The MESTECH Autumn Bulletin summarizes activities over the past 6 months, including new students starting research, interns completing work, and continued funding success allowing expansion. Researchers attended international conferences and presented work. Upcoming months will include engagement in Horizon 2020 activities and participation in the SmartOcean Forum in Belfast.

1. MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
MESTECH
Autumn
Bulletin 2013
The MESTECH Autumn Bulletin shows a range of activities
over the past 6 months. New students are starting their research
and summer interns have completed their work and have
returned to Toulouse, South Bend Indiana and various corners
of Ireland. The MESTECH PIs and researchers celebrate a
successful year of attracting funding through the 7th
Framework
programme. This success will see the expansion of the sensor
development work and increased engagement with industry
partners. We have been active in presenting at international
conferences this summer with postdoctoral researchers Dr Lisa
Jones and Dr Jenny Ronan attending the most up to date
meetings on passive sampling and Dr Tim Sullivan received an
award for his talk at SENSORCOMM.
Scholars experience
MESTECH Research
Dr Kevin Murphy
Passive sampling in
Cork
Dr Caroline Murphy
Dr Tim Sullivan
presents paper at
SENSORCOMM
PhD student Gillian
Duffy joins the team
Top: Jenny Ronan deploying passive sampler.
Left: Iniscarra deployment site, Cork.
Highlights This Issue
The months ahead will
see a lot of engagement
by the team in Horizon
2020 activities as well as
participating in the 4th
SmartOcean Forum in
Belfast this year. Thanks
to all our collaborators
and funders and we look
forward to continued
success in the last quarter
and into 2014.
Welcome from Director
ATWARM/ISGEI
Summer School -
Researcher profile -
Lisa Jones and
Jenny Ronan -
Researcher profile -
MESTECH wins
IARIA award -
Naughton Fellow
joins MESTECH -

2. 2
MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
ATWARM/ISGEI
Summer School
The first International SmartOcean
Graduate Enterprise Initiative
(ISGEI) Summer School was held on
the 3rd
of July 2013. Six students from
the partner institutions of University
of Limerick, University College Cork,
Tyndall National Institute and NUI
Galway attended the event. These
ISGEI students were joined by sixteen
Marie Curie ATWARM students. The
four-day event included a series of
presentations and workshops given by
representatives from T.E. Labs. The fellows were also given a workshop on CV writing, interview skills,
grant applications and report writing at DCU and science journalist Dr Claire O'Connell talked about
the importance of making research accessible to the general public via the media.
MESTECH researchers demonstrated the group‟s sensor
deployment work to the fellows during a sea-safari around
Dublin Bay and a visit to Poolbeg. Dr Tim Sullivan
(pictured above right) described the process from the
production of the sensing device to the interpretation of the
results. Prof Dermot Diamond from the NCSR gave a
workshop on prototyping with engineers and members of the
NCSR and ASG groups. The summer School ended with a
presentation of certificates to all students by Patricia
McCrory
Above left: Summer School
student with sensor

3. 3
MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
MESTECH Researcher – Kevin Murphy
Kevin received his PhD in Applied Optics in 2011 from NUI
Galway, focusing on the wavefront sensing of optical vortices in
turbulent fields with a view to correcting the phase defects using
adaptive optics technology. After completing this work Kevin
spent almost two years in industry as an Optical Engineer at
IRIS R&D. This involved designing and building prototype and
complete optical systems for publicly and privately funded
projects. These projects included spectroscopy solutions in the
visible/IR regions for agro-food and plastics industries as well
as machine vision and imaging solution systems. Kevin started
with MESTECH in May 2013 where his work focuses on data
analysis and management and in the development of a low-cost
optical sensor for marine and coastal deployments.
The low cost optical sensor is based on the change in
transmitted and scattered light levels detected from a set of
LEDs at different wavelength.
Using this data it is possible to
determine whether various water
parameters are rising and falling. This
information can be used qualitatively
to alert decision makers on rapid
changes in certain water parameters.
Due to the low cost of the system
multiple sensors can be deployed
across a wider area than is
economically viable at present using
commercial systems. The system is
currently being tested in the field,
deploying it alongside a commercial
instrument at Poolbeg Marina in the
Dublin Port Area.
Prof Fiona Regan attends SWIG conference
The sensing in water conference held in September at the
Nottingham Belfry Hotel was directed at the broad water sensing
community including an exhibition and half-day seminars on
Water Distribution Monitoring, Real-Time Decisions Support,
Wastewater Network Monitoring and New Ideas in Water
Sensing. Prof Fiona Regan gave a presentation on the decision
support systems being developed at MESTECH.
Right: Ship turning in Poolbeg
at sensor deployment site

