Journalists, writers and broadcasters who are having trouble with mathematics stories now have somewhere to turn for help. The Mathematics Promotion Unit (MPU) has a new spokesperson who can help with those tricky maths problems, such as finding a media friendly mathematician or providing facts and figures on what’s going on in the maths world.
Caroline Davis joined the MPU as Mathematics Policy and Promotion Officer at the end of August. The MPU is a joint venture between the London Mathematical Society and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.
Her job will be to promote mathematics education and mathematics research to the public and policy makers. To do this, she hopes to work closely with the press and media through the MPU. She will be able to provide information for anyone working on stories relating to mathematics, with access to comprehensive sets of data, case studies and contacts for the mathematical community.
The MPU was established in 2004 as a response to concerns about how mathematics is perceived by the public and policy makers. It hopes to help address issues such as the declining numbers of students carrying on maths after GCSE and then on into higher education. It will also try to tackle the problems in recruiting mathematics teachers and mathematics departments closing in our universities.
Caroline will publicise events and developments within the mathematical community and coordinate responses to inquiries and reports into mathematics.
The MPU works under the LMS’s Executive Secretary, Peter Cooper, in close contact with the Society’s work in education. It also works with the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) and the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Society’s partners within the Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS).
Before joining the LMS, Caroline spent six years working as a reporter for the Times Higher Education Supplement. Reporting on science, technology, research policy and innovation, she gained a thorough understanding of the higher education system and many of the policy issues universities today face. She gained an MSc in Science Communication at Imperial College, London in 1999 and before that she worked in the IT industry. She took her undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford in Mathematics and Philosophy. Caroline took up her post on Tuesday 29th August and will be based at the LMS part-time.
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Notes for Editors
- 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 and is a member of the Council for the Mathematical Sciences, which comprises the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the Royal Statistical Society together with the London Mathematical Society.
- For further information contact:
Caroline Davis (Mathematics Policy & Promotion Officer) on: +44 (0)20 7927 0804 or caroline.davis@lms.ac.uk - The Mathematics Policy Unit (MPU) is based at the Society’s London Offices in De Morgan House on Russell Square. It was set up by the LMS in 2004 with a remit to alert policymakers to the problem of erosion of the maths base in the UK and to influence young people in respect of maths studies and maths in their careers. The position is also supported by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.
