
Shattering perceptions of chemistry
Northern Ireland students are attending their first research event at Queen’s University Belfast to kick-start their research investigating specialist chemicals to create greener fragrances.

Give students the tools to achieve
What can the education sector can do to break down the barriers and challenge damaging misconceptions to prevent young people from learning science? IRIS director Jo Foster has a few ideas.

IRIS Awards 2022
IRIS hosted its first awards ceremony, celebrating the talented and hard-working students and teachers who innovate in the classroom every day in their national programme.

IRIS student wins Young Scientist 2022
Connie, a 14-year-old student from Liverpool, is today celebrating her win of Big Bang’s Young Scientist of the Year 2022 award in recognition of her work analysing how some birds can fly and others cannot.

Young researchers share their findings at IRIS Student Conferences 2022
Young people from secondary schools and colleges across the UK will be travelling to venues in Bradford, Edinburgh and London to showcase their scientific research.

Widening STEM access is necessary and far from impossible
Controversial comments from the social mobility tsar aside, STEM has a diversity problem and there’s plenty we can do about it.

I am not ‘totally fine’ that only 16% of girls study Physics
IRIS director responds to UK Social Mobility Commissioner’s claim that girls do not choose physics A-level because they dislike “hard maths”.

The National Research and Innovation Accelerator – our plan to open up science for young people
Embedding a culture of research and innovation in schools is key to securing the UK’s leadership in STEM. This is our plan to help schools to get there.

Apprenticeship reform starts with the school calendar
If the UK is to realise the true potential of STEM apprenticeship, reform is needed. Jo Foster argues that companies must kickstart change by aligning the apprenticeship cycle with the school calendar.

For young people to ‘get’ STEM, they must see the real-world applications
To get more students studying #STEM, we need to engage them and demonstrate the real-world applications of science, argues Sean O’Sullivan from biotechnology company Illumina.

It’s all materials (science) – Students showcase their DNA designs to leading scientists at the University of Leeds
Teens are given a chance to share their research with their peers and leading materials scientists.