Marcelo Viana receives the Planeta Rio 2024 Award.

IMPA's Director-General, Marcelo Viana, was awarded the Planeta Rio 2024 Prize in the scientific dissemination category last Friday (22). The award is an initiative of the Rio de Janeiro City Planetarium Foundation and was part of the celebration of the institution's 54th anniversary. PlanetáRio highlighted Viana's efforts to disseminate science through the popularization of mathematics. “It is very cool to receive this distinction from PlanetáRio, one of the most charming and beautiful science popularization facilities that Rio de Janeiro has. More than a distinction, this is a recognition of the work that IMPA does to popularize mathematics, to bring mathematics closer to society, to our children, to our families,” said Viana. Read more: Henrique Bursztyn is awarded the TWAS 2026 Prize Risks and innovation behind the personification of AI IMPA and Imazon develop AI that identifies deforestation In a ceremony held to present the award, the director-general of IMPA reaffirmed the commitment to scientific dissemination through the institute. “It is an honor to receive this award from PlanetáRio, an institution for which I have enormous affection; it is one of the most beloved science outreach facilities in this city. I am very aware of the importance of disseminating science, and especially a science that is particularly difficult to disseminate, such as mathematics.” Viana also commented on the importance of the relationship between astronomy and mathematics. He highlighted that there is a great proximity between the two fields, considering that many mathematical advances have occurred due to the need to investigate the behavior of celestial bodies. “This is a very special moment for me for two reasons. First, because we are in the Cathedral of Astronomy, and astronomy is, for me, perhaps the most enjoyable way to learn about mathematics. Much of mathematics grew, was created, and was discovered through human effort to understand the cosmos around us. So, it is still one of the best ways to introduce mathematics to our young people.” Secondly, Viana celebrated the successful partnership with PlanetáRio, which, according to him, is aligned with IMPA in bringing society closer to science. Currently, IMPA and PlanetáRio maintain a collaboration agreement that has allowed, for example, visits by IMPA Tech students and participants of the IMPA Girls' Olympics (MOI) to space. This partnership also resulted in PlanetáRio's participation in the 3rd edition of the National Mathematics Festival , which took place between September 5th and 7th at Marina da Glória, in Rio de Janeiro. PlanetáRio provided experiences of observing the Sun through a telescope. Founded on November 19, 1970, PlanetáRio celebrated its 54th anniversary with a three-day event, from November 22nd to 24th. The program was diverse and included discussion panels, lectures, and the Tack Festival — which included shows, music, and open-air cinema. The exhibition “ Afro-Pindoramic Cosmologies and Cosmopolitics ,” from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), was also part of the program. The exhibition highlighted the relationship between indigenous peoples and Africa with the themes of the universe and the cosmos. The Planeta Rio 2024 Award honored, in addition to Marcelo Viana, representatives from two other categories: culture and education. The poet and teacher from Rio de Janeiro, Sônia Rosa, received the distinction in the Culture category. The distinction in Education went to members of the Roberto Coelho Municipal School in Santa Cruz, the municipality's top-ranked school in the IDEB (Basic Education Development Index), and the Rodrigues Alves State School in Barra da Tijuca, considered the seventh best public elementary school (final years) in the state of Rio. During the awards ceremony, representatives from PlanetáRio spoke about the intense work in the areas of science, culture, and education that the institution has been developing, focusing on democratizing access to and promoting culture. “Look at the sky” was one of the initiatives mentioned. The project has existed since 2015 and invites the public to submit astrophotographs for a selection organized by PlanetáRio. Renan Uccelli, president of PlanetáRio, recalled the visit of Mae Jemison, the first Black female astronaut to go into space, to the institution, and of the Russian cosmonaut Ivan Vagner. “Through these experiences, the planetarium remains an affective part of the memory of Rio de Janeiro residents, but we also know the challenges we have to overcome from now on and we seek to guarantee the space and access to PlanetáRio.” Also read: Pi Center uses neural networks to locate oil at sea. In Valor, Diniz cites mathematics as a form of survival.