09/08/2018

Journalists receive IMPA-SBM Award

“One of the many legacies of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2018) was that we brought together our colleagues in Communication.” Thus, the Director-General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana, announced the awarding of the first edition of the IMPA-SBM Journalism Prize, which took place during the closing ceremony of ICM 2018. The initiative aims to contribute significantly to the dissemination of scientific culture in Brazilian society.

Seventy-two entries were submitted to the competition in the categories of Mathematics (31) and Science Communication (41). The entries came from ten states across the country, published, exhibited, and broadcast in newspapers, magazines, online portals, blogs, and television and radio stations. The selection of finalists considered the criteria of journalistic relevance of the topic, originality, depth, clarity, and quality in the execution of the journalistic material.

“I never had much of a relationship with Mathematics and I had to do a lot of research to write the report. I talked to several children who participate in the Olympics and, from there, I realized that Mathematics isn't such a monster,” said reporter Isabela Izidro, who won first place in the Mathematics category in partnership with Maria Clara Vieira for the report “This class only thinks about that,” published in “Veja” magazine.

Gabriel Alves, a reporter for "Folha de S.Paulo," won first place in the Science Communication category with his article "50 Years Ago, Brazil Performed Its First Heart Transplant." Alves celebrated the award and said he appreciated the opportunity to speak with scientists who made history in the country to write the report. "At that moment, Brazil entered the world elite of cardiac surgery," Alves stated.

A special award was given to the TV Globo team responsible for the series "Scary, it's in the simplest things in life: Mathematics." For a week, in a total of almost 30 minutes of reporting, the subject was highlighted during prime time on broadcast television. Reporter Pedro Bassan said he learned more about mathematics from people who promote the subject, such as the Portuguese speaker at ICM 2018, Rogério Martins, and the mathematician and writer Alex Bellos. He then began to have a different perspective on mathematics than he had in school.

“I never had an unconditional love affair with mathematics; I always found it difficult, it wasn't my natural aptitude. But I was the target of a project like this, to popularize [the subject], I started buying books and began to like it. With the report, I wanted to do something similar.”

Bassan includes OBMEP among the actions that help children understand mathematics from a different perspective. "The Olympiad presents mathematics in a way that differs from traditional school exams. It encourages children to understand the subject differently."

The prizes are identical in both categories: R $ 10,000 and a trophy (winner); R $ 3,000 and a diploma (2nd place); R $ 2,000 and a diploma (3rd place). Diplomas were awarded to the two honorable mentions.

Out of Competition

Pedro Bassan, Lizzie Nassar, Rogério Lima, Tatiana Neves, Zeca Esperança, Renato Portronieri and Eduardo Seabra – "It's in the simplest things in life: Mathematics" – Jornal Nacional/TV Globo

Mathematics Category
1st place – Maria Clara Vieira and Isabela Izidro – "This group only thinks about that," Veja
2nd place – Paulo Saldaña – "Children gain 1 year when their parents learn math", Folha de S.Paulo
3rd place – Denise Casatti – "Mathematics is in everything", USP Journal
Honorable Mention – Paula Martini – "Challenges of Mathematics", CBN
Honorable Mention – Paulo Saldaña and Érica Fraca – “Mathematics is in its infancy in the country's elite schools/ Formula Piauí”, Folha de S. Paulo

Category: Science Communication
1st place – Gabriel Alves – "50 years ago, Brazil performed its first heart transplant", Folha de S. Paulo
2nd place – Bernardo Esteves – "The Accelerator", Piauí
3rd place – Bárbara Souza – "Science from start to finish", CBN
Honorable Mention – Mariana Lima – "Nice to meet you, I'm a humanities scientist", Dia+
Honorable Mention – Renato Grandelle – "No money to fight Aedes", O Globo