I have a variety of experience in outreach and access work. Most of this has been done in a personal capacity, and I do not currently represent any university or institution.
In 2023, I became involved with MBL, an organisation running free camps for mathematically talented teenagers from around the world. The annual camp in Poland has expanded to include students (and mentors) from many countries. In 2023 an additional yearly camp in Bosnia (MBLB) was established. The participants attend 'blocks' of courses. The topics delivered cover pure and applied maths, with both theory-building and problem-solving on offer. The camp includes various other activities: mathematical, creative, cultural, and sporting. There is a great atmosphere and anyone interested can apply as a participant or tutor.
Courses I have taught:
LMO is a small organisation run mostly by students affiliated with LSGNT. I have recently been involved in re-establishing the programme, and am currently part of the Schools and Student Liaison team. We run free half-termly courses which expose state-schooled students aged 14-18 to an exciting world of maths beyond the curriculum. Our courses currently run at UCL.
On 5th August 2024, I organised (with support from the rest of the Schools and Student Liaison team) a full day of mathematical events at UCL, under the LMO umbrella. This included two workshops, an outreach talk from a maths lecturer at UCL, and two mathematical team challenges (testing estimation, problem solving, and logic skills). We provided all attendees with breakfast, a full lunch and a range of snacks throughout the day, courtesy of the LSGNT.
Each year I give free Oxbridge-style mock interviews to state-educated applicants in mathematical subjects. Students are typically from the West Midlands, but I am open to providing this to any student who I feel is a good fit (especially if they do not have access to similar opportunities).
Often I find applicants have been given conflicting - and often inaccurate - information about what to expect. In addition to having been through interviews myself, I have spoken to many other interviewees about their experience and (perhaps more importantly) to interviewers about what they expect.
I occasionally visit my high school and sixth form college to speak to students about mathematics, Cambridge, and higher education. It is always a pleasure to meet ambitious and enthusiastic students, and I am happy to consider doing this for other schools and colleges.
I am happy to consider any requests for this sort of outreach work. Please get in touch on my outreach email: izaakhf [at] outlook [dot] com.
I have, in several academic years, been a mentor for Zero Gravity. This is an excellent start-up supporting students from underprivileged backgrounds through university applications and beyond. They have grown rapidly to become perhaps the largest provider of such a service in the UK. I am mentioned in this article about the success of Zero Gravity in its early days.
Several students have worked with me through the programme, progressing on to prestigious universities such as Cambridge and Bristol. I highly recommend getting involved with Zero Gravity: it is great fun, and you get to meet some of the UK's brightest A-level students.
Mentoring is generally a great chance to hone your communication and teaching skills. I have learnt a lot from my experience with it, through Zero Gravity and independently.
I am passionate about access to higher education: especially supporting those from socio-economically and educationally underprivileged backgrounds into mathematics and related subjects. I have been involved in various outreach and access initiatives through Gonville and Caius College, and through Cambridge University more widely. This included student ambassador roles, assisting with the SU Shadowing Scheme, and running @cambtweetmaths for 2 years. There is some more info about this on the Gonville and Caius website.
One project I supported was the state-school STEP offer holder webinars, which supports students with maths offers in their preparation for the infamous STEP exams. Entrance exams are one of the most daunting aspects of Oxbridge applications, and most schools do not have the ability to support students in preparing. Perhaps ironically, I also wrote the InsideUni guide to the MAT (Oxford maths admissions test).
I encourage students to get involved with similar outreach opportunities presented to them. It is a rewarding endeavour, through which staff and volunteers have already made significant improvements to the accessibility of many top universities throughout the UK.