Welcome to the May Newsletter |
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Dear Maths Friends, Please find below Maths and STEM news and activities including the Robert Boyle Summer School taking place in Waterford next weekend and exploring the brain. Probably the best value cultural summer school in Ireland, there is also a special accommodation deal of €120 for 3 nights. See details below.
As we know there is a lower participation by women in mathematics and some STEM areas and this is something we work hard at. Here we report on the recent Women in Maths Day Conference in Galway, a poster initiative from UCD and resources on the Maths Ireland blog. We also feature many coming events for your diary.
Robert Boyle Summer School STRIPE new sponsor for YSTE Gender and Maths Summer Courses for Primary Maths Coming Events: Cork Carnival of Science Clonmel Junction Festival Waterford Spraoi Northern Ireland Maths Teachers Association Conference IMS Meeting IMTA Annual Conference IAMTA Annual Conference Science on Stage 2026 International Day of Maths Maths Eyes Winners
Don’t forget when planning for next academic year, the 20th Maths Week will take place from 11-19 October 2025. And good luck to all students preparing for GSCE, A Levels, Junior Cert and Leaving Cert exams.
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Eoin Gill, Founder Maths Week Ireland |
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Robert Boyle Summer School 6-8 June |
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The 13th Robert Boyle Summer School will explore the theme: The Brain, Past, Present and Future with a range of talks, walks and social events in Waterford and Lismore. A special event on Saturday will celebrate the work of outstanding Irish neuroscientist, Prof Eleanor Maguire who sadly died in January. Her groundbreaking research helped shaped our understanding of human memory. Her study on London Taxi drivers clearly demonstrated neuroplasticity - that our brains can change as we learn. Professor Ray Dolan, regarded as one of the world’s leading neuroscientists who was a colleague of Eleanor at UCL will talk about her life and legacy. There is a special offer at SETU accommodation for participants: 3 nights for €120 Line up: Professor Veronica Campbell (President, SETU, Neuropharmacologist) Professor Ray Dolan FRS (University College London) Professor Colin Doherty (Head of School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Neurologist) Professor Luke Gibbons (Maynooth University, Joycean Scholar) Dr. David Delany (SETU, Psychologist) Professor Veronica O’Keane (Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, TCD) Dr. Nora Salaberry (SETU, Neuroscientist)
The Summer School’s programme also includes a range of social events, such as a Walking tour of historic Waterford, Visit to Blackwater Distillery, home of Robert Boyle Gin, Garden party in the beautiful surroundings of Lismore Castle Gardens Guided tour of Waterford Gallery of Art
Booking and Further Information: Visit www.robertboyle.ie for the full programme and ticket details. |
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Summer Maths Course for Primary Teachers |
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The Department of Education on the South supports a range of in-service training courses for primary teachers over the summer. Here are some examples that are relevant to Maths teaching. |
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PRIMARY MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM - THE 'HOW' and the 'WHAT'
Waterford, Clare, Laois, Limerick, Cork, Sligo, Monaghan, Carrick on Shannon, Ballincollig, Dublin, Donegal Various Dates Participants will engage with the mathematical content, elements, and pedagogical practices of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum to deepen their mathematical and pedagogical content knowledge, building on the strengths explored during Closure Day Two. The session will support the development of participants’ understanding of rich, meaningful, and inclusive learning and self-assessment experiences for children in mathematics. Through critical and collaborative reflection, participants will consider both current and future classroom practices. They will also have the opportunity to experience and develop playful and engaging learning activities across the various stages. Additionally, the session will explore how the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process and Looking at Our Schools (2022)can support the effective implementation of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. |
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THE WATERFORD GREENWAY - AN OUTDOOR LEARNING RESOURCE
TUESDAY JULY 1 -TO SATURDAY, 5th JULY INCLUSIVE,
This course is based in Kilmacthomas and Tramore, It will be a combination of presentations and practical activities on the Greenway. There will be input from 5 different tutors who will combine their expertise in biodiversity, history, geography, maths and outdoor education with the wonderful outdoor learning resources on the Greenway. The full day on using the Waterford Greenway as a classroom for Maths will be delivered by the Ciaran O Suliivan, retired Maths lecturer TUD and founder of Have you got Maths Eyes, along with the Maths Week team.
