30th November 2008, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
On Sunday the 30th of November Irish Ambassador Philomena Murnaghan hosted a meeting with eight Transition Year students , their teachers, scientists and expedition leader Pat Falvey. The ambassador represents Ireland in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay and works to promote cordial relations and foster mutual understanding between the government and people of Ireland and each of these five countries.
The students were returning from an expedition to Antarctica where they had generated population abundance estimates of Fur seals and Elephant seals as well as training in the identification of varied species of birds and cetaceans (whales). They also sample and analysed various ice and water samples to assess the availability of fresh water. Another aspect of their research was waste management on board the ship MV Ushuaia and in the communities on South Georgia and Antarctica that they visited. All of these projects were completed and presented to the various scientific and polar experts aboard the ship.
The ambassador spent sometime listening to their reports on the expedition. She also was very interested in seeing images taken by students of nesting Albatross. The Ambassador was also especially interested in meeting Freddy T Bear whom she met in 2006 with the team members of that expedition.
Photo: Back L-R; Carol Meagher LIT, Stephen Comerford GMIT, Sandra Riordan ROCHE, Dylan King, Robert Lee, Niall Foley Expedition Coordinator, Dominic Leahy, Sahne Wharton, Gavin Arneill, Joanne O Brien GMIT, David Clifford Education Supervisor.
Front L:R; Phil O Flynn, Sinead Walsh, Michael Dalton, Philomena Murnaghan Ambassadorwith Freddy T bear, Pat Falvey Expedition Leader, Rachel Coleman-Horgan, Anne Murray.
