Leaded Strand Lamp:Selected for Inclusion for an Exhibition of the best of irish Design as part of the Vernacular Exhibition in London Design Festival 2013. Curated by Ann Mulrooney

Contemporary product made using traditional Northern irish metal craft skills

The Biospheric Project - Manchester International Festival 2013:Technical food systems

The Biospheric Project is a nested multi-scalar urban agriculture project that aims to develop sustainable food systems in disadvantaged communities, though not only physical interventions, such as the urban masterplan and neighbourhood design to the building and its roof and façade, but also through social and commercial interventions, such as community involvement, businesses and a distribution system.

The project is focused around the Biospheric Foundation, a community interest company and research think-tank whose aim is to hasten our transition to a closed cycle, low-carbon economy. Its home is Irwell house, that houses a large-scale aquaponic-based food production system, which is directly linked to a whole-food shop (78 Steps, named after the distance from the productive system) and a whole food distribution system (the Whole Box). The building sits within a post-industrial landscape which is being developed into a new productive landscape, utilizing the the technologies developed by the Biospheric Foundation and Prof Greg Keeffe of Queens University Belfast. The collaboration links designer, academics and activists across the disciplines of Urban design, Architecture, Permaculture, landscape design, environmental science and business and community.

Tutoría entre iguales recíproca y virtual para la mejora de habilidades lingüísticas en español e inglés

This paper reports data from an on-line peer tutoring project, the objective being the learning and improvement of the Spanish and English language. Pupils aged between 9 and 12 years old from Scotland and Catalonia were paired for the purpose of each pupil acting as a tutor of their own language within his or her pair. The aim was to improve the knowledge and use of their own language (by correcting their tutee) as well as the modern language (through the help of their tutor) acting as tutors and also as a tutees. The research combines a quasi-experimental design, using control groups, and in depth analysis of the process throughout the exchanges (texts and corrections) and interviews with the subjects. The results show that the degree of help offered by the tutors appears to be a very relevant factor when assessing the improvement detected in the linguistic abilities. © 2010 Fundación Infancia y Aprendizaje.