Outreach and Public Engagement
At the University of Glasgow, we are committed to delivering a range of outreach and public engagement activities to showcase the subjects of mathematics and statistics. We have a team of dedicated staff and students whose aim is to share their love of mathematics and statistics to the public, and to promote, enhance and enrich mathematics and statistics in schools.
On this website you can find out more about the range of activities we offer to the public and to local schools. Below you can find a list of our upcoming and recent events.
Upcoming and recent events
Available upon request throughout 2023-24: Royal Statistical Society William Guy Lecture (talk aimed at secondary schools)
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) William Guy Lecturers and prestigious volunteer roles intended to celebrate the importance on engaging with schools and inspiring children about statistics from an early age. In 2023-24, Craig Anderson (senior lecturer in statistics) at the University of Glasgow, Scotland was appointed as the William Guy Lecturer for secondary school. Craig is available to deliver his ~25 minute talk on the topic of Using statistics to monitor air pollution to secondary schools across Scotland.
For more information, please visit the RSS webpage or contact Craig to request a live talk or to ask any questions.
Friday 19th April : Naboj maths competition
Naboj is an international mathematical competition which started in in 1998 in Bratislava, Slovakia and has since grown to 21 cities across 11 countries with the event taking place concurrently across all centres. The competition is aimed at secondary school students and usually hosted at a university.
The purpose of this competition is to bring together young mathematicians and inspire them in their pursuit of mathematics. The competition is free to enter and lasts 2 hours during which the teams of five try to solve as many given problems as possible. Teams compete in two categories: Junior (S3/4) and Senior (S5/6). The team correctly solving the most problems wins.
The University of Glasgow had prepared to host this event in March 2020, but it was cancelled at the last minute due to the pandemic. Since then, the event took place in-person for the first time in April 2023 with Glasgow and Cambridge being the only hosting centres in the UK.
The competition takes place in April, and registration opens in March. If schools are interested in taking part, please contact the organiser.”
'We are grateful for financial support from the Glasgow Mathematical Journal Learning and Research Support Fund, the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and Jane Street'.
Saturday 16th December: Ri Christmas Lecture: Truth About AI (livestream at UofG) (Lecture aimed at 11-17 year olds)
Initiated by Michael Faraday when organised education for children was scarce, the CHRISTMAS LECTURES established an exciting new way of presenting science to young people. World-famous scientists have given the Lectures, including Nobel Prize winners William and Lawrence Bragg, Sir David Attenborough, Carl Sagan and Dame Nancy Rothwell. More information on the Ri CHRISTMAS LECTURES.
The School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Glasgow will be hosting a livestream event of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES from the Royal Institution. The lectures themselves are taking place in the Faraday Lecture Theatre at the Royal Institution in London. We'll be using the internet to receive a live video feed from the theatre while the lectures are being recorded for later BBC broadcast. You won't be recorded or on the television; it will be like going to the cinema where you watch the action that's taking place somewhere else. Alongside the livestream our team will entertain you with fun activities to learn more about the subject.
The CHRISTMAS LECTURES are aimed at an audience of 11-17 year olds, however they are accessible for people of all ages and all levels of scientific knowledge. All young people under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult, with a maximum of one adult per family.
Doors for the event will open at 17:30. Please arrive before the screening begins at 18.00. The latest finish will be 20:30. Basic refreshments will be available. You are welcome to bring sandwiches, snacks and drinks, but please avoid bringing hot or strong-smelling food and alcohol.
The event is FREE and ticketed, and booking is required. Get your tickets at this link.
Contact Xiaochen Yang (xiaochen.yang@glasgow.ac.uk) with any questions.
Thursday 14th December: SmartSTEMS Hub Event at UofG 09:30-14:30
We will be delivering a maths inspired workshop at the upcoming SmartSTEMS Hub Event which is being organised by SmartSTEMS. SmartSTEMS exist to inspire the next generation about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).