Viana takes over Otavio Frias Filho Chair on November 6th

On November 6, IMPA’s director-general, Marcelo Viana, will take over the Otavio Frias Filho Chair for Studies in Communication, Democracy and Diversity, created in 2021 by USP’s Institute for Advanced Studies (IEA), in partnership with Folha de S.Paulo. The event will be held in the newspaper’s auditorium in São Paulo at 2pm.

At the meeting, Viana will also kick off the 2024-2025 lecture series with the theme “How much is mathematics worth to Brazil?”. He will discuss the area’s crucial role for economic development and wealth generation in the country. Until 2025, IMPA’s director-general will be responsible for organizing other lectures of the chair, which this year has the theme “Science, Technology, Innovation and Development”.

“The emphasis of this cycle of lectures by the Otavio Frias Filho Chair for Studies in Communication, Democracy and Diversity will be on science as an engine for economic and social development. Initially, in the first lecture I will focus on the role of mathematics, which cuts across all these issues,” said Viana, who will also help organize a book with articles by selected researchers.

IMPA’s director-general succeeds biologist and neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzelassociate professor at Vanderbilt University in the United States, and also a columnist for Folha de S.Paulo. With the scientist at the helm, the theme of the lecture was “Science, Communication and the Future”.

Author of the recently released book “Histories of Mathematics – From counting on your fingers to Artificial Intelligence”, Viana is the winner of the Louis D. Grand Prix Scientifique, one of science’s top honors, which recognized the advances he has made in the area of dynamic systems. The director-general of IMPA is also a columnist for Folha de S.Paulo, which he uses to demystify mathematics for the general public.

Chair

The Otavio Frias Filho Chair for Studies in Communication, Democracy and Diversity was launched in 2021 as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Folha de São Paulo newspaper and honors journalist Otavio Frias Filho (1957-2018), who headed the newspaper’s newsroom until his death. his death. The initiative aims to promote research and disseminate knowledge about the role of communication in maintaining and constantly strengthening democracy, including minority rights and against different types of discrimination.