4. 4
MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
Lisa Jones & Jenny Ronan passive
sampling in Cork
This month marked the completion of the first stage of
sampling in Cork as part of MESTECH's passive
sampling project. Using a catchment approach Dr Lisa
Jones (DCU) and Dr Jenny Ronan (Marine Institute)
collected passive sampling devices at 5 sites in Cork
which were deployed in August 2013. Supplementary
water and biota samples were collected for analysis of
emerging compounds using both gas chromatography
(GC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
(LCMS).
The project aims to provide a report on recommendations for
the use of passive sampling as a tool Ireland can use to meet
the WFD specs. Further sampling will take place next year in
Cork as well as Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Dublin.
A number of compounds, including pharmaceuticals,
pesticides, endocrine disruptors and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), have recently been added to the list of
priority substances for chemical monitoring under the EU
Water Framework Directive. Meeting the monitoring
requirements of the WFD has proven to be a challenge with
grab sampling being the current standard employed. In order
to tackle this issue other sampling techniques are being
investigated with passive sampling showing the greatest
potential.
Dr Jenny Ronan attends
NORMAN meeting
Dr Jenny Ronan attended the invite-only NORMAN expert group
meeting “Linking Environmental Quality Standards and Passive
Sampling” in July 2013. The meeting brought together experts from
different areas to discuss how Environmental Quality Standards
values relate to results obtained from passive sampling and vice
versa. Passive sampling is a promising technique for water
compliance monitoring but it is not yet implemented because the
Environmental Quality Standards for this method have not yet
defined as part of the Water Framework Directive. The conclusions
of the meeting will be widely disseminated in a position document.
Right: L-R: Lisa Jones and Jenny Ronan.
Below: Passive sampler deployed in Cork

5. 5
MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
Caroline Murphy – MESTECH
Researcher Profile
Caroline was the senior DCU-based researcher on the
BEACONS project which gave her the opportunity to travel
to each research institute to learn new techniques and
interact with the different researchers. In association with
MBio Diagnostics Ltd., the project saw the development of
a fully validated, portable, safe and „easy-to-use‟ platform to
detect the presence of harmful algal-toxins using novel avian
recombinant antibody fragments that were genetically
manipulated post-production for enhanced sensitivity.
Caroline finished her PhD in Biochemistry and
Immunology in Trinity College Dublin in 2009 after which
she came to DCU where she began work as a Postdoctoral
researcher in Prof Richard O‟Kennedy‟s laboratory. She
worked on the BEACONS (Biosafety for Environmental
Contaminants using Novel Sensors) project; an SFI-funded,
US-Ireland research consortium involving researchers from
the University of Maine, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Queen‟s
University Belfast.
Dr Lisa Jones
attends IPSW
Workshop
In June MESTECH postdoctoral researcher Dr Jones attended
the 6th
International Passive Sampling Workshop and Symposium
held in Bordeaux. There she presented work on the role of passive
sampling from an Irish perspective. The workshop focused on the
development and the use of in situ passive samplers for
environmental monitoring, ecological risk assessment and related
issues. Attendees were experts in the field as well as policy
makers, regulatory authorities and market representatives that
have a need for monitoring environmental pollution.
Caroline also participated in the
PHARMATLANTIC programme which is a
European project that looked at the use of
biomolecules of marine origin as actives
towards various diseases. During her time in
DCU, Caroline and Professor O‟Kennedy
produced a book „Immunoassays,
Applications, Development and Future
Trends‟ which will be published in 2013 by
Pan Stanford Publishing.
Caroline has recently joined MESTECH
where her aim is to further develop the
portable monitoring system and advancing it
to an automated system to detect a range of
economically important harmful marine
toxins. Caroline also participated in two FP7
grant proposals with Professor Fiona Regan.
Left: MBio system

