18/12/2023

MOI member wins 2nd place in the Elisa Frota Pessoa Award.

With her article “Gender in STEM: the experience of the IMPA Girls in the Olympics project”, Juliana Ramos Pereira, assistant coordinator of MOI and master's student at UFRJ, won second place in the Elisa Frota Pessoa Award, promoted by the city of Rio de Janeiro. The competition recognized the best scientific articles written by women from higher education institutions in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and had as its theme "Science and Technology in the Promotion of Gender Equality".

In total, 22 projects were awarded prizes in the areas of Exact Sciences, Humanities, Biological Sciences, and Applied Social Sciences. Juliana's article addressed the underrepresentation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) based on her own experience in the IMPA's Girls in Mathematics program. The project aims to promote the effective participation of female students in Basic Education in mathematics, computer science, and robotics activities, strengthening the female presence in the field.

“I joined MOI in 2019, in the project's first year, when I was still an undergraduate in Mathematics. I joined as a student teacher and followed the project that took place at Colégio Pedro II do Humaitá [located in the southern zone of Rio de Janeiro]. I went weekly and developed activities with the girls. The following year I started my final thesis and did an evaluation of the project's impact. It was a program that greatly influenced my trajectory. Through it, I also understood my presence in the STEM course, issues of segregation, and I became aware of things I suffered and hadn't understood. It's a very important project for me,” she highlighted.

Currently, in addition to pursuing a master's degree at UFRJ and participating in the IMPA Girls' Olympics program, Juliana teaches mathematics to students from 6th to 9th grade. "I'm constantly thinking about how to bring the teachings of MOI into my classroom," she concluded.

The awards ceremony for the winners of the 1st Elisa Frota Pessoa competition took place last Thursday (14) at the Museum of Tomorrow and was attended by the general director of IMPA, Marcelo Viana. The project is a tribute to the pioneering spirit of the important scientist and experimental physicist, who stood out working in the field of science and technology in Rio de Janeiro.

The competition received 93 articles from undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students in four areas of knowledge. The material was submitted to an evaluation committee composed of 11 researchers from leading teaching and research institutions in Rio de Janeiro. The authors of the winning works were awarded prizes ranging from R $ 2,500 to R $ 15,000, according to their ranking and category. The winning articles will also be compiled into an e-book to be published by the Municipal Secretariat of Science and Technology and the Museum of Tomorrow.