Wednesday 25th March saw yet another exciting celebration of mathematics at the College, with both staff and students getting together to discuss puzzles, share food and enjoy an inspiring talk by the eminent Ben Sparks. The evening was also an opportunity to recognise and award those students whose dedication to the subject has been outstanding.

As well as being shortlisted in the, ‘Maths Teacher or Team of the Year’ category at the TES Schools Awards 2015, our Maths Department is also in partnership with one of only 32 designated ‘Maths Hubs’, with a role in disseminating teaching expertise and providing strategic leadership in maths education.

Guests were greeted with drinks and puzzles drawn on the paper table cloths, which instantly got people talking. After a fabulous two course meal, maths lecturer and all round entertainer, Ben Sparks, delighted all present with a funny, interesting and, at times, visually astounding, maths presentation.

The talk centred on a verse of the song, “The Shape of My Heart” by Sting, which describes how maths can be fascinating and beautiful, not just useful and important. Areas discussed included: the probabilities within poker; the birthday paradox; the surprising patterns that appear within apparent randomness and how simple, seemingly predictable maths can lead to chaos and uncertainty. The presentation culminated in a breathtaking performance of the song by Ben demonstrating how both maths and music can both be studied and enjoyed by all.

Andrew Mason, Senior Curriculum Manager for Mathematics, said, “I'm delighted the Maths Awards has become established as an annual event in which we can celebrate the success of mathematics students. Ben's inspiring after-dinner talk provided another opportunity to enrich students' mathematics beyond the limits of the exam specifications.”

The evening's finale was the presentation of the student awards, made by Ben, in 3 categories: Achievement; Commitment and Contribution. The student winners were as follows:

Achievement

Top AS Double Maths Result: Emily Daborn and Jonathan White

Top AS Maths with Mechanics Result: Kendall Hayes-Morgan and Joshua Koch

Top AS Maths with Statistics Result: Samuel Ashford and Bethany Forster

Top AS Maths with Decision Result: Mathias Munk

Top Use of Mathematics with Data Analysis Result: Prem Coles

Top Use of Mathematics with Dynamics Result: Daniel Tucker

Commitment

Most 'Mathematician of the Month' Entries: Nathan Day; Cameron Booker and Owen Jones

Outstanding Effort in AS Maths: Rose Zhu; Ethan Froome; Charlotte Elliott and Gemma Callaway

Outstanding Effort in A2 Maths: Emily Kate Edwards and Christopher Davies

Outstanding Effort in AS Further Maths: Bradley Mallett

Outstanding Effort in A2 Further Maths: Cameron Booker; Owen Jones; Adam Walker; Rosie Barker; Samuel Blackwell; Jonathan White; Pippa Brown; Sean Merriman; Stephen Durkin and Megan Gill

Outstanding Effort in A2 Use of Mathematics: William Darwent

Highest Attendance at The Maths Society: Owen Jones

Accuracy & Attention to Detail in Solutions: Chris Auckland and Katherine Rowett

Outstanding Effort in Working Beyond the Scope of the Course: Nathan Day; Michael Daborn; Emily Hampson; Alex Davies; Imogen Carruthers; Prithvi Acharya; Sebastian Vetterlein; Annabel Clarke; Anmol Aggarwal; Harvey Mitchell; Hossein Mirzadeh and James Formby

Regularly Asking For and Completing Extension Work: Charles Weston; Nathan Day and Alex Parker

Contribution

Contribution to Presenting to Maths Society: Holly Hensler

Contribution to the Department: Archie Marshall; Pippa Brown; Ayyub Abdulwahid; Sean Merriman and Thomas Ledgerwood

Contribution to Workshops: Holly Hensler, Pippa Brown and Sean Merriman

Contribution to Lessons through Lateral Thinking: Michael Cullum

Contribution to the Department through Endless Enthusiasm: Richard Backhurst