Recent Press Releases
Institute statement on Reading physics department announcement
PR36(06)
Tue, 22 May 2007
Philip Diamond, assistant director of education and science at the Institute said: “The Institute is very disappointed that Reading has decided to close its physics department today despite our efforts to lobby the university council against it.”
“However the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has now announced an additional £75 million to support very high cost subjects, including physics, from 2007-08 over three years. It is sad that this funding was not enough to save Reading’s physics department but the Institute hopes that it will prevent more closures in the future.”
“The Institute is pleased that the Government has now realised that there is a need for short term funding to support strategically important subjects such as physics at universities. This will give HEFCE time to review the real costs of teaching across the higher education sector and provide the basis for a more realistic way to meet the high costs of the science and engineering subjects at universities.”
Notes to editors:
For further information and interviews:
Helen MacBain, press officer
Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London. W1B 1NT
Tel +44 (0)20 7470 4815; +44 (0)7946 321 473
E-mail:helen.macbain@iop.org
The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently over 35,000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, Institute of Physics Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics.
^ To the top ^