Welcome to our roundup of all things Cambridge Mathematics

A message from our Director

Dear reader

Marhaba,

“Now I will have less distraction” is a famous quote attributed to the prominent mathematician Leonhard Euler, upon losing the sight in his right eye. Even when he became totally blind years later, his productivity did not diminish, sustained by his great memory and mental computation abilities. He is considered one of the most influential and prolific mathematicians in history. John Nash, the pioneer in the field of Game Theory, was an Abel Prize Winner and an Economics Nobel Laureate, which is a double accolade never achieved by any other scholar. He had “a beautiful mind” with which he became a leading scientist while being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Many other mathematicians excelled while having a disability ([1], [2], [3]): Abraham Nemeth, Bernard Morin, Emmanuel Giroux, Lev Semenovich Pontryagin, Nicholas Saunderson, Ruth Fairclough and Solomon Lefschetz are just some examples. The community of mathematicians, teachers and learners, owes them a lot for their scientific heritage.

December 3^rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It is a day to celebrate people with disabilities and call for further work towards their full inclusion in all aspects of life, mainly in education. While a disability might prevent a person from doing some things well, it should not be seen as an automatic blocker for excellence in mathematics or other areas. In an interview with the New York Times, Stephen Hawking, one of the most inspirational scientists in modern times, said: "My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit, as well as physically." Having a disability as a student should not be an invitation to be treated unfavourably or to be discriminated against in any form, even if it entails the need for different ways of teaching and learning. As educators, we should focus on what students, all students, can do, and empower them to explore their full potential. We should not disable any student’s spirit if they face hurdles in their education pathway; on the contrary, we should highlight their individual skills and strengths.

For this last newsletter of the year, we have included a couple of special blogs: an interview with Dr Sybil Prince Nelson who tells us how we should think about mathematics in ways that artificial intelligence cannot, and a blog by our own Dr Xinyue Li who identifies a link between GPT-4, Bayesian statistics, and Mystery Island! 

To conclude this message, I wish you a fun and relaxing end-of-year break, and a very enjoyable and festive time with family and friends, despite all the challenges and tough circumstances that the world is facing. From a mathematical perspective, because I must end with some mathematics, the new year has some fun and special attributes. Indeed, the number 2024 is an iban (not related to your bank account) and one of the untouchables (not the movie), among other features, and the year 2024 is a leap year that starts on Monday, which we will not witness again until 2052! May you have a peaceful and prosperous new year.

Best wishes,

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