30/07/2019

Paolo Piccione is re-elected president of the SBM.

The Italian Paolo Piccione, a professor at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics (IME) of the University of São Paulo (USP) and president of the Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM) from 2017 to 2019, was elected to lead the institution from 2019 to 2021.

On the afternoon of this Tuesday (30), before the ceremony for the delivery of the SBM 2019 Prize, Piccione gave a presentation, at the 32nd Brazilian Mathematics Colloquium (CBM), about the activities of his administration.

At the beginning of his speech, Piccione highlighted the 50th anniversary of the SBM, created in 1969 during the 7th CBM. The institution emerged with the goal of bringing together mathematicians and professors in the field, stimulating the realization and dissemination of high-level research in Mathematics, and contributing to the improvement of the discipline, among other goals.

Among the activities carried out during his tenure, Piccione cited the creation of the monthly electronic newsletter, the launch of six new editorial titles – one of the main activities of the SBM – and the organization and support of national and international events, including the 9th Brazilian Mathematics Biennial and the Brazil-France Joint Meeting.

Also in the publishing area, Piccione spoke about the publication of the Bulletin of the Brazilian Mathematical Society. Between 1988 and 2018, IMPA's emeritus researcher Jacob Palis was the editor-in-chief of the publication, later replaced by IMPA's director-general, Marcelo Viana.

“I want to thank Professor Jacob Palis, who transformed this journal, which was regional, into a journal of great international prestige. The editorial committee, under his responsibility, has always been composed of excellent mathematicians. This has given us great visibility abroad. On behalf of the Brazilian mathematical community, thank you for your work,” said the president of the SBM, who also thanked Viana. “The journal's Impact Factor has grown significantly. This is also due to his great work.”

Piccione also highlighted the implementation of the Professional Master's Program in Mathematics in the National Network (PROFMAT), with support from IMPA, and the creation of the Gender Commission, in partnership with the Brazilian Society of Applied and Computational Mathematics (SBMAC).

Eleven researchers comprise the group, which emerged to study problems related to gender issues in mathematics. The commission's first action was the creation of the document "Guidelines for Diversity in Events," inspired by material produced by the London Mathematical Society.

“These are tips on how to organize the composition of scientific committees and speakers to ensure a more balanced presence of women within our scientific program,” detailed the president of the SBM, informing that the institution also changed the call for proposals for the events it sponsors, in search of a gender distribution that better represents the Brazilian scientific society.

The 2019 SBM Prize, awarded immediately after Piccione's presentation, was won, for the first time, by a woman: Luna Lomonaco, a specialist in Dynamical Systems and professor at IME/USP, who will join the scientific staff of IMPA in January 2020. At the ceremony's guest table were the vice-president of SBM, Nancy Garcia (Unicamp); the director of SBM, Walcy Santos (UFRJ); Marcelo Viana; the president of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC), Ildeu de Castro Moreira; and the president of SBMAC, Carlile Lavor.

Viana entre Leny Alves (UFRJ) e Detang Zhou (UFF) e Alencar, a lado da filha Bruna

Next, honorary membership titles of the Brazilian Mathematical Society (SBM) were granted to Marcelo Viana and Hilário Alencar for their significant contributions to the development of Mathematics in Brazil.

“I have great appreciation for the role that the SBM plays,” declared Viana, noting that the institution has been approaching “its mission with an increasingly comprehensive perspective.” He also emphasized the honor of having worked with Alencar – “he has a sense of greatness” – and contributing to the SBM. Viana presided over the institution from 2013 to 2015 and was vice-president from 2009 to 2013.

Professor at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and president of the Brazilian Society of Mathematics (SBM) in the 2009/2011, 2011/2013 and 2009/2011 terms, Alencar has been executive editor of the SBM since 2012. Upon receiving the title of honorary associate, he recalled Luna Lomonaco's words about the difficulties of pursuing the profession, also due to gender, and said he had faced obstacles because he is from the Northeast of Brazil.