School of Mathematics

Innovative Learning Week 2015 + competition!

In the week 16-20 February all lecturing will stop at the University of Edinburgh, and in its place will be Innovative Learning Week - a festival of creative learning. Hundreds of events will be happening across the university and beyond, many of them open to everyone (not just university students), and all of them looking to engage people with their subjects in an unexpected way. You can see the entire list of events for the week, including booking information, on the ILW calendar.

The School of Mathematics has events happening every day of the week, from student-led projects to public lectures to interdisciplinary challenges. Take a look at what we have to offer!

Some highlights include:

  • A public lecture called Things to See and Hear in the Fourth Dimension by award-winning comedian and maths populariser Matt Parker;
  • The "LEGO calculator challenge" in which we challenge participants to build a working mechanical calculator out of LEGO;
  • Mathematical Maker Faires, where our 4th year students will teach people mathematics through learning how to create origami, make jewellery and design string art;
  • A Rubik's cube workshop, where a world-champion cuber will teach people how to solve Rubik's cubes;
  • CSI Maths, in which a Y4 project group will show us how the maths of image processing can really help the police to solve crimes;
  • A mathematical walking tour where students will take you around Edinburgh to point out how mathematics is all around us;
  • A science bake-off, where the most scientific and tasty cakes will win a prize!
  • A public lecture called Science from a Sheet of Paper by Dr Tadashi Tokieda of the University of Cambridge (hosted by the Edinburgh Mathematical Society).

Even if you are not in Edinburgh you can take part! Students Jonny Scott and Ali Raad have designed a mathematical competition that is open to anyone, and are offering Amazon vouchers as prizes! To enter, take a look at the question sheet and then tell Jonny and Ali your answers via their entry form. The deadline is Friday 27th February.

If you have any questions about the mathematical events on offer for Innovative Learning Week, get in touch with Julia Collins.