Do you want to engage your maths students and show them the joy and fun of numbers?
I’ve been a school presenter and speaker for well over decade, regularly giving talks in schools up and down the country. In total I’ve spoken to over half a million people. I’m also a multi-award-winning maths and science author.
This is not one of those boring lectures. Instead let me inspire your students to think big and show them maths in action as we try and answer the biggest questions about our universe.
KS3 Talk: From Animals to Infinity
What do butterflies, starfish, bees, ants, cicadas, sunflowers, ferns and viruses have in common? They are all excellent mathematicians.
Bring maths to life with this talk on the symmetry, shapes and sequences found in the natural world. Plus check in to Hilbert’s Hotel to see why some sequences never end.
Curriculum points covered
Prime numbers | 2D/3D shapes
Symmetry | Rotation & reflection
Perimeter & area | Measuring length
What students say…
KS4/5 Talk: A Universe of Infinities
Infinity is a notoriously tricky concept to juggle with. It’s not even really a number. And yet it seems to crop up time and again when astronomers try to understand our universe.
Did the universe start from an infinitely small speck? Can the universe really be infinitely big? Can there be infinitely many universes in an infinitely big multiverse? Find out in this schools talk.
Along the way you’ll also discover what happens when we divide by zero and that the angles in a triangle don’t always add up to 180 degrees. Plus, you’ll be checking in to David Hilbert’s mind-bending infinity hotel for a dip in its infinity pool.
Maths teachers: why not run this talk on a cost sharing basis with the physics/science department as there’s a lot of crossover
What students say…
About me
I’m a multi-award-winning astronomy author and speaker. My twenty books have sold more than 400,000 copies worldwide and been translated into 23 languages. Plus I’ve written over 200 popular science articles for publications including The Guardian, New Scientist, The Wall Street Journal and BBC Science Focus. I also write the monthly Absolute Beginners column for Astronomy Now magazine.
As well as writing a book with the astronaut Tim Peake, I’ve won The Margaret Mallett Award for Children’s Non-Fiction and the AAS Solar Physics Popular Media award. A Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, I’ve appeared on BBC News, Sky News and Radio 5Live. I’m also lucky enough to have had the asteroid (15347) Colinstuart named after me.
Prices (2023/2024)
Virtual (Zoom) talks
1 talk – £250
2 talks – £375
3 talks – £500
4 talks – £625
5 talks – £750
One Zoom talk can take place across multiple classrooms at the same time or to a whole year group in the hall
In school visits
1 talk – £600
2 talks – £900
3 talks – £1200
4 talks – £1500
5 talks – £1800
Signed books are an integral part of both in-school and virtual talks
Get in touch to discuss availability or ask any questions