07/04/2025

OBMEP medalist is accepted into six undergraduate programs.

At 18 years old, OBMEP medalist Micaele Magalhães was accepted into six universities, including IMPA Tech, a bachelor's degree program in Mathematics, Technology and Innovation at IMPA. Originally from Piracuruca, a small town in the interior of Piauí with fewer than 29,000 inhabitants, Micaele credits OBMEP with sparking her interest in STEM fields. "OBMEP brought me this passion for mathematics and influenced my choice of major."

In addition to IMPA Tech, the public school student was accepted into Mechatronics Engineering at Unicamp (State University of Campinas); Physics at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI); Mathematics at UFDPar ( Federal University of Delta do Parnaíba); the Federal Institute of Piauí; and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. In March, the freshman arrived in Rio de Janeiro to pursue her undergraduate studies at IMPA.

With four silver medals and one bronze medal at the Olympiad, the young woman was able to participate in five editions of the PIC (Junior Scientific Initiation Program), which were fundamental to her academic career.

“Ever since I started the PIC program in sixth grade, I felt that my future lay in mathematics. The program was the gateway to a wealth of knowledge. The classes introduced me to the most beautiful aspects of the subject and the most sophisticated side of this science. The meetings helped me a lot with my studies and maintaining focus.”

In addition to in-depth math classes, the young woman benefited from a R$300 scholarship offered by CNPq to students from public schools participating in the PIC program. "The financial aid also helped me a lot; I was able to pay some expenses," she said.

It was also thanks to her performance in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) that the young woman traveled by plane for the first time. Last year, Micaela left Piracuruca for Fortaleza (CE) to participate in the Hilbert Hotel – a meeting offered to students from all over Brazil who excel in the PIC (Scientific Initiation Program). In March, the future mathematician arrived in Rio de Janeiro to join the second class of the undergraduate program in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation. For her, choosing a bachelor's degree at IMPA Tech was not difficult.

“Studying at IMPA Tech became my first choice since they announced the undergraduate program. It has always been my dream to study mathematics at IMPA. Before, I wanted to try for a master's and doctorate, but the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate degree came up, and that became my focus,” he stated.

Micaela is the second student from the Piauí public school system to be accepted into IMPA Tech. Her excellent performance led to a meeting with the governor of Piauí, Rafael Fonteles, who holds a master's degree in Mathematical Economics from IMPA (2007).

“Micaele will be a student at IMPA Tech, a leading institution in mathematics education. I had the opportunity to study at IMPA during my master's degree. I know the quality of the professionals there,” the governor emphasized.

The meeting, held on February 13th, was attended by the Director-General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana, and aimed to discuss potential partnerships between the Institute and the state government.

For the student, it was an honor to participate in the event. “It was an incredible experience to be able to talk with Marcelo Viana and our governor Rafael Fonteles. I was able to be with great mathematical minds and share experiences. It was a very happy morning and full of learning,” commented the student.