04/09/2020

'I see mathematics in everything,' says OBMEP medalist.

Upon seeing his older brother, Marco Túllio, receive the bronze medal during the awards ceremony of the 12th edition of the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), Fernando de Souza Ferreira Filho had no doubts. He also wanted to be a medalist in the competition, and he had no shortage of encouragement to do so.

Studying math at home to supplement school classes was already a habit cultivated by the boys' mother, Patrícia. "When Marco participated for the first time, I printed out past competition tests, available on the OBMEP Portal , so we could do them together. And that's without even mentioning all the support from the teachers," she recalls. "With Fernando, it's Marco who studies with him. It's great to see the brothers sharing what they've learned," she says about the activity that gained even more momentum during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, Fernando secured his second gold medal in the competition, and Marco his fourth bronze. The celebration was so big that it practically brought Santa Vitória, a municipality in Minas Gerais with 19,000 inhabitants, to a standstill. “The boys were welcomed with a huge party at school. We were received at the City Hall and gave interviews to TV crews,” recalls their father, Fernando, who works as an industrial operator.

Foto: Fernando em cerimônia de premiação da OBMEP 2018, em Salvador (BA)

“I studied mathematics in school, but I never imagined my children would get this far. It’s an immense source of pride; we know the competition is very fierce, and there are cities with 200,000 inhabitants that haven’t yet had a single medalist. And so, I think we have two at home!”

At age 13, medalist Fernando emphasizes that the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) encouraged him to explore the scientific field as a whole. “I started competing in other Olympiads as well, and I love being a part of this world. I still don't know what I'll study in college, but whatever it is, I know I'll need knowledge. So, I need to study,” he says.

The list of favorite subjects of the gold medalist, who is in the 8th grade at the José Paranaíba State School, is extensive. Besides mathematics, it includes geography, history, and science, with a particular emphasis on astronomy.

Foto: Fernando e Marco com professores da Escola Estadual José Paranaíba

“I see mathematics in everything, it’s in everything I do,” he affirms. The exact moment he saw his name on the OBMEP award list was one of the most memorable he has ever experienced. “I accessed the website from home, but since many people were doing the same, the page was freezing a lot. First, I saw that I was on the list, only then did I see that it was a gold medal. I was very excited.”

To record their achievements, the family put together a display case where all the boys' medals are exhibited. In addition to the gold and bronze medals from the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP), there are also awards from the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBM) and the Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad (OBAS), competitions in which both students also participated.

“I learned about OBMEP in 2016, when I started teaching at the school where Marco Túllio studied, and I was the one who introduced him to the competition,” recalls mathematics teacher Leandro Francisco Alves. “Initially, I created 'OBMEP Moment,' classes that took place during school hours every Wednesday, where I showed questions from previous years and videos of medalists to encourage student participation. But that was just the beginning. The project grew and became extracurricular, open to all the boys in the school. Fernando arrived in this new wave, with OBMEP more widely known here.”

Currently, Fernando's older brother is in his second year of high school at the Federal Institute of Triângulo Mineiro (IFTM) and is considering a career in fields that combine the use of mathematics and physics.

“I participate in the OBMEP Mentors program through the PIC, which gives us the opportunity to deepen our studies in various areas related to mathematics, accompanied by university professors. The technical school is about 70 km away from home, but it's worth it,” reveals Marco.

Even during the pandemic, he and Fernando continue preparing for upcoming competitions with online classes. And they also plan to get the youngest member of the family, Eleno, just 4 years old, involved in math. "He already reads some words and can count to 60! When he's older, I'm going to do what Marco did with me and study with him for the OBMEP exams," Fernando dreams.