19/09/2022

Festival shows that mathematics can be fun and innovative.

Mathematics can be playful and fun! To popularize this fundamental area of knowledge in a creative way, the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) will hold the second edition of the National Mathematics Festival, between September 29th and October 1st, 2022. The free event will take place at Marina da Glória, Rio de Janeiro, and registration is open on the website .

The event offers two days for school visits, on Thursday (29) and Friday (30). The general public can attend on Friday (30) and Saturday (1st). The program will include workshops, exhibitions, film clubs and lectures, as well as five super interesting roundtables for the public. The Mathematics Festival will show that science is present in everyone's daily life and can be interesting and accessible.

“Mathematics is very important, not only in the context of science and the productive processes of the national economy, but also in the education of citizens. Therefore, it is very important that IMPA brings mathematics to the whole of society, from a playful and demystified point of view, highlighting its appeal and usefulness,” comments Marcelo Viana, Director-General of IMPA.

Programming sparks interactivity and interest in mathematics.

Prominent figures in the field will be giving lectures, such as the Chilean mathematician Andrés Navas, the American Jack Dieckmann, research director of the YouCubed Research Center at Stanford University, and IMPA researchers Paulo Orenstein, Luna Lomonaco, and Claudio Landim, deputy director of the institute and general coordinator of OBMEP.

Roundtable discussions are a new feature of this edition, organized to promote debate among researchers, teachers, and students. Topics range from "How to stimulate and positively influence mathematics students," "The strength of women in science and mathematics," and "Teaching and learning mathematics for people with disabilities" to "What is Data Science and how is it present in our daily lives?" and "Inspired and inspiring girls."

The workshops were chosen through a selection process open to any person or school with projects focused on mathematics. The 20 selected activities cover diverse themes, such as learning statistics using Minecraft, computational thinking, board games, pinwheels and geometry, mandalas and multiplication, origami techniques, maker culture, mathematics in art, and many others.

The full schedule is available at this link.

The first edition of the event took place in 2017.

The first edition of the Mathematics Festival took place from April 27th to 30th, 2017, in three locations in Rio de Janeiro, as part of the 2017-2018 Mathematics Biennium, a federal law established to promote and develop education in the country.

The event brought together 18,000 visitors over four days, with a program that included workshops, film clubs, exhibitions, national and international speakers, and the presentation of 56 selected workshops from all over Brazil.