In Folha, the recent achievements of the IMPA mathematicians.
Foto: Flickr
Reproduction of Marcelo Viana's column in Folha de S.Paulo.
This September, two important international awards given to IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics) researchers Luna Lomonaco and Carolina Araújo highlighted the importance of promoting and encouraging the presence of women in science and, particularly, in mathematics.
On the 21st, Araújo was announced as the winner of the 2020 Ramanujan Prize, awarded annually since 2005 by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, UNESCO, in recognition of high-level research by young mathematicians in the developing world.
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Araújo is from Rio de Janeiro, graduated from PUC-Rio and earned her doctorate from Princeton University in the United States. In 2006, she joined IMPA, where she is now a senior researcher.
Throughout her career, she has accumulated important distinctions, such as the L'Oréal Award for Women in Science and her election as an affiliate member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. The Ramanujan Prize recognizes "her extraordinary work in algebraic geometry."
A week earlier, the Latin American Mathematical Union's Recognition Prize had been awarded to Lomonaco for her outstanding research in dynamical systems. It is the first time the prize, created in 2000, has been awarded to a woman.
Italian-born Lomonaco has a remarkably international career: undergraduate studies in Italy, master's degree in Spain, doctorate in Denmark and France, and postdoctoral studies in England and at USP (University of São Paulo). She has been an adjunct researcher at IMPA (Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics) since the beginning of the year. She has already won important awards, such as the L'Oréal Prize for Women in Science and the Brazilian Mathematical Society Prize in 2019—also the first woman to receive it.
The Ramanujan Prize citation also highlights Araújo's key role in promoting the presence of women in mathematics. She is vice-president of the Committee for Women in Mathematics of the International Mathematical Union and organized the 1st Brazilian Meeting of Women Mathematicians at IMPA in 2019.
Alongside their success, the trajectories of both women illustrate the challenges faced by women who dedicate themselves to scientific careers. In this regard, it is worth paying attention to Lomonaco's words when accepting the award this month.
“Many times, I didn’t feel good enough at math, and I heard many stories similar to mine, mostly told by female colleagues. We are often belittled when we don’t know something.”