Tributes to Vicky Neale

Two tributes to Vicky Neale were published in Mathematics in School 53 (2024)

The first was delivered at the Memorial Celebration for Vicky Neale, held in the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford on 11 November 2023.

Vick Neale, My Teacher

by Gabriel Le Dain, former student, Balliol College, Oxford

When I think about Vicky, one of the first things which comes to mind is the incredible quality of her teaching. She had a psychic ability to know when you didn't understand something, and a magical way of finding an explanation which made sense to you. She was well- known for the microscopic focus she would apply to our work, and the very detailed feedback she would leave in red pen on our problem sheets. We would make sure we knew each week which problem sheet she was going to mark, so that we could make sure it was absolutely right. Knowing how much care and attention she put into our work encouraged us to do the same.

Vicky not only had an incredible enthusiasm for mathematics, she had an even greater enthusiasm for teaching people about it. One of the most astounding things about her was the way she took maths, a subject which most people find tolerable at best, and turned it into a vehicle for reaching out to others. It seemed that we had no sooner learned of her cancer diagnosis than she had made a six-episode podcast about Maths and Cancer, and she remained thought-provoking and insightful even on a topic so personal to her. It was impossible to sit in one of her lectures or tutorials without the material coming to life in front of you. Often her lectures felt less like you were listening to her talk and more like you were doing the mathematics with her. With Vicky, maths was about a lot more than numbers or equations or proofs -- it was about explaining an idea, learning a new way of thinking, or asking an interesting question. Finishing one of her tutorials early was an exciting prospect not because it meant you could leave early but because it meant you got to tackle one of her famous bonus questions. Her enthusiasm was contagious, even with people who didn't love maths; at the open day she gave a talk which started off with some number theory, and it was important that a certain number was divisible by 8. When we left the talk, my Mum asked me "Why the number 8? What was important about the number 8?" It was this ability to engage people, to make them not only listen but to ask the question "How are things in the world of mathematics this week?" She would routinely assure us that "there are no coincidences in mathematics". For Vicky, it seemed that no time spent thinking about mathematics was time wasted -- there was always something more to be understood. She was the person who first showed me that there is a lot to be learnt from seeming dead-ends, and the person who showed it most convincingly. In this way, her enthusiasm for mathematics didn't just draw you in, it kept you going: it encouraged you to keep thinking about a problem even when you couldn't solve it on your first try, to ask why it hadn't worked and whether it contained the germ of a more successful idea.

But Vicky's influence onus was much more than just that of a teacher or ambassador of mathematics -- she was caring and thoughtful and her cheerfulness was always there to buoy our spirits. She listened carefully to our concerns and gave us considered advice when we needed it. When she knew that a course was especially challenging or that we had reached the dreaded fifth week of term, she would leave an encouraging note on our problem sheets and tell us in the tutorial that we should be proud of the work we had done. The pure maths courses in first year -- linear algebra and analysis -- are among the most daunting and important aspects of university mathematics, and Vicky guided us through this difficult terrain not just with her fantastic lectures and tutorials, but also with the promise of refreshments; in the middle of our two-hour pure class we would bring out the kettle, make mugs of tea and grab a few biscuits, and then continue with the second half of the class. Afterwards, we filed into the Buttery where she would buy us each a drink and chat with us. When COVID arrived, so much in our lives was uncertain, but Vicky's online classes ran just as smoothly as her in-person ones, including a tea break, and offered us another island of stability when we needed it most. If I had to pick one word to summarise Vicky, I would choose the word "care": she cared deeply about mathematics, and she cared deeply about her students. She took the utmost care in her teaching and cared perhaps most of all about getting other people to love mathematics. Most importantly, her care for each of these things was inseparable from her care for the others, each of them Just different expressions of who she was.

Vicky was a shared and beloved part of the undergraduate community at Balliol and across the maths department. Her blue sweater and hiking shoes which she wore even to formal dinners, made her immediately recognisable. We all knew and loved the crocheted hedgehogs which sat on the table in her tutorial room. Her cats made impromptu appearances in our online tutorials, prompting apologies from her and delighted gasps from us. At the elections for the president of the Balliol Undergraduate Mathematics Society, held in Balliol Bar, the candidates are asked important questions, some new with each year and some old and well-worn. For example: "Who is your favourite tutor?", for which a very common answer was "Vicky'. And the slightly more fantastical: "Would you rather battle 100 duck-sized Vicky's, or one Vicky-sized duck?", to which the best response I have heard is "think about the amount of red pen from 100 Vicky's.

When Vicky was ill, the maths students at Balliol decided that we would write her a "get well soon" card. In the card I wrote "The world of mathematics isn't the same without you". Both the world of mathematics and all of our personal worlds are a much better place for Vicky having been in them, and I am truly grateful that I was able to know her.

Tribute by Charlie Gilderdale, NRICH

I met Vicky when she was an undergraduate, volunteering to help at NRICH events. While she worked on her PhD, and when she went on to work for Underground Mathematics
https: //undergroundmathematics.org/
our offices were in the same building, so we often met up and discussed what we were working on. The aims of our projects overlapped, so there came a time when we decided that we should put our heads together and try to be more explicit about the philosophy that informed the work we were doing.

The philosophy of Underground Mathematics captures Vicky's outlook, and the way she approached her work with all her students:

Our work is informed by the following beliefs about mathematics and mathematics education.

Mathematics is a worthwhile, interesting, human activity. Everyone should have the opportunity to be mathematical and to succeed mathematically. Intelligence and ability are not fixed: we can all develop our skills and understanding in many ways. A key activity is to grapple with problems that one does not yet know how to solve, and exchanging questions and ideas Is a valuable aspect of working mathematically. We can learn much by studying our mistakes and misconceptions and by understanding that there are many ways to be mathematical.

We have developed resources, many of which are low- threshold high-ceiling, and combine solving problems, mathematical reasoning and fluency. We believe that it is important that all students should work on resources of this type, not just those who already achieve highly or who may be planning to study mathematics at higher levels.

We hope the resources will encourage all students to talk mathematically to each other and reflect on their own understanding.

The resources are designed to be used in such a way as to

give students the opportunity to think mathematically;
support students in developing their own understanding;
invite students to make connections for themselves;
nurture students' mathematical independence;
help students to develop resilience, flexibility and creativity.

Vicky lived and breathed this philosophy, and this is why she was cherished by her students and all who worked with her. She is sorely missed.