Randomness is all around us, from the movement of the stock markets to the atoms that form us. It can be both a source of surprise (I have just won the lottery) or of great frustration (I'm stuck in traffic again!).

To better understand randomness it is useful to perform random experiments on a computer. Such "Monte Carlo simulations" are nowadays important ingredients in many scientific investigations.

Have you ever wondered how random numbers and experiments can be produced by a very non-random device such as a computer? Are you sometimes bemused by "financial experts" explaining fluctuations in share prices? Would you like to know how we can use randomness to better search for a needle in a hay stack?

If so, you might wish to attend UQ Professor Dirk Kroese's Public Lecture on Tuesday 14 May from 6-7 pm at the University of Queensland. The venue is the Prentice building (building 42), room 216. Snacks will be provided 1/2 hour before the presentation. There will be ample time for questions after the lecture. Please register your interest on this website.

This talk is targeted at a general audience, including high school students. No mathematical knowledge is required, but bring your "thinking cap".

Dirk Kroese is a Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the School of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Queensland. He is the co-author of several influential books on Monte Carlo simulation, including the Handbook of Monte Carlo methods, Simulation and the Monte Carlo Method, and the Cross-Entropy Method. He is a Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS).