About this day
For A-level, IB, BTEC Level 3 and T Level maths students
Join us this autumn for an exciting day at Maths in Action, featuring informative discussions, interactive sessions, and inspiring stories. Our line-up of experienced speakers—including industry leaders, academics and communicators —will offer expert insights and share their real-world experiences, covering topics across pure and applied mathematics.
The day will also include a special session on examination success designed to provide students with the tools that they need to excel. With polls and quizzes throughout the day and plenty of opportunities to ask the speakers questions, this is an unmissable day, and we look forward to welcoming you and your students. Book now for Maths in Action!
Host: Ben Sparks (Mathematician and Magician) Exam session: Nicole Cozens (Maths Educator)
“A great day! Kept the students attention, without trivialising the content!”
– Tiffin School –
Programme & speakers
How to get rich quick Sophie Maclean, Mathematician and Communicator
Being able to determine the future is a great way to get money. From fairground games to the stock market, knowing what will happen is a great advantage. But even if we don’t know for certain, statistics and probability can help us make valuable predictions. In this session, Sophie gives an introduction to the world of finance and shares some of the Maths she used working as a trader.
About Sophie Maclean
Sophie is a Maths Communicator and a member of the team behind Chalkdust Magazine. She has previously worked as a Quantitative Trader, a Software Engineer, and a Maths tutor.
Nim, Officers, and Other Games Colin Wright, Mathematician and Juggler
People are familiar with all sorts of games, but as we start to look at them with an analytical eye we sometimes find connections and similarities. In this workshop we play a few games, look for connections, and finish with a result that’s genuinely almost too good to be true.
About Dr Colin Wright
Colin received his maths doctorate in 1990 from Cambridge University. While at Cambridge he also learned how to fire-breathe, unicycle, juggle and ballroom dance.
Lies, damned lies, and newspapers Emily Grossman, Broadcaster
Can we believe everything we read in the papers? In this highly interactive and amusing talk, Dr Emily Grossman takes a light-hearted look at the use and abuse of statistics in the media, illustrated with examples from her own experience as a TV science broadcaster.
About Dr Emily Grossman
Emily is a bestselling science author, internationally acclaimed public speaker and TV personality. She is best known for explaining science stuff on her fun YouTube videos and on TV shows such as Sky1’s Duck Quacks Don’t Echo (hosted by Lee Mack).
Risk and Reward Alison Kiddle, Maths Communicator
When we make decisions, we weigh up risks against potential rewards, but humans are notoriously bad at estimating how likely events are. Find out how probability and statistics let us find certainty in an unpredictable world, and discover whether mathematics helped Alison find fame and fortune when they appeared on the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire last year!
About Alison Kiddle
Alison is a mathematician and educator from the East of England. As well as travelling round the UK and abroad to talk about maths, Alison designs puzzles, writes about maths, and creates mathematical art and craft.
Magical Maths Ben Sparks, Mathematician, musician, teacher
Magic and maths have gone together for hundreds of years. The reasoning behind many magic effects is inherently mathematical and logical, and mathematical tools can reveal the secrets if you’re brave enough to use them.
About Ben Sparks
Ben is a mathematician, musician and teacher/speaker/writer. He works with the AMSP, and the University of Bath, and as a freelancer. He regularly gives talks and workshops to audiences around the world, and has written popular maths books and school textbooks.