A new programme designed to help university mathematical sciences, physics, chemistry and engineering departments to increase the number of students graduating from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses will get underway this summer.
The £20 million National Higher Education STEM programme will follow on from the More Maths Grads (MMG) project, which has been running since 2006. MMG has been working with schools in three pilot areas in England and across Wales to encourage learners from a non-traditional background to go on to university to study the mathematical sciences.
Like MMG, the new project will be based at the University of Birmingham with six regional centres across England and Wales. It will combine the work of MMG with that of sister projects Stimulating Physics, Chemistry for our Future and the London Engineering Project.
Professor Nigel Steele, speaking on behalf of the three societies said, “Ensuring that there are enough STEM graduates in the future is vital to the social and economic health of the UK. Mathematical and statistical skills are fundamental to many aspects of modern life from underpinning science and finance, to understanding the environment and delivering healthcare. We are delighted that universities will now receive the support they need to ensure STEM subjects can attract the scientists, engineers and mathematicians of the future.”
Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the programme will include outreach activities, reviews of the undergraduate curricula, student support and widening participation.
NOTES
- More Maths Grads is a three year project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to develop, trial and evaluate means of increasing the number of students studying mathematics and encouraging participation from groups of learners who have not traditionally been well represented in higher education. Run centrally from the University of Birmingham, it is running pilot projects in East London, the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. www.moremathsgrads.org.uk
- The London Mathematical Society (LMS) is the UK’s learned society for mathematics. Founded in 1865 for the promotion and extension of mathematical knowledge, the Society is concerned with all branches of mathematics and its applications. It is an independent and self-financing charity, with a membership of over 2600 drawn from all parts of the UK and overseas. Its principal activities are the organisation of meetings and conferences, the publication of periodicals and books, the provision of financial support for mathematical activities, and the contribution to public debates on issues related to mathematics research and education. It works collaboratively with other mathematical bodies worldwide. It is the UK adhering body to the International Mathematical Union. www.lms.ac.uk
- The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) is the learned and professional society for mathematics. It promotes mathematics research, education and careers, and the use of mathematics in business, industry and commerce. Amongst its activities the IMA produces academic journals, organises conferences, and engages with government. Founded in 1964, the Institute has 5,000 members. Forty percent of members are employed in education (schools through to universities), and the other 60% work in commercial, industrial and governmental organisations. In 1990 the Institute was incorporated by Royal Charter and was subsequently granted the right to award Chartered Mathematician designation. www.ima.org.uk
- The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is the UK’s only professional and learned society devoted to the interests of statistics and statisticians. It is also one of the most influential and prestigious statistical societies in the world. The Society has an international membership, and is active in a wide range of areas both directly and indirectly pertaining to the study and application of statistics. www.rss.org.uk
- Contact: Caroline Davis
Mathematics Promotion Unit
De Morgan House
57–58 Russell Square
London WC1B 4HS.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7927 0804.
Email: caroline.davis@lms.ac.uk
