“Recent EU Commission data shows that Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) has attracted more research funding from the EU in the area of ICT than all the other institutes of technology combined and more than many Irish universities and technology companies …” (more)
[Dylan White, Limerick Leader, 2 July]
“Sir, – In response to the letter by Daniel Carey (July 1st), which suggests changing the name of the new Department of Higher Education, Innovation and Science to the Department of Higher Education, Innovation and Research …” (more)
[Kevin Nolan, Irish Times, 3 July]
“Sir, – The creation of a new department is to be welcomed, but the name – Department of Higher Education, Innovation and Science – is problematic and potentially divisive …” (more)
[Daniel Carey, Irish Times, 1 July]
“The rush for scientific cures and treatments for Covid-19 has opened the floodgates of direct communication between scientists and the public. Instead of waiting for their work to go through the slow process of peer review at scientific journals, scientists are now often going straight to print themselves, posting write-ups of their work to public servers as soon as they’re complete …” (more)
[Simine Vazire, Wired, 25 June]
“An Irish scientist has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry John Jeyes Award for her research into microparticles and plastic waste. Prof Iseult Lynch, who is from Dublin but works at the University of Birmingham, was announced as winner of the prestigious biennial award on Wednesday …” (more)
[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 24 June]
“Sir, – Living a few miles from George Berkeley’s childhood home in Thomastown, Kilkenny, I have grown to admire him as a social reformer and man of true vision and humanity. The article ‘What to do about George Berkeley, Trinity figurehead and slave owner?’ (Joe Humphreys, Unthinkable, June 18th), quoting the work of Trinity academic Claire Moriarty, does him a severe injustice …” (more)
[Tony Whittle, Irish Times, 23 June]
“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted researchers, academics and students worldwide. No one in academia is spared the direct or indirect consequences of this novel coronavirus. For higher degree research (HDR) students (masters and PhD students), the impact of COVID-19 on their research and how they keep themselves sane and academically productive during these unprecedented times is profound …” (more)
[Kimkong Heng and Daeul Jeong, University World News, 20 June]
“Five years ago, when Jeffrey MacKie-Mason first joined the University of California team that negotiates with academic publishers, he asked a colleague what would happen if he failed to strike a deal. What if, instead, he simply canceled their subscription? ‘I was told I would be fired the next day’, the UC Berkeley librarian says …” (more)
[Gregory Barber, Wired, 16 June]
“One in three thirteen-year-olds whose parents expect them to go to college do not think they will make the cut. Just 51% of teens joining secondary school expect to reach third level but 79% of mothers think they will …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 11 June]
“The HEA today publishes the Graduate Outcomes Survey: Class of 2018 report. Findings show high levels of employment for graduates who were seeking work at the end of 2018 and early 2019 …” (more, download)
[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 11 June]
“The purpose and future of universities, higher education and research has been subject to ceaseless debate, often focused on complex issues of the bureaucratic structure of universities and their relationship to the state. Matt Rosen argues that by returning to three basic questions about higher education – What should the end or aim of education be? What should its form or shape be? What is the picture of human life in which a notion of education with this end and form fits? – it might be possible to refocus this debate and open new pathways and opportunities to develop a more meaningful system of higher education …” (more)
[Impact of Social Sciences, 4 June]
“A new study published by the Economic and Social Research Institute shows that many migrant groups have higher unemployment levels despite having higher educational qualifications. The data on migrants born in 100 countries compares differences in educational qualifications, English-language skills, unemployment and job quality to Irish people …” (more)
[Ailbhe Conneely, RTÉ News, 4 June]
“Trinity College Dublin’s Prof Clodagh Brook discusses how women in research have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and what can be done to ensure that female researchers continue to be heard. Prof Clodagh Brook is an associate professor and head of Italian at Trinity College Dublin …” (more)
[Lisa Ardill, Silicon Republic, 2 June]
“In most of the world, expertise is making a comeback. We are placing our faith in healthcare professionals such as Dr Tony Holohan and Prof Philip Nolan to lead us through the current pandemic. In the US, where the ascent of experts is on shakier ground, Dr Anthony Fauci is the target of both immoderate adulation and inexplicable death threats …” (more)
[Kathryn Conrad, Cóilín Parsons, and Julie McCormick Weng, Irish Times, 1 June]
“Writing scientific papers and publishing them in academic journals is an essential part of the activity of a researcher. ‘Publish or perish’ is truer now than ever, and an extensive publication list is essential for anyone wanting to have a career in science. But what are these papers actually for? What purpose do they serve? …” (more)
[In the Dark, 30 May]
“If Ireland’s higher education and research sector is left to face its current financial challenge on its own, ‘with the State ignoring it the way it has over the last decade, then it will buckle’ – more than 1,500 leading Irish scientists have predicted …” (more)
[Kevin O’Sullivan and Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 27 May]
“As instructors and students brace for a fall semester taught on-line, the effects of COVID on the labour of post-secondary learning continue to set in. Course outlines and assessment criteria are being reworked. Students wrestle with rising tuition and the prospects of prolonged periods of unemployment …” (more)
[Workplace, 26 May]
“An Open Letter to the Members of Dáil Éireann. Five years ago over 1,000 Irish scientists wrote to government urging a rebalancing of funding toward basic research. Basic discovery research is exactly the type that produces the scientists, skills and serendipitous solutions we need when faced with an unexpected challenge like COVID-19. Half a decade on from that letter little has changed for the better …” (more)
[IrishScientists.org, 25 May]
“Professionals are more likely to consider a job in the public sector than students. That is according to new research by e-recruitment platform IrishJobs.ie, in partnership with employer brand specialist Universum …” (more)
[Irish Examiner, 22 May]
