27/07/2021

We have to look at regional diversity, says Salazar.

Crédito: Arquivo Pessoal

Mathematicians should look more closely at different regions and countries and continue to advance in the pursuit of gender equality. This is the opinion of Colombian María Amelia Salazar, professor at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics of the Federal Fluminense University (UFF), who will give one of the three lectures promoting the 3Tuesdays Brazilian Mathematics Colloquium . The meeting, which takes place between August Mondays and Fridays, is the most comprehensive scientific gathering of the Brazilian mathematical community.

In it, Salazar will give the dissemination lecture “Groupoids: the search for symmetries and beyond” , on Thursday (05), at 10 am. For the first time, the Colloquium, which takes place every two years since 1957, will be virtual, with transmission via YouTube . Registration is still open. Click here to register.

Salazar, who graduated in Colombia and completed her postdoctoral studies at IMPA , received the For Women in Science Award last year , promoted by L'Oréal in partnership with UNESCO in Brazil and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC). In this interview, she talks about diversity in mathematics and the challenges of giving science outreach lectures aimed at undergraduate students and younger, non-specialized audiences.

IMPA: You recently received the For Women in Science award. Do you think this was another step towards promoting gender balance in mathematics?
María Amelia Salazar : I think so. All these initiatives help promote a balance between men and women in science, especially when these initiatives also come together with awareness of the gender issues we face. When that happens, the prize becomes something important for the mathematical community in general, not just for women. We have to work and recognize that women do science equally well as, or better than, men. It's not a gender issue. This problem has to be addressed from several fronts to achieve a satisfactory result. But the prize is undoubtedly one of those fronts to balance this inequality.

IMPA: At the 3Tuesdays CBM, you will be giving a lecture more geared towards undergraduate and scientific initiation students about Lie groupoids. Is there a different approach to better reach this audience?
MS: This is a really different and quite difficult approach because, on the one hand, we try not to be too technical and to give ideas, but also, on the other hand, we have to be mathematically precise. We also want the lecture to be fun, but at the same time profound, with important content. Finding a balance between these points is difficult because we already know that mathematics requires a lot of language to understand certain problems. So, we need to translate some of this mathematical language into a more familiar one and ensure that the message remains accurate and substantive. I think giving a popular science lecture is much more difficult than giving a research lecture.

IMPA: What was your experience like doing your postdoctoral studies at IMPA?
MS: It was really great. IMPA provides us with a peaceful environment and all the facilities so that we can concentrate on research without having to worry about other issues. Besides, it's a very beautiful space. IMPA is an institution that functions very well. It's organized, there's always help with bureaucratic issues that end up taking time away from our research. There are many foreign and Brazilian visitors, and this generates a good flow of people with whom you can talk about mathematics, have a coffee. It was a peaceful experience, and it was during this period that I was able to work on several articles to publish them later. So, it was a good period of work that bore fruit later.

IMPA: This year, for the first time, the Brazilian Mathematics Colloquium will be online. What have been the challenges of disseminating science virtually? Are there advantages as well?
MS: The virtual format has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that we can reach a much larger audience because there's no need to travel to hear someone, so people from all over the world can listen to us. That's a huge advantage. On the other hand, giving virtual lectures prevents us from interacting with the audience. We can't see people's expressions, know if they're enjoying it or not, if they're understanding. This more natural communication is lost, as is the exchange of ideas that usually happens at conferences.

IMPA: Academic diversity, with people from different regions, is also a concern of yours. What are the challenges and paths to achieving this currently?
MS: I'm not an expert on this issue, but I can talk about what I've been doing with an audience that already has internet access. I try to have an open mind and go beyond well-known professionals, seeking out others who aren't very well-known, asking other colleagues, and having certain criteria, such as inviting people from different regions and countries and from different areas of mathematics. I've had some great surprises with speakers I didn't know would be talking about such interesting topics. Perhaps we mathematicians need to have more of an open mind and always take this diversity into account.