Outreach and widening participation in mathematical sciences
Outreach and public engagement is an important staple for most higher education institutions and widening participation in HE has been a matter of importance for many years. Many initiatives, such as Maths Week Scotland and Ri Masterclasses, aim to raise the profile of mathematical sciences and develop interest in these subjects both in schools and the general public. However, outreach activities can often be aimed at gifted pupils and often fail to reach people from a more diverse range of social backgrounds. As such, women, people of colour, and disabled students are still underrepresented in mathematical sciences. As well as attracting a diverse pool of learners onto university programmes in mathematical sciences, it is also important to retain those already in higher education as evidence shows higher rates of drop-out for students from areas with higher deprivation levels, disabled students, and ethnic minority students.
