OBMEP brings together 160 students for a mathematics immersion program in Natal (RN)

Mathematics prodigies will gather in Natal (RN), between May 26th and 29th, for the 10th Hilbert Hotel Meeting (EHH) . This traditional event, aimed at medalists from the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), will feature 160 students who excelled in the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC). The goal is to broaden the participants' scientific knowledge and prepare them for future professional and academic performance.

“The Hilbert Hotel Meeting brings together medalists in a unique mathematical immersion experience. It is a stimulating environment where young mathematicians have the opportunity to interact with researchers and explore more advanced topics in mathematics. These initiatives strengthen OBMEP's commitment to scientific training and encouragement of our young students,” explained Jorge Vitório Pereira, deputy director of IMPA and manager of the institute's olympiads.

Promoted by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) , the event features It involves 42 university professors from different regions of the country and promotes discussion of important topics in the mathematical universe, as well as interaction among the PIC participants.

This edition's program features eleven speakers and an opening panel chaired by Jorge Vitório. The remaining discussions will cover diverse topics such as mathematical figures, combinatorics, programming, Olympic geometry, and interpolation.

João Gabriel Bastos, a 3rd-year high school student in the state school system, is one of the participants in the 10th edition of the EHH (Brazilian History and History Competition). The young man won two silver medals in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools). His first participation in the EHH comes with a unique adventure. A resident of Marechal Thaumaturgo, a city in the interior of Acre, João Gabriel will undertake a 4,156 km journey and three different modes of transportation to participate in the event.

By air taxi, the student will travel 600 km to Cruzeiro do Sul (AC), where he will then take a five-hour bus ride to reach São Gonçalo do Amarante Airport in Rio Grande do Norte. Along with the delegation, João Gabriel will then continue to his final destination, Natal. The reward for the long journey, besides the unprecedented experience at EHH, is the fulfillment of another dream: seeing the sea for the second time in his life, the first opportunity having been on a trip to Rio de Janeiro during his childhood.

“I’m going to visit a new state; I’ve never been to Rio Grande do Norte. I’m also eager to see the sea, which I only saw once when I was very little. I’m excited and very happy with this great opportunity,” said João Gabriel.

Created in 2011, the Hilbert Hotel Meeting is dedicated to students who have excelled in the PIC (Junior Scientific Initiation Program) and offers advanced mathematics classes for Olympiad medalists. As in every edition, participants are selected by the Management Committee based on criteria established in the event regulations.

The program is inspired by the paradox developed by the German mathematician David Hilbert in 1925, concerning infinite sets. In Hilbert's proposal, there is a hotel with an infinite number of always-full rooms, with one guest in each room. However, whenever a new guest arrives, the manager asks the guests to move to the next room. In mathematical terms: the guest in room n jumps to room n+1 , and so on. Better known as Hilbert's Hotel, the paradox exposes the idea that, despite always being full, there are always vacancies in Hilbert's Hotel.