The Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute congratulates the Government on its commitment to maths and science education and research in this year’s budget.
“The Government and the Chief Scientist deserve credit for addressing the serious issues facing mathematics and science education in Australia”, said Professor Geoff Prince, AMSI Director.
The Institute received $2m in federal funding to expand its national higher education programs.
“This funding is critical to the enriching student environment that AMSI has created in maths and stats”, Professor Prince said.
AMSI welcomes the appointment of a National Mathematics and Science Education and Industry Adviser. This was a key recommendation from the national forum, Maths for the Future: Keep Australia Competitive, held in Canberra in February.
“Our forum recommended both a national mathematics adviser and a 5-year public awareness campaign. We look forward to further government initiatives in this space”, Professor Prince said.
Funding for continued support of the CSIRO Mathematicians and Scientists in Schools program, the Science and Mathematics Olympiads, and for Australian Mathematics and Science Partnerships between schools and universities is also strongly welcomed.
The AMSI Higher Education program includes a 4-week residential summer school that brings together about 100 talented students from around Australia, and a vacation research scholarships scheme that gives third year students the opportunity to kickstart their research careers. These programs help to build Australia’s research capacity and increase the work-readiness of our graduates.
Contact:
Professor Geoff Prince, AMSI Director, (03) 8344 1779, director@amsi.org.au
Emma Bland, Media and Communications, (03) 9035 3683, emma@amsi.org.au
