Secondary school workshops
Dr Butler from the School of Mathematics and Statistics has recently conducted mini-workshops at various secondary schools. The workshops are designed to enthuse young people about mathematics and the power of mathematical and statistical tools to understand the world in which we live.
On 20 January, Dr Butler was invited by Sarah Murray, a maths teacher at Mount Carmel Secondary School, to speak to higher-level Leaving Certificate maths students. Dr Butler demonstrated how mathematics can be used to model memory and forgetting processes. What made the visit particularly special is that Sarah Murray is a former student of the School of Mathematical Sciences at DIT! It was great to catch up and meet the students at Mount Carmel.
On 4 March, Dr Butler returned to his alma mater, The High School, at the invitation of the maths and physics teachers, Ian Wilkinson, Denise Thorp, and Dr Una Budd. During this visit, he presented to two physics classes, explaining how mathematics can be used to model decision-making processes, and how these mathematical principles are now applied in artificial neural networks.
We would like to thank all our hosts and class teachers. It is wonderful to see the enthusiasm of all the students and the interest shown in mathematics, its applications and how it can change the world.