WITS News 18 May 2020

Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale

Last week was the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale on 12 May 2020. May 12 was also the UN International Nurses Day and Women in Maths Day. Find out below how Florence Nightingale links both celebrations. Please do the NWCI survey below.

This weeks news:

Coronavirus news

• How contact tracing apps can stop both COVID-19 and Big Brother. Check out this helpful comic from Tappable where Alice and Bob break it down for you. From Dublin Tech Summit via Twitter.
• What’s the difference between COVID-19 and hay fever symptoms? From World Economic Forum.
• COVID-19: Top science stories of the week, from genetics to herd immunity. From World Economic Forum.
• Tech companies ptich in to fight COVID-19 pandemic. From Computerworld.
• The COVID-19 response from Ireland's technological higher educational sector. Great reading. As is the DCU COVID-19 Research and Innovation Hub.
• How and why cornonavirus is changing our sense of time. From University of Californa.
• COVID-19 delivers valuable lessons on how science operates. Dr Shane Bergin in The Irish Times.

Women and coronavirus

• NWCI has launched its online survey, Women's Experiences of Caring during COVID-19. Please take the survey.
• Cell Explorers celebrates STEM students with its COVID-19 news series. see what Cora Lambert of NUIG is doing during the coronavirus lockdown.

Working from home

• WITS corporate member Workhuman's Livestream event on 12 May featured Trevor Noah. He warned: ‘Be careful that work doesn’t become your home. From Silicon Republic.
• 5 tips for working from home as a woman in STEM. From World Economic Forum.
• Getting the best from homeworking in unprecedented times, and beyond. From TechCentral.ie.

Women in STEM

• Happy 200th Birthday to Florence Nightingale. Born: 12 May 1820 in Florence. Died: 13 August 1910 in East Wellow, England. From SciFest4STEM via Twitter.
• International Nurses Day is commemorated every year on Florence Nightingale's birthday 12 May, From UN Women via Twitter.
• 12 May is Women in Maths Day. BBC More or Less celebrated the life and legacy of Iranian mathematician and scientist Maryam Mirzakhani (1977-2017). LIsten here.
• Great Twitter series by Great Women of Mathematics celebrating Florence Nightingale and how she used statistics to make her arguments about patients and this helped develop evidence-based medicine. This celebrates her 200th birthday, International Nurses Day and Women in Maths day.
• Lifeology - where art and science interacts, introdcues a new Women in STEAM card series. Read about Dr Jessamyn Fairfield NUIG physicsist and Bright Club Ireland organiser.
• Self-confidence matters. Women don’t fear leadership, we have just been holding them back. From The Scope at Silicon Republic.

Other news and events

• 16 May 2020 was the International Day of Light. it marked the 60th anniversary of the invention of the laser.
• Mary Mulvihill Award - great response to the competition. The winner & the recipient of a highly commended award will be announced on 20 May 2020.
• NWCI The Feminist Agenda webinar series starts on Wednesday 20 May 2020 from 11.30 am - 1 pm. Speakers include Orla O'Connor, Director, NWCI. Register to attend and you will receive the Zoom link to the webinar before the event.
• 20 May 2020 is the UN World Bee Day The day aims to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development. What can you do to help Ireland's 98 wild bee species? The All-Ireland Polliator Plan has lots of ideas.
• National Biodiversity Week 2020 in Ireland runs from 18th to 22nd May, culminating with International Day of Biological Diversity on the 22nd of May. Find out what's on. The Bealtaine Living Earth Biodiversity festival is offering a “biodiversity virtual tour” every day at 5pm from its website livingearth.ie until 24 May 2020.