Special honour: Mathematician gives QE boys a preview of Royal Society speech

Renowned mathematician and alumnus Dr Malcolm Sabin delivered a lecture to the whole of Year 10 when he visited his alma mater.

He essentially gave the QE boys the same talk that he gave at the Royal Society when he received an Institute of Mathematics Gold Medal in recognition of his life time’s work and contribution to the field of Mathematics.

Dr Sabin, who was at QE from 1952 – 1959, was a pioneer of computer-aided design (CAD) and over the course of a varied career has worked in the aircraft industry, in engineering and in academia.

“We were honoured to have a preview of a talk that was shortly afterwards given in the more august surroundings of the Royal Society!” said Maths teacher Wendy Fung. “During his talk to Year 10 he explained how shape description using Maths enables designers, engineers and mechanics to communicate during a project, ensuring that separate component parts will fit together to make a whole. He gave Pixar as an example of a company that makes use of the work he does with CAD, offering boys a fascinating insight into how Maths is relevant outside the classroom.”

The event was organised by Head of Mathematics, Gee Scarisbrick, as part of the School’s curriculum enrichment programme.