√(5! + 7!/(8*3!)) Highland maths weekend allows students to showcase their skills

Over 50 of the Highland brightest maths students will be coming together over the 13 – 15 November for the Highlands Mathematics Weekend to learn about how to bring their mathematical talent to a career in business and industry.  The event has been running for 15 years and has proven to be hugely popular with senior students from all of Highland’s 29 secondary schools studying advanced mathematics in their sixth year of high school. 

The event is sponsored by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and organised by the Highland Council, and gives the students a chance to taste a variety of career options through a series of indoor and outdoor activities at Lagganlia Outdoor Centre, Kingussie.  The weekend represents an excellent opportunity for some of the brightest pupils in Highland to become aware of the importance of STEM subjects such as mathematics, science and technology in business and industry and the careers and opportunities available to them.

Gavin Reid, from the IFoA, comments,

“The IFoA is proud to be sponsoring such an important event for these highly talented students, giving them the opportunity to see how they could use their talent in a rich and rewarding career.  We hope over the course of the weekend that the students will develop further their interest in maths through the application of advanced mathematics and using their maths skills to find innovative solutions to real world problems.

“This year, the IFoA will deliver three interactive workshops over the course of the weekend to allow students to better understand what an actuary does and the kinds of practical problems they might get involved in.  It’s a real pleasure to work with students who have such an interest in maths and be able to show them how their talents could be applied in the real world through a career in the sector.”

The event also includes presentations and workshops from the IFoA, Professor Adam McBride, OBE, former head of mathematics at Strathclyde University, Dr Jonathan Fraser, lecturer in pure mathematics at the University of Manchester, Dr Calum Brown, a senior systems engineer with Selex systems, and Professor Miles Padgett, FRSE who is head of the world renowned optical physics group at Glasgow University.

Editorial notes:

About the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) is a royal chartered, not-for-profit, professional body.

Research undertaken by the IFoA is not commercial.  As a learned society, research helps us to fulfil our royal charter requirements to further actuarial science and serve the public interest. 

Actuaries provide commercial, financial and prudential advice on the management of a business’s assets and liabilities, especially where long term management and planning are critical to the success of any business venture. They also advise individuals, and advise on social and public interest issues.

Members of the IFoA have a statutory role in the supervision of pension funds and life insurance companies. They also have a statutory role to provide actuarial opinions for managing agents at Lloyd’s.

Members are governed by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. A rigorous examination system is supported by a programme of continuing professional development and a professional code of conduct supports high standards reflecting the significant role of actuaries in society.

The IFoA is available to provide independent expert comment to the media on a range of actuarial- related issues, including enterprise risk management, finance and investment, general insurance, health and care, life assurance, mortality, and pensions.