In this blog, we spoke to Lauren Ormonde and Emily Pulford, respectively Co-President and Treasurer of the Mathematics Society at Queen Mary University of London. QMMS is run by a group of students who are enthusiastic about mathematics and want to share their passion with the rest of the student community.
Who is behind the Maths Society?
There are a few of us behind the Maths Society and, although it’s mostly Maths students, a few of us involved in the Society are studying other subjects. For example, Josh, Vice-president, is studying Law and Ridley, our Secretary is pursuing Biochemistry. We are a mixed group, which took over from last year’s committee, and we like that also non-maths students want to get involved and help out.
What activities do you tend to organise?
We organise a range of different activities, from social gatherings, coffee meet-ups and pub crawls to more academic-related talks.
How often do you meet?
We don’t have a set meeting time. At the start of each term we meet to plan the activities we would like to do, we create a rough plan for all events and then, we meet up before every single activity to plan the logistics of it. Some bigger events might require more time, depending on the size of the event, the venue and the availability of academics, while other social events are easier to organise and take less time. It helps that we are all friends and we communicate regularly and stay in touch.
Could you tell us about one event you have organised in the past that you are particularly proud of?
We really enjoyed one of our recent Meet & Greet events, where we had the chance to get together over some free pizza and drinks. Quite a lot of us attended and we had a great time getting to know each other.
How can students join the Maths Society and what’s the best way to get in touch with you?
It is very easy to join the Maths Society and we encourage all students who are interested to do so. There is a page on the Queen Mary Student Union website that you can click on to be part of the group. If you would like more of an active role, there’s also the possibility to join a scheme that allows you to learn more about what the committee does as well as helping out with events every now and then without actually committing full-time. You can contact us either via email or on social media. All events are always advertised on our Facebook group and we also post on Instagram.
What are your plans for the future?
There is so much we would like to do and various projects we would like to work on. It often depends on how much time we have to plan and it is not always easy. We had a lecture series taking place last year, which was a success and we would like to continue with that project. One of our biggest objectives is to make the Maths Society more social, fun and inclusive for all the members. It can be challenging to get everyone together as not all students live nearby or on-campus but we try our best to accommodate everyone as much as possible.
Thinking of becoming a member? Join the Maths Society today!