Noel-Ann Bradshaw

The Maths Arcade: A Tool for Supporting and Stretching Mathematics Undergraduates

The Maths Arcade is an activity which aims simultaneously to support those university mathematics learners who are having difficulties, stretch more confident learners, and encourage the development of a staff-student mathematical community. The first Maths Arcade was set up at the University of Greenwich in September 2010, funded initially by a University grant for innovative teaching and later by the Mathematical Sciences Curriculum Innovation Fund of the UK National Higher Education STEM Program. The idea was developed and disseminated through conference presentations and workshops, and this has led to Maths Arcades being initiated in at least ten other UK universities, with interest from other academic disciplines such as business, computing, and engineering. This chapter discusses the motivation behind the initial idea as well as some of the different implementations. It also shows how this activity has been used to support and retain students, and how it has contributed to student success both academically and in terms of graduates’ progression into appropriate professional careers.

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910): A Pioneer of Data Visualisation

In this chapter Florence Nightingale is positioned not just as a mathematician and statistician but also as a forerunner of the modern-day areas now known as operational research and data science. The chapter begins by examining the influences in Nightingale’s early life which led to her interest in, and aptitude for, mathematics and statistics. A selection of the various detailed data charts that she created in order to influence political decision making is discussed. Following on from her charts, Nightingale’s commentary on some of the statistical calculations and data management by army officials during and after the Crimean War is presented and there is discussion on the enormous impact of her work on the mortality rate of soldiers in the British Army and her subsequent significant influence on the reorganisation of army medical statistics.