Meet the Mathematics Outreach Committee: a conversation with Elise Raphael

1. Since 2024, you have been a member of the Mathematics Outreach and Engagement Committee of the EMS. Could you share one initiative or effort from the Committee that is particularly meaningful to you?

First, the simple existence of this committee means a lot to me: it recognizes mathematics outreach and engagement as something that matters within the EMS! One recent initiative I particularly appreciate is the recent launch of the Simon Norton Prize for Mathematics Outreach. It gives visibility to concrete actions taken around the world and highlights people’s work and dedication. Even though there’s only one award, many submissions were commended and are visible here.

2. Your main job is the scientific coordination of the SwissMAP Research Station. What led you to engage in science communication, and which experiences have shaped your approach the most?

My colleagues S.Fiorelli and P-A. Chérix created in 2015 a public laboratory within the University of Geneva called Mathscope, welcoming classes for hands-on math activities. As a PhD student, I got assigned to Mathscope as part of my teaching tasks. I was a bit worried at first about interacting with kids and teenagers… but I quickly realized sharing maths I was excited about was something I enjoyed tremendously, and people seem to enjoy the energy I was giving as well. Then I discovered I enjoyed thinking about the conception of such activities as well. After that, things moved quickly: during the pandemic, my best friend basically challenged us into creating an exhibition about fractals based on the MegaMenger initiative, and I loved it. I could go on (it feels like math outreach is just progressively permeating all my activities), but let’s just say that Mathscope definitely shaped the way I approach science communication today. More recently, discovering the Talking Math in Public conference and community really impacted me and I’m trying to learn from them.

3. You are the co-director of Genève Évasions Mathématiques (G·EM), a mathematical outreach center affiliated with the Mathematics Section at the University of Geneva. Could you tell us more about the work G·EM does? Is there a past or current project you are particularly proud of?

The idea of G·EM is to bring together all the math outreach activities we have created as individual initiatives or one-time events over the years in Geneva: public conferences, workshops, festival, exhibitions… It was time to create a proper structure to help us better reach our audiences, develop long-term partnerships with the local education system, and look for sustainable funding, among other things. Having Hugo Duminil-Copin as co-director definitely helps for visibility, and there’s a less obvious goal of involving more our colleagues from the math department by showing them how diverse, impactful and rewarding math outreach can be. Regarding the project, this is a hard one. We’re a bunch of hyperactive people with too many ideas and each new one becomes my favorite for a short time… But I think what I’m most proud of is our (still expanding) programme «Women and Maths», especially our camp Les Marmottes.

4. Last year, the Committee participated in the MATRIX × IMAGINARY Conference on the Future of Mathematics Engagement. You were one of the organizers of the event (the local one) and now you are part of the triumvirate that organizes it every 2 years. Could you share some significant moments from the event that stood out to you?

In 2024, MATRIX x IMAGINARY took place at the SwissMAP Research Station, the maths and physics research center I coordinate. It’s a place that means a lot to me, so this event combined some of my favorite things! Creating chaos with a fun icebreaker imported from Mathscope on the first evening was great. Our three plenary speakers (Nina Gasking, Kyne Santos and Cédric Villani) were just fantastic in very different ways. But somehow, it’s all the moments we got to share together outside of the conference schedule that meant the most to me. Part of the committee’s goals is to build a community of people involved in maths engagement, and I think this conference contributed to this.

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