Visitor Information - Saturday 5 December

The Provost's Awards for Public Engagement takes place every year in the spring to recognise the fantastic work that UCL's staff and students do to open up research and teaching at UCL to the wider world by engaging with communities.There were seven winners earlier in the year – which you can read about here – but we had over fifty nominations from across UCL. With such a wealth of projects, we didn’t want to miss an opportunity to shout about this work – which is all amazing. So we decided to run this new news feature - the Provost Awards Spotlight.  This feature will run throughout the rest of the year in the run up to the next Awards, and will tell the stories of these individuals using their platform at UCL to mobilise, inspire and amplify. [[{"fid":"4955","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Rafael Prieto Curiel","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Rafael Prieto Curiel","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"321","width":"1392","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Our first Spotlight is on Rafael Prieto Curiel, a mathematician from Mexico. Rafael worked for the Police Department in Mexico City before coming to UCL, first for a Masters in Statistics (2013-2014) and then decided to carry on with a PhD in Mathematics and Crime. Alongside his studies, Rafael has created Chalkdust – a magazine “for the mathematically curious”, and we wanted to know more.The magazine - now in its fifth issue - brings the world of mathematics to a broad audience through fun how-to guides, articles and interviews. There’s something for everyone, from the light-hearted, ‘What’s your least favourite number?’, to the delicious-sounding, ‘Croissant equation’ to ‘Linear Algebra… with diagrams’ and all sorts in-between.[[{"fid":"4943","view_mode":"xl","fields":{"format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Hot and Not","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Keep up with all the latest maths trends.","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"Keep up with all the latest maths trends.","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EKeep%26nbsp%3Bup%20with%20all%20the%20latest%20maths%20trends.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Hot and Not","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Keep up with all the latest maths trends.","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"Keep up with all the latest maths trends.","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EKeep%26nbsp%3Bup%20with%20all%20the%20latest%20maths%20trends.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"251","width":"1512","class":"media-element file-xl"}}]]It’s also pretty surreal. One of our favourite regular features is that of 19th century mathematician Johann Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, who makes an unlikely return as Chalkdust agony aunt in the ever-popular Dear Dirichlet column. He’s helped readers with their feelings on free-market capitalism and awkward social interactions, and is mildly obsessed with badgers. Who knew?[[{"fid":"4915","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Dear Dirichlet","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Dear Dirichlet","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"300","width":"670","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]We asked Rafael why he started the project and why it continues to be important,“It matters because of the impact it has. We sometimes work with the authors (particularly the younger ones) to create an article with them. We’ve published A-Level students who wouldn’t easily be able to publish an article in a maths journal or magazine.”Giving students their first experience of being published is a great way to both build confidence and to engage with the next generation of maths whizzes. It’s also acted as a pull for prospective new students to UCL. One Chalkdust contributor told Rafael, he wasn’t sure whether or not to accept the place he was offered for his PhD but then saw the magazine, “I realised UCL would be a great place to study when I learnt about Chalkdust, a magazine produced by students here”. Chalkdust demonstrates a fantastic way to share ideas outside of lectures and a way to get new students excited about their subject. But it’s not just UCL bods getting in on the action….[[{"fid":"4907","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Maths graphic","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Maths graphic","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"355","width":"792","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Chalkdust works through submissions, and receiving them is one of the most exciting parts of the process for Rafael, “People from different parts of the world have sent us articles that could be published by us and that is precisely one of our aims: to create a space for everyone to share maths”. This formula seems to be working - since its start, Chalkdust has published the work of 70 different authors, generating over 260 articles, produced by 40 undergraduate and postgraduate students, who have circulated 15,000 copies, and distributed to over 25 UK universities![[{"fid":"4959","view_mode":"large","fields":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Chalkdust covers","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"large","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Chalkdust covers","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"278","width":"1008","class":"media-element file-large"}}]]Despite this momentum, Rafael has had concerns for the project. He told us, “Chalkdust  is  an  ongoing  project,  so  there  were  two  challenging  parts: beginnings and  endings. In  order  for  our  project  to  survive,  we  strongly  depend  on  recruiting  new members  of  the  team,  since  we  are  all  students  and  we  will  all  finish  our degree at a certain point.”. This highlights a common problem in volunteer projects, how do the original members ensure the project lives on, even after their departure? Rafael remains optimistic however, and has been investing time in the next generation to equip them with the skills and encouragement to flourish. He hopes this will protect the project’s future, “For the past six months, I have passed my experience and knowledge about directing a maths magazine to the new generation of Chalkdust members. Once I finish my PhD in the next months, I will carry on doing research and hopefully, I will also be a keen reader of the new issues of Chalkdust produced by the new generations”  - We hope so too!If you would like to read Chalkdust’s articles, or contribute to the next issue, Rafael wants to hear from you – so visit the website and see how you can get involved www.chalkdustmagazine.com.

The practice of mindfulness, a way to explore and notice physical and mental wellbeing, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity. From the workplace to schools, mindfulness and meditation are being used to increase productivity, reduce anxiety and offset the impact of a life led in perpetual motion.UCL Culture’s Art Museum has now launched its own mindfulness event series - Mindfulness and Art. Inviting visitors into the museum to soak up the feeling of contemplation that comes from being in a gallery or sacred space.[[{"fid":"3477","view_mode":"xl","fields":{"format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"cooper4179-4194_01.jpg","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Richard Cooper Jnr, album. Photo: Mary Hinckley","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"xl","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"cooper4179-4194_01.jpg","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Richard Cooper Jnr, album. Photo: Mary Hinckley","field_caption_heading[und][0][title]":"","field_caption_heading[und][0][url]":"","field_caption[und][0][value]":"","field_caption[und][0][format]":"limited_html","field_float_left_right[und]":"none","field_file_image_decorative[und]":"0"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"2565","width":"5472","class":"media-element file-xl"}}]] From looking to making, participants are gently guided back into the present moment. Setting aside all other anxieties and worries to focus on the brushstrokes and pencil marks that make up a living, breathing work of art.The work of printmaking genius Richard Cooper Jnr, the subject of the current exhibition Legacy, form the focal point of the sessions. His rich manuscripts and soft-ground etchings are beautiful and absorbing, a restful respite from the flat, textureless glow of the computer screen.The relationship between art and mindfulness is nothing new. Marina Abramović’s The Artist is Present (Performance, MOMA, 2010) saw the artist seated at a wooden table in front of an empty chair for three months, eight hours a day as members of the public came and locked eyes with her. “It’s luminous, it’s uplifting, it has many layers, but it always comes back to being present, breathing, making eye contact”, said one visitor to Abramović’s performance.The Tate Modern’s Rothko room is similarly transformative, using dimmed lighting to indicate that this is a space to sit and drink in the meditative quality of the artist’s Seagram Murals. The rise in sales of adult colouring books is yet another example of our desire to return to a state of childlike playfulness and present-moment focus.Art has the potential to wake us up from the dream we spend most of our time in. To recommit us to living in the here and now and to make us connect with much deeper, more profound aspects of our experience. As a tool for meditation, it’s hard to beat.So how mindful are you? Come and find out at Mindfulness and Art, every Friday till June at the Art Museum. No need to book, just drop in.This event is part of the Culture = Health strand of programming from the UCL Culture Manifesto.