11/02/2022

The IMPA Girls' Olympics will have its 2nd edition, reaching 10 schools.

Alunas da 1ª edição Meninas Olímpicas do IMPA em visita à Casa Firjan, em 2019.

Starting in March, IMPA is promoting the second edition of the IMPA Girls Olympics project . The initiative seeks to encourage the participation of girls aged 14 to 17 in mathematics olympiads and in the field of exact sciences in general, with the aim of increasing female representation in areas such as mathematics, computer science, and engineering.

Gender inequality in science is a global problem. UNESCO data estimates that only 30% of scientists worldwide are women. In Brazil, women represent less than a third (26%) of professionals in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) market, according to a study coordinated by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV). To raise awareness of this reality and encourage female participation in these areas, the UN created the International Day of Women and Girls in Science , celebrated this Friday (11).

Aware of this scenario, IMPA invests in programs to encourage inclusion. The novelty of this edition of the IMPA Girls' Olympics project is that it has doubled in size, reaching 10 schools in different regions of Rio de Janeiro. "The first IMPA Girls' Olympics project , led by Professor Letícia Rangel, was a spectacular success. The testimonials from the participants are very encouraging regarding what can be achieved in promoting the active presence of women in the world of science through initiatives like this. Therefore, in this new edition we decided to be even more ambitious: we will double the scope of the project, working with a total of 10 schools," comments the Director-General of IMPA, Marcelo Viana.

Reunião de preparação da 2ª edição do Meninas Olímpicas do IMPA

In each participating school, the project will be developed under the responsibility of a teacher from the unit and the supervision of a mathematics undergraduate or a graduate student in the exact sciences. Among the activities planned for this edition, supported by Faperj (Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation), are laboratories, discussion groups, panels, Olympiad challenges, and workshops in mathematics, computing, and robotics, as well as debates on gender stereotypes. The students will also participate in lectures with professionals in the field and visits to renowned teaching and research institutions.

Retired professor from the UFRJ Application School and coordinator of the project, Letícia Rangel believes that the initiative has the potential to mitigate gender inequality in science. “If we can change this scenario, it's through education. It is at this stage, between the ages of 14 and 17, that individuals begin to build their identity and think about their professional choices. And girls need to feel confident to make this decision. I believe that a project that reaches girls, schools, families, and involves teacher training is a potentially powerful way to intervene in this scenario.”

Participants from the first edition return to their schools to implement the project.

The effects of the initiative are already being felt. Some participants from the first edition of the project, in 2019, are currently pursuing undergraduate degrees in STEM fields at the city's best universities. This is the case of Anna Luisa Sá, 19, who is studying Engineering at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro).

“I’ve liked robotics since I was a child, but I couldn’t picture myself doing it professionally. I thought it was too complex for me and way out of my reach. With the IMPA Girls' Olympics , I realized it was much more tangible than I thought. I met researchers in the exact sciences, started attending events, and learned more about the research areas of robotics,” she says.

Like other students who participated in 2019, Anna Luisa will return to the project in this edition, this time to help implement it at the Humaitá unit of Colégio Pedro II, the school where she studied. “I am very excited to participate as an undergraduate. I hope to be able to contribute a lot in the area of robotics. I am already developing some booklets with teaching materials and exercises,” shares the young woman, who is part of MinervaBots, the robotics team at UFRJ.

Fernanda Toledo, a medical physics undergraduate at UFRJ, says that her experience participating in the MOI as a student in 2019 was essential for expanding her professional horizons. The visit to the UFRJ technology center, provided by the project, was a memorable day for the student. “We got to know the business incubators, and several of the researchers leading the projects were women, holding very important positions. I fell in love with that environment,” she recalls.

With activities that directly address the issue of female representation in science, the MOI also helped Fernanda learn about women's contributions to the field. “I always looked at science and saw the names of great male researchers, like Newton. I remember that one of the first activities was to research women's contributions, and I found several things that I didn't know had been created by women, such as GPS, algorithms, and even the first photo of a black hole.”