National Mathematics Community

The first graduate programs in mathematics, in the 1930s, were conducted at Universidade de São Paulo and Universidade do Brasil (today called Universidade do Rio de Janeiro). Leopoldo Nachbin and Maurício Matos Peixoto, who were trained at these institutions, founded Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada (IMPA), in 1952, and were the first Brazilian mathematicians invited to the ICM, in 1962 and 1974, respectively.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a new generation of Brazilian mathematicians emerges, largely trained abroad through Brazilian government programs. Then came new graduate programs in mathematics, supported by these new talents and by the programs already existing at IMPA and USP. An important milestone at this stage of Brazilian mathematics was the creation of Colóquio Brasileiro de Matemática (Brazilian Mathematical Colloquium), a large event that gathers the entire research community every two years.

Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática (SBM) (Brazilian Mathematical Society), now with 2,000 members, was founded in 1969 and is the Brazilian member organization of IMU. SBM has a nonprofit publisher that publishes math books and magazines. Standouts include Projeto Klein de Matemática em Português (Klein Project in Portuguese), and Programa de Mestrado para Professores do Ensino Secundário (PROFMAT) (Master's Program for Secondary School Teachers).

With the rapid development of the 1970s, the importance of mathematics to the overall growth of science and technology in Brazil garnered special treatment by the government. Other mathematical societies were then established:

• Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática Aplicada e Computacional (SBMAC);
• Associação Brasileira de Estatística (ABE);
• Sociedade Brasileira de Educação Matemática (SBEM); and
• Sociedade Brasileira de História da Matemática (SBHMAT).

With time, more events and initiatives emerged. Starting in 2002 came the Bienal da Matemática (Mathematics Biennial) with over 2,000 attendees, dedicated to the teaching and promotion of mathematics at all levels.

In little more than half a century, the number of Brazilian mathematicians reached close to 2,000 active researchers and teaching faculty. Over 50 graduate Mathematics and Statistics programs in Brazil are spread throughout the national territory and train new generations of researchers from Brazil, the rest of Latin America and, increasingly, Asia, Europe and USA and Canada.

Research in Brazil covers most areas of pure and applied mathematics, with regular publications in top journals. Two plenary lectures and 12 invited-lecturer lectures have been given at ICMs by Brazilian mathematicians. The MathSciNet database lists a little over 14,000 research articles in the last 25 years by mathematicians working in Brazil.

Brazil has several initiatives related to promoting mathematics throughout the country. Some highlights:

• Olimpíada Brasileira de Matemática (OBM) (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad) Regional and national Math Olympics, from which since 1979 Brazil has selected its team for the International Mathematical Olympiad.
• Olimpíada Brasileira de Matemática das Escolas Públicas (OBMEP) (Brazilian Public Schools Mathematical Olympiad) - In 2005, IMPA, in partnership with the Federal Government, embarked on this most comprehensive type of Olympics which currently has nearly 20 million children entering each year. The President of Brazil normally chairs the awards ceremony.
• PROFMAT, a national master's degree program for secondary school teachers, was launched by the Federal Government in 2010. It represents the commitment of our community to improve mathematics education in Brazil.
• Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science without Borders) is an initiative that since 2010 has promoted international exchange in all areas of science. More than 100,000 scholarships are granted each year for graduate and undergraduate for Brazilian students; trips abroad for researchers; and invited distinguished foreign scientists – young and senior – to visit Brazil.