IMPA Tech opens to the press

08/04/2024

The inauguration of IMPA Tech, IMPA’s first undergraduate program, was featured in several press outlets. Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo and O Dia were some of the newspapers that reported on the event. The start of the degree in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation in Rio de Janeiro was also featured on TV Globo, GloboNews and Brasil, in Veja On-line magazine, Agência Brasil, on the R7 portal and on CBN, BandNews and Tupi radio stations. The inauguration of the space, located in Porto Maravalley, took place on April 2 and was attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other authorities.

With the headline “Rio gets its first Silicon Valley in the Port Zone”, the newspaper O Globo was the first to highlight the innovative nature of the project, which includes IMPA Tech. The one-page article explained that the undergraduate program will share a 10,000 square meter space with startups and technology companies and that the initiative was inspired by Silicon Valley, which brings together companies in the sector in California, USA.

IMPA’s director-general, Marcelo Viana, told the newspaper about the advantages of the project. “In four years, the goal is to reach 400 students. They will have basic training lasting two years, already living in a space that will offer job opportunities for a specialized workforce. Once this first phase is over, the students will choose to specialize in the following two years in one of four areas: Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science or Physics.”

RJTV first edition heard from student Kaio Vitor, who came from Rondônia to join the first graduating class. “I came here to study mathematics. It’s my focus”, said the student live on air.

Folha de S.Paulo highlighted IMPA’s educational record. “IMPA’s master’s and doctoral programs are renowned. From there came the mathematician Artur Ávila, who in 2014, at the age of 35, received the Fields Medal, popularly known as the ‘Nobel of Mathematics’. He was the first winner from Latin America.”

Veja On-line chose to highlight some of President Lula’s statements during the inauguration of IMPA Tech. “Education is not a privilege for the rich, it’s a right for everyone. It’s not an expense, it’s an investment. It’s not acceptable for the President of the Republic to see in the newspaper that 480,000 children are dropping out of school because they have to help out at home.”

On BandNews, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was one of the topics. The channel highlighted the speech made by Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, during the inauguration ceremony. The text was created with the help of Chat GPT, OpenAI’s generative AI tool, capable of generating texts from simple commands.

Read more: IMPA Tech opens doors to interdisciplinarity
See also: André Street and Auana Mattar speak to students at the ‘Mecca of Mathematics’