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Laurence Gill

Laurence GILL (IR)

Scientist in Residency with Kat AUSTEN

Biography

Laurence Gill is a Professor in Environmental Engineering in the School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin. His research interests involve studying the fate and transport of both air and water-borne pollutants in the natural and built environment, the development of passive treatment processes, the ecohydrology of wetlands and the characterisation of karst hydrological catchments. Much of the work involves extensive field studies which are then used to develop mathematical models to gain further insight into the processes. He is one of 8 Principal Investigators who lead the country’s first Applied Geoscience research centre (iCRAG) and heads the Groundwater research spoke which focuses on karst hydrology.

In recent years he has worked with Irish NGOs on several water and sanitation projects for some of the most vulnerable people in the world in sub-Saharan countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Niger, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. He has also been helping to run a summer school in Tanzania at the University of Dar Es Salaam where Tanzanian and Irish students work together to come up with innovative solutions to the local challenges of providing clean water and appropriate sanitation. Prior to joining at Trinity College in 1999, he spent several years working in the UK water industry on the design of water and wastewater treatment processes for urban populations.

In terms of artistic collaborations, Laurence was the curator for a public event in Trinity College Dublin entitled “Inception Horizon–a celebration of subterranean karst cave systems”. The event takes the audience on a journey underground, following the flow of water through song, sculpture, visual projections, uilleann pipe music and spoken word. It finished with the world premiere of a choral piece Inception Horizon by composer Norah Constance Walsh performed by the Mellow Tonics.

Why should art and science work together? "Science and arts provide perceptions on the world, often trying to express complex ideas in different forms. Artistic creations can often induce emotions and understanding that science can struggle to get across. However, both can inspire a call to action. Take climate change as an example, an emotive image, sensory perception or scientific rationale can both strike people deep down to change behaviour in terms of ways of living / attitudes to purchasing, means of travel etc. as well as technological developments. Politics usually follows these changes in public consciousness, leading to global societal drive for action and change. Looking back in history it seems to me that artists are often at the vanguard of shifts in societal thinking and in many cases the seed for change. There are incredible works of human imagination going on at the boundaries of science and technology, novel ideas which artists need to see, comprehend and then reflect in their own form, for receptive minds." <tr style="height: 23px;"><td style="width: 47.15189873417721%; text-align: center; height: 23px;"> </td> <td style="width: 3.08175%; height: 23px;"> </td> <td style="width: 49.7664%; height: 23px;"> </td> </tr><table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"> </td> </tr></tbody></table>

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