13/05/2022

Internationalization is a defining characteristic of IMPA's 70-year history.

Maurício Peixoto, Stephen Smale e Jacob Palis

Russian, Persian, Chinese, English, Spanish… The variety of languages and nationalities concentrated in the corridors of IMPA reflects a trait present since the institute's early years: internationalization. Interaction with high-level foreign research began with visits from illustrious mathematicians to the institution, such as Fields Medalist Stephen Smale, now an honorary researcher at IMPA, who spent six months as a postdoctoral fellow at the institute in 1959, following an invitation from Elon Lages Lima (1929-2017).

At the time, the beauty of Copacabana beach inspired the American researcher to develop one of his main scientific works, the "Smale Horseshoe," a mathematical object that forms the basis of the modern theory of dynamical systems, or chaos theory. After Smale's arrival, many other renowned foreign mathematicians traveled to Rio de Janeiro, attracted by the prestige of IMPA.

French figures such as Étienne Ghys, winner of the Clay Institute's Prize for Dissemination of Mathematical Knowledge, and Jean-Christophe Yoccoz (1957-2016), Fields Medalist and now honorary researchers at the Brazilian institute; and Christian Bonatti, a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), also spent time at IMPA, benefiting from a special program offered by the French government to the population. This was through the "Coopération" agreement, a civil service provided by academics in research centers abroad that replaced mandatory military service in the country.

At 24, torn between teaching mathematics to officer cadets at French military schools or going abroad, Yoccoz chose the latter. “Initially, this meant for most people teaching in schools – or working as engineers or doctors – in Africa. With the end of the French colonial empire, people began to diversify: I have friends who went to China, England, Canada, the United States; one of my brothers went to Malaysia and another to Norway – just to give you an idea of the breadth,” the mathematician explained in his testimony for the book “IMPA 50 years”.

The researcher arrived at the Brazilian institute in 1981. “There was an agreement between IMPA and the French government that allowed us to work under this scheme. In general, there were always one or two French mathematicians here, never more than two in this program at the same time. When I arrived, one of them was already leaving and another would leave in a few months; they were Jean-Pierre Françoise and Étienne Ghys (…)”, he said.

Jacob Palis, Jean-Christophe Yoccoz, Yacob Sinai e Wellington de Melo

The first major international event held by IMPA, in conjunction with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), the International Symposium on Dynamical Systems brought together 40 foreign researchers – from Argentina, Colombia, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, France, the Netherlands and England – and national researchers at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), in Salvador, in 1971.

The occasion was important for building ties between Brazilian and international academics. “We have always had this tradition. But, around the 1970s, several colleagues began to see national and international scientific cooperation as something fundamental not only for the development of IMPA but also for Brazilian mathematics and science. This interaction, whether through trips, projects, agreements or events, created a pleasant, stimulating environment of great scientific creativity at IMPA, which gives its research body not only enjoyment but a true passion for the work,” commented Jacob Palis, emeritus researcher and former director-general of IMPA.

Internationalization has been consolidated over the decades, with programs and agreements.

What was already a tradition began to take shape during Palis's tenure, who led the institute from 1993 to 2003. During that period, the mathematician was also Secretary-General (1991-1998) of the International Mathematical Union (IMU). With this position, IMPA became the organization's headquarters, resulting in a significant increase in the number of visiting researchers. A few years later, from 1999 to 2002, Palis served as President of the IMU, occupying a prominent place on the world stage.

“When I was part of the IMU executive committee, we sought to broaden its relationship with other sciences, focusing on bringing mathematical development to all parts of the world, with special emphasis on developing countries. In this sense, I believe that this allowed for greater internationalization of IMPA, because between 1991 and 1998, the period in which I was the entity's secretary general, IMPA was the headquarters of the IMU secretariat,” the researcher recalled.

With the aim of formalizing and facilitating the long-standing cooperation between the institute and France, Palis created, in 2000, the Franco-Brazilian Network of Mathematics , a structure that includes a bilateral mobility program and intensive workshops for young researchers. One of the recent activities promoted by the program was the “ 1st Joint Meeting Brazil-France in Mathematics ”, an event that brought together leading researchers from both countries to discuss cutting-edge topics in mathematics, in July 2019, at the institute's headquarters.

Confraternização de participantes do 1st Joint Meeting Brazil-France in Mathematics, em julho de 2019

In 2006, the creation of the International Joint Unit UMI/IMPA through an agreement between the institute and the CNRS further strengthened the partnership. Later renamed the International Research Laboratory JC Yoccoz, the agreement allows mathematicians from the CNRS or any French university to visit IMPA for a period of one year and collaborate with Brazilian colleagues, with all costs covered by the CNRS and its institutions.

But international scientific cooperation was not limited to France. The creation of the Mathematical Union of Latin America and the Caribbean (UMALCA), which took place after a meeting held at IMPA also during Palis's tenure in 1995, considerably facilitated dialogue among mathematicians from these regions.

Efforts to foster international dialogue have enabled significant progress at IMPA.

The various initiatives and programs that the institute has built over its nearly seven decades of existence have resulted in a dynamic environment of strong interaction and exchange with the world's leading mathematical research centers. And the institute has not lagged behind.

“The effort made by Brazilian institutions, particularly IMPA, to fully integrate themselves into the international mathematical research scene has enabled the robust development of the field in the country, which is the basis for achievements such as Brazil's promotion to Group 5 of the International Mathematical Union and the holding of ICM 2018 in Rio de Janeiro,” emphasized the Director-General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana.