19/12/2022

'I felt inspired,' says IMPA's Girls' Olympic student.

Two successful trajectories in the STEM (Science, Technology and Mathematics) area were a source of inspiration for the young participants of the IMPA Girls Olympic program, which ended this year's in-person activities on Friday (16) with a meeting at Unirio (Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro). The students visited Sugarloaf Mountain, a first for many of them, after participating in a conversation with engineer Alice Pereira and computer scientist Nina da Hora.

The name isn't the only thing that Nina de Mendonça Guimarães, a student at the Francis Hime Municipal School, shares with Nina da Hora, a scientist and thinker in the field of computing. A resident of Taquara, a neighborhood in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Nina Guimarães is also passionate about the exact sciences. At 14 years old, she hasn't yet chosen a career path, but the conversation opened her eyes to research opportunities in the technology field.

“I felt very inspired by Nina da Hora, especially by all the projects she has participated in and developed, including abroad. She talked about a program she did with Apple, which I found very interesting. Participating in the Girls' Olympics gave me a unique opportunity to do things I had never done before, such as meeting several female scientists up close and visiting Sugarloaf Mountain,” commented the student.

Fifteen-year-old Sophia Bastos identified with engineer Alice Pereira, who combined her two passions—dance and technology—by building a robot for a dance competition. The scientist develops robotics in the healthcare field. Like her, Sophia is eclectic: she enjoys dance and theater, but is also interested in technology and psychology.

“I was very happy to meet scientists who have had lives like ours. Alice's story caught my attention because she loved to dance, just like me. I had never met a scientist who liked to dance before! She managed to combine her two dreams, and that encouraged me to continue looking for a way to unite my talents and interests,” commented Sophia.

Students Yasmin de Carvalho Moreira da Silva and Ana Clara Viana, from the Alberto José Sampaio Municipal School in Pavuna, stated that the program changed their perspective on the presence of women in science. “I dream of being an astronomer, but because I didn't know any prominent women in that field, I thought I wasn't capable. The project changed that mindset,” said Yasmin. “I had doubts about what I wanted to pursue in life, but today I see myself in mathematics because of the project. It made a big impact on me and I'm going to miss it!” concluded Ana Clara.

One of the program's main objectives is to encourage the participation of girls aged 14 to 17 in Olympiads and in STEM fields, aiming to increase female representation in professions related to mathematics, computing, and engineering. Throughout the year, the young women participated in visits to IMPA (Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics), the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences (MAST), laboratories, discussion groups, panels, Olympiad challenges, and workshops in mathematics, computing, and robotics, as well as debates on gender issues.

Supported by Faperj (Rio de Janeiro State Research Support Foundation), the 2nd edition of the program is present in 10 schools in different regions of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, with teachers from all five universities in Rio de Janeiro who hold degrees in mathematics. In each participating institution, the program is coordinated by a teacher from the unit and accompanied by a mathematics or exact sciences undergraduate student.