By Helen V, Year 9

I was delighted to be awarded Runner-up in the Schools Prize in the History of Mathematics (11–15 Category), organised by the British Society for the History of Mathematics (BSHM). My essay, “Ethnomathematics and the Global Development of Knot Theory,” explored how traditional knotting practices—from Vietnam, where my parents were born, and the United Kingdom, where my brother and I were born, to countries such as China and India—have contributed to the global development of knot theory. It highlighted the deep connections between culture and mathematics, showing how practical and artistic traditions have shaped mathematical ideas about knots and topology.

As part of the recognition, I was invited to attend the award ceremony at Gresham College in London, an historic institution founded in 1597 that has provided free public lectures for over 400 years. The event was followed by the annual BSHM–Gresham Lecture, delivered by Professor Caroline Ehrhardt (Université Paris 8) on “Heritage and Heritage-making in Mathematics,” which explored how mathematical knowledge is preserved, interpreted and shared across generations.