Celebrating: Katherine Johnson
Date: Wednesday 28 January 2026
Times: 10:00 AM or 2:00 PM (50 minutes each)
Format: Live, online, and classroom-ready – all you need is paper!
This school year the Heilbronn Institute is celebrating Black Mathematicians with Big Ideas.
Each term, Celebrating will introduce students to amazing mathematicians, past and present, and explore their field of maths with a special mathematical guest whether it’s logic or long division, measurements or mental maths, proportions or even planets!
Celebrating continues in January with the story Katherine Johnson. ‘Human Computer’ Katherine Johnson worked for NASA and was critical to the success of crewed space flight – her story featured in the film “Hidden Figures”.
During this special event classes will meet the World’s Most Interesting Mathematician, Dr Angela Tabiri of the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences and discover more about the maths which made Katherine Johnson world-famous.
Who can join?
Open to upper primary school classes across the UK – book your FREE place now and go from zero to hero!!
Register your class
Spaces are limited – reserve your place today:
Meet our guest Angela Tabiri
Voted the World’s Most Interesting Mathematician in 2024, Ghanaian Dr Angela Tabiri has a passion for quantum, or non-commutative, algebra, which she researches at the Ghana branch of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Aims) and for changing assumptions that African female mathematicians can only teach, which she pursues as academic manager for the Girls in Mathematical Sciences Programme in Ghana.
Email maths@big-ideas.org if you have any questions.