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New Sponsor for Young Scientist |
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STRIPE has become the main sponsor for the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition following the departure of BT after many Years. STRIP founders the Collison brothers are former prize winners with Patrick being an overall YSTE winner, while John won a category award. Patrick Collison, Co-founder and CEO of Stripe said, “YSTE is a special institution for me and John. It amplified our curiosity and reinforced our confidence at a critical juncture. We’re honoured that Stripe has been selected to help preserve it for generations to come.” It is hoped that the STRIPE YSTE will go from strength to strength in the future. |
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Earlier this month Women in Maths Day was celebrated at the University of Galway by the Irish Committee for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in Mathematics (ICEDIM) organised with the Royal Irish Academy the Women in Mathematics Day 2025.
Events take place around the world to celebrate women in mathematics on 12 May. The significance of the date is that it is the birthday of Maryam Mirzakhani an Iranian mathematician who was the first female recipient of the Fields Medal and sadly died in 2017 at the early age of 40.
The Irish event was chaired by Dr Romina Gaburro from MACSI, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, UL and facilitated by Dr Niall Madden and Dr Nina Snigireva (University of Galway) and featured national and international speakers including Dr Nicola Fitz-Simon, University of Galway; Dr Doireann O’Kiely, University of Limerick; Dr Róisín Neururer and Myrto Manolaki, University College Dublin; Margherita Piccolo, Fern Universitätin Hagen; Victoria Sánchez Muñoz, Université Libre de Bruxelles. The event was registered as part of the global online effort honouring women in mathematics worldwide, in memory of Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman and Iranian mathematician to receive the Fields Medal in 2014. |
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UCD Women in Maths Poster Initiative |
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| A nationwide outreach project led by Dr Christiana Pantelidou from the UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics has highlighted the achievements of Irishwomen in mathematics, with the aim of encouraging girls in primary school to consider STEM careers. “Ireland’s Maths Superwomen” profiles seven Irish female mathematicians, including Dr Pantelidou herself, as well as Sheila Tinney, the renowned mathematical physicist and UCD associate professor. Working alongside primary school teacher Caitriona O’Sullivan and artist Lauren McHugh, Dr Pantelidou has developed a poster exhibition aimed at 8-10-year-old girls from rural areas of Ireland, celebrating the life and achievements of the mathematicians. Over the next year, English and Irish-language versions of the posters will be distributed to mixed or girls-only schools and community centres across the country, as well as being available online. |
| | Irish Women in Maths at Maths Ireland Blog |
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You can read about Sheila Tinney and the first 55 Irish women trailblazers in mathematics, in the Maths Ireland blogs here
You can also watch a presentation about pioneering Irish Maths Women spanning 150 years in this video from the Robert Boyle Summer School 2021 where we celebrated Women in STEM: Past, Present and Future. Prof Colm Mulcahy’s piece starts at 30 minutes.
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Cork Carnival of Science7-8 June |
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The Cork Carnival of Science will return to Fitzgerald Park next weekend with fun for all the family. Unfortunately the Maths Week team will not be there as we will be running the Robert Boyle Summer School and at present we don’t have the to resources to cover both. Nevertheless if you are near Cork this is a fantastic event for all. |
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Clonmel Junction Arts FestivalJuly 11 |
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The Maths Week team and Calmast, the STEM Engagement Centre at South East Technological University (SETU), returns to The Lab at the Showgrounds Shopping Centre as part of this year’s Clonmel Junction Arts Festival. Join us for a fun-filled day of hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity and encourage creativity and critical thinking. Free Event | 11am - 3pm | Suitable for Ages 5+ |
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Waterford Spraoi FestivalAugust 2 - 3 |
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The Maths Week team will be at the Spraoi Street Theatre Festival on the August Bank Holiday weekend when Cathedral Square will become STEM Square with loads of Maths Activities for all ages. |
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Northern Ireland Maths Teachers Association Conference 30 August |
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NIMTA conference Lisburn Sat 30 August 2025 9am – 1pm The Northern Ireland Maths Teachers Association is holding its first conference on Saturday 30August 2025 for post primary maths teachers. The keynote presentation “How understanding Cognitive Load Theory Unlocks Maths Learning will be delivered by Amarbeer Singh Gill. This will be followed by workshops developed by local teachers. Connect with NIMTA: Bluesky: @nimtassoc.bsky.social X: @NIMTAssoc Insta: nimtassoc |
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Irish Maths Society Annual Meeting 28-29 August |
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 The 38th Annual IMS meeting will take place in Maynooth University on the 28th and 29th of August 2025.
