Designed and tested in UCC and rolled out around Ireland by the IMT with support from Science Foundation Ireland, Maths Circles and Junior Mathematics Enrichment create a nurturing environment where school children can fall in love with mathematics and develop their intuition and problem-solving skills. Jessica Weitbrecht has brought these initiatives to Rwanda, as outreach activities of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences.
"We ran about 10 three-hour Saturday sessions for local senior cycle students using the junior material from the UCC website, and reached 90 students… We're also running a few sessions for teachers - three so far. They're starting to really enjoy it…There are about 20-25 teachers per session, with high overlap. I'm hoping that some of the teachers will start math clubs and math circles in their schools. The AIMS master's students help with the training, and they're also learning a lot. Over Christmas I left them to run two sessions by themselves, and they were great. I hope that in the future they'll be able to run similar things themselves, where ever they may end up. " "
Jessica Weitbrecht is a former member of team Ireland at the International Mathematical Olympiad 2013 and the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad 2012 and 2013. Having graduated from Trinity College Dublin and Perimeter Scholars International with a Master's degree in Theoretical Physics, Jessica currently works as a tutor for AIMS Rwanda. The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is a Pan African Network of Centres of Excellence that offers quality postgraduate education, research innovation and public engagement for the advancement of STEM in Africa’s transformation journey. AIMS Rwanda is the 6th Centre of Excellence in Africa. Jessica helps deliver the AIMS Master’s degree in the mathematical sciences, a unique, innovative program providing problem-solving and computational skills as well as exposure to cutting edge fields.