School of Mathematics Teaching

Maths Outreach Team

The Maths Outreach Team engages with the local community, and communicates mathematics in fun and easy ways to change perceptions of mathematics.

Apply to be part of the Maths Outreach Team

Do you have a passion for mathematics? Do you have an enthusiasm for communicating it to the outside world? If the answer is yes, then you should seriously consider joining our Outreach Team in the School of Maths! Joining the Outreach Team is a fantastic opportunity to

  • Meet people from different year groups, PhD students and staff members
  • Receive professional communications training
  • Get experience of team work and project organisation
  • Flex your creative muscles 
  • Improve your CV
  • Have a great time

No prior experience is required - only enthusiasm, commitment, and a willingness to learn.

We would like to make sure that this opportunity to volunteer with the Maths Outreach Team and develop skills in outreach is open to as many interested students as possible. As such, your involvement in the team is not a formal employment by the School and we will endeavour to compensate you for your time at events. Experienced team members can also progress to become team leaders, with additional compensation to match the additional amount of time investment required.

Applications now open

To be part of the team, we ask that you fill in a very short application form

Application form

Applications close at 23:59 Monday 16 October.

The aim of the application process is for the Outreach Team coordinator to understand your motivation for joining the team, and to advise on whether this is the best opportunity for you at this point.

Why join?

Activities

Members of the Outreach Team will have the opportunity to get involved in a variety of activities, both in-person and online.  Activities include (but are not limited to):

  • Masterclasses for secondary school pupils;
  • Helping at Edinburgh Maths Circles, activities for children and family;
  • Public engagement events such as the Edinburgh Science Festival and other Scottish Science Festivals;
  • Talks and workshops for schools.

Details about the range of activities we currently run can be found here.

We expect team members to take part in at least three activities during the year, contribute to the production of at least one activity, and attend regular meetings (roughly once per month).

The time commitment amounts to an average of 4 hours per month.

In return, we will provide:

  • regular training opportunities
  • plenty of support for all the activities
  • the opportunity to work towards the Edinburgh Award, which provides official recognition of your work on your degree transcript. 

Student testimonials

Below you can read quotes from members of the team.

Kotryna (Year 4 student, 2022/23)

Last year, with the Maths Outreach Team, I worked on Maths Circles, Maths Walking Tours, school workshops and Masterclasses. MOR has given me the opportunity to challenge myself in thinking, presenting and working on mathematics that goes beyond formal courses. It was exceptionaly stimulating and inspiring to work on the outreach activities with students from different years (both UG and PG) and with academic staff from our university. The team was highly motivated but also informal and friendly. Being part of the MOT has made me more confident to engage with mathematical activities, made me more connected to the mathematics community at our university, and overall has sparked a greater interest in mathematics.

Alyssa (Year 4 student, 2022/23)

Being part of the Outreach Team has been a great experience. I’ve enjoyed joining in at lots of virtual events which have helped me to improve my confidence and ability to articulate mathematical ideas. It’s also been interesting to learn about how events are organized behind the scenes. There is a lot of flexibility available in what roles we take up, so you can choose the opportunities that suit and interest you. I think the goal of Maths Outreach as a whole is very important and worthwhile, so it’s really nice to be a part of this.

Ryan (Year 1 student, 2022/23)

I've met so many interesting people and had a lot of unique experiences from being on the Outreach Team. It's lots of fun communicating the beauty and importance of maths to all kinds of people - one of my favourite events recently was the Doors Open Day, where we used hands on activities to show visitors just how fun maths can be. I also appreciate all the opportunities I've had to learn new things, both skills and new facts I didn't know before.

Contact

If you have any queries regarding the team, please contact Will Reynolds.

Dr Will Reynolds (he/him)

Mathematics Outreach and Widening Participation Manager

Contact details