There will be a number of contributed short talks and a poster session. If you would like to submit a proposal for a talk or a poster, please send an email with your name, affiliation, the talk title, and a brief abstract to christian.ketterer@mu.ie. We would like to ask you to include IMS2025 Short Talk or IMS2025 Poster in the subject line. The deadline for both posters and short talk proposals is Friday, 20th June, 2025. |
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Talking Maths in Public28-30 August |
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TMiP 2025 will take place in the Zeeman Building at the University of Warwick on 28th - 30th August 2025, with the option to participate online too. With two days of workshops, sessions and discussions on Thursday and Friday, and a half day on Saturday for networking and activities. Talking Maths in Public is a conference which runs in the UK every two years, for people who work in, or otherwise participate in, communicating mathematics to the public. The event is independently organised and funded by ticket sales and grants from mathematical institutions. Our events in 2017, 2019, 2021 (online)and 2023 all fully sold out and were highly rated by attendees. TMiP is run by an independent committee of people who work in different areas of maths communication, and the event includes workshops provided by expert guests, discussions on varied topics, networking sessions and chances to share ideas and showcase projects. |
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IMTA Conference 13 September 2025 |
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IMTA Maths Conference2025 will be held on Saturday 13th September in the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois. The cost of the conference, including lunch is €20. The keynote speaker is Dr Tom Crawford. A regular visitor to Maths Week, Tom is a Mathematician at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Tom runs an award-winning outreach programme through his website ’Tom Rocks Maths’ also a regular on Numberphile and the BBC. Recently filled in for Rachel Riley on Countdown |
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IAMTA Conference15 November 2025 |
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The Irish Applied Maths Teachers Association conference will take place in Athlone on 15 November at the Athlone Springs Hotel.
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SoS - Science on Stage 2026 |
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Science on Stage 2026 will take place in Klaipeda, Lithuania 28 - 31 May. Applications are invited from teachers for the Festival - Closing in September.
-Travel, Festival fee and accommodation costs all covered - Projects do not need to be complete as an experience mentor will be assigned - Join 450 teachers from 35 countries to share innovative practical ideas Fill in the expression of interest here or email paul.nugent@gmail.com for more info. |
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| Guiding themes forFestival 2026
‣STEM for the youngest ‣STEM education for sustainable development ‣AI in STEM education ‣Equity and inclusion in STEM education ‣Self-directed learning in STEM education ‣Career Orientation in STEM Education ‣Low-cost experiments in STEM education ‣ Collaborative projects ‣STEM for Teachers in Training
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International Day of Maths Maths Eyes Competition |
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The IDM competition attracted hundreds of entries from across the island. The winning entries are shown below. Congratulations to the winners and well done to all who entered and practiced using their Maths Eyes. |
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Naíonáin Bheaga agus Mhóra 
Tadhg ó Dochartaigh Naí. Mhóra, Gaelscoil Bhrian Bóroimhe,Sórd
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| Rang a Trí agus a Ceathair
Tomás Óg Ó Gríofa Rang a 4, ScoilSailearna, Indreabhán
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Primary School
Gabriela Piskorz Castlebar Primary School Senior Campus
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Post Primary School 
Isabelle hHealy, Scoil Mhuire Cork
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| Rang a hAon agus a Dó
 Dónal Ó Dulaoich Ranga 2, Gaelscoil an tSlí Dála, Co. Laoise |
| Rang a Cúig agus a Sé Grace Ní Shúilleabháin Rang a 5, GaelscoilMhic Amhlaigh, Gaillimh
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Post Primary School
Dillon Grebel Thornton Coláiste Ruáin, Killanaule, Co Tipperary
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If you have news, resources or events you would like to share or feedback on this newsletter please email mathsweek.wd@setu.ie |
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