20 May 2004

Saturday morning certificates

Photo opportunity 12.00noon, Saturday 22 May, 1st Floor Conference Suite, Tower Building, University of Dundee.

Primary School children who have been attending maths class on Saturday mornings for the last few weeks will be presented with certificates from the Royal Society of Edinburgh this Saturday.

Children from schools: Clepington, Wormit, Stracathro, Ancrum Road, St. Margaret's, Monikie, Gowriehill, Blackness, Northmuir, Grange, Murroes, Glebelands, Whitfield, Park Place, and Chaplepark Primary have attended.

The Saturday morning maths masterclasses which have been running for 4 weeks are a joint initiative between the University of Dundee and the Royal Society of Edinburgh to encourage early enthusiasm for mathematics.

Professor Mark Chaplain who uses mathematics to model the growth of cancer tumours and Dr. Fordyce Davidson who specialises in modelling fungal growth have led the classes. Topics have included "Rabbits, Plants and Architecture", "The triangle, the rose and the eleven times table" and "Messages, Morse and Mathematical Codes". This Saturday Prof. Chaplain will take the final class and challenge the pupils to work out problems associated with "Binary Numbers and Adding Machines".

By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk