I am keen on spreading the word that mathematical sciences can be used to make people's lives better. I have experience in TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and face-to-face public engagement.

Maths Busking

I had a place on the Maths Busking training in Leeds in March 2011, and performed at Leamington Peace festival on June 18th 2011, Programme hereLink opens in a new window (see campaigns, Saturday). I also gave a live interview on Coventry & Warwickshire radio before the performance. Here is the video of that interview, followed by some highlights from the busking:

 

 

Other resources:

Maths Busking organisationLink opens in a new window 

Official Video for maths buskingLink opens in a new window

Radio &TV

Following my radio interview about maths busking (above), I was invited back on Friday 8th July 2011 to talk live on air about the odds of winning the £166 million Euro Millions rollover jackpot.

I was invited on 8th August 2011 to discuss the report by Carol Vorderman et al on making maths compulsory part of education until age 18. This discussion also went out live, and I opted to take part by telephone. Vorderman report hereLink opens in a new window.

Farming Today featured Martine's expert elicitation workshop linked to building decision support for pollinator abundance (available until 14th May 2016 hereLink opens in a new window, starting 22:30) and it was featured on BBC Midlands Today, with live lunchtime interview and recorded interview broadcast on evening bulletin (hereLink opens in a new window)

Cafe Scientifique

I gave a talk for the general public at Cafe Scientifique, Leamington Spa, July 2011, see here and another September 2014 and two at Cafe Scientifique, Wantage in January and July 2021 online. Details below

2024

SIAM News 'Decision Support Systems to Enhance Food Security in the U.K.Link opens in a new window'

Swindon Academy 'Saving the Bees with Maths'

Develop Widening Participation materials for the departmental web page.

2023

Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret Link opens in a new windoworganised by Chapelgarth Writing Retreats in collaboration with Labman AutomationLink opens in a new window

Which strategies for supporting Pollinators? Blog based on just-accepted paper hereLink opens in a new window

Work experience 1 week

Pint of Science talkLink opens in a new window on Preserving Britain's digital memory May 22nd 2023 - tickets on linkLink opens in a new window

Women in Maths day 2023 Warwick event - 3 minute talkLink opens in a new window

Women in Maths 2023 "Why many heads are better than one when it comes to academic research" Womanthology article Link opens in a new window

Blog for the Food GRP on my trip to Australia to provide decision support for pollination: hereLink opens in a new window

Mathematics Today 'Two Mathematicians on the Politics of Climate Change' IMA MagazineLink opens in a new window

2022

Swindon Academy 'Saving the Bees with Maths - the power of mathematics to make smart decisions about our world' 6th form and Year 11

Kings Math SchoolLink opens in a new window : 'Saving the Bees with Maths - the power of mathematics to make smart decisions about our world' 6th Form

amspLink opens in a new window: It's your choice - Year 10 maths options events, Warwick Event detailsLink opens in a new window

Birmingham Popular Maths Lecture 'How can maths save my family tree' OnlineLink opens in a new window PosterLink opens in a new window

Warwick Research Story "Protecting tomorrow's history today" hereLink opens in a new window

2021

Interviewed for the podcast 'Models are Wrong' by Iain Souttar and Joe Colvin hereLink opens in a new window

Warwick Statistics Society Uncertainty and statistical modelling for communicating climate riskLink opens in a new window

Kings Maths SchoolLink opens in a new window Mathemagora (OnlineLink opens in a new window) Saving the Bees with Maths

Cafe Scientifique Wantage (OnlineLink opens in a new window) The Challenges of Scientific Uncertainty

RSS Local Branch (OnlineLink opens in a new window) Statistical modelling for safeguarding the nation’s digital memory

IMA West Midlands Branch (Online)Link opens in a new window Mathematics for safeguarding the nation’s digital memory

Howes Primary School Science week (OnlineLink opens in a new window) Bees have needs for flowers and trees, science and maths can help.

Cafe Scientifique, Wantage (OnlineLink opens in a new window) Beehives and Space technology with Paulette Elliott

2020

The Pint of Science planned for 2020 was cancelled due to Coronavirus restrictions.

I wrote two blogs on my research into 'Food prices after BREXIT', one for LSE hereLink opens in a new window and Quartz hereLink opens in a new window

2019

I was a guest speaker for University of Bath 'Women in Maths' group, University of Baths, November 2019 ' Surprised to be saving the bees with Maths' Link opens in a new window

I was a speaker at pint of scienceLink opens in a new window at The White Horse pub May 2019 'Saving the bees – how can maths help?'

I gave a talk as part of the Warwick Science GalaLink opens in a new window for age 12 up, January 2019 ‘Using maths to save the bees (and us)!’ In the pressLink opens in a new window

2018

I gave a talk as part of the Birmingham Popular Maths Lecture series in January 2018Link opens in a new window. Birmingham Popular Maths LecturesLink opens in a new window

Title: Saving the bees – why do we need maths?

Abstract: “Professor Einstein, the learned scientist, once calculated that if all bees disappeared off the earth, four years later all humans would also have disappeared.” Abeilles et fleurs, June, 1965.

It is uncertain if Einstein really said this, but it is certainly true that loss of pollination services would make human life very difficult. It is estimated that 70% of important food crops are insect-pollinated, including fruits, nuts, vegetables, seeds, spices, coffee and Agave from which Tequila is produced.
In recent years there has been much concern about declining insect pollinator populations, particularly honeybees. This led to the production of the UK’s national pollinator strategy and a temporary Europe-wide ban on the use of Neonicotinoid insecticides. The insect pollinator system is typical of today’s ever more interconnected world,
Complex contemporary policy problems require a means for networking together expert evidence from different and disparate areas of expertise which nevertheless interlock and interact, for dealing with uncertainty, as well as for managing complex questions at different scales.
The expert decision-maker needs to take responsibility for their decision and also to be able to justify and explain their decision to an auditor, so there is no place for black-box systems.
How can we use maths to overcome this problem? How can we use structured expert judgement as a robust and systematic way to derive probability distributions?
I will outline the answers to these questions through the example of food security and pollination.

2017

I spoke about How can Maths help save the bees? at Oxford's 'It all adds up for Girls' event on 10th January It All Adds Up for Girls OxfordLink opens in a new window

Dr Martine Barons from the University of Warwick will talk about how her mathematical work is helping to reverse the decline in the UK’s bee populations. By providing a new way to combine information from lots of sources, Martine is helping provide decision support for policymakers whose task is to select the best combination from a range of strategies to support these pollinating insects, which are so vital to human survival.

I visited Texas Hunger Initiative as part of my research in household food security and wrote a blog here: THI Link opens in a new window

I wrote a piece for the International Partnership fund following my 2015 visit to Australia and subsequent publications. It was entitled "Using statistical modelling to tackle global food insecurityLink opens in a new window"

2016

My pollinator expert elicitation workshop, held on 6th April 2016 and linked to building decision support for pollinator abundance, was featured on BBC TV and Radio. Live interview by telephone on Radio CWR breakfast show, live lunchtime interview on BBC Midlands Today, recorded interview broadcast on evening bulletin (hereLink opens in a new window) and BBC Radio 4 Farming Today package broadcast Friday 15th and Saturday 16th April (available until 14th May 2016 hereLink opens in a new window, starting 22:30). I was also invited to contribute a blog to EPSRC hereLink opens in a new window in November 2016.

Interview for Womanthology magazine "Creating a buzz by breaking down barriers for women in maths and statistics" here Link opens in a new window

2015

I was interviewed at the Birmingham Food Council Food poverty Workshop: VideoLink opens in a new window

Interviewed Fields Medal winner, Professor Martin Hairer and wrote the interview for a general audience. Published in Exchanges: the Warwick Research Journal, October 2015 hereLink opens in a new window

Maths Busking at Leamington Peace festival

2014

I wrote a blog post for the lay reader on one of my publicationsLink opens in a new window for the Body In Mind organisation paperLink opens in a new window here Link opens in a new window

Leamington Spa Food and Drink Festival, 'Food glorious food' stand. Talk: "Food - the web that connect us all" 6th September 2014.

Maths Busking at Leamington Peace festival in June 2014

Cafe Scientfique, Leamington Spa Monday 19th May 2014 "UK food security in the twenty-first century" hereLink opens in a new window

2013

Maths Busking at Leamington Peace festival on June 15th 2013

2012

I took a second Maths Busking training course in March 2012 with science busking expert David Price from Science Made Simple.

2011

Leamington Peace festival on June 18th 2011, (see Programme: campaigns, Saturday).

Live interviews on Coventry & Warwickshire radio June 18th, July 18th and 8th August 2011

I was part of a team maths Busking at Manchester Science Festival on 23rd October 2011 Manchester Science festival 2011.

In 2011 I was set up producer for a science magazine radio show.

2010

• IMA Public engagement ConferenceLink opens in a new window, Manchester
  "For the conference dinner activity, each table was given four cards with awkward questions that were representative of the difficult questions mathematicians often face from many different people who dislike or fear mathematics. The most entertaining answer of the evening was the reply to ' A radio show presenter asks - I have never used Algebra, why did I have to learn it at school?' "
  Read our response here:  Mathematics TodayLink opens in a new window
  
  
• Radio magazine shows

I was interviewed by Paul ChlebounLink opens in a new window for a science magazine radio show in 2010.

 

• Video

A light hearted video to help non-specialists understand Complexity Science, with James PorterLink opens in a new window, Paul ChlebounLink opens in a new window, and Jamie LuoLink opens in a new window.