Come along to R22 Pickavance Lecture Theatre or join online to hear from Professor June Barrow-Green on the subject of Women Mathematicians in WW1.

Date: Thursday 25th June 2026

Time: 14:00 – 15:00

There will be coffee/tea served in R22 Coffee Lounge at 15:00. All welcome.

Campus members with RAL site passes wishing to attend in person, please go straight to Pickavance Lecture Theatre.

Campus members without RAL site passes and non-campus members wishing to attend, please use the Zoom link to attend the talk remotely.

The First World War acted as a catalyst to provide women with unique opportunities to enter the male-dominated field of industrial engineering. This was particularly apparent at the establishments involved in the advancement of aeronautics and its related fields. These included:

• The Royal Aircraft Factory which was responsible for the design and testing of new aircraft;
• The National Physical Laboratory which focussed on the theoretical aspects of aerodynamics; and,
• A department in the British Admiralty established to address issues relating to the strength and integrity of aircraft structures.

Within all three settings, there was a strong demand for individuals with mathematical expertise. As growing numbers of men were conscripted into military service, this demand was increasingly met by recruiting and employing suitably qualified women.

In this talk, I shall describe the various ways in which mathematicians supported the war effort and examine the extent to which women were involved.

About the speaker:

Professor June Barrow-Green is Emeritus Professor of History of Mathematics at The Open University. In 2025, Professor Barrow-Green was awarded the LMS/BSHM Hirst Prize for her research and leadership in history of mathematics. Read more here.