SMSAS to host over 250 pupils at Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclasses this Spring

Maths on chalkboard

The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science (SMSAS) is pleased to announce that over 250 Year 9 and Year 12 students will participate in our series of Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclasses, which start this weekend for Year 9 students and Saturday 6 February for Year 12 students.

The Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclass programme opens young people’s eyes to the diversity of mathematics. Through a series of extra-curricular workshops, students all over the UK meet to explore the subjects in new and exciting ways. This year, our sixth form masterclasses will focus on how data science is used to fight disease, the billion dollar algorithm behind Google, and how the physics underlying ice-sculptures influences pure mathematics.

This year is our biggest yet. Over 50 pupils from 10 different schools in Kent will attend the Year 9 classes, and over 200 pupils from 50 schools in Kent and London will attend the classes for students in Year 12. All students participating in the programme were nominated by their teachers.

SMSAS have run Royal Institution Masterclasses for many years, inviting talented pupils from local schools to explore mathematical problems on the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus. In 2019, SMSAS ran the biggest Royal Institution Primary School Masterclass series in the UK, with over 100 students participating. When it was announced that the Royal Institution had cancelled their in-house sixth form masterclass series in London, SMSAS moved all events online and invited the London pupils to join classes with students from Kent.

The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science runs outreach events for local pupils throughout the year. For more information on upcoming events, please contact CEMSOutreach@kent.ac.uk.