The Academy has a long tradition of advocating and promoting science education at second and third-level and was instrumental in the establishment of the Taskforce on the Physical Sciences in 2000. It continues to be very active in this domain with a particular focus on graduate education and graduate careers in the science, technology and engineering domains. More broadly, the Academy supports efforts to promote a higher awareness across society of the role, contribution and value of disciplines such as science and maths, technology and engineering to Ireland’s economy, society and national well-being.

The Future of Graduate Education in Chemistry and Physics: a discussion document

Published online: 2009
A November 2009 meeting organised by the Academy’s Chemical and Physical Sciences Committee focused on PhD education in chemistry and physics, and their related interdisciplinary areas. There is strong support for the establishment of structured PhD programmes administered on a discipline-specific basis and for interdisciplinary PhD programmes to exist in a common framework with discipline specific programmes. Download discussion document

Making the Best of Third Level Science: a discussion document

Published online: May 2009
This report draws on the high-level meeting convened by the Academy’s Science Secretary in February 2009 to discuss the effectiveness of the response by higher education institutions to the expansion in places in undergraduate science courses with a particular focus on issues of quality, progression and retention. The key Issues and Recommendations emerging from the meeting are summarised here.

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Issues and Recommendations

'Bonus Points for Maths': a response by the Academy Committees for Mathematical, Engineering, Chemical and Physical Sciences

February 2008
Submission by the Academy Committees for Mathematical Sciences, Engineering Sciences and Chemical and Physical Sciences
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School Science Infrastructure: can Ireland deliver?

Published online: 2005
In May 2005, the Academy Committee for Chemical and  Physical Sciences (formely know as the Physical Sciences Committee) organised a workshop in responses to concerns from Irish academics and scientists regarding the decline in numbers taking physical sciences and mathematics in secondary education. Download report

Related sites

Australian Academy for Sciences, Science by Doing
ALLEA Working Group on Science Education
IAP – Global Network of Science Academies, Science Education Programme