Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen T.D., at the Atlantic Corridor Conference 2010 “How can educators inspire students to engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths?”Tullamore Court Hotel, 25 February, 2010 at 9.30 a.m.
I am delighted to be with you this morning to open this conference on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Education. It is an agenda that has increasingly moved centre stage as we set about putting in place the right foundations for our longer term success as an economy, and as a society.
As many of you know, in December 2008, the Government published “Building Ireland’s Smart Economy – A Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal.” That blueprint focused on five key areas for action: securing the enterprise economy and promoting competitiveness; building the ideas economy by establishing Ireland as an innovation hub; enhancing the environment, securing energy supplies and building the green-tech sector; investing in critical public infrastructure; and ensuring more efficient and effective public services and smarter regulation.
To position Ireland as an international innovation hub, we must retain existing strengths in attracting international investment. For example, we are currently home to 8 of the top 10 companies globally in the ICT and Life Sciences sectors.
The presence of so many leading multinationals here provides us with a remarkable base from which to develop an economy based around innovation.
But we also need to place a much stronger emphasis on home-grown talent and entrepreneurship, and creating the right environment for new success stories in today’s rapidly diversifying global markets.
On its own, restoring cost competitiveness will not be sufficient to recover from the current crisis. We need to find new sources of competitive advantage based on higher productivity and more innovation.
Dr Chris Horn, President of Engineers’ Ireland, and one of your speakers today, is a member of the Innovation Taskforce due to report to Government shortly on some of these issues.
It is a major challenge. But it is a challenge that is key to returning our economy to sustainable, export-led growth.
Other distinguished contributors today include:
- Dr Jeff Evans of Georgia Tech, showing us how advanced ICT infrastructure is bringing exciting new possibilities to the world of education, and to Rahan;
- Andrew Parish of Wavebob, an excellent example of Irish entrepreneurship in sustainable energy technologies that can serve as a model for others;
- and of course your keynote speaker, Dr John Mighton, of the world-renowned Fields Mathematical Institute at the University of Toronto, reminding us of the crucial role of mathematical capabilities, and how they can be made more accessible.
Education, and STEM education in particular, is at the heart of the transformation we need to make to secure the next phase of our economic development.
It is also clear that securing greater interest in STEM subjects will rely on a broadening of skills in mathematics as much as possible, and as early as possible.
Early success in problem solving encourages engagement in ever more complex reasoning—a key trait in any profession or field of study. Dr Mighton will be sharing his experiences on this with you later, and we know that his work has had a huge impact on maths literacy in his native Canada.
There are also important developments underway in Irish schools. A revised primary curriculum in Mathematics was introduced in 2002 and is working well. Project Maths began in 24 post-primary schools in 2008, and is being implemented in all schools from this September.
In science subjects, the landscape is changing as well. Revised curricula were introduced at primary and junior cycle level in 2003. Reforms are in development at senior cycle level, where some 51% of students study Biology, but we have only 12-14% taking Physics and Chemistry.
That is why an important national objective, supported by the work of the Discover Science and Engineering (DSE) Programme, is to increase participation in the physical sciences at Leaving Certificate level and beyond. And we are beginning to see welcome progress—with acceptances on higher education courses in the current academic year up 21% in engineering and 25% on computing and science courses.
Outside the formal education system, we can also work to increase awareness and interest in these subjects. For example, Dublin will be European City of Science in 2012, while the Science Gallery has had a big impact in its first two years.
I believe there is also an opportunity to encourage more engineering and science professionals – including those who have recently retired – to support this effort by helping teachers update their knowledge base, or by direct involvement in the classroom.
Discover Science and Engineering has also recently announced their partnership with the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO), a substantial project that is being strongly supported by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Ireland is now the fifth European country which will have its own European Space Education Resource Office, promoting wider study of science in schools, using space as a theme. Indeed we now have some 70 companies throughout the country with a growing involvement in the space industry, already worth in the region of €20 million annually to the economy.
Another important development of recent times—and for the Midlands—was of course the establishment three years ago of Georgia Tech Ireland, focused on industry-relevant R&D that bridges the gap between academic discovery and commercial success.
As the first applied research facility of the Georgia Tech Research Institute outside the United States, this venture is now a key strand of the recently announced strategic alliance between NUI Galway and the University of Limerick. It is a great example of how strong international linkages can boost performance across our higher education sector.
Science, technology, engineering and maths are producing the innovations we need to face the challenges of today and tomorrow—dealing with everything from environmental issues to disease prevention. The application of these subjects is saving lives, offering new solutions to global problems, while supporting new levels of dynamism in the production of innovative goods and services.
For centuries, Ireland has had a proud tradition of cultural innovation, known for our literature, our theatre, our art. We are also have a strong tradition, if less well-known, of innovation in science, technology and business.
Events such as today’s have a crucial role to play in sustaining the progress that we are making.
You are discussing issues of real national importance – and I think honest and open debate on these issues is essential. We need to acknowledge what parts of our system are underperforming, and be open to new ideas which can make a significant difference.
I wish you all the best for today’s proceedings and I look forward to hearing the ideas which emerge.
Go raibh maith agaibh.
ENDS