20/09/2023

IMPA Open Doors welcomes students from Rio schools.

“My dream was to visit and eventually study at IMPA, so being here today is sensational.” That’s how student Wendel Boy, 16, described his participation, this Wednesday (20), in IMPA Open Doors. The second edition of this year’s event had more than 300 students, teachers from public and private schools and visitors.

The participants were at IMPA's headquarters in Jardim Botânico for a program that included lectures, activities, and an exhibition about the mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to win the Fields Medal. The project's objective is to bring the public closer to the institute and create opportunities to experience different aspects of mathematics.

To open the event, project scientist Lucas Nissenbaum presented the lecture "What movie to watch now?" and showed students how mathematics is also applied in everyday life, even when choosing a movie or series to watch. In his presentation, he explained how machine learning can be used to recommend movies.

“One of our main roles is the dissemination of mathematics, and being able to share what we have been doing is very interesting. Recommending a film is not an inherently mathematical problem, but it can be solved mathematically. Presenting it to students, talking about algorithms, and showing that the content they learn in the classroom has applications is really great,” Nissenbaum highlighted.

Postdoctoral researcher Marlon López from the Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at IMPA presented the lecture "Solar flares: some interesting facts about their effects on Earth". López showed visitors how these phenomena can also be explained through mathematical equations. The topic was also presented by the postdoctoral researcher on Tuesday (19), in a lecture at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), in Mexico.

“We are seeing climate change, temperatures rising, and we don't put into context that there may be phenomena that affect these climate issues. Because of this, I think it's interesting to introduce this topic to students. Of course, for children it's easier to present the subject with images of the phenomena and simulations than simply presenting equations. That's why I provided context and then explained the mathematical aspect,” said Marlon.

Valéria Mendes, Wendel Boy's math teacher at the Firjan SESI São Gonçalo school, explained that they have a group called "Somos Math," made up of students who enjoy math and seek high-achieving content.

“In our group, we meet once a week and work on math activities, like OBMEP and ITA exams. With that in mind, we also thought about bringing the students to visit IMPA. Wendel [Boy] was one of those who loved the idea the most. They all came here very excited to see the institute.”

In addition to the lectures, the event also featured a presentation on robotics by IMPA postdoctoral researcher Fábio Suim, from Visgraf (IMPA's Computer Graphics Laboratory), and workshops led by professors Katia Machinez, Wanderley Moura, and Letícia Rangel. Members of the IMPA Girls' Olympics (MOI) project, which aims to encourage girls' participation in STEM fields to increase female representation in areas such as mathematics, physics, and computer science, also presented some workshops.

For student Beatriz Salgado, 15, also from Firjan SESI São Gonçalo school, the workshops helped her develop logical reasoning. “It’s something that makes you think outside the box. The lectures were also great. I learned a lot here and I think I could use this knowledge in my school’s science fairs.”

Maria Isabel Afonso, a mathematics teacher at the Ceará Municipal School, was one of the people who encouraged her students to visit the institute. She highlighted that teaching mathematics in the classroom is a challenge. “In the classroom, we become very rigid, with a spatial limitation. Being able to bring the students to another environment, especially to IMPA, which those in the field know is the place to be. Bringing the students and having them play with mathematics is a luxury, mainly because it enriches their knowledge.”

One of the students from the municipal school, Luiz Henrique, 13, said that during the event he discovered robotics and is now even thinking about pursuing a career in the field in the future. “It’s my first time at IMPA and I found it very fun because there’s a lot to explore and interact with. The lectures were also very cool, without overly rigid explanations and quite different from what we learn in the classroom.”