Heather MacKinlay's work as an engineer has taken her from the civility of Surrey to the wild west of Australian mining towns and multibillion pound projects in the Algerian desert. And along the way she has also become a successful painter. Heather tells Plus that engineering and painting are just different ways of looking at the world, and how her work as a cost engineer is all about understanding the big picture.

• Beaglemania - The Beagle is missing in action, but it is inspiring a new generation of would-be astronauts.
• Careers with Maths - Plus has been given a grant to produce posters based on our popular careers library.

• Stats in court
• Letter from a mathematician

Slogging through your A-Levels at the moment? Wondering what it's all for? Here's some consolation from researchers at the London School of Economics - it seems that an A-Level in maths can significantly boost your earnings.