IMPA Tech students present scientific posters at IMPA.
From the classroom to the international congress — that was the aim of the activity carried out this Tuesday (11) by IMPA Tech graduates at IMPA headquarters, in Jardim Botânico. Students from the 2024 class participated in a scientific poster session in English, as part of the final assessment of the “English 2” course, taught in the second semester of the undergraduate course.
The event transformed the academic space into a real-life simulation of a scientific conference, where students presented and discussed their undergraduate research projects and literature reviews. The activity marked the end of a learning cycle focused on academic writing and communication in English—and is already intended to become an annual tradition.
The proposal is the result of a journey that began in the first semester with the course "English 1," whose objective is to level the students' linguistic knowledge and introduce them to a more academic English—covering everything from formal and structural aspects of the language to phonetics and phonology. The second semester is dedicated to scientific writing, in which students learn to produce abstracts, articles, and other academic text genres.
“We wanted them to have a practical conference experience,” explains Professor Rafael Beraldo, who is responsible for the activity. “The poster format allows everyone to practice oral communication in English. It’s a realistic simulation—with unforeseen events and unexpected questions. It’s important to have the experience of seeing the professors speaking in English, of speaking in English with these professors. This makes the process more natural. They can understand what their weaknesses and strengths are for future conference presentations.”
The posters presented were developed from scientific initiation projects and literature reviews carried out throughout the course. In total, there were 32 posters, covering the four areas of emphasis of the undergraduate program: Physics, Data Science, Computer Science, and Mathematics.
The event featured the participation of IMPA researchers Robert Morris and Roberto Imbuzeiro, the institute's project scientist Lucas Nissenbaum; IMPA Tech professors Cilene Rodrigues, Uéverton Souza, and Asla Medeiros; and partners from invited institutions Levi Azevedo, from UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), and Fernando de Mello, from CBPF (Brazilian Center for Physics Research).
More than just an assessment, the meeting was an opportunity for students to experience the dynamics of an international scientific conference — from the visual and textual creation of the poster to the oral presentation in a second language.
Arthur Zanetti, one of the participants, presented a poster on the Jordan-Brouwer Theorem, exploring axiomatic homology. “It was a very interesting process. It’s a classic and beautiful theorem, and understanding its structure was enriching. Furthermore, I was able to discuss the topic in English, which was really cool.”
Suelen Veiga, on the other hand, worked at the interface between applied mathematics and physics, focusing on acoustic fields. She says that her presentation to Professor Robert Morris, who is not from that specific area, "was interesting and super interactive."
Suelen also highlighted the challenge of presenting in English for the first time. “It was a huge challenge, but an incredible experience. I learned a lot and gained confidence. Next time, it will only be half difficult—and then it will become easy.”
The success of the event solidified the proposal to integrate English teaching with scientific practice. For Beraldo, this approach is essential. “Our goal is to combine the principles of this discipline, which are essentially linguistic and textual, with the scientific and academic objectives that students have in other subjects, and with their journey as researchers and professionals.”
