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UK shows the way for physics
“Sir, – As students across the UK receive their A-Level results, the Institute of Physics in Ireland warmly welcomes the highly significant rise in the numbers taking physics …” (more) [Kevin McGuigan,...
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Trinity physicist recognised for her world-leading research in nanoscience
“A Trinity College Dublin physicist has been awarded the 2012 RDS / Intel Prize Lecture for Nanoscience. Valeria Nicolosi, research professor at the school of physics, received the award in recognition...
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Oxford University Press title joins new model for open access publishing
“Oxford University Press (OUP) is pleased to announce that Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (PTEP) has been identified for participation in SCOAP³ (Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access...
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Open-access deal for particle physics
“The entire field of particle physics is set to switch to open-access publishing, a milestone in the push to make research results freely available to readers …” (more) [Richard Van Noorden, Nature...
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Frontiers of Physics 2012 at Trinity College Dublin
“I spent last weekend at the Frontiers of Physics conference at Trinity College Dublin. This is an annual conference hosted by the Institute of Physics, aimed at establishing links with secondary...
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Particle physics volunteers to be fleeced …
“I heard the news yesterday that a body called the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access in Particle Physics (SCOAPP) has arranged a deal whereby virtually all articles in particle physics will be...
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Falling numbers in physics – what do teachers think?
“A topic that gets quite a frequent airing in our tearoom is the decline in the number of students taking physics. This issue isn’t peculiar to my institution – a quick look at the literature indicates...
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Cyril Delaney – An Appreciation
“Cyril Francis George Delaney, Fellow Emeritus of Trinity College Dublin and former professor of experimental physics, who died recently aged 87, was an outstandingly talented and inspirational...
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Why don’t more girls study physics?
“Despite efforts to get more women into science labs almost half of Britain’s co-ed schools have no female students taking A-level physics. Are sexist attitudes still to blame – or is it a fear of...
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The two ideas to fix the gender balance that do not make me cringe
“When I was in the penultimate year of high school, at that point where you need to think about universities, all six of the girls in my physics class got a flyer advertising ‘girl days’ at technical...
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DCU cites massive swing towards STEM subjects in CAO first preferences
“DCU has reported a significant swing in the direction of STEM-based courses in terms of CAO first preference figures. The university said it attracted more than 4,000 first preference applications …”...
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Back at Cambridge
“… The conference, Infinities and Cosmology, is not on theoretical or experimental cosmology, but on the philosophy of cosmology. It forms part of a new Oxford-Cambridge initiative aimed at bringing...
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Number of Female Physics Students Continues to Lag
“A growing number of schools, districts and countries are attempting to understand the lack of interest in hard sciences among women. Jon Cartwright, writing for The Daily Telegraph, reports that in...
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Book Review: Lives in Science: How Institutions Affect Academic Careers
“What can we learn when we study people across the course of their professional lives? Joseph C Hermanowicz asks this question specifically about scientists, and in Lives in Science he tracks...
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Ireland loses a great physicist
“Sad times for physics in Ireland this week with the news that Professor Alex Montwill, Ireland’s best-known particle physicist, has died. Alex was an outstanding particle physicist and the best...
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A quantum conference at Castletown House
“… As well as the technical talks, the organisers hosted a public talk on the Higgs boson by Peter Higgs. Yes, the man himself! Peter’s visit to Ireland received quite bit of media attention and the...
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Labs, lectures and luring young people into science
“My Education Week: Cormac O Raifeartaigh, lecturer in physics at Waterford Institute of Technology. On Monday morning, I give a talk about our physics degree course to students from secondary schools...
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NUI Galway’s School of Physics recognised for commitment to gender equality
“NUI Galway’s School of Physics has been recognised for its work in promoting equal opportunities in science. The Institute of Physics has become the first university in Ireland to be made a...
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Trinity College experiment succeeds after 69 years
“After decades of waiting, physicists at Trinity College have for the first time captured a rare scientific event on camera. 70 years after the experiment was set up, the scientists have videoed pitch...
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Three Irish researchers secure €2m in EU R&D funding
“Three Irish researchers have been announced as recipients of the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants and will share €2m between them to pursue their cutting-edge research in...
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Women In Physics: No Hiring Bias Against Female Faculty Seen In American...
“… In a provocative new report from the American Institute of Physics (AIP), researchers argue that there’s no evidence to suggest that women are being excluded from physics departments. Rather, they...
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Welcome rise in Leaving Certificate physics but it’s not enough
“A turn around for physics numbers but still a significant gender imbalance and almost a quarter of schools are still not offering physics at Leaving Cert level …” (more) [IOPI, 14 August]
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COSMO 2013 at Cambridge University
“Today was the first day of the COSMO 2013 conference at Cambridge. Walking up the path to the hallowed Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), I was gripped by my usual fear...
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Giant experiments closed to Irish science
“Perhaps it is time to rethink Ireland’s participation in international scientific organisations. There was a lot of quiet satisfaction in the world of physics this month with the award of the 2013...
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Why physics students are optimists
“Physics students are taught to look to the future, so are naturally optimistic; economics students learn from mistakes of the past – no wonder their world is full of gloom …” (more) [Theo Hobson,...
