Maths Week Newsletter July-August 30/08/22

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Welcome to the July/August Newsletter!
 
With the Summer coming to an close and schools back, Maths Week is fast approaching. Lots of you will be looking to find new ways to engage students in maths activities and with registration for Maths Week now open, we'll be with you every step of the way!

We have been busy over the Summer attending events, designing posters and new activities and planning Maths Week 2022 so we delayed this newsletter until schools were back. In this edition of the newsletter we'll be covering the recent events, talking about the winners of the Maths Eyes competition, as well as other events happening in the near future!

Exciting news has also been brewing in the maths world, as Maryna Viazovska won a Fields medal, becoming just the second women ever to do so. This, and lots more all packed into this months newsletter!

If any teachers or mathematicians would like to share resources through Maths Week website, or have any news for inclusion (we are particularly keen on getting more news from Northern Ireland) please get in touch at mathsweekwd@setu.ie

The 2022 Maths Week posters should be arriving in the schools in a couple of weeks and we will have the September newsletter out soon with more events and activities for Maths Week. We wish you all the best for the new academic year, and hope that you enjoy the news, resources, and coming events we have to share with you.
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Resources for Ukrainian Pupils
 

We have translated some of our resources into Ukrainian to support young Ukrainian refugees. These are in Ukrainian and English, so they can help with maths and language skills. 
You can print them out and laminate them and then they can be wiped clean and reused. 
You can find them here

We also have these resources in Arabic 
Hello and welcome to the Maths Week Ireland website.
مرحبا و أهلاً إلى موقع إسبوع الرياضيات في أيرلندا
 
Maths Week 2022 Registration
Maths Week 2022 will take place from the 15th to the 23rd of October 2022 and registration is now open! Put your school on the map.
If you have any ideas for us please get in touch. 

Register Here on the website:

https://www.mathsweek.ie/2022/register/
Robert Boyle Summer School

Deferred from June, it will now run on 9/10 September in Waterford and Lismore. This is the original cultural STEM gathering for adults on the island. Celebrating Robert Boyle (1647 - 1691) one of key figures in the foundation of modern science and exploring the place of science in our culture it returns an an in-person event. Tjis year we explore Science and Colonialism and the programme and booking can be seen at  http://www.robertboyle.ie/programme-summer-2022/
This year we are waiving the fees to encourage a return to in-person activities. 
Recent Events
 
Maths Week At Spraoi 2022!
 

Calmast STEM Engagement Centre and Maths Week team were delighted to take part in the the 30th edition of Waterford's Spraoi arts Festival. The festival spanned the bank holiday weekend and saw thousands interact with STEM in Cathedral Square. Shows from the Physics buskers, and Bubbly Maths entertained attendees, while volunteers and the CALMAST/Maths Week team engaged the public with maths puzzles and activities!

A massive thanks to our volunteers from local industry and the surrounding areas who's efforts went into making the weekend a massive success. Thanks also to the Spraoi team who did an excellent job of organising a wonderful event!

                        Maths Eyes Winners!

 

Over 400 young people across the island of Ireland came together to open their Maths Eyes, in a competition for Maths Week which challenged participants to look at their surroundings and the world around them in a new and creative way.

A final cohort of 22 shortlisted winners were selected by judges for their mathematical awareness and integration of maths concepts into everyday life. The competition culminated in an awards ceremony which took place Thursday 2nd June in Technological University Dublin with awards bestowed to winners, by Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD. A full list of winners can be found here!

The ‘Maths Eyes’ initiative was first developed by Dr Terry Maguire in 2003 to support and foster positive conversations around maths, linking education and community. In life, people often regard the mathematics they use every day as common sense and the tasks they cannot do as mathematics. The Have You Got Maths Eyes competition led by Dr Terry Maguire, National Forum for Teaching and Learning and Ciaran O Sullivan, TU Dublin challenges this misconception, and takes place each year in partnership with Maths Week, TU Dublin and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and Dublin West Education Centre. 

Don't forget to sign up for this year's competition - coming in October!

 
Eusea Conference Cork 6-7 July
 
The European Science Events Association held their annual conference at MTU in Cork. Held over due to Covid, Europe's leading STEM event coordinators and presenters finally got to travel to Cork to share their knowledge and expertise!  


The M in STEM is often missing from public engagement so the Maths Week Team showed how to put that right in through an interactive workshop at the conference. This session demonstrated how maths activities can be introduced to a STEM Festival. Eoin Gill of Maths Week outlined innovative aspects in the organisation, development and delivery of the festival, focusing on one activity, Maths in the City. Maths in the City in Belfast and Dublin engages the public, in public spaces, using puzzles to develop problem solving abilities. Members of the Maths Week team were on hand to demonstrate the use of over 30 activities and the workshop participants engaged in problem solving just as the public do in in these playful fun activities

see here for conference details
Maths News
 
Maryna Viazovska becomes the second woman ever to win the Fields medal

The fields medal is often referred to as the 'Nobel prize for maths'. The Fields Medal is awarded every four years to at least two, and preferably four, mathematicians who’ve completed “outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement”. Viazovska won the prize for her solving of the sphere packing problem in 8 dimensions. If you'd like to read more you can read the article detailing her achievement below:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/fields-medal-maryna-viazovska/#:~:text=Maryna%20Viazovska%20is%20one%20of%20four%20to%20win%20the%20prestigious%20award.&text=Ukrainian%20mathematician%20Maryna%20Viazovska%20has,the%20Nobel%20Prize%20for%20mathematics.
 
Gregor Mendel's 200th Birthday!
 
 

Gregor Mendel, Father of Genetics born 22 July 1819 will be the subject of our senior secondary school poster. 

