STOR-i PhD student, Eleanor D’Arcy, was appointed to the role of Royal Statistical Society (RSS) William Guy lecturer for the 2023/24 academic year.

The William Guy Lectureship is a prestigious volunteer role intended to celebrate the importance of engaging with schools and inspiring children about statistics from an early age. Named in honour of William Augustus Guy, an early medical statistician and past RSS president, the William Guy Lectureships started in 1999.

As one of three lecturers, Eleanor was asked to prepare a talk on the theme of ‘Climate Change and Environmental Statistics’ appropriate for sixth form students. This theme fits perfectly with her ongoing research at STOR-i, which has focussed on developing statistical methods for extreme sea level estimates that account for affects of climate change.

Eleanor’s lecture, titled ‘How can statistics protect us against extreme sea levels resulting from climate change?’, was pre-recorded to be used as a learning resource by any school. The lecture has been watched over 300 times and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjd_OVoBuVs&t=9s

Additionally, Eleanor has been invited to various schools in the Lancaster area and beyond, to deliver the talk in-person. Recently, Eleanor visited the Lancaster University School of Mathematics in Preston, where she gave the talk to 200 high-achieving sixth form students.

As well as discussing key statistical themes for helping in the fight against climate change, Eleanor also reflects on her own journey into mathematics during her lecture. Eleanor wants to help improve underrepresentation within the fields of mathematics and statistics, and uses her role as William Guy lecturer to promote diversity and encourage attainment for anyone interested in maths.

Eleanor stated: ‘I am halfway through the lectureship now and I have thoroughly enjoyed representing the RSS and STOR-i in this role. It’s great that the pre-recorded lecture has reached so many people and I have received positive feedback from many students and teachers on this.’

‘I am grateful that I have been invited to visit schools in the local area as this has enabled interesting discussions with students surrounding both statistics and underrepresentation. I find connecting with younger mathematicians to be especially motivating and I hope that I am a relatable role model for the next generation! I look forward to the visits I have lined up for the rest of the academic year and encourage anyone to get in touch if they are interested in my lecture.’

‘I am especially grateful to the RSS and STOR-i for their support in this role, I hope that I can continue with similar outreach projects in my future career!’

More information about the William Guy Lectureships is available by visiting (https://rss.org.uk/policy-campaigns/policy-groups/education-policy-advisory-group/rss-william-guy-lecturers/).