Women in Maths Day aims to inspire women to celebrate
their achievements in mathematics and highlight the advances and
breakthroughs in the subject. HSE was proud to celebrate the day
and use it as a reminder that women have a critical role in science
and technology communities.
Three HSE colleagues shared their thoughts about the
importance of maths in their roles:
Gillian Nicholls: Epidemiology and Predictive Modelling
team
Gillian Nicholls heads up our work on the health of workers
exposed to asbestos and pesticides. She leads on the
Prospective Investigation of Pesticide Applicators' Health (PIPAH)
study, monitoring the health of registered pesticide workers
for any emerging evidence that exposures are causing them harm.
Gillian says: "As an
epidemiologist and statistician leading our long-term health
studies of asbestos workers and pesticide users, I use mathematics
and the transferable skills gained through mathematical training on
a daily basis."
To find out more about Gillian's work see pages 19 and 33 in the 2024 HSE Annual Science Review
pdf.
Gillian Nicholls
Jacky Jones: Statistical Analysis and Advice
team
Jacky has developed and analysed our health and safety questions
in the Labour Force
Survey, since the early 1990s which has had a profound effect
on improving our statistical knowledge. The results from the
survey have clearly identified work-related ill health themes, in
particular the scale and trends in work-related stress and
musculoskeletal disorders, which have influenced our Protecting
People and Places strategy.
Jacky says: "As a government statistician, I
enjoy applying statistical techniques to compiling and analysing
survey data to obtain reliable and meaningful insights. I find
it immensely rewarding to know my work helps build a robust
evidence base, to inform policy decisions and help keep people
healthy and safe at work."
Jacky Jones
Lauren Vango:
Statistical Analysis and Advice team
Lauren's main focus of work is to create international health
and safety comparison statistics, and she also supports our survey
activities. An important part of Lauren's role is acting as our
'presentation champion' for the
Government Statistical Service, working to improve how
government statistics are presented.
Lauren explained: "Maths is fundamental to my
role where I use statistical analysis to uncover stories and trends
hidden within data. Knowing that this analysis is used to inform
policy which helps keep workers healthy and safe is highly
rewarding."
Lauren Vango
More
about Women in Maths Day
May 12th.