#NCCRWomen - Joana Mailler Outreach Support & Exhibition Coordinator

27/1/23

Interviewed people :

In 2017, Joana joined Mathscope, an out-of-school learning center that offers activities related to mathematics and its applications. Together with the SwissMAP Outreach Officer, she works on the development and organization of workshops as well as direct communication with maths teachers and school students visiting Mathscope. In addition, she has been involved in organizing a number of exhibitions for the general public.

What is your background?

I studied at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Geneva. I obtained a bachelor's degree in Egyptology and History, then a master's degree in History. I then decided to turn to the world of culture and museums, with a Master of Advanced studies in Museology and Heritage Conservation. After that, I focused on outreach and I started working on different museums, such as Baur Foundation and Museum Barbier-Mueller.

What was your experience of mathematics at school?

Not very good... I was very bad at maths at school. It was the only subject that I struggled with and I developed a fear of it.

In your opinion, what triggered or maintained the fear?

I had very strict maths teachers. In the period between the ages of 14 and 20, my teachers were not very pedagogical, and they often considered that if I did not understand, it was my fault. They didn't make the effort to explain in different ways. It made me feel stupid and my lack of understanding gradually turned into fear. As a perfectionist, not succeeding in a subject did upset me greatly. Maths remained a source of fear for me until I was hired at Mathscope.

Can you tell us about Mathscope?

At Mathscope we welcome groups of all ages to do fun maths activities. Activities last one hour, during which students can experiment, touch and play with maths. The aim of Mathscope is also to show that real maths can be exciting and fun and that it can be accessible.

Why did you decide to apply for the role of maths outreach coordinator?

At the beginning, the job consisted mainly in organising the day to day running of the Mathscope. I knew about organisation, planning, etc. and I liked it! But I was also hired because I was not a mathematician. The people in charge of Mathscope needed someone with an external viewpoint. My lack of knowledge and understanding of maths was an asset!

When you were in school, how would your relationship to mathematics have been different if you had been exposed to Mathscope?

Probably different. In my opinion, it would have been a time when I could have seen maths from a different perspective. I'm not saying that it would have turned all my studies around and that I would have developed a vocation for maths. But it certainly would have changed my perception of the subject.

What is a typical workday for an outreach coordinator? is there such a thing as a typical day for you?

No, not a day is the same. I spend a lot of time behind my computer answering emails and building projects. And sometimes I'm covered in paint because I'm preparing teaching material for the Mathscope. I also discuss a lot with my colleagues: brainstorming is always the best way to create interesting projects. And I also go back and forth to Mathscope to meet with the facilitators, brief them etc.

What is your favourite thing about doing maths outreach?

I get out of my comfort zone and can do for others what was not done for me: make maths interesting.

What do you think are the greatest challenges ahead for maths outreach? And why is maths outreach so important today?

With the media and social networks, there are more and more fake news and everyone thinks their own opinion is the truth. Maths and other sciences are manipulated every day to convey fraudulent information. The challenge for the future is to show how to use science properly, to teach people to use it properly. That's the way to build a safe future.

What in your experience are the biggest challenges maths teachers face?

The fact that maths could be considered as one of the least popular school subjects makes it difficult to teach. People often seem to find it either useless or boring. And the teachers are not helped by the school curriculum which leaves them very little room to do things differently. The challenge today is to find ways to change the image of maths.

What about the challenges scientist face when doing outreach?

Today more and more scientist are involved in outreach and it is often expected from them. The main problem is that outreach is a profession in itself. It has to be learned. Doing outreach is about taking multiple factors into account - the target audience, our position towards that audience, the material we want to convey, the setting in which we find ourselves, the tools available, the audience's prior knowledge, their interest, etc. - and be able to use them. If you do outreach without knowing what you are doing, without being aware of what you are doing, you can have a negative impact on the public. It is not enough to have knowledge of the subject. You need to know how to create a spark or fan a flame. For me, the difficulty lies in the fact that scientists are being asked to do a job for which they don’t always know how to approach. I think that scientist should be encouraged to work with outreach specialists to train and to help scientists in the transmission of their work.

Have you noticed any general differences in attitude and interests between boys and girls during the outreach activities?

At Mathscope, girls are less likely to answer or to put themselves forward. They suffer from the still widespread stereotype that maths is for boys.

Is there anything in place at Mathscope to counterbalance this?

We have many women facilitators, which gives the image of a very mixed mathematics student community. However, it is also important to realize that for the moment there are more men who decide to pursue academic careers in maths. Women are more likely to go into education, outreach etc. We're trying to get the message across to young girls that they can do whatever they want. And in a one-hour session, it's hard to keep time to talk about girls in science, without prejudicing the boys. So we prefer to take advantage of specific events, such as Futures in all genres or Expanding your Horizons, which offer science activities for girls. We don't want all girls to decide to do maths. We want all girls to know that they are be able to do maths if they want to.

What are your wishes for girls studying mathematics today?

That they can show their interest in maths without feeling isolated. That they stop being labelled according to their interests. But that's my wish for boys too: that they can develop an interest in any subject without being labelled in any way.

What advice would you give to young people who hope to pursue a career in outreach and public engagement? You need to have patience. There are not many opportunities in institutions because outreach is not considered essential. Outreach is a job that you have to invent. I invent my job every day. I create my opportunities through new projects. Some work, some don't. Don't be discouraged and don't hesitate to be bold.

What's your favourite food/film/song?

Yikes, tough question. Food: my husband's burgers. Movie: The Harry Potter movies and the Pitch Perfect saga. Song: It depends on the moment but the songs from Wicked, the musical, are always a good companion.

Images: Leonardo in Perspective Exhibition, Justine Rousset

Program(s)

#NCCRWomen - Barbara Dembin (ETH Zurich, V. Tassion's Group)

#NCCRWomen - Rea Dalipi (UNIGE, A. Alekseev's Group)