Mutating Messages - A Public Experiment

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The question But how do you actually DO research? is probably familiar to every researcher - not least those working in Mathematics or Statistics. It can be difficult to give a good answer - we might talk about thought experiments being the same as physical experiments, but this is still an abstract explanation. This proposal aims to answer the question with a concrete example. Through an interactive experiment called 'Mutating Messages', we will ask a secondary school class to produce data which will actually be used to verify cutting edge, EPSRC supported scientific research. During a second visit, we will involve the class in drawing appropriate scientific conclusions and discussing the potential benefits of the research area. Through a Facebook page, we will keep in touch with the class well into their next academic year. Of course we expect them to tell their friends, but a professional video will also capture the experiment and make it accessible to everybody through the internet. We will provide online teaching resources so that any Mathematics class teacher can recreate the experiment in their own classroom. The experiment will be developed in partnership with The Swinton High School, to ensure maximum educational benefit. It will reinforce key areas of the GCSE Mathematics curriculum including algebra, geometry and statistics. Online teaching resources will offer lessons based around the experiment, but targeted at different educational key stages - from descriptive studies for younger classes, to an 'A' level lesson offering more advanced topics. A professional video production company will ensure high video production values, to make the content more accessible. Existing outreach channels at the Investigators' respective Universities will be used to advertise the web resources to local schools, and the web content will be made available to the widest possible audience.