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Why Should Penguins Care About Maths?

By Liz Hind. Posted January 27, 2015



I regularly review resources written for pupils and teachers that in some way aim to support or extend Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. The most recent campaign in the UK is the Your Life campaign and as usual it has a website with short articles designed for teachers and pupils to browse and be inspired.

Imagine my excitement when one of the articles was called “Why Do Penguins Care About Maths?”. Two of my favourite things together in one article, there was even a video. I imagined something about penguins going North, then East then South on their quest for fish and ending up close to where they started. How does the problem change for a beady-eyed Rockhopper over a majestic (but slightly ridiculous) Emperor? How far does a penguin swim anyway? How do you map three-dimensional movement as it glides up and down under the water? So many possibilities for penguins and maths.

Maths Careers Poster Competition 2013/14

By Peter Rowlett. Posted September 27, 2013

The IMA Maths Careers website has launched its annual poster competition. This time in collaboration with the British Museum’s Citi Money Gallery and part of the Mathematics of Planet Earth, the competition asks entrants to design a single global currency:

Imagine there was a single global currency; what would it look like? How big would it be? What would it be worth?
Your poster should be a pitch to the ‘Bank of the planet Earth’, outlining why your design should be commissioned for minting. The poster must include:

• The obverse and reverse design for the coin or note
• Technical specifications (dimensions, weight and material)
• The exchange rate to pounds sterling (GBP) and two other currencies with the conversion method shown

The poster should be no larger than A4. Colour may be used in coin designs for effect. There are three age categories: 11-13, 14-16 and 17-19. One entry per person per category only is allowed.

The main prize in each age group is an Android tablet and family tickets to the latest exhibition at the British Museum. The deadline for entries is midnight on 15th January, 2014.

Full rules and to submit entries: Poster Competition 2013 / 2014 at Maths Careers.

via Colin Wright on Twitter


Winners announced: Maths Careers Maths of Planet Earth 2013 Poster Competition

By Peter Rowlett. Posted February 2, 2013

You may remember that the Maths Careers website ran a poster competition on the theme Maths of Planet Earth. We reported on this back in November, and said:

The IMA’s Maths Careers campaign runs a yearly competition for posters illustrating applications of maths. Entry for the 2012/13 competition has opened, and it’s on the theme of the planet Earth, to join in with the Mathematics of Planet Earth year 2013. UK students between the ages of 11 and 19 are invited to submit posters about “A planet to discover”, “A planet supporting life”, “A planet organised by humans” or “A planet at risk“.

That post also reported that the deadline was the birthday of our very own Christian Perfect, no doubt as part of the world-wide Christiansmas celebrations. Now, in the afterglow of that momentous day, the winners have been announced.

View the winning posters: Maths Careers Poster Competition 2012 / 2013. Congratulations to all the winners!

Maths Careers Poster Competition 2012/2013

By Christian Lawson-Perfect. Posted November 4, 2012

The IMA’s Maths Careers campaign runs a yearly competition for posters illustrating applications of maths. Entry for the 2012/13 competition has opened, and it’s on the theme of the planet Earth, to join in with the Mathematics of Planet Earth year 2013. UK students between the ages of 11 and 19 are invited to submit posters about “A planet to discover“, “A planet supporting life“, “A planet organised by humans” or “A planet at risk“.

The deadline for submissions is my birthday, the 14th of January, and the winners from the three age categories will each receive “an Android tablet”.

Find more info and the entry form on the Maths Careers website.

via Maths Careers on Twitter

New Careers section on Plus Magazine

By Peter Rowlett. Posted April 26, 2012

Plus Magazine have launched a new careers section. Aimed at teachers, students, career advisors and parents, the section offers a glimpse of where maths can take you. For a long time these have been the best sources of careers advice for mathematics in the UK so a collaboration should be very fruitful.

This gives information on the wide range of careers that use mathematics – from avalanche research and planning the Olympics to designing computer games or saving lives in developing countries – containing career profiles and in-depth career interviews, as well as advice from employers and information on how to enter a career with maths.

The new careers section is a collaboration between Plus and the MathsCareers website, which was developed by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the London Mathematical Society and the Royal Statistical Society.

Maths Careers photo competition

By Peter Rowlett. Posted March 17, 2012

The Maths Careers website has launched its Maths Photo Competition 2012. The competition is open to four categories: 11-13, 14-16, 17-19 and Undergraduate (one entry per person per category). This asks entrants to take a photo (with no people in the photo) and add “an exciting, maths related caption”. The prize is a £100 Amazon voucher.

A full set of rules and a submission form is available via the Maths Careers website.