LMS Newsletter: Talking Maths in Public

After attending my first Talking Maths in Public conference last August, I was asked by the London Mathematical Society to write a few words about the experience…

“Talking Maths in Public was hands-down the BEST conference I have ever attended. The incredible skill, passion and experience of the attendees was second only to the welcoming and friendly atmosphere across the 3 days. From planning a ‘Maths Cabaret’ show, to the ‘Treasure Punt’ along the River Cam, I enjoyed every minute and cannot wait for the next edition in 2021!

Screenshot 2020-03-10 at 13.56.14 — James Grime from Numberphile/Singing Banana

For almost every session that I attended, I found something that I could take away to help to improve my ability to talk maths in public. However, the keynote given by magician Neil Kelso was particularly inspiring. The way in which he was able to control his audience through every little detail of his performance on stage was mesmerising to watch and hearing him break down these movements to explain exactly what role each one played within his show was fascinating. I will certainly be trying to use as many of his tips as possible in my next show!

If you’re thinking about whether maths communication might be for you, my advice is simple: just give it a go! As mathematicians, we are trained to focus on the details and to construct well-thought out and logical proofs, but unfortunately this approach can often be a barrier to trying something new and untested that perhaps feels outside of our comfort zone, like maths communication. My first YouTube video is awkward, its poorly shot and you can tell that I’m not very comfortable in front of a camera. But, fast forward 2 years and being on camera now feels natural, I know how to setup a shot correctly and editing is second nature. This wouldn’t have happened had I not jumped in head-first and just given it a go. No-one expects you to be perfect (or in fact even functional) on your first try, the most important thing to remember is that you learn from experience, so take that first step and hopefully in a few year’s time you can look back with fondness at that first video/performance/article and see just how far you’ve come.”

You can read the full newsletter here.

March 10, 2020 0

STEM for Britain Competition

On Wednesday March 13th I’ll be presenting my research to MP’s at the Houses of Parliament in the final of the STEM for Britain Competition. You can find my research poster on modelling the spread of pollution in the oceans here.

Read coverage of my entry by the Oxford Maths Institute, St Edmund Hall, St Hugh’s College and the Warrington Guardian. The press release from the London Mathematical Society is also copied below.

Dr Tom Crawford, 29, a mathematician at Oxford University hailing from Warrington, is attending Parliament to present his mathematics research to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of STEM for BRITAIN on Wednesday 13^th March.

Tom’s poster on research about the spread of pollution in the ocean will be judged against dozens of other scientists’ research in the only national competition of its kind.

Tom was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament.

On presenting his research in Parliament, he said, “I want to bring maths to as wide an audience as possible and having the opportunity to talk about my work with MP’s – and hopefully show them that maths isn’t as scary as they might think – is fantastic!”

Stephen Metcalfe MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, said: “This annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country’s best young researchers.

“These early career engineers, mathematicians and scientists are the architects of our future and STEM for BRITAIN is politicians’ best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.”

Tom’s research has been entered into the mathematical sciences session of the competition, which will end in a gold, silver and bronze prize-giving ceremony.

Judged by leading academics, the gold medalist receives £2,000, while silver and bronze receive £1,250 and £750 respectively.

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee runs the event in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Biology, The Physiological Society and the Council for the Mathematical Sciences, with financial support from the Clay Mathematics Institute, United Kingdom Research and Innovation, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Society of Chemical Industry, the Nutrition Society, Institute of Biomedical Science the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research, and the Comino Foundation.

March 12, 2019 0

LMS Holgate Lecturer

Very happy to announce my appointment as a Holgate Lecturer with the London Mathematical Society (LMS). The position means that the LMS are supporting my outreach work for the next 4 years so all you have to do if you want me to come and give a talk/run a workshop at your school is to get in touch here.

You can find out more about the details of the scheme on the LMS website – and make sure you check out the other amazing speakers.

If you’re not already excited about the prospect of Tom Rocks Maths coming to your school then here are some examples sessions to really get you in the mood for some maths!

1. Maths v Sport (Y9 onwards)
How do you take the perfect penalty? What is the limit of human endurance? Where is the best place to attempt a world record? Maths has all of the answers and I’ll be telling you how to use it to be better at sport (results may vary).

2. Maths: it’s all Greek to me! (Y9 onwards)
You’ve probably heard of Pythagoras, Archimedes and Plato, but do you know the sins behind their stories? From murder and deceit to running naked down the street, the Ancient Greek mathematicians were anything but boring. I’ll be telling you all about their mischief – mathematical or otherwise – as I bring the history of maths to life (featuring live experiments and togas).

3. The Millennium Problems (Y10 onwards)
The seven greatest unsolved problems in mathematics, each worth a cool $1 million… In this session I’ll introduce each of the puzzles in turn and try to give you a feel for the maths that you’ll need to know if you’re planning to take one of them on.

4. Navier-Stokes Stripped (Y12 onwards)
The Navier-Stokes equations model the flow of every fluid on Earth, but yet we know very little about them. So little in fact, there is currently a $1 million prize for anyone that can help to improve our understanding of how these fascinating equations work. In this session, I’ll strip back the Navier-Stokes equations layer-by-layer to make them understandable for all… Based on my hit YouTube series ‘Equations Stripped’.

5. How to make everything about maths (Teachers)
Since completing my PhD, I have transitioned from maths researcher to maths communicator with the launch of my outreach programme ‘Tom Rocks Maths’. In this session I will discuss the most successful ways to increase engagement with maths through examples from my work with the BBC, the Naked Scientists, and from my YouTube channel, website and social media pages @tomrocksmaths.

March 8, 2019 0