07/04/2021

In Folha, Viana talks about the future of IMPA with the new campus.

Fotomontagem do novo campus do IMPA/ Divulgação

Reproduction of Marcelo Viana's column in Folha de S.Paulo.

It has been 40 years since IMPA (Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics) moved to its first permanent headquarters in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro. The new building allowed the institute to expand and deepen its research and teaching activities, a journey that has made it one of the world's leading centers of mathematics, culminating in the Fields Medal, the highest award in the field, won in 2014 by researcher Artur Avila.

During this period, the number of students graduating each year tripled, and the scientific body grew with research groups in areas such as algebra, optimization, probability, fluid dynamics (focused on the oil industry), and vision and computer graphics, with cutting-edge multimedia applications.

At the same time, having its own headquarters gave IMPA the means to expand its contribution to Brazilian society in education and the dissemination of mathematics, notably in teacher training, the creation of the Mathematics Portal, and the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), which brings together 20 million students. By providing broad and free access to knowledge, these initiatives fulfill an important mission of inclusion.

Four decades later, IMPA is beginning construction of a new campus on land adjacent to its current headquarters, acquired in 2014 through a private donation. The facilities will have infrastructure comparable to the best centers worldwide and will allow IMPA to increase its social contribution.

In this new phase, the institute will expand technological partnerships with Brazilian companies to solve concrete problems in the productive sector and strengthen its presence in education, through the training of students and teachers, the popularization of science, and the universalization of the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP).

To read the full text, visit the newspaper's website.