Name: Dr Nikolas Pontikos on the genetics of eye disease by Tech Radio Ireland
Duration: 32 min 33 s
Description: On this week's show Niall and Dusty await the latest on Twitter and bid farewell to the fax machine and Google Hangouts. In more serious news we talk with University College London's Dr Nikolas Pontikos about his project Eye2Gene, a device that can help identify rare eye diseases at the genetic level.

On this week's show Niall and Dusty await the latest on Twitter and bid farewell to the fax machine and Google Hangouts. In more serious news we talk with University College London's Dr Nikolas Pontikos about his project Eye2Gene, a device that can help identify rare eye diseases at the genetic level.

Tech Radio

Dr Nikolas Pontikos on the genetics of eye disease

Adam Aleksic Responds To Callers' Words

This week, Microsoft dropped an emergency patch for a vulnerability in Sharepoint that Chinese hackers have been exploiting since 7 July. Plus, now age verification is here how are social media platforms making sure users are of age?
Lastly, we learn about EdTips, a push to bring science, technology and engineering into primary schools with Keith Nolan from TU Dublin.

Microsoft’s Sharepoint patchwork and Keith Nolan from TU Dublin on EdTips

Ireland is facing a housing crisis, and yet countless buildings sit empty and unused. 

In this episode of Adapt Radio, Dr. Clare O’Connell speaks with Dr. Philip Crowe and Milo Dennehy from University College Dublin about a bold, AI-driven project to map and tackle building vacancy across the country. 

Discover why data on empty buildings is so patchy, how new tech could unlock hidden opportunities for homes and communities, and why solving this puzzle means more than just better spreadsheets. 

From town centre revitalisation to the surprising power of open data, this conversation explores how AI might help Ireland turn vacancy into vibrant possibility.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

●	Why Ireland’s empty buildings are so hard to track
●	How AI and data science are changing the vacancy game
●	The challenges, and surprises, of sharing property data
●	What Ireland can learn from France, Philadelphia, and beyond
●	Transforming vacant spaces into vibrant communities


GUEST DETAILS

Dr Philip Crowe is UCD Assistant Professor for Climate Responsive Design at the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) and the School of Civil Engineering.

He is the Director of Research at UCD APEP, co-director of the UCD Centre for Irish Towns, and Programme Director of the MSc in Architecture, Urbanism and Climate Action. Philip teaches in areas relating to carbon management, sustainability, urban resilience and urban ethics. 

As a researcher, he is working on a range of EU and nationally funded projects relating to town revitalisation, vacancy and adaptive reuse, compact urban growth, and citizen participation in processes of change. Philip’s background is in architecture, and he was previously Director of Sustainable Design at M.CO (Dublin) from 2003-2012.

Milo Dennehy is a Research Assistant in the School of Computer Science. Milo is a current student in the BSc City Planning and Environmental Policy programme, set to graduate in 2025. Before joining Building Stories, Milo was a research assistant in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at UCD. His research interests are in building geospatial tools that leverage machine learning and remote sensing techniques to enhance capacity and reduce the barriers to access to geospatial technology for local actors.


MORE INFORMATION

You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/ 

Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre
For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/  


QUOTES

We don’t actually know what we’re dealing with—how do you manage your built environment without reliable, dynamic data? – Dr Philip Crowe

It shocked me how much decision-making still relies on throwing darts at the map and manual guesswork – Milo Dennehy

If you aggregate all these data sets together, you’ve got something incredibly powerful to solve the housing crisis –  Dr Philip Crowe

AI lets us see what’s missing in the data—and predict what’s possible for Ireland’s empty buildings. – Milo Dennehy

The real challenge isn’t technical—it’s about building trust and a culture of sharing data for the public good. – Dr Philip Crowe


KEYWORDS

#AI #VacantBuildings #IrelandHousing #DataScience #UrbanRevitalisation #SmartCities #OpenData #HousingCrisis #PropertyData #CommunityImpact #TownCentres #DataGovernance #SustainableCities #Innovation #TechForGood

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Kateryna Portmann and Nazrin Aliyeva on new directions in robotics

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Later, Orivium’s Emma Clarke talks about her company’s method of extracting and reusing rare earth materials to give new life to devices beyond repair.

Artificial intelligence and a real tragedy, and Orivium's Emma Clarke

Ireland just made space history with its first satellite successfully completing its mission and de-orbiting as we speak. We find out more about some of the serious science it pulled off including gamma-ray burst detection and advanced satellite control systems that would make Nasa jealous.
Elsewhere, we discover why Google’s latest multi million dollar privacy slap actually matters to you and we dig as far as we can into a spyware story involving the Garda Siochana and an Israeli spy firm.
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Apple launched the iPhone Air this week which has Niall and Dusty somewhat excited. We look at all the angles including the new ‘regular’ iPhones, a new Apple Watch and a gaping hole with AirPods. There is also news on the government snooping on your encrypted chats and a Revolut challenger is coming to Ireland. Plus, we get some fascinating insights into the global femtech industry with Dr Tanya Mulcahy, director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI). 

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Dr Nikolas Pontikos on the genetics of eye disease

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