The MACSI summer school: a case study in outreach in mathematics

Abstract

To encourage the study of mathematics in Ireland, the Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI) organizes a summer school once a year. The different aspects of this summer school are presented. Students are selected depending on their motivation, academic abilities, gender and geographical origins. Instruction and supervision is provided by academics, post-doctoral fellows and post-graduate students. The teaching programme evolves every year and reflects the interests of the people involved. Feedback from participants has been almost uniformly positive. Students favour interactive sessions and enjoy the residential aspect of the summer school. Food and accommodation are however the most costly aspects of this summer school. In this respect the support of Science Foundation Ireland has been invaluable.

Keywords:

• summer school
• applied mathematics
• modelling
• secondary schools
• organisation
• course content
• student feedback
• budget

Acknowledgements

The following people contributed to the MACSI summer school between 2007 and 2011 (lecturers and organising committee). Affiliations given correspond to the affiliation at the time of the summer school.

•	Dublin Institute of Technology: Anthony Byrne, Joe Condon, Dana Mackey, Maev Maguire.
•	Dublin City University: John Appleby.
•	Limerick Institute of Technology: Leah Wallace.
•	National University of Ireland, Galway: Neil Humphries.
•	National University of Ireland, Maynooth: Tom Dowling.
•	Trinity College Dublin: Conor Houghton.
•	University of Limerick: Eugene Benilov, Mark Burke, Michelle Carey, Brian Carroll, Davide Cellai, Jean Charpin, Vincent Cregan, Declan Dineen, Fiona Faulkner, Paddy Johnson, Eugene Gath, James Gleeson, Maria Gonzalez, Ailish Hannigan, Peg Hanrahan, Kevin Hayes, Sarah Hayes, Stephen Kinsella, Jim Leahy, Martin Leahy, William Lee, Gordon Lessells, Joanna Mason, Clare McInerney, Sarah Mitchell, Stephen O'Brien, Niamh O'Meara, Martina O'Sullivan, Krysztof Podgorski, Marguerite Robinson, Phil Samways, Frances Shaw, David Tocher, Jonathan Ward, Jenny Wright.

The authors would like to thank Professor John O'Donoghue (UL) for his encouragement and helpful comments. They acknowledge the support of the MACSI (www.macsi.ul.ie) funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Mathematics Initiative grant 06/MI/005. JM gracefully acknowledges the support of a post-doctoral fellowship from IRCSET, the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Technology.