‘One of the best opportunities in Brazil’, says IMPA Tech student

10/12/2024

Francisco José, 19, is one of the IMPA Tech undergraduates who came from far away to fulfill his dream of studying in the first class of the Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation. Born in Fortaleza (CE), the student has always loved mathematics, was a medalist in the OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Mathematics Olympiad) and, even as a child, studied the subject on his own. Learn more about Francisco’s story at #AlémDasEquações.

The Ceará native moved to Rio de Janeiro to become a professional. Now, after almost a year of classes, he’s sure he made a good choice. “I had high expectations for my degree and everything I imagined has come true. The classes here are excellent. IMPA Tech’s entire structure is designed to help students learn knowledge in practice. The Institute does everything possible to ensure that we have a good experience, using our time in the best possible way, dedicating ourselves to our studies,” he said.

But before graduating, the student had already had contact with other IMPA initiatives. The first time he took part in OBMEP was in his first year of secondary school, at EEEP Professor César Campelo, a public school in Fortaleza. “I took the test by chance, I didn’t know what the Olympiad meant, but I got through to the second round. In my first year, I got a bronze medal and went on to take part in the PIC (Jr. Scientific Initiation Program).”

During the program’s advanced math classes, Francisco worked hard to improve his results in the Science Olympiad. “I’ve always loved math, but I didn’t have any contact with knowledge Olympiads during elementary school. I studied a lot on my own, because I was curious and wanted to better understand how things work. At the PIC meetings and online forums, I dedicated myself and improved my skills in the subject.”

And the effort paid off. In 2023, the student was studying Electrotechnics at the IFCE (Federal Institute of Science, Education and Technology of Ceará), on the Fortaleza campus, when he took the level 3 test of the 18th OBMEP. He was one of four gold medalists from public schools across the state of Ceará in the national awards.

In June this year, the medal was presented to the student during the OBMEP National Awards Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. Francisco was one of 650 students awarded the honor at a special ceremony attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In addition to the ceremony, the winners stayed in a hotel where they took part in cultural activities and mathematical challenges. “It was three days of great learning. It’s a very important meeting for us to get to know people who like the same field as us, which allows us to expand our network of contacts and get new opportunities in mathematics,” said Francisco.

Now, at the same time as his degree, the student is taking part in the scientific initiation of the PICME (Scientific Initiation and Master’s Program) in the area of graphs. The meetings, led by Professor Ueverton Souza, cover how algorithms work and how they can be used to solve problems.

New IMPA Tech class

The selection process for the 2025 class of the bachelor’s degree in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation is open until 5pm on December 27. Those interested should apply on the IMPA Tech website. Medal winners from five knowledge olympiads (OBMEP, OBM, OBFEP, OBQ and OBI) and students with a good performance in the ENEM (National High School Exam) can take part. Full details are available in the notice.

Francisco is excited about the arrival of his new colleagues and left a message for the candidates. “I’m excited for the new students to arrive. I don’t think there’s an institution that offers a better teaching opportunity than this one. Whoever gets into IMPA Tech should come here. It’s one of the best opportunities in Brazil,” he concluded.

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