Heath Robertson
Monash University
I am an undergraduate student studying maths entering my honours year in July. While I haven’t decided on what type of maths I want to pursue, currently I’m leaning towards something in pure maths, most likely mathematical physics. Here at the AMSI Summer School I took the General Relativity unit.
1. Can you give me a quick rundown about the type of mathematics you are studying and its potential impacts for the broader community(think how you would explain your work and studies to others who don’t study maths)
I am studying pure maths, with my interests currently lying in differential geometry. This field in particular was really appealing to me because it seems to be the culmination of a lot of other maths, like algebra, analysis and topology which is quite exciting. The application most interesting to me is that of general relativity – much of differential geometry underpins the mathematics of Einstein’s theory, which I studied here at the summer school.
2. How did you get into mathematics/statistics/data science? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
I can’t recall exactly what got me into mathematics. It certainly wasn’t high school maths, something I had neither aptitude nor interest in. However, my compulsory first year uni maths class was actually really engaging and hinted at the exciting aspects of maths that aren’t explored in high school, and so from that point on I was hooked.
3. You received a Travel Grant to attend AMSI Summer School 2024.How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields? Do you think it was an advantage to attend the program in-person?
Receiving the grant and being given the ability to attend in person was so important, the experience I had attending the lectures in person, and staying in the hall with everyone else was invaluable. It’s impossible tooverstate the benefits of being with everyone in person.
4. What was the most valuable part of the program for you?
The chance to attend lectures from faculty members all over the country was really amazing, and very valuable. Equally important were the friendships I made along the way.
5. In the long-term, what do you think are the benefits of having attended Summer School?
I can see the new connections I made lasting a very long time. I feel like I became very close with a lot of the other travel grant recipients, including people from my home university that I’d never really spoken to before.
6. Summer School included a special Careers Day program which aimsto help give students an idea of the kinds of career paths available to maths graduates in industry and private sector research areas. Do you feel better equipped to explore career options in the mathematical sciences after attending AMSI Summer School?
The careers day was interesting – I was exposed to a lot of careers that I didn’t know existed and I think it would be a very good idea to look into some of those further. Throughout my degree I keep hearing that the only options for maths grads are research or high school teaching so it was nice to see that there are in fact plenty of opportunities out there.
7. What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Summer School in 2025? Should they apply and why?
I would absolutely recommend attending, for all the reasons above. You will learn amazing things and meet incredible people. It’s a genuinely fantastic opportunity.
8. What are your current career ambitions in the mathematical sciences sector?
I’m uncertain about what I’ll do afterwards. However, the summer school did provide a lot of clarity and shine a light on the potential career paths outside of academia.
9. How did connecting with the community at AMSI Summer School support your experience?
It was great to be able to discuss not just the coursework with fellow students, but also maths and life in general. I loved seeing what everyone else was doing and listening to what they had planned for the future.
10. Any other feedback/comments you would like to provide on the AMSI Travel Grant or AMSI Summer School 2024?
I’d like to thank AMSI and all the sponsors for making this possible.