Thursday, February 26, 2009

Wicklow County trip

We spent last weekend relaxing about Wicklow County, seeing some beautiful sites and enjoying the quiet countryside. Below are links to our photoalbums from our trip. Enjoy!

Hollywood and KidZone, Wicklow County

Photobucket Album

Drive through Wicklow Gap and Sally Gap

Photobucket Album

Stone Circles and a Megalithic Tomb

Photobucket Album

Glendalough Monastic City

Photobucket Album

Powerscourt Gardens

Photobucket Album

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Teaching at UCD







As part of my Fulbright experience, I participated in a new class module called Soil Ecology (AESC40130), which was developed by my host Dr. Olaf Schmidt. This course provides an overview of soil biology, and I taught a three-week section on microbial diversity and ecology. Sixteen graduate students enrolled in the course, from M.S. programs in Applied Science and Environmental Resource Management. Here are some pictures of my students participating in a laboratory practical to measure microbial biomass in soil, and a student leading a class discussion on fungal functional diversity. My students were amazing -- very attentive and thoughtful, and I had fun learning about Irish culture from them. It was a great teaching experience! 

Thursday, February 12, 2009








Yesterday was still cold but sunny, so we took a quick trip to Dalkey, a small town south of us and where all the celebrities live (like Bono!). The pictures are of Dalkey castle, a scenic street scene, Bullock Harbor (a good place to see seals), a seal head peeking over the water (to the left of the ladder), and the interior of Finnegan's pub, where we had lunch. Dalkey is one of the prettiest towns we've seen yet!

Sunday, February 8, 2009






We went into Dublin city centre Saturday to visit the Bull and Castle, a Gastropub and Beer Hall, across the street from Christ Church where the Dublin homebrew club meets once a month. The food was great, and the selection of beers from around the world is fantastic. Check out the shiny bar from the upstairs beer hall! You can get a sense of the beer selection from the size of the beer menu above the tables (still put away up in the beer hall when we visited). For a more detailed picture of the menu, click on the 3rd picture for a high resolution photo. We sat downstairs, next to the cozy fireplace.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009




Jacob goes to a playgroup in Blackrock two days a week so that he can play with children his own age. His school is called "Simba's", and it is on the second floor of a church-turned-community center. Rachel (left) and Yvonne (right) are his teachers, and they are very sweet.