The science of genetics explore how traits pass from one generation to the next. Gregor Mendel, (1819 – 1863) working in a monastery studied how traits such as colour, shape, pod, etc. varied in successive generations of peas.

With careful observation, recording and the use of maths and statistics he proposed three laws of inheritance. Unfortunately for Mendel, the significance of his work was not recognised until after his death and now he is regarded as the father of genetics. 

Mendel was born into a farming family and learned about cultivation while helping his father. Lack of money, illness and poor performance at exams meant he never got a qualification. Despite this, he learned enough science and maths to become an effective scientist. Mendel developed a mathematical way of expressing inheritance in plants through which he could see patterns in the results.

Charles Darwin was a contemporary of Mendel but was unaware of Mendel’s work. This is one of the big “what if?” questions in the history of science as genetics could have been advanced by several decade if Darwin was aware of Mendel’s work.

The science of genetics has advanced our understanding of living things. Genetic techniques have led to the detection, prevention and treatment of disease in humans, animals and plants and are critical in increasing food production.
               
 
'I'm a Mathematician, Get me out of here' Sign Up


This exciting event will be taking place during Maths Week 2022 to help school students discover how maths is relevant to them and their everyday lives. The organisers are looking for experts to take part in I’m a Mathematician, Get me out of here!

Do you use maths in your job? You are needed to inspire school students across Ireland throughout October 2022, including Maths Week! Take part in fun, fast-paced, text-based live Chats with school students from a diverse range of schools, and answer their follow-up questions in the Circle Zone. 
I’m a Mathematician is 100% online, text-based, and accessible from any web browser with an internet connection. Chats can fit around your schedule, so take part as much or as little as you like.


Let us know if you’d like to take part: https://imamathematician.ie/teachers


 
 
The Atlas of Irish Mathematics 30: Fermanagh

Maths Ireland Blogs - Fermanagh
Our 30th bi-monthly regional Irish-focused blog highlights mathematical people associated with Fermanagh.
29 means that our intrepid maths chronicler, Colm Mulcahy has nearly visited all counties on the island. Although, his work wont be finishing any time soon as he will be revisiting some of the larger centres - Dublin, Belfast, Cork etc. to bring those listings up to the present day. 
To view the latest blog and all previous blogs, visit the Mathematics Ireland website.
The Maths Map of Ireland
 
The Maths Map of Ireland is an exciting new project from Maths Week Ireland and the ESB. The project has created a Maths Map; to include historical places and people relevant to maths; maths trails and contemporary maths figures and places of interest. 

If you would like to add to the Maths Map of Ireland, please email mathsweek@wit.ie with the subject MATHS MAP. 
Maths at Work
               


Do you have a story to tell? 
If so, get in touch with us about how you use maths at work.
Contact us at mathsweek@wit.ie or fill in our form at www.mathsweek.ie
What's On
 
 

IMS Meeting 2022: Sep 1st - 2nd

 

The School of Mathematical Sciences Technological University Dublin will be hosting the Irish Mathematical Society September Meeting 2022, Thursday 1st - Friday 2nd September 2022. You can find more information here.

MATRIX × IMAGINARY
Joint Conference


Aug 31 - Sep 2, 2022
 

The Institut Henri Poincaré hosts the MATRIX × IMAGINARY joint conference in Paris on The Future of Mathematics Engagement. Join to discover innovations in math museums, exhibitions, new formats, technologies, and inspiring ideas! Click here to learn more!

Belfast: Dreamachine | UNBOXED 2022
July 25- Sep 4th
 

The 21st Century Dreamachine is a seated multisensory experience with an immersive lightscape and 360 degree spatial sound. It has been created by a team of leading minds in architecture, technology, music, neuroscience, and philosophy, including Turner Prize-winning collective Assemble and Grammy-nominated composer Jon Hopkins.
Collective Act and UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK presents Dreamachine in partnership with NI Science Festival and Visit Belfast.
Like a modern kind of campfire, you’ll share your Dreamachine journey with a group of up to 22 people at a time. 
More info: Here
 

 

Dates for your diary in 2022:

October 15-23 
Maths Week Ireland

August 31 - September 02

MATRIX x IMAGINARY Conference

September 01 - September 02

IMS Meeting 2022


If readers have any events for What's on section please email mathsweekwd@setu.ie



 
 
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Puzzle of the Week every Saturday!
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Get in touch, give feedback and feel free to share your ideas and resources.


DCBEAGLE Challenges

MATHEMATICS: BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK

July 2022

DCBEAGLE Challenges ~ Douglas Buchanan

www.dcbeagle.com      dcbeagleb@gmail.com

 

The following material below are “fun” activities where the pupils are inadvertently brushing up on their reasoning skills. 5 – 12 year olds

Maths on Toast videos

A wide range of topics, mainly shape, where the demonstrations are done by the pupils. Thought about creating a tangram set using a slice of toast!!

Maths on Toast Fun Maths at Home

A wide range of activities and resources.

Perspective drawing

This genre of drawing is impressive, but it is rather simple. It will develop the physical skills of using drawing implements accurately. There is also a video which takes you through the steps of perspective drawing.

Jigsaw puzzles

Encourage the parents to visit their local charity shops and purchase one or two puzzles. Do not go bigger than 500 pieces initially. If room is a problem there is an excellent website, The JigsawPuzzles.com and the puzzles can be done on the screen.

Play games

Cards – my favourite call. Once given a pack of cards (usually under £1) and an activity they become hooked. Site One Site Two – 350 card games!

Tantrix – a tile game - can be purchased or played online

Best board games – need to be purchased but can often be found in charity shops

 

 
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