Vicky Neale I am the Whitehead Lecturer at the Mathematical Institute and at Balliol. I moved to Oxford (from Cambridge) in the summer of 2014, and have been made to feel very welcome by my many new mathematical colleagues. My role combines undergraduate teaching with the public communication of maths. My interest is in people in mathematics rather than specifically women in mathematics: I would like everyone to have the opportunity to experience what mathematics is really about, and to pursue their mathematical studies as far as they like. I am very fortunate that the new post of Whitehead Lecturer allows me to try to work towards this goal. I am delighted to find myself part of such a friendly community in Balliol, and am enjoying working with my new colleagues and our students.
A supportive maths community |Anna Hufton (2012)
Giovanna Scataglini Belghitar I have been a College Lecturer at Balliol since 2005. I was only meant to stay for five years, but one thing leads to another and ten years on I am still here. I spend most of my time in College, tutoring first- and second-year students over a range of pure mathematics subjects as well as statistics, and I thoroughly enjoy it. These days I spend a lot of time with my children as well as tutoring. Any remaining time is dedicated to mathematics education: specifically, I am interested in the way students adapt to learning mathematics when moving from secondary to tertiary education. Balliol is the most prestigious among the academic institutions I have been to, both in the UK and in Italy; it is also the most welcoming and supportive. It is a real privilege and a pleasure to be here.
I’m not sure what my expectations were before arriving as an undergraduate at Balliol, but I couldn’t have anticipated just how much I would love living and studying here. The College is incredibly friendly and tends to embrace people’s quirks and strange interests – meaning Balliol is always a fun and lively place to be. Studying maths can be challenging, but with such supportive tutors and fellow undergraduates to help you, it’s never unmanageable and I’ve learnt that sometimes the struggle to get through a problem teaches you much more than finding the answer itself. The community of maths tutors and students at Balliol is so much more relaxed and sociable than anyone would imagine. I didn’t expect to be singing strange maths songs with my eminent tutors at our Balliol Undergraduate Maths Society (BUMS) dinners, or making maths-themed cocktails with the other students (‘Sets on the Beach’, in case you were wondering). As well as being lots of fun, I’ve found that these things create a culture of support that is invaluable. I’m now in my third year and it’s amazing to think how much maths I’ve learnt and yet how much more there is to discover. Being taught by so many female tutors in a generally maledominated subject is hugely inspiring and encouraging. I was also lucky to be in a predominantly female year group – something that is unfortunately still very surprising and unusual in maths. I hope that the success of women in mathematics worldwide will encourage more and more girls to study this wonderful subject.
UK Mathematics Trust Summer Schools for Girls Balliol has now hosted two UKMT summer schools for girls, each enabling about 40 girls (aged 15 or 16) to spend a week in Oxford in August immersing themselves in mathematics, exploring mathematical topics they hadn’t come across at school, and getting to know other mathematically inclined young women, as well as meeting current undergraduates and more senior members of staff. Planning is well under way for another summer school for girls at Balliol in August 2015, and we hope to continue to be able to host similar summer
schools in the future (subject to finding sources of financial support). As it happens, Balliol has rather close connections with the UK Mathematics Trust: Frances Kirwan is the Chair, and Vicky Neale is a long-standing UKMT volunteer. In addition, our undergraduates are involved in helping with the summer schools, which is both inspiring for the girls participating and a valuable and enjoyable experience for the undergraduates themselves. We are delighted that Balliol is able to support this innovative activity.
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