My life scientific
This month, mathematician Aoife Hunt talks to Helen Pilcher about the best plane seat, the best train seat, and how maths can help keep people moving
Helen Pilcher chats to Aoife Hunt about how maths can keep people moving. out
What do you do? I study the way that people move around in stadiums, museums, hospitals and the like. I collect data, then use it to see how the building will perform. Will it hold enough people? Will they be able to use the space effectively? Will they be able to get out in an emergency? What projects have you worked on? Wembley Stadium, St James’s Park and Principality Stadium. I once spent a week timing how long it took people to use the toilets in Ottawa airport. Rock ‘n’ roll! We’ve done stuff for Glastonbury Festival too. Can you explain why, at festivals, there is always a queue for the toilets? I can tell you why there shouldn’t be. Before the event, we look at the site design, model how people are likely to move, then help make decisions about how things should be organised. During the festival, we have someone on site who makes adjustments as things unfold. You can change routings or set up temporary queuing systems to keep things moving. What happens in an emergency? Despite what the media suggests, it’s been shown that people don’t tend to panic in emergencies. This is important because it means we can predict what is likely to happen. People follow the crowd and leave via familiar routes. We can give people better, more timely information and build designs that work with, rather than against, our natural behaviour. What’s the safest seat on a plane? You’re most likely to survive a crash if you sit within five rows of an exit. Remember – the vast majority of incidents have survivors, so pay attention to those safety demos. What’s the best seat to sit in on a train? B29. This has nothing to do with my work, just personal preference. It’s backward-facing so more likely to be free. It has a table and a socket. It’s far enough from the toilets so that it doesn’t smell, but close enough in case you need to go. Does that make me sound a bit ‘Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory’? Of course, now people know about this, it’s more likely to be taken. Sorry about that. If you weren’t a mathematician what would you be? I’d work for ESA. I’d do anything. I’d make tea there. There’s nothing like stargazing for putting life in perspective. I think if stressed city workers spent three minutes a day looking through a telescope it would improve their wellbeing. Of what are you most proud? A couple of years ago, I became the first woman to win the Society of Fire Protection Engineers Scholar Award in recognition of the work I did on evacuating hospitals. It turned out no one had ever modelled that before. Unbelievable! It was a real honour. I heard that you almost replaced Carol Vorderman on Countdown… I did audition, but Rachel Riley beat me. I still do a lot of outreach. Women are massively underrepresented in maths. We need to do something about it because we’re missing out on talent. I’d like to encourage women mathematicians to get out there and show people what they do.