Maths Immersion Day at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge: Shaping the future of STEM for GDST students

An inspiring day unfolded for GDST Further Mathematicians this week at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. Over 90 students immersed themselves in Cambridge University Maths as part of the pioneering Choose Maths partnership between the GDST and Murray Edwards—a partnership designed to encourage more young women to pursue degrees in STEM.

Students experienced a vibrant snapshot of academic life, taking part in optimisation problem solving and economic game theory sessions led by college academics. They also enjoyed a tour of the college and a relaxed lunch with current undergraduates, who shared what life at Cambridge is really like.

Students taking part in sessions led by college academics

The day opened with an energising talk from Yara Kyrychenko, Woman of the Future award winner, who spotlighted the creativity and collaboration at the heart of mathematics: “Maths can help shape what we want the world to be.” She encouraged students to follow their passions, embrace every opportunity to learn, accept that failure is part of growth, and—above all—“put yourself out there.” Yara later discussed and took questions on how her love of maths and psychology intertwines in her AI research at Cambridge.

Opening speaker Yara Kyrychenko

A brilliantly fast-paced closing lecture from Professor of Mathematics Holly Krieger showcased the extraordinary breadth of careers that stem from studying maths, “whether you’re interested in human progress, developments to alleviate world hunger, climate change, data security and the fairness of algorithms…” before demonstrating mathematical theories as a flavour of what a degree course at Murray Edwards would entail.

Professor Holly Krieger closed the day with a dynamic lecture
GDST Students in the lecture hall

In GDST schools—where teaching is tailored to how girls learn best—there are no stereotypes and no “boys’ subjects”. Maths is, in fact, the most popular A‑level. As we continue to take a forward‑thinking approach to education, we are thrilled to build academic partnerships like this one, which challenge our thinking and equip our students to become the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow.