21/06/2021

In the book "Inspiring Stories from OBMEP": Victor Bicalho

Victor Bicalho Civinelli de Almeida, a 25-year-old doctoral student at the Technical University of Berlin (Technische Universität Berlin), a center of excellence in engineering and exact sciences education in Germany, from Minas Gerais, believes that the three undergraduate research scholarships he received between 2008 and 2016, resulting from his performance in the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP), were fundamental to his academic and professional life.

"Early exposure to advanced content and people interested in student development was invaluable in my academic career," said the mechanical engineer, a graduate of UFJF (Federal University of Juiz de Fora), who also participated in a scientific initiation course at UFSJ (Federal University of São João Del-Rey), regarding his involvement in Picme.

According to Bicalho, as he is better known among his college friends, undergraduate research grants "introduce students to concepts often relegated to the background in engineering courses." "I consider Picme an excellent program, and I am happy to see initiatives like this promoting basic and advanced education in the country," he states.

During his undergraduate studies at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (a municipality in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais), Bicalho was a scholarship recipient at the prestigious Brown University in Rhode Island (USA) from 2013 to 2014. At the American university, he studied and worked in partnership with representatives of local industry on the development of a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) algorithm for modeling turbulent flow.

Long before that, the then-student's participation in the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP) earned him two honorable mentions and a bronze medal between 2005 and 2007. “I also received a silver medal in the Minas Gerais Mathematical Olympiad. Certainly, OBMEP opens new horizons for students, even those from fields not directly related to mathematics. For me, it was no different. Many elements…”
"The knowledge gained in terms of content and intellectual skills acquired through Obmep activities opened doors to other knowledge that could be acquired later," he reports.

Bicalho was born in Barbacena (MG), where he lived until moving to Juiz de Fora to prepare for the university entrance exam. He lived in a typical middle-class family: three siblings, his father, a civil engineer, and his mother, the psychologist Maria Adélia de Almeida. “Despite not being from a wealthy background, I never experienced difficulties related to my studies, which, for my parents, was always a priority. This included…”
"Managing the financial resources they had available at the time. At 17, I moved to Juiz de Fora to attend my third year of high school and then university," he recalls.

Bicalho's father, despite being an engineer, believes he didn't serve as an inspiration to his youngest son. “Victor has always been very studious. Mathematics came very naturally to him. It was something inherent, stemming, I imagine, from his aptitude for the subject. His brothers are also very intelligent, but Victor has an above-average IQ,” says Márcio Otávio de Almeida.

According to the civil engineer, one of the reasons for his son's successful academic career is the "very strong sense of purpose" he has shown since childhood. "He participated in an exchange program in the United States on his own initiative. Also, on his own initiative, he went to pursue a doctorate in Germany," says Almeida, who describes his son's childhood as "absolutely normal," "very involved in sports" and music. He even sang in choirs and formed a band.

Bicalho confirms his father's impression about the origin of his interest in the exact sciences. "I always liked Mathematics, not because I had exceptional teachers, but more out of interest."
"My own experience. Although my father was a civil engineer, mathematics wasn't his passion. So, I wouldn't say it was a direct influence."

Bicalho attended public school until the ninth grade of elementary school. In high school, he transferred to a private school in Barbacena. In his final year, already in Juiz de Fora, he studied at the private institution Cave. At the preparatory course, he met Ciro Sobrinho Campolina Martins, a friend to this day. They were both studying for the UFJF entrance exam. Both were accepted to study mechanical engineering.

“I’ve known Bicalho since 2010. We did our entire undergraduate studies together. Even back then, he was an excellent student. He’s a very intelligent person who knows how to use that intelligence. He learns very quickly and chooses what he wants to learn,” says Ciro, for whom the friendship with Bicalho intensified when they became interested in the same field of study, fluid dynamics, and planned an academic future for their careers. At 23, Ciro is pursuing a master’s degree at IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics) in Rio. “It wasn’t just a pre-college friendship. In the middle of my engineering course…”
"In mechanics, our interests became common. To this day we discuss research and experiments."

* Text taken from the book “Inspiring Stories of OBMEP”