10/03/2020

Meet the competitors who will represent Brazil at EGMO.

Encouraged by their unprecedented gold medal win last year, the competitors who will represent Brazil at the 9th European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) are excited to repeat the feat. The team, comprised of both newcomers and veterans, consists of Carolina Moura Valle Costa, from Itu (SP); Ana Beatriz Cavalcante Pires de Castro Studart, from Fortaleza (CE); Maria Clara de Lacerda Werneck, from Rio de Janeiro (RJ); and Letícia Barbieri Stroeh, from Campinas (SP).

This time, the tournament will take place in Egmond, Netherlands, between April 1Thursdays and 21st. Maria Clara and Ana Beatriz are already familiar with the competition. The Rio de Janeiro native made her international debut in 2019 and brought home the bronze medal. Ana Beatriz, on the other hand, won silver and bronze in the last two editions of the tournament.

“The atmosphere at the Olympiad is incredible. At EGMO, I was able to meet extraordinary girls from other countries, including Brazil, which certainly made me feel more capable of competing in other mathematical events,” says Ana Beatriz.

The student is confident for this year's competition, but she knows that the competition is becoming increasingly fierce. "Over the years, the selection process has become more difficult, both in terms of the level of the candidates and the number of participants. But I think this may lead to more and more girls becoming interested in representing Brazil at the IMO (International Mathematical Olympiad)."

This effect is already contagious among the newcomers to the competition. At 16, Letícia is preparing for her first international competition. “I’ve always liked math and, since I was 11, I’ve participated in olympiads. The first one was at an old school I used to attend. But since then, I’ve participated in the OBM (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad), the OBMEP ( Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools), the Kangaroo Mathematics Competition Brazil, and the Unicamp Mathematics Olympiad.”

For the student, traveling in search of knowledge is one of the privileges that competitions can provide. “I’m excited! I believe it will be a very cool experience to meet people from different places who also have mathematical interests,” says the teenager, who has not yet met the other members of the Brazilian team in person, but who “already keeps in touch via WhatsApp” with the group.

Candidates from at least 50 countries are expected for the EGMO. The four young Brazilian women stood out in the 41st Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBM) and the 1st Girls in Mathematics Tournament (TM²), and were selected in a test held during the 2Tuesdays Olympic Week. The team is led by Ana Karoline Borges, from Rio de Janeiro (RJ), and Kellem Correa Santos, from Brasília (DF).

“EGMO, like TM², is an initiative I wish I had participated in during my time, because it encourages girls to have greater representation in scientific competitions,” observes Professor Kellem Correa, who follows the impact of the competitions inside and outside the classroom.

“Participating in the Women’s European Olympiad is the first step for girls to see that it’s possible to win a medal in the IMO or IMC, for example. I see this in practice with my class at POTI (Intensive Training Olympic Centers) in Brasília. The girls have started showing up more in class,” she emphasizes.

Brazil has participated in the EGMO since 2017, when it was invited due to its strong performance in international mathematics olympiads. Brazil's trajectory in three years of participation in the competition now totals ten awards – 9 medals and one honorable mention.

The participation of the Brazilian Olympic team in the event is organized by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) and supported by the Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM); the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Etapa (SP), Farias Brito (CE) and Escola Eleva (RJ) schools.