6. Autumn 2013MESTECH Bulletin
Smart-Bay Dublin Project highlighted at SENSORCOMM
Dr Sullivan attended SENSORCOMM 2013 (The Sixth
International Conference on Sensor Technologies and
Applications), August 25 - 31, 2013 - Barcelona, Spain.
He presented a paper entitled “A Smart City- Smart Bay
Project: establishing an integrated water monitoring
system for decision support in Dublin Bay”. This paper
summarises sensor research within MESTECH to date
in the context of Dublin Bay. SENSORCOMM is a
multi-track event covering related topics on theory and
practice on wired and wireless sensors and sensor
networks that serves as a forum for researchers from the
academia and industry, professionals, standard
developers, policy makers and practitioners to exchange
ideas. Tim was also one of four invited panelists for
open discussions on the topic of “Advances in Sensor-
based Applications and Systems: Next Challenges”.
MESTECH wins IARIA award for research
paper
The paper “A Smart City-SmartBay Project – Establishing an Integrated Water Monitoring System for
Decision Support in Dublin Bay” has been awarded as one of the top papers at SENSORCOMM by
International Academy, Research and Industry Association (IARIA). The paper, delivered by Dr Tim
Sullivan at the event has been invited for publication in of the IARIA Journals. IARIA initiates a series of
online journals especially dedicated to promote outstanding papers in IARIA conferences.
Dr Tim Sullivan Attends
OCEANS 13 Conference
Dr. Tim Sullivan attended the prestigious OCEANS 13 Conference,
jointly sponsored by the Marine Technology Society (MTS) and the
Oceanic Engineering Society of the institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE/OES). This conference is a major
international forum for scientists, engineers and responsible ocean
users to promote, disseminate and exchange their knowledge, ideas,
applications and scientific-technical advances in Oceanic Engineering
and Marine Technology. This is done with the purpose of raising
awareness regarding the important role played by the sea in our lives
and our environment and the use of technology to preserve it. Tim
presented a paper entitled “Improving Data Driven Decision Making
Through Integration Of Environmental Sensing Technologies”. Tim
was sponsored by a networking initiative grant from the Irish Marine
Institute to attend this event.
Above: Image analysis of biofilm on sensor surface - research is underway in
collaboration with Dr Yann Delaure in engineering at DCU to develop novel materials
for prevention of biofouling. Surface characterisation and image analysis enables the
bio-inspired design of materials from marine organisms. More in the next bulletin.

7. MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
MESTECH researchers at
Lough Hyne
MESTECH has been collaborating with scientists
at UCC for the past three years on research at
Lough Hyne, a semi-enclosed marine lake west of
Cork City. Dr Rob McAllen and Prof John
Davenport have collaborated combining their
significant historical knowledge of Ireland‟s only
marine reserve with research our continuous
monitoring of pH, temperature and other
environmental parameters.
Gillian Duffy, a recent graduate from Analytical
Science in DCU has started her PhD at MESTECH
working on the optimisation of phosphate and nitrate
sensors for the monitoring of nutrients in freshwaters.
The project is in collaboration with Prof Jennifer Tank
at the Environmental Change Initiative at the
University of Notre Dame and the project will involve
the deployment of these sensors at both DCU and
Notre Dame field sites. The research is important for
quantifying the influence of agriculture on freshwater
and also for effective water management throughout
Irish, European and American river basins. As part of
this prestigious fellowship, Gillian will spend a year at
Notre Dame during her PhD.
Naughton fellow Gillian
Duffy – MESTECH PhD
Student
It is envisaged that a more long-term project will
evolve from the collaboration so far which we
believe has international significance as a place to
study change in pH and temperature in a unique
environment.
It is believed that the lough was a freshwater lake
up to 4,000 years ago when a rise in sea levels
joined it with the sea. Lough Hyne was designated
Europe‟s first Marine Nature Reserve in 1981. The
lough supports many different marine habitats and
environmental conditions and has been protected
for over 30 years with scientific research in the area
ongoing for well over 100 years.
Left to right: Prof Fiona Regan, Gillan Duffy
and Prof Dermot Diamond
Lough Hyne pictured left and below

8. MESTECH Bulletin Autumn 2013
Contact Us
General Enquiries:
Mary Comiskey
NCSR Administrator
mary.comiskey@ dcu.ie
01 700 8898
Further enquiries:
Prof. Fiona Regan
Director, MESTECH
fiona.regan@dcu.ie
Follow us on Twitter:
@SensingResearch
Bulletin produced by Colm O‟Hehir
colmohehir.dcu@ gmail.com
Next Issue:
ICES and Martech conferences
SmartOcean Forum 2013
EU Framework 7 Successes
SmartBay NIAP Activity II projects
announced
Welcome to Colm O’Hehir –
MESTECH Communications
Officer
SmartOcean Forum –
Titanic Belfast, Nov 5th
& 6th
The annual SmartOcean Forum will take
place this year on November 5th
and 6th
in
Titanic Belfast situated on the Harland and
Wolff dockyard. The all-island event is
designed to highlight the potential of our
ocean resources and foster collaboration and
growth in the marine sector.
The forum will focus on areas such as blue growth, marine
data and knowledge, renewable energy and ocean
observation. It features speakers from industry, academia
and state agencies from locations across Ireland, the US,
Canada and Europe.
Colm O'Hehir, a recent MSc in Science Communication
graduate at DCU, started working with MESTECH as the
Communications Officer in July 2013. He has experience
working in industry, funding bodies and most recently in
Science Gallery where he experienced his first role as a science
communicator. At MESTECH his activities include publicity,
event management, working with social media and also
working with Dr Edel O'Connor from the Marine Institute on
the SmartOcean cluster.
www.mestech.org