Our Events
Every year, the School of Mathematics organises and takes part in a wide range of outreach events, from talks and workshops to exhibitions and hands-on activities. Find out more about the types of events we're involved in here.
Looking for a list of our upcoming events? See our homepage. If you'd like to keep up to date with upcoming maths events happening in and around Edinburgh then please sign up to our mailing list.
The Edinburgh Maths Circle
The Edinburgh Maths Circle is an opportunity for children aged 5 to 16 and their families to join us for an afternoon of fun and stimulating hands-on mathematics. This activity takes place twice per semester at the School of Mathematics. Find out more on the Maths Circle webpage.
The Edinburgh International Science Festival
Every spring, Scotland's capital is host to a fortnight of inspiring science and technology events at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. No matter what your age or science background is, you'll find something at the festival to keep you entertained. It might be a talk by a famous scientist, one of the many exhibitions hosted around the city, a guided walk, or an opportunity to get your hands dirty with some real experiments.
At the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, members of the School of Mathematics' Outreach Team join other scientists from the University to show off what it is that makes their subject great, with hands-on exhibits and enthusiastic student volunteers to guide people through the science.
Our activities this year
Our activities this year come under the heading "Maths: the Alphabet of the Universe", and took place in April 2018.
About 2000 visitors had a chance to explore some of the mathematical rules of nature; discover how our cells stick together; find out how Mathematics can help us predict the future of our planet; create their own model of a mini-Universe, and then consider the “shape” of planets, our galaxy, and the whole Universe.
Other Science Festivals
Did you miss the Edinburgh International Science Festival? There are now nearly 20 science festivals running across Scotland, so there's bound to be one near you coming up.
Maths Week Scotland
Maths Week Scotland is a new Scottish government initiative, aimed at showing the beauty and creativity of Mathematics all around the country. Each year we take part in this great initiative through different exciting activities, aimed at both children and adults.
Doors Open Day
Doors Open Days give you free access to hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland. One weekend in September you can explore places that are normally closed to the public. Some open up once a year, some just once in a lifetime. On this occasion, the University of Edinburgh's King's Buildings, home of the School of Mathematics, will open its doors and host a range of exciting hands-on activities, from exhibitions and talks to walking tours and live experiments.
Brilliant Geometry
In May 2017 The Mathematics Outreach Team contributed to the delivery of the very unique and successful exhibit "Brilliant Geometry". Fruit of a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, Warwick University, and Oklahoma State University, this exhibit brought together elements of art, geometry, animation and and 3D-printing.
Ad hoc Craft Workshops
What has maths got to do with knitting or origami, creating pop up sculptures or baking? Please, contact us if you want to find out. If we get enough demand, we may organise an ad hoc workshop. Whether you want to make a Möbius strip scarf, an origami hyperbolic plane or some nice pop up sculptures, we've got something for you.