8NRC ended the year with a Maths group project, where students collaboratively researched famous mathematicians from various centuries. They explored the significant contributions and lasting impact of figures like Euclid, Ada Lovelace and Terence Tao. Each group presented their findings through detailed reports and engaging presentations. The project aimed to foster teamwork and deepen their understanding of mathematical history, while also enhancing their research, presentation and, most importantly, literacy skills. I was incredibly impressed with how deeply the students delved into the lives and work of these pioneering mathematicians.

Special mentions to Bertie Heath for demonstrating great dedication through dressing up as Ingrid Daubechies, team Euclid for their short play re-enacting possible speculations on how he died, as well as interactive quizzes by team Euler and team Lovelace.

The winning group (decided by a whole class vote) was team Maryam Mirzakhani, detailing her groundbreaking achievements, including being the first woman to win the Fields Medal, her work on the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces, and her significant contributions to understanding the symmetry of curved surfaces. Her work has profoundly impacted theoretical mathematics and inspired many young mathematicians worldwide.

Massive thank you to 8NRC for participating and engaging fully with the group project. Fantastic work!

Miss Goh, Maths Department

Some images/messages to include from students:

Winning group - team Mirzakhani

“I enjoyed the challenge of this project, especially being able to work collaboratively with my friends on the research. My favourite part was presenting our findings to the class and winning the prize for best mathematician.”

Max Glaser-Batdorff, Team Mirzakhani

“To be honest, I was astounded at the fact that Marjorie Lee Browne is not well known and thus limited research is in my grasp. It really highlighted the difficulties black women faced during the 1900s. However, as the project went on, I found it to be a really inspiring experience, and it was a really enjoyable process working with my team.” Yatharth Agrawal, team Lee Browne

“I’m really proud of how well our group worked together, everyone contributed equally, and the presentation went smoothly. My group found these maths projects very interesting, and it was really inspiring to learn how far maths has evolved throughout the years to what it is now.”

Inesh Giri, Team Tao

“During our project, my group had the pleasure of researching Leonhard Euler. This project aided our commitment and teamwork skills as well as learning a bit about an incredible mathematician. Overall, we enjoyed the project.”

Elsie Jeffries, Team Euler