The Turing Solution, a BBC Radio 4 documentary presented by Matt Parker covering “mathematician and code-breaker Alan Turing, and his role in the invention of the computer”, was broadcast last week and is currently available on BBC iPlayer. A quick (28 min) biography covering various aspects of his life and work (particularly including his mathematics and work in early computing), with a wide range of interesting contributors, this is well worth catching.
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Sir Tim Gowers
The latest Queen’s Birthday Honours list has been released. The list includes, under “Knights Bachelor – Knighthoods”, “Professor William Timothy Gowers, FRS, Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge” for “services to Mathematics” and, under “Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)”, “Mrs Manju Tank, Maths Teacher, Taunton’s College, Southampton” for “services to Education”.
I trust readers will know Fields medallist Tim Gowers, perhaps via his well known blog. The Southern Daily Echo reports that Manju Tank “has dedicated 40 years of her life to helping Hampshire’s ethnic minorities access vital services” and that the MBE recognises “a career spanning four decades which has seen her help hundreds of city youngsters overcome language barriers”.
Sources:
The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2012.
Queen honours unsung heroes across Hampshire in her Diamond Jubilee year.
James Grime: Campaign for the Turing Tenner
James Grime has come out in support of the campaign to put Alan Turing on the £10 note. He explains about this in a new video.
[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHko_-QKrFY]
Good Practice Scheme to support women in mathematics
The London Mathematical Society (LMS) have developed a “Good Practice Scheme” which aims to help university mathematics departments “to take practical actions to improve the participation of women and to share examples of good practice with other departments.”
MAA MathFest 2012
MathFest, the annual summer meeting of the Mathematical Association of America which “offers a substantial mathematical program that promises to be informative, inspiring, and productive”, will take place from 2nd-4th August in Madison, Wisconsin. This promises
Educational Programs, Informative Sessions, Dynamic Exhibits, Memorable Collaborations, Engaging Meetings, Special Events and Activities, Plenty of Mathematics FUN, …and Much more!
The early-bird and regular registration periods have passed, but you can still register at the slightly-increased late rate, from \$60 for graduate/undergraduate students up to \$350 for members of the MAA.
Find out more: MAA MathFest 2012.
Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education Conference 2012
The Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education Conference 2012 will take place on 10 July 2012 at the Royal Society in London.
Draft UK primary mathematics changes for consultation
The UK Government have released a draft primary school Programme of Study for mathematics for consultation.
The announcement was much covered in the press, which focused on the ‘back to basics’ approach. The Daily Mail reported that “times tables are to be put back at the heart of the curriculum for children’s first years at school for the first time in decades” with other details reported including learning how to calculate using decimal places and fractions, and dealing with numbers up to ten million.