‘State-of-the-art technology school’: Chinese press highlights IMPA Tech

03/12/2024

IMPA Tech was featured on the ‘Americas Now’ program on CGTN America, a channel on the China Global Television Network, the international division of the Chinese state media. The story aired during a special program about the G20 summit, which took place in November in Rio de Janeiro. Focusing on the innovation of the selection process and the interdisciplinary curriculum, the program interviewed undergraduate students and the director-general of IMPA, Marcelo Viana.

In an interview with presenter Elaine Reyes, Viana explained how the degree came about: “It all started with a conversation with the mayor of Rio, who challenged us to create a bachelor’s degree that would train young people to enter the technology and innovation job market. We accepted the challenge, and IMPA Tech officially started in April this year,” he said.

IMPA’s director-general also explained that the innovation starts with the selection process, which reserves 80% of the places for students who have won medals in knowledge Olympiads, something unconventional in Brazilian higher education. For the class of 2025, awards at different levels of OBMEP, OBM, OBFEP, OBQ and OBI are accepted. The rest of the places are for students with good performance in the ENEM (National High School Exam) math test.

Applications for next year’s selection process are open until 5pm on December 27. Interested candidates should apply via the IMPA Tech website. The notice and full details are also available.

Felipe Giehl and Tainá Queiroz were the students interviewed, representing the undergraduate student body, which brings together young people from all five regions of the country. Both came from public schools and are OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Math Olympics) medalists. They are also currently taking part in the PICME (Scientific Initiation and Master’s Program), meetings with IMPA researchers that complement their bachelor’s degrees.

“One of the great things about IMPA Tech is that we’re linked to IMPA. And the best people are there. We have classes with IMPA researchers and we’ll also have contact with the companies that are here in Porto. This networking is very important, and we wouldn’t have that at a normal college,” said Giehl.

The program also highlighted the investments made by the Federal Government and Rio de Janeiro City Hall in IMPA Tech. The partnership with IMPA seeks to foster innovation and the technology ecosystem in Rio de Janeiro, preventing a brain drain to foreign companies.

With a duration of four years, the bachelor’s degree in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation aims to train students to enter the job market effectively. The degree has a one-year basic cycle and then students choose between four emphases: Mathematics, Physics, Data Science and Computer Science.

Tainá, who won six OBMEP medals, wants to pursue computer science. “At the beginning, we see a bit of everything. There’s a bit of physics, data science and a lot of mathematics. Although the basic cycle is challenging, because there are so many subjects, it’s very nice because it gives us a much broader view of how things work,” she said.

Students approved for IMPA Tech receive student accommodation, food aid, financial aid and air and ground transportation for the start of the academic year. “For most students, financial aid is crucial,” said Tainá.

The companies present at Porto Maravalley were also featured in the article. Eletrobrás, the largest electricity generation company in Latin America, is one of the sponsors of the technology hub, which sees the initiative as a way of tackling some of the country’s biggest challenges, such as climate change and the growing demand for energy.

“Maravelley is a hub that connects the science produced here in Rio with the big universities. The IMPA Tech students are very good, and we’ll certainly have something happening from now on,” said Pedro Brito, an advisor to Eletrobrás, about the company’s future partnerships with the students.

Read more: IMPA Tech and PUC-Rio discuss academic partnership
See also: IMPA Tech opens selection process to hire professors