Last weekend the University of Southampton hosted the first of this year’s series of Royal Institution mathematics masterclasses.  are designed to encourage, inspire and engage young people in the art and practice of mathematics. The highly interactive sessions introduce students to aspects or applications of maths which may not usually be covered in the school curriculum, and open young people’s eyes to the excitement, beauty and real-world value of mathematics.  This series of five Mathematics Masterclasses has been arranged and coordinated by Ruth Edwards (UoS), Gillian Eacott (Amery Hill school) and David Creed (Henry Beaufort school).  Over fifty year 9 pupils from 20 schools in Hampshire are taking part in the masterclasses where they will be exploring a range of topics such as mathematical optimisation, codes, cosmology and computer graphics.