Weekend takeaway: A universe of diverse ideas

28 Jul 2017

Image: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock

From exploring the universe to entrepreneurship and boardroom diversity, here is all the essential sci-tech reading you need for the weekend.

1. Explore the universe: €1.4m LOFAR radio telescope switched on in Ireland

Ireland joins the international LOFAR telescope, a €150m network of radio telescopes distributed across Europe.

2. The truth about the boardroom? Lack of diversity holds firms back

Companies could be more effective if they were more focused on achieving greater gender, skills and ethnic diversity at boardroom level, Inspirefest 2017 heard recently.

3. Are you treading water in your career or swimming to success?

From women in STEM to nuggets of advice that will put you on the path to success, we’ve got it all for you to achieve your career dreams.

4. Half of Irish start-ups competing for Start TLV 2017 are women-led

Competition to attend Start TLV in Israel is seen as ‘must win’ rite of passage for Irish start-ups, and women are getting equal representation.

5. How Lucy Friedman found her calling with SwitchMetrics

Don’t limit yourself – that’s the advice from SwitchMetrics founder and CEO Lucy Friedman for fellow female entrepreneurs.

6. Inspiring the next generation to be at the forefront of STEM fields

What can be done to ensure diversity in the future of STEM teaching? A panel of researchers and educators discussed this at Inspirefest 2017.

7. Iberian peninsula stayed a Steppe ahead of Eastern immigration

In contrast to most of Europe, Iberia experienced little in the way of population influx from the Steppe, according to new research from Trinity College Dublin.

8. Airbnb’s Joe Zadeh: ‘Our grand vision is to get into all verticals of travel’

Airbnb began life in an apartment in San Francisco and Joe ‘Joebot’ Zadeh was there almost from the start.

9. The danger of leaving software security as an afterthought

TechWatch editor Emily McDaid discusses the trends, threats and tribulations of software cybersecurity with Gary Robinson, founder and CEO of Uleska.

10. US researchers are now editing human embryos using CRISPR

Reports in the US of genetically modified human embryos are the latest in a long line of CRISPR-led achievements.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com