kitchentableprinter

How to make a circle mandala: step by step instructions

I am excited to announce that I have a show! March 1st through June 1st at Long River Gallery in White River Junction, VT. With an opening reception on Friday, April 1st from 5-7:30 pm.

I do hope you’ll come if you can!

Also, please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested. I feel like there are a certain subset of people who will find this work really interesting–the challenge is making sure that they know about it.

Mathematician #9 is Jaime Escalante, a math teacher famous for his work with under-served students at a Los Angeles high school. Escalante challenged the administration and worked to develop a math program that made it possible for students to achieve high levels of mathematics, pass the AP Calculus exam, and enroll in prestigious colleges.

Escalante was popularized in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, which he describes as 90% truth and 10% drama. After he retired, he remained active in education, and I found this interview with Education Week very informative and interesting. In 2016 the United States Postal Service honored Escalante by issuing a commemorative stamp.

Mathematician #8 is Autumn Kent, an American mathematician specializing in geometry and topology. She is a self described “late bloomer” who initially went to college to become an English teacher, but enjoyed her math classes so much that she decided to become a mathematician instead. Autumn is a trans woman who advocates for more trans representation in the mathematics community. She is currently a professor at University of Wisconson-Madison.

Kent made a lovely explanation of the connections between old school video games and topology in this Fields Institute video: Asteroids, Donuts, and Topology. I also enjoyed reading her interview in Scientific American, “Being a Trans Mathematician.”

Mathematician #7 is Maryam Mirzakhani, the first (and to date only) woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal in Mathematics for her contributions to dynamics, topology and hyperbolic geometry. Mirzakhani was born in Tehran, Iran, and attended school there. She did not always want to study mathematics, but discovered a love for the subject in high school, winning two gold medals for Iran in the International Mathematical Olympiad. Mirzakhani was a professor of mathematics at Stanford University before she died in 2017.

Mirzakhani was a very private person, so there are not many videos or interviews of her on the Internet. However a film describing her life and work, Secrets of the Surface: the mathematical vision of Maryam Mirzakhani, was released in 2020. This Quanta magazine article also has a beautiful description of her work.

Mathematicians Made Visible #6 is Amie Wilkinson, an American mathematician who works in Dynamical Systems. In her research, she discovers complex systems of motion that unfold in unexpected ways. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021 for her overall contributions to the field. She is currently a professor at the University of Chicago.

This article in Quanta Magazine gives a beautiful insight into how she thinks about mathematics. I loved watching this video of her explaining the work of Maryam Mirzakhani at the Fields Symposium in 2018.

Mathematicians Made Visible #4 is Chelsea Walton, an American mathematician who specializes in Non-Commutative Algebra. She was educated in Detroit public schools, and loved counting, patterns, and puzzles from a young age. In her advice to students of mathematics, she recommends cultivating a network of supportive mentors, colleagues, and friends as essential to combating discouragement. She was named a Sloan fellow in 2017, and was the first woman awarded the André Lichnerowicz Prize in Poisson geometry in 2018. She currently researches and teaches at Rice University.

While I was working on this print, I listened to this lecture on Non-Commutative Algebra. I can’t claim to have understood everything, but I still found it very interesting and informative!