The School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics at NUI Galway will host a number of events as part of Maths Week Ireland from 9 to16 October. During this week, various fun activities have been organised to promote awareness, appreciation and understanding of maths among the general public. On Monday, 11 October, one of Spain s best known mathematicians- Fernando Blasco who is also a magician, television personality and author of several books, will give a talk in the Colm O hEocha Theatre, Arts Millennium Building at 7pm. The talk is open to the general public, and he will perform some tricks involving elementary mathematics. Topics such as prime numbers, sudoku, which are Japanese number puzzles, and the Rubik s cube are among the facets of mathematics to be explored. On the following day, Fernando will perform more of his magic and maths aimed specifically at primary and secondary school audiences. During the second half of the week, there will be several special maths workshops held to highlight the importance, usefulness and enjoyment of mathematics. These workshops will be aimed at primary and secondary school students. Topics explored at these sessions will include: "How Julius Caesar used maths to protect his empire"; "How blind people do and read maths", delivered by Dr David O Keeffe and an exploration of Einstein's famous theory entitled "Special Relativity Made Easy" by Dr Patrick Browne, both of the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics, at the University. NUI Galway's Dr David O'Keeffe says: "Maths can often be a bit of a mystery to the wider public, a subject that may feel inaccessible to them. But in actual fact, it doesn t need to be the case. Everywhere around us, maths is in use. When you strip away the details on how modern technology operates; for example mobile phones, iPods, computers etc., it all boils down to doing mathematics. The Maths Week events in NUI Galway will act as a bridge to connect young and old with maths in a fun and interactive way. Maths is more than something that remains in the clutches of academia and we want to show people that it can be useful to everyone." Schools throughout Galway are encouraged to participate in these special events to make maths accessible to a wider audience. Maths Week Ireland is a partnership of universities, institutes and groups working together to promote awareness, appreciation and understanding of mathematics to all. From a national perspective, events will be happening at institutes of technology, universities, museums, libraries, visitor centres and other venues. -Ends-