Year 10s test drive maths at Cambridge

ta385 — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 09:00:00 +0000

Cambridge has nurtured some of the world’s most influential mathematicians – Sir Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, G.H. Hardy, John Edensor Littlewood and Srinivasa Ramanujan among them.

None of these great minds had the benefit of working in the CMS, seven futuristic pavilions built in 2000-3, but thirty Year 10s from Bedfordshire are clearly embracing the opportunity.

“I’m going to turn you all into a super computer” proclaims James Munro, an applied maths PhD student and today’s workshop leader. His audience exchanges nervous glances but James, an effervescent young tutor, is already bounding between tables handing out dice and describing the scenario.

“You are in a duel with a cowboy. He misses half of the time and you miss five times out of six. Fortunately, you get to shoot first….”

James invites everyone to start rolling their dice to simulate the probability of surviving the duel. For several minutes, a satisfying chorus of clattering dice and mathematical discussion fills the room.

James keeps score and throws out questions about the results, before introducing progressively more complex scenarios. These include a Mexican Standoff in which one cowboy never misses, another strikes half the time and the weakest misses five times out of six. Before they know it, James’ students are tackling some thorny equations.

James’ own specialism, fluid dynamics, complements his teaching style. His workshop feels decidedly more energetic than an ordinary maths lesson.

Describing his current work, James enthuses “I'm looking at the extremely fast flow that you get when two bubbles pop together to form one bubble. It's too fast to see in experiments and too fast for computers to model, but nothing is too fast for maths!”

And this is the whole point of the HE Getaway – to give young people inspiring university experiences and introduce them to scholars who rhapsodize about their subjects.

“I love doing these events”, says James, “maths is often seen as abstract and irrelevant, but playing games as we have today, can I hope, make students care about tough concepts like conditional probability and game theory. This group rose to the challenge and I was delighted to hear so many of them say they were interested in taking maths further.”

A tour of Emmanuel College and a physics taster session at the Cavendish Laboratory completed an action-packed day. ̽��ֱ��event was part of an HE partnership programme, in this instance between the Universities of Cambridge and Bedfordshire, which aims to raise aspirations among Year 9 – 11 students and give them an inspiring taste of higher education.

As part of the partnership, a group of students from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough visited the ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire’s campus, where their programme included a workshop exploring computer game design. Both groups also took part in a team-building, problem-solving adventure day which included climbing trials and a rafting race.

Project Coordinator, Matt Diston, said

“We’ve developed a fantastic collaborative relationship with the ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire over the last four years which means we can provide inspiring opportunities for schools in both areas. Our programme is deliberately energetic and varied. We find it’s a really effective way to give Year 9 -11s a stronger sense of their abilities and interests, build their confidence and at the same demystify university so they can make positive decisions about their futures.”

A group of intrepid fifteen-year-olds recently visited the ̽��ֱ��’s Centre for Mathematical Sciences as part of a high-octane HE getaway.

It's too fast to see in experiments and too fast for computers to model, but nothing is too fast for maths!

James Munro, Applied Maths PhD student

PhD student James Munro with HE Getaway students

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Gaining the advantage with HE Partnership.

sjr90 — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:31:47 +0000

Organised as part of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s HE Partnership project, the HE Getaway encourages young people to test their limits in a safe environment.

Adrenaline and enthusiasm is running high after a day of physical and mental challenges hosted by the Grafham Water Centre, Cambridgeshire. Students from four Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools tested themselves in blindfold navigation challenges, climbing trials and team-building games, ending in a high-energy raft race.

After an overnight stay at Wyboston Lakes, the students were welcomed to the Luton campus by Trevor Sinclair from the ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire’s Access Partnership Team for a day of sample lectures, workshops and campus tours.

“We view these events as a crucial part of preparing young people for entry into higher education,” Trevor said. “Sample lectures provide an early insight into life in a lecture hall. Why is this important? Those coming to university from non-traditional backgrounds can find it a challenging transition. We hope that these events help individuals to make more informed decisions in terms of their education and future careers.”

“ ̽��ֱ��facilities are amazing,” said Neal Wade Academy student Kacper, after a tour of the library, student accommodation and the cafeteria. “ ̽��ֱ��social life will be fun but it will be better to concentrate on the education part, I don’t want to screw up my exams!”

Lewis, from Sir Harry Smith Community College, wants to be an architect. He was reassured by Matt’s talk about student finance “My parents want me to go to a good university,” he said. “I want to too, to do the best I can. ̽��ֱ��educational side is important but to meet new people will be great. ̽��ֱ�� definitely feels more affordable now.”

“During the outdoor games we challenge the students to go that little bit higher, or further, than they think they can,” HE Partnership Co-Ordinator Matt Diston explains. “We encourage them to take managed risks on the high ropes, and to learn from and support each other. It’s not a very big leap the next day for them to realise that they can go a bit further in their education too, and that people like myself and Trevor are standing by with support and advice to help them take that next step.”

• Higher Education Partnership (HE Partnership) was established in 2012 in order to continue some of the most effective work that had been previously delivered through Aimhigher. ̽��ֱ��initiative aims to raise aspirations amongst students in local schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We believe that together we are able to give Year 9-11 students a strong sense of their own ability and their higher education options through impartial information and advice and a wide range of activities based in schools and university departments

• ̽��ֱ��HE Partnership Co-ordinator is based in the Cambridge Admissions Office. If you are staff or a student at one of our HE Partnership schools and would like to discuss activities, or you'd like to know more about the programme, contact details for Matt are available here.

“Give it some welly,” may not be a traditional rallying cry for those considering applying to university, but the Higher Education Getaway is not a traditional programme.

We view these events as a crucial part of preparing young people for entry into higher education.

Trevor Sinclair, ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire’s Access Partnership Team

Raft racing

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̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire

Year 10s test drive maths at Cambridge

Gaining the advantage with HE Partnership.