Dublin Lord Mayor Andrew Montague officially designated Dublin as European City of Science this morning at the Convention Centre Dublin.

Prof Patrick Cunningham, chief scientific adviser to the Government, was one of the key people who led the bid to secure Dublin’s tenure as City of Science. It was in Strasburg in France in 2008 that Dublin was announced as the city to host the 2012 Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF), edging ahead of Vienna.

Every two years, a European city holds the City of Science tenure. Turin was City of Science in 2010, while Barcelona held the mantle in 2008.

So what will City of Science behold?

The highlight of the year will be ESOF 2012 in July, when the world’s scientific community will be descending upon Dublin. In addition, ESOF will host the Europe – US Symposium on the Atlantic Ocean as a shared resource.

There will also be more than 160 science-related events happening all over Ireland throughout the year.

The setting itself was a colourful display this morning to showcase how the ‘year of science celebration’ will be all about an intersection between science and the arts. Theatre artists from Rough Magic Theatre Company gave an entertaining performance, while a harpist and a violinist from the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra also played two pieces. Dublin footballer Stephen Cluxton, who is also a science teacher, brought along some of his students to the event, while children from Gardiner Street Primary School checked out some of the interactive exhibits.

Compéring the event, Irish comedian Dara O’Briain, who also has a degree in maths and theoretical physics, spoke about how Ireland was renowned for its rich artistic and literary heritage, but he said this year would be a great opportunity to show the links that exist between the arts and the sciences and to open up Ireland’s scientific strengths to the public.

Together with Prof Brian Cox, O’Briain has just hosted the Stargazing series on BBC, a programme that was lapped up by the public. “Three million people followed the show for the three series. There’s a massive audience for this type of stuff,” said O’Briain.

The man with the alleged penchant for panties, Kornwell H. Chan, 37, of the 1900 block of Audubon Drive, was arraigned Thursday before District Court Judge Katherine McGill on charges of stalking, burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, harassment and criminal mischief in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between November 2011 and January.

Their mathematical project wins them a cheque for €5,000, plus tickets to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London later this year, a crystal trophy and a chance to represent Ireland in the EU’s Young Scientist completion taking place this September in Bratislava.

Their project looked at a mathematical problem first proposed back in 1760 relating to the motion of planets.

The IMB said the Harley Medical Group told it on two occasions last year it had written to all patients implanted with a defective silicone gel made by the now-defunct company Poly Implant Prothese SA (PIP).

An investigation into PIP found it was using silicone not approved by health authorities but was about 10 times cheaper. The implants, said to be filled with a type of silicone used in mattresses, have been linked to the death of a woman in France from a rare form of cancer and are implicated in other cases.

It is understood that up to 1,500 women in Ireland have the PIP implants with 878 of those being former patients of the Harley Medical Group, according to the IMB. Other Irish clinics said to have used the implants were Shandon Street Hospital in Cork and Clane Hospital in Co Kildare.

In a statement yesterday, the IMB said the Harley Medical Group, which has a clinic in Herbert Place, Dublin 2, had provided the board with “detailed written confirmation on two separate occasions in November 2010 that they had written to all its Irish patients implanted with the PIP breast implants.”

The board said that it had now been informed that the letters were never sent and communication to patients was via Harley’s website only.

The IMB has said with “this direct specific patient contact letter never sent” it was “concerned that the Harley Medical Group did not follow the IMB recommendation and that the IMB was misinformed”.

The board said the Harley Medical Group had now assured it that its Irish patients would be sent a letter informing them of the issue by Monday “at the latest”.

The IMB said women who may have changed name or address should contact the Harley Medical Group directly.

Contacted last night, a Harley Medical Group spokeswoman said the company had “people going back as far as 2001 and a lot of those people had moved house and were difficult to contact”. She declined to comment on why the IMB said it had been told twice that the letters had been sent.

French health authorities have said they will offer surgery to any woman who wants to have her PIP implants removed. Yesterday, the British health ministry said it found no evidence to recommend the routine removal of the implants. However, it said if the surgery had been carried out by the NHS, as in the case of breast cancer patients, it would pay for their removal if the patient was concerned. It said it expected private clinics to do likewise.

It is thought none of the PIP implants were carried out at HSE facilities.

The IMB has said there was “no current evidence of particular health risks associated with PIP implants”. It advised those with concerns to contact their implanting surgeon.

The board said it was “continuing to monitor the situation”. It said senior representatives nominated by EU ministers for health as well as medical devices advisers had met by teleconference three times on the issue.

It had been decided to compile all the available information and data centrally at EU level and to set up “an expert panel to prepare a common risk assessment on PIP breast implants” to be completed “as quickly as possible”.

Over the coming days South William Street will play host to live performances and Dame Lane is being laid out with food stalls.

The main event – an outdoor concert featuring Paul Brady, the Coronas and Riverdance – takes place on College Green tomorrow night.

“It’s going to be a one-day event,” Gilbert Felli, Executive Director of the Olympic Games, told reporters.

It’s understood threats were made to well known news reporter Mick McCaffrey after an article in the Sunday World, which prompted him to leave his home for a time… a senior detective was also targetted.. and a third person is understood to have been a witness in a trial.

The board’s Resources Committee on Thursday recommended the full board approve the site selection.

A tentative offer calls for the college to pay $11 million for the 98,462-square-foot office complex on 14.8 acres off the Post Road and U.S. Route 33 interchange.

The college also has expressed interest in an adjacent 89 acres the city of Dublin had purchased several years ago for an office/technology campus. The city may donate that land to the college but Dublin has not formally made that offer as an incentive to gain the project.

Any incentive deal will have to received Dublin City Council approval.

The college hopes to open the extension campus in August 2014 when 50 osteopathic medicine students start their education, according to a Heritage College news release. First- and second-year students will take classes on the campus in preparation for training rotations at hospitals during their third and fourth years.

“Our pricing will be flat next year, which is good news for passengers and for airlines,” said DAA’s director of strategy, Vincent Harrison.

Like a night at the Oscars, players such as Alan Brogan, Henry Shefflin and Bryan Sheehan arrived with their partners, who were glammed up in glittering gowns for the sports star-studded event.

Players from Dublin, Kerry, Donegal, Kildare and Mayo made up the 2011 Football All Star team, which was announced during last night’s ceremony.

All-Ireland champions Dublin dominated with six players while Kerry had a respectable four, with Colm Cooper winning his seventh award.

Donegal, who regained the Ulster title this season, occupied three places, while Kildare and Mayo had a player each.

Meanwhile, Alan Brogan, who was at the glitzy event with his wife Lydia, followed in the footsteps of his brother Bernard in 2010 to claim the Footballer of the Year — he wore a blue necktie as a nod to his team colours.

Kilkenny’s Henry Shefflin set a record by receiving his 10th All Star award.

His teammate Michael Fennelly took home the Hurler of the Year award.

Young Footballer of the Year went to Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor, while Dublin’s Liam Rushe was named Young Hurler of the Year.

Shane Nolan of Kerry won the Christy Ring Player of the Year, Donegal’s Niall Campbell was honoured with the Lory Meagher award and Martin Finn from London was the recipient of the Nicky Rackard Player of the Year. Each All Star gets €1,500.