Pupils across the North-east are taking part in ‘Maths Masterclasses’ this month, where they will be introduced to mathematics in real-life situations in a diverse range of industries.
Supported by The Royal Institution and sponsored by Chevron, the six classes run by TechFest will take place on Saturday mornings between mid-November to March.
Aimed at encouraging and exciting pupils studying STEM subjects, these classes promise to be engaging and thrilling as they demonstrate how the fundamentals of maths are used in day-to-day life.
Each class will be delivered by presenters who specialise in various topics ranging from ‘The Physics of Blood Splatter’ to ‘Anyone for Tennis (and Maths)?’, giving pupils the opportunity to discover the versatility of maths outside of the classroom from industry professionals.
The series will begin with ‘Coding Messages’ that will be taking place on Saturday 11 November. Presented by Peter Todd, this session will look at a range of codes from simple Caesar ciphers to solving a daily puzzle with 159 million possible solutions that could help win a war.
Acting managing director at TechFest, Alies Bartelds, said: “We are excited to launch the 2017/2018 set of Maths Masterclasses supported by The Royal Institution that have been kindly sponsored by Chevron for over 12 years.
“These classes have become greatly popular with students interested in STEM subjects as they provide an invaluable insight into how these skills can be used in a variety of occupations.”
Parents, guardians and siblings are invited to join the final Masterclass of the series in March 2018 to see their budding professionals receive their participation certificates.
Laura Atkinson, Chevron Upstream Europe’s stakeholder engagement and social investment advisor, said: “A company like Chevron needs thousands of talented professionals to produce energy around the world every day. Tomorrow’s Chevron employees are today’s school children and through programmes like TechFest’s Maths Masterclasses, we hope to promote STEM activities to young people, support their experience-based learning and inspire them to pursue STEM-based careers.”
The schools that have already signed up to give their S2 and S3 pupils an insight into how maths can be utilised outside of the classroom include; Peterhead Academy, Turrif Academy, Robert Gordons College, Cults Academy, Aboyne Academy, St Margaret’s School for Girls, Westhill Academy and Northfield Academy.
Each year, TechFest runs the highly popular TechFest Science Festival which attracts tens of thousands of children and adults to a series of STEM-based events in and around Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, as well as a year-round programme of educational events for schools and young people.
For more information, please visit www.techfestsetpoint.org.uk