Mathematics news

Dr Mats Vermeeren

Dr Mats Vermeeren awarded prestigious EPSRC Fellowship

Loughborough’s Dr Mats Vermeeren has been awarded an EPSRC Fellowship to continue his research into dynamical systems.
Illustration showing different number, rulers and maths-related tools, and people sitting in and around them.

Maths curriculum backed by cognitive science could ensure no child is left behind on the learning journey

School mathematics teaching is “stuck in the past” and we need to adopt curricula underpinned by cognitive science if we want more students to succeed, says the Director of a UK education network.
Picture of a teenage girl in a yellow jumper writing down maths equations in front of a laptop

Understanding how the brain works can transform how school students learn maths

School mathematics teaching is stuck in the past. An adult revisiting the school that they attended as a child would see only superficial changes from what they experienced themselves.
Two children playing with a multi-coloured foam maths game, shaped like squares

Labour’s plan to focus on early maths is solid – gaps in achievement start even before primary school

Politicians in the UK have maths on the mind. The Conservatives intend to extend compulsory maths education for young people until 18.
A child doing timestables

More maths testing could be good for primary schoolchildren – if done in the right way

Recently published UK government plans proposed that by 2030, 90% of children leaving primary school in England should reach the expected standards in reading, writing and maths, compared with 65% in 2019.
A child with their head against a board showing maths equations.

Being anxious about studying maths doesn’t mean you’re not good at it, but it can result in negative outcomes, says expert

Have you ever felt stressed or anxious while staring at your maths homework? Did the idea of your maths teacher asking you a question in class fill you with dread?

Faster analogue computer could be based on mathematics of complex systems

Researchers have proposed a novel principle for a unique kind of computer which would use analogue technology in place of digital or quantum components.
Photo of headshots of women mathematicians featured in the film as well as a blackboard

Academic raises awareness of the impact of the pandemic on women in mathematics through new film

Senior Lecturer Dr Eugenie Hunsicker – along with four research mathematicians and a filmmaker and social anthropologist – has produced a film entitled “Words of Women in Mathematics in the Time of Corona”, which is currently being showcased at a UNESCO exhibition.

Lack of math education negatively affects adolescent brain and cognitive development

Adolescents who stopped studying maths exhibited greater disadvantage - compared with peers who continued studying maths - in terms of brain and cognitive development, according to a new study.
Cuppa with a Scientist logo.

Loughborough University launches ‘Cuppa with a Scientist’ podcast

Loughborough University has officially launched ‘Cuppa with a Scientist’, a brand new podcast led by the PR team that aims to inspire the next generation of scientists.

Illustration of a family playing board games

Academics awarded £93k to develop novel board game that aims to improve children’s numeracy skills

Mathematics education research has repeatedly shown that children’s early counting abilities are an essential precursor to wider mathematical learning.
Pictured are women that feature in the Faces of Women in Mathematics short film.

Loughborough academic behind novel film featuring 243 female mathematicians from around the world announced as Association for Women in Mathematics Fellow

A Loughborough University academic that put female mathematicians in the spotlight in a novel film has been announced as 2021 Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM).
Photo of a lab

Students present research to MPs in STEM for Britain finals

Three Loughborough students presented their research as part of the STEM for Britain finals in Westminster last month.

Loughborough University launches new mathematics research centre

A new maths research centre which aims to boost the UK’s poor understanding of the subject has officially been launched at Loughborough University.
An illustration of a sandwich

Researchers to teach robots how to differentiate between sandwich ingredients so they can make your favourite BLT

Loughborough University computer scientists have teamed up with a food production automation company for a project that looks to teach AI robots how to differentiate between food items so they can make sandwiches in real-world factory environments.

Purple nanobots image.

Academic awarded £1.25m to design ‘living’ micro-machines that self-assemble in biological environments

More than £1.25m has been awarded to a Loughborough University theoretical physicist to design an unprecedented class of self-assembling and self-motile micro-machines.

Nature’s most beautiful performances could inspire the next generation of artificial intelligence

Scientists have discovered a possible driving force behind some of nature’s most beautiful displays paving the way for more complex and autonomous AI.