Sharon Bowles MEP with Reading University Vice Chancellor Prof. Gordon Marshall
Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles met with the Vice Chancellor of Reading University today to discuss the possibility of re-opening the Physics Department which is due to close this summer.
Sharon, who chairs the European Parliament's powerful Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, said:
"One of the driving motives for me entering politics was to give science and engineering a voice.
"I had a fantastic education at Reading University, where I graduated in Chemical Physics with Mathematics, so naturally I was upset to learn of the demise Physics Department.
"There are many factors involved in departmental closures and I am not here to find fault - we have to move forward and recognise that physics is among the subjects requiring support after a decade of neglect.
"Fantastic opportunities exist in the short-term to utilise physics teaching in modules that can be combined into other courses and provide the rigorous underpinning that is often sought for postgraduate study.
"This would help maintain Reading's profile and reputation for excellence and lay the ground work for future expansion."
ENDS
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