers it’s an event worth attending as a team, because so many interesting talks were on simultaneously!
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Blog posts tagged in research and development
Sometimes people can mix up these indoor pests, so this blog post will describe some of the differences between the two.
Tagged in:
bed bug
Conferences
house dust mites
International Congress of Entomology
research and development
On the 3rd of March we attended the Research and Innovation Conference and Exhibition in Croke Park. It was a day packed with talks from leaders in research and innovation from the top industries in Ireland.
This method involves petri dishes, a heating plate/mat and a plastic membrane - Parafilm ‘M’. A small amount of blood is placed into the lid of a petri dish, which is then covered with stretched parafilm ‘M’ plastic. The bottom of the petri dish is used to push down the parafilm so that it is in contact with the blood. A hotplate is used to keep the temperature of the blood at 37°C and the insect containers are placed upside down on the parafilm so that the bed bugs can feed through the mesh lid. The petri dish method shares some disadvantages with the water bath method, such as expensive heating equipment and the leaking of blood. While leakage may occur, one of the advantages of the petri dish method is that there is a reduced risk of this leaking blood causing damage e.g. bed bug drowning. Other advantages include its quick setup and the use of disposable petri dishes (Chin-Heady et al. 2013).Last week, we discussed the most effective bed bug feeding method—the live host method using human and animal blood—as well as its shortcomings. In this week's installment of our three-part series on bed bug research, we will cover the first of the two main artificial feeding methods in use today: the water bath method.
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Goddard. Feeding by the Common Bedbug. 2009. |
In the first part of our three-part series on bed bug research, we will cover the most effective method of feeding laboratory reared bed bug colonies in terms of cost and reliability—the live host method. Humans or animals can be used and while both methods are effective, each presents its own challenges.
It’s summer—the prime time of the year for travel. Yet, with the hustle and bustle of hotels, luggage, airports, and rental cars, summer travelling also starkly correlates with rises in bed bug problems. To assist in tackling this issue, airmid healthgroup presents a special three-part blog series to provide advice to researchers looking to combat the spread of these insects. Over the nextthreeweeks, airmid healthgroup will discuss methods to keep bed bugs alive for research and their associated challenges.
airmid healthgroup is pleased to welcome Ciara Keenan, on a 3 week internship as part of the science team. Entering her 3rd year as an undergraduate in the University of Limerick, Ciara is pursuing a B.Sc. in Food Science and Health. During her 3 weeks at airmid healthgroup, Ciara will be working with Máire Fox, M.Sc., Laboratory Manager, Dr. Angela Southey, Head of Virology and Environmental Test Chambers, John Fallon, PhD, Senior Scientific officer, Natasha Gordon, PhD, R&D manager and Noelle Dromgoole, Occupational Hygienist and will gain hands-on-experience in the Allergen and Microbiology laboratories as well as in the Environmental Test Chambers. She will also participate in Environmental Field Studies.
airmid healthgroup is pleased to welcome Stephen O’ Reilly to the science team on a 6 month work placement module from DCU. Stephen is a 3rd year undergraduate studying a BSc. in Environmental Science & Health. While at airmid, Stephen will be working in the Allergen Laboratory alongside Máire Fox, MSc, Laboratory Manager, and Dr. Angela Southey, Head of Virology and Environmental Test Chambers.
airmid healthgroup are pleased to welcome Feargus O’Flaherty to the science team on a 3 month work placement module from NUIM. Feargus is a 4th year undergraduate studying a BSc. in Biotechnology. While at airmid, Feargus will be involved in research and development with Dr Natasha Gordon, R&D manager. airmid are delighted to take part in this scheme with NUIM and further extend our collaborations with Universities in Ireland. Work placement in a Third Level Program is an essential part of a student’s pathway into an industry such as airmid healthgroup. As a leading biomedical organisation the student gains experience in a real-life working environment helping companies to develop & differentiate their products and services through data generated in the field, environmental chambers and the laboratory.