Community and Public Engagement
At the University of Glasgow, we are committed to delivering a range of outreach and public engagement activities to showcase the subjects of mathematics and statistics. We have a team of dedicated staff and students whose aim is to share their love of mathematics and statistics to the public, and to promote, enhance and enrich mathematics and statistics in schools.
On this website you can find out more about the range of activities we offer to the public and to local schools. Below you can find a list of our upcoming and recent events.
Upcoming and recent events
Saturday 26th October 2024 – Saturday 30th November 2024 10:00am-12:30pm: Ri Mathematics and Statistics Masterclasses (for S3 pupils)
Each year we host the Strathclyde series of Ri Masterclasses. These are extra-curricular workshops in mathematics and statistics which aim to nurture students’ curiosity and inspire them to continue engaging with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in the future. The Masterclasses are held over six consecutive Saturday mornings and each session will cover a different topic. They are open to S3 pupils who have been nominated by their maths teacher. If your school did not receive an invitation to attend, the teacher should contact the organiser. In 2024 the series will run from Saturday 26th October until 30th November. The programme for this year is being finalised but the programme for previous events can be found at the link below.
https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/mathematicsstatistics/events/masterclasses/
Monday 7th October 2024 7pm: Life’s not fair for Café Scientifique
On the surface, it may seem that everyone in Scotland has an equal chance in life. However, people from the most deprived parts of the country are more at risk of poor health, live shorter lives on average and have reduced opportunities in education and employment. Statistical modelling plays a huge role in understanding the extent of these inequalities, by using routinely collected health data alongside demographic information to identify the regions at highest risk of disease and also the factors which contribute to this. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the health inequalities in Glasgow, and also some of the techniques statisticians use to communicate our findings.
Dr Craig Anderson is a Senior Lecturer in Statistics at the University of Glasgow. Craig’s research focuses on public health and the environment, with a particular focus on inequalities. He is passionate about statistics outreach and enjoys working with general public to share the findings of his research with the people whose daily lives are affected by these inequalities.
Dr Eilidh Jack is a Senior Lecturer in Statistics at the University of Glasgow. She completed her PhD in 2019 in disease mapping with a particular focus on estimating health inequalities across Scotland. She is also experienced in Statistics outreach and has an interest in widening participation in Mathematical Sciences.
For more information, please visit the Café Scientifique webpage.
https://www.gla.ac.uk/events/cafescientifique/
Thursday 26th September 2024 4:45-6pm: Jobs of the Unknown for Maths Week Scotland
Join the Royal Statistical Society at the Livingston Tower in Glasgow, for a fun and informative evening to learn more about careers in Statistics and Data Science.
Event focus: Careers in both Statistics and Data Science.
Target Audience: Secondary School S5 and S6 pupils and University Undergraduates
Event format:
We will have a diverse collection of Mystery Guests who are currently either Statisticians or Data Scientists, who are willing to be quizzed on their field of speciality. But the aim of the evening is to discover what those specialities are!
Attendees will be put into small groups to circulate around the venue, meeting each Mystery Guest for up to 10 minutes. During that time, attendees can ask the Mystery Guest a series of questions in a bid to find out what field of data it is that they work in. Any remaining time will be available for the Mystery Guest to tell the group a little about what they do in a typical day, and to answer any follow-up questions.
Refreshments will be available.
Booking link: https://mathsweek.scot/events/jobs-of-the-unknown---the-future-of-statistics-and-data-science-careers-2
This event is being run by the Glasgow Group of the Royal Statistical Society, and is a development of the highly successful inaugural event that was run in Edinburgh, in September 2023.
Update 23/09/24: Please note that this event is now full. Keep an eye out for a similar event at next year’s Maths Week Scotland!