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Ireland ‘risks lagging behind’ by not having CERN membership
“An Irish MEP is hoping to meet with Government about Ireland becoming a member of CERN. Sean Kelly MEP said that the move could make Ireland a global hub for young scientists and leading innovators …”...
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Open meeting re Irish membership of CERN
“The Institute of Physics in Ireland would like to invite members of the physics community to a meeting in the Royal Irish Academy to discuss a response to the recent announcement by Minister Sean...
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Juno initiative seeks to encourage women in university physics
“Physics departments at three Irish universities are engaging with the Juno initiative, which looks to encourage women in physics …” (more) [Claire O’Connell, Silicon Republic, 11 April]
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Case for Irish Membership of CERN
“CERN is the pre-eminent scientific laboratory in the world. Membership would underline Ireland’s commitment to science and deliver significant benefits to the nation …” (more, download) [Institute of...
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Trinity scientist honoured by European Commission for raising public...
“Trinity College Dublin scientist Dr Shane Bergin has today been awarded the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) achievement award for his ‘contribution to communicating science...
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A day out (and a solar eclipse) at Maynooth University
“I had a most enjoyable day on Friday at the physics department of Maynooth University, or NUI Maynooth, to give it its proper title. I was there to attend an international masterclass in particle...
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US and European Scientists Sign Cooperation Pact
“Laying the groundwork for what they said would be a new era of scientific cooperation, leaders of European and American particle physics initiatives signed an agreement at a White House ceremony on...
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An Open Letter to the Times Higher World University Rankers
“Dear Rankers, Having perused your latest set of league tables along with the published methodology, a couple of things puzzle me. First, I note that you have made significant changes to your...
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What Graduate School in Theoretical Physics is Really Like
“I’m about to head off for a short New Year’s vacation in West Texas, but wanted to recommend a wonderful article that just appeared at Nautilus. It’s a memoir by Bob Henderson (who I met when he wrote...
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Only six graduates in training to be physics teachers
“As few as six graduates are in training to be physics teachers in secondary schools, new figures indicate. The shortage of qualified teachers threatens to undermine Government plans to make Ireland...
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Physics Has an Obvious Gender Problem – So How Does Someone End Up Thinking...
“Few pursue a career in physics expecting it to be a smooth ride; the subject is notoriously challenging, the playing field competitive. For women, though, the road can be downright treacherous....
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Do women in physics get fewer citations than men?
“Yesterday, I gave a seminar about the results of a little side-project that I did with two collaborators, Tobias Mistele and Tom Price. We analyzed publication data in some sub-disciplines of physics...
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New Dublin Metro Line Could Disrupt Trinity’s Physics Research
“Work on a new Dublin new metro line planned to run under Trinity’s School of Physics could disrupt research taking place in the building, according to the school’s manager. Metrolink, which will link...
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Upcoming conference in Ireland on the history of physics
“Just a quick post to highlight the fact that December 15th marks the deadline for submission of abstracts for the 4th International Conference on the History of Physics. The meeting marks the fourth...
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Time for focus on science and research
“Sir,– As we approach the formation of a new government of Ireland, in the immediate aftermath of the UK’s departure from the EU, it is imperative that the next government pursues policies to support...
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Science and teaching
“Sir, – Dr Yvonne Kavanagh of the Institute of Physics Ireland (‘Time to focus on science and research’, Letters, February 5th) rightly asserts that in order to put science and innovation at the...
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UCC’s Séamus Davis wins international prize for work in quantum physics
“Prof Séamus Davis has been awarded an international prize for his contributions to quantum physics. The Olli V Lounasmaa Memorial Prize for 2020 was awarded to the UCC-based scientist for his...
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Second-Year Physics Students Return to In-Person Lab Practicals
“Second-year physical science students return to in-person practicals today, after being informed in an email from College on Friday that laboratory practicals ‘are going ahead’. The labs will now be...
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Leaving Certificate Matters
“On the last day of the first week of a very busy term I’ve finally cleared a backlog of things and thought I’d take a break for a quick comment about the arrangements for this year’s Leaving...
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Girls, Physics and ‘Hard Maths’
“There was an appropriately hostile reaction from people who know things yesterday to bizarre comments by Katharine Birbalsingh who is apparently a UK Government commissioner for something or other who...
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A Dress Code for Physics?
“This image has been doing the rounds on Physics Twitter recently, accompanied by a mixture of incredulous, amused and angry comments. It’s from the instructions from the 13th International Particle...
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Revisiting the Case for Irish Membership of CERN
“At last week’s Irish Theoretical Physics meeting I had the opportunity to have lunch with particle physicist Professor John Ellis (of King’s College London). Among other things we discussed whether or...
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Putting girls off Physics
“I see that Katharine Birbalsingh has resigned from her job as UK Government commissioner for social mobility. Apparently she feels she was ‘doing more harm than good’. If only the rest of the...
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ChatGPT and Physics Education
“Following on the theme of ChatGPT, I see that Phil Moriarty has done a blog post about its use in Physics Education which many of my readers will find well worth reading in full …” (more) [In the...
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Teaching in Base 60
“Some time ago – was it really over a decade? – I wrote a piece about the optimum size of modules in physics teaching. I was still in the United Kingdom then so my ramblings were based on a framework...
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