Maths Week England 2022: A spotlight on the contribution of mathematical sciences

By Cathy Hobbs

Protect Pure Maths exists to celebrate the mathematical sciences in all their breadth, depth and wonder every day.

Honestly, it’s an easy task because maths is simultaneously integral to our everyday life in a way that is apparently mundane and also responsible for incredible leaps of imagination, descriptions of the most bizarre and inspiring elements of our universe and existence.

Mathematics underpins all the sciences, enables the most exciting and urgent technological developments and is fundamental to finding solutions to our most pressing policy problems such as climate change, energy security, and the cost of living crisis.

Maths Week England offers a particular opportunity to shine a spotlight on the mathematical sciences.

We’re delighted that Sir Stephen Timms will lead a debate titled ‘celebrating the contribution of maths to society’ this week, marking the first parliamentary discussion of mathematical sciences in history. (There have been debates on maths teaching in schools and the topic has been mentioned more in parliament since Protect Pure Maths was established 18 months ago than ever before, but there’s no evidence of a previous debate on maths per se.) It’s a remarkable oversight that MPs have not discussed and debated maths more often.

The maths we learn at school is largely about certainty, such as 7 x 9 equalling 63. But maths also provides the tools for quantifying uncertainty - underpinning decisions at all levels including personal, national, and international - and related to medicine, finance, the environment, and more. An understanding of uncertainty is crucial for making decisions about how to deploy limited resources, from hospital beds to bandwidth in the telecommunications industry.

Even with increasing computing power and more sophisticated technology, scientists need maths to guide them in knowing what to look for and where. Advances in mathematical sciences often stem from a culture of curiosity-driven research that has been nurtured over decades. Perhaps stronger integration of maths for public life might have helped politicians navigate some of the recent uncertainty in government.

The mathematical sciences also have a huge impact on the whole economy and public life. Deloitte has estimated that the mathematical sciences add more than £200bn to the UK economy, and there is a significant salary premium for advanced maths skills, calculated at £8k per annum.

Despite its value to society, maths does not always receive the funding and support it warrants at every stage of education – or in research and innovation funding. We believe that to enhance mathematical skills and enhance the pipeline of mathematicians in order to address the enormous challenges we face, the Government needs to deliver tangible policy change.

Our ‘maths manifesto’ asks Government to deliver on the £300m promised additional funding for mathematical science research as announced in January 2020; design a National Strategy for Mathematics; and encourage more school pupils to take the subject through to A-Level.

Of course, we understand the current constraints on national finances. The mathematical community is neither unaware of nor immune to the impact of that. But investment in maths will ultimately deliver rewards to the economy and society.

Societal misconceptions and prejudices still persist around the study of mathematics: that it is the realm of the lone genius, that it is inaccessible, and that it is ‘just for the few’. At the same time, it is seen as societally acceptable to be bad at maths with people saying with pride “I was terrible at maths” in a way that they wouldn’t with other subjects or skills.

We urge Parliament to use its position to recognise and celebrate the contribution of mathematical sciences to the UK economy, thus raising the status and building understanding of careers in mathematical sciences. This week’s debate is a significant step along that path.

And we urge everyone to take an interest in the mathematical sciences and their amazing role in the world around us. Maths Week England helps with that. And so does PPM. We’ll publish more blogs this week that will highlight the surprising places and people that rely on maths. We’ll keep you up to date with the action from the debate in parliament. And we’ll continue to pursue political and business engagement, creative policy asks, new research and widespread outreach in the name of promoting all maths.

Cathy Hobbs is the Academic Dean, Engineering, Environment and Computing at Coventry University.