As a part of an outreach programme to raise awareness about Radon mitigation, the OPTI-SDS project team organised a competition in the Scoil Ide during the past 8 weeks. There were two teachers actively engaged in assisting 30 students. Their work was showcased during the Galway Science Festival 2017 attended by 20,000 people and a top prize was awarded to the best project work. This programme was supported by the OPTI-SDS project team of which Dr. Jamie Goggins from the NZEB-RETROFIT team is also a co-PI in the project. For more details visit the links below.

 

 

NUI Galway Research Finds How Building Fill Materials Can Impact Controlling Indoor Radon Gas Levels

 

Dr Mark Foley Academic Director of the Masters in Medical Physics at NUI Galway, said: “This Environmental Protection Agency funded OptiSDS project is a good example of collaborations between engineers and scientists in NUI Galway and also with collaborators across Europe to address knowledge gaps in radon research. Through outreach events we are also promoting public awareness of radon risk, radon measurement, radon mitigation and radon preventative techniques.”

 

Dr Jamie Goggins, Principal Investigator in the Centre for Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) at NUI Galway, said: “One of the main aims of the project is to determine the effectiveness of soil depressurisation systems at extracting radon from under buildings. We are doing this through controlled laboratory tests at NUI Galway, in the development of robust numerical simulations and using a specially designed pilot house in a high radon area in Spain, in collaboration with Professor Luis Quindos in the University of Cantabria. It is imperative that we design and construct safe, healthy, comfortable and energy efficient buildings.