Brian Hoskins discussed how over fifty forecasts are made at one time to work out the probability of different kinds of weather in a few days time, yet only one of these forecasts (if any!) are given to the public. We are screened from information deemed to be too complicated, or commercially profitable, yet this information could be of great practical use to many of us. The subject of climate change was also discussed, and he showed that the consensus prediction is for continued global warming (and associated sea-level and associated sea-level rises) due principally to carbon dioxide emissions.

Announcement of Curle Memorial Lecture 2004, The 2004 Curle Memorial Lecture will be held at 5.15 pm on Wednesday 27 October 2004 in Physics Lecture Theatre A, North Haugh, St Andrews. '101 uses of a quadratic equation' by Professor Chris Budd. As well as being Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Bath, Chris Budd is a prolific populariser of mathematics particularly to young people. This has been recognised by his honorary appointment to the chair of Mathematics at the Royal Institution of 'Christmas Lecture' fame.

The Curle Memorial Lecture for 2004 was given on the 27 October by Professor Chris Budd. Chris holds the chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of Bath and also at the Royal Institution - recognising his esteem in the popularising of mathematics. The lecture series was set up in memory of Professor Newby Curle who held the Gregory Chair in Applied Mathematics from 1967 until his death in 1989. This year's talk entitled '101 uses of a quadratic equation' was aimed primarily at a general audience. The speaker was introduced by Bob Grundy who outlined the history of the event. Chris gave one of the most stimulating mathematics lectures in St Andrews for many years. To a large and enthusiastic audience he outlined the history of the quadratic equation from Babylonian mathematics to modern ideas on chaos. The talk finished with a fascinating demonstration of the chaotic motion of the double pendulum. Ken Falconer, a former colleague of Chris's when both were at Bristol, gave a vote of thanks.

The title of the lecture comes from a simple arithmetic magic trick which entertained the lecturer as a child - seemingly different sums that always give the answer "1089". Start with any 3-figure number (say 625). Reverse it (526), subtract the smaller from the larger (099), reverse it (990) and add the two together (1089). The trick is not difficult, but it was the inspiration for a wonderful lecture in which mathematics was presented as a game and an adventure, irrespective of whether it is elementary or advanced. For David Acheson, the "elements of mystery and surprise run through a great deal of mathematics at its best", and accordingly he took the audience on a journey from first steps to the frontiers.

The lecture was highly entertaining, featuring experimental demonstrations, music (a live performance by the speaker) and movies. Complex mathematical concepts, among other things, were beautifully described in lay terms to a general audience. Some aspects of wave motion were even explained and demonstrated with an electric guitar.

University of St Andrews, Curle Memorial Lecture 'Fusion Power: The era of burning plasmas'. Professor Steve Cowley, Director, UKAEA Culham Laboratory. 5.15 pm Monday 1st December 2008. Physics Lecture Theatre A. In a decade, the international fusion experiment ITER will start operating in the south of France. This historic experiment will generate up to 500 MW of fusion power and provide a proof of principle for fusion energy. Fusion has the potential to provide a large fraction of our energy for millions of years. Prof Cowley will describe the scientific progress in fusion - from Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington's prophetic predictions in 1920 to the remarkable results that have led to ITER. He will outline the challenging problems that must be solved to make fusion power a commercial option, and worldwide efforts to find their solution.

The School of Mathematics and Statistics presents The Curle Lecture 2010. Professor Ian Diamond (Principal, University of Aberdeen). The evolving history of the UK Census: 1801-2011 (and beyond?). 5.15pm  Monday 29th November, Physics Lecture Theatre A. The Curle Lecture is a biennial event hosted by the School of Mathematics and Statistics at St Andrews in memory of Professor Samuel Newby Curle, who was appointed Gregory Chair of Applied Mathematics in 1967 and who died in 1989. This year's Curle Lecture will be given by Professor Ian Diamond, Principal of the University of Aberdeen. Professor Diamond was previously Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council. He was also Chair of the Research Councils UK Executive Group (2004-2009). Before joining the ESRC, Professor Diamond was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton. He is a graduate of St Andrews, having studied here for his PhD in Statistics. This is a public lecture to which all are welcome.

A traffic "Stop" sign on the roadside can be misinterpreted by a driverless vehicle as a speed limit sign when minimal graffiti is added. Wearing a pair of adversarial spectacles can fool facial recognition software into thinking that we are Brad Pitt. The vulnerability of artificial intelligence (AI) systems to such adversarial perturbations raises questions around security and ethics, and many governments are now considering proposals for their regulation. Mathematics is at the heart of this landscape. It fuels the conflict escalation issue, where new defence strategies are needed to counter an increasingly sophisticated range of attacks. Perhaps more importantly, mathematics allows us to address big picture questions, such as: What is the trade-off between robustness and accuracy? Can any AI system be fooled? Do proposed regulations make sense? Focusing on deep learning algorithms, I will describe in simple terms how mathematical concepts can help us to understand and, where possible, ameliorate current limitations in AI technology.