Retrospective 2024: look back at IMPA Tech’s cultural program
Interdisciplinarity marked the students’ education inside and outside the classroom
30/12/2024
Cultural activities were a highlight for the undergraduate Mathematics of Technology and Innovation students throughout 2024. For some of them, the moments of leisure and fun were also opportunities to learn more about the culture and history of Rio de Janeiro. In addition, the excursions enabled a cultural exchange between the students themselves, since the class is made up of people from all five Brazilian regions. Take a look back at the main activities:
Organized by Language Skills teacher Cilene Rodrigues, the visit to Parque Lage was the first outside meeting of the year. At the foot of the Tijuca Forest, in the Botanical Garden, the students were introduced to the teacher’s research into primate vocalization, which seeks to understand human grammar from the simplest systems, such as monkey language.
Listed by IPHAN as a historical and landscape heritage site, Parque Lage was a sugar mill during colonial Brazil. The palace is currently home to the School of Visual Arts. During the visit, the students saw traces of the country’s history and the local flora and flora and got to know each other better outside the classroom.
Located in Gávea, PlanetáRio houses the Carl Sagan Dome, the largest in Latin America, where university students had an immersive experience observing the sky. With audiovisual sessions and projections on the ceiling, it was possible to identify constellations and their stars. During the visit, it was also possible to visit the Museum of the Universe, a space with various interactive experiments and exhibitions, such as the School Spaceship, which covers curiosities about the formation of the universe and the planets of the Milky Way.
IMPA’s director-general, Marcelo Viana, accompanied the students on the guided tour and stressed the importance of interdisciplinary training, which is one of the pillars of the degree. “At IMPA Tech we want to give our students a broad and comprehensive education, going far beyond mathematics and pragmatic content. A visit like this is part of this complementary training, and will certainly be followed by other activities, so that, at the end of the degree, the young people have a complete and in-depth citizen’s education,” he said.
Theater visits – June and November/2024
In June, the students attended a screening of “The Rebel Novice”, a classic play that tells the story of a novice who lives in a convent but can’t adapt to the religious rules and goes to work as a governess for a widowed captain.
The show was performed at the Riachuelo Theater in the center of Rio de Janeiro. The building was built in the 19th century and was home to the Brazilian National Casino and the Cine Palácio. The excursion marked many students’ first time at a play and was an opportunity to connect with Rio’s culture.
In November, the play chosen by the Psychopedagogical Support Center (NAP) was “Little Anti-Racist Manual”, at the PRIO Theater in Gavéa. The external activity with the students aimed to provoke reflection on the social impact of individual and collective actions, especially during the month of Black Awareness.
Celebration of African Heritage – July/2024
A walk led by specialized tour guides kicked off the Historical and Archaeological Circuit of the Celebration of African Heritage in the city center. The group met at Largo de São Francisco da Prainha, a historic space with preserved colonial architecture, and toured different sites, such as Pedra do Sal, Jardim Suspenso do Valongo, Casa da Tia Ciata, Mercado Escravagista, among other points in the region that tell the story of the enslaved.
The excursion was also promoted by the NAP, which sought to create a moment of reflection, appreciation and respect for diversity for a more equal and anti-racist society.
Read more: Retrospective 2024: inspiring trajectories motivated undergraduates
See also: Retrospective 2024: OBMEP reaches 99.9% of Brazilian municipalities
