02/08/2018

Marine, 6 months old: the mascot of ICM 2018

The World Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2018), which takes place until August 9th at Riocentro, already has its mascot. Marine, six months old, came with her parents, Gustavo Araújo, 29, a professor at the State University of Paraíba, and Pammella Queiroz, 31, who teaches at the Federal University of Campina Grande.

The plan was to leave the baby at home, but Marine, who had only been breastfed until now, rejected the bottle. The solution for the mathematician couple was to embark on the adventure in Rio de Janeiro with their daughter. When necessary, Gustavo and Pammella take turns: one looks after Marine while the other attends the lecture.

On Thursday, they attended a presentation by the French mathematician Sylvia Serfaty. At the end, the couple encountered Cédric Villani, winner of the highest prize in mathematics in 2010, who has become a celebrity for his extravagant style of dress, with suits, waistcoats, silk scarves around his neck, and flashy brooches. Villani combines his research with his role as a member of parliament in France, an ally of President Emmanuel Macron. The French mathematician readily agreed to take a photo with Marine.

“We admire the fact that he won the Fields Medal. And now he's even a congressman. Yesterday we were hoping that Fernando Codá would receive the medal. It would be another Brazilian with the award. Unfortunately, it didn't happen,” says Gustavo, a specialist in functional analysis.

Pammella is dedicated to the area of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) of evolution. The couple says they couldn't miss the opportunity to participate in a congress of the size of ICM 2018, the first held in the Southern Hemisphere. "The plans changed because we brought our daughter, but we are doing very well," said the mathematician.