Laura M. Iraola (ICMAT)
From 7 to 9 April, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences once again opened its doors to students from various schools as part of the 4ºESO+Empresa programme, organised annually by the Community of Madrid. Thirty students from secondary schools such as IES María Moliner in Coslada, IES Adolfo Suárez in Paracuellos de Jarama, IES Antonio López García in Getafe, and Colegio Villalkor in Alcorcón had the opportunity to experience daily life in a centre dedicated to mathematical research. They also learnt what a research career involves and the pathway to pursue it, with the aim of presenting mathematical research as a possible career option.
The programme began on 7 April with a welcome and introduction to the ICMAT and the research career, delivered by Javier Aramayona, Director of the Institute. Afterwards, the students toured the centre’s facilities and began to familiarise themselves with it. David Ríos, CSIC Research Professor at the Institute and member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, then spoke to them about the role of mathematics in big data and artificial intelligence projects, highlighting both their strengths and limitations. The first day concluded with a maths treasure hunt organised by the QED association of Mathematics undergraduates from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM).
On the following day, 8 April, the students started the programme by tackling problems that required visual and intuitive approaches, in a session led by Pablo Hidalgo, a predoctoral researcher at ICMAT. Afterwards, the group visited the Jorge Juan Library at the Centre for Theoretical Physics and Mathematics (CFTMAT), guided by its curator, Ricardo Martínez de Madariaga. The day concluded with a workshop led by Mar González and Ana Primo, Associate Professors at UAM and members of ICMAT, on how mathematics is used to describe and predict diffusion in different contexts, such as the spread of information on social media.
The final day of the programme, 9 April, began with an information and discussion session on the various routes and opportunities available to begin a research career, coordinated by Ana Bravo, Deputy Director of ICMAT and Professor at UAM. This was followed by a session led by Juan Manuel López, a predoctoral researcher at ICMAT, who presented geometric problems using soap bubbles as a tool. The programme concluded with a workshop on mathematical models by Enrique García-Sánchez, also a predoctoral researcher at ICMAT.
“I really enjoyed being able to interact with the mathematicians and their working environment through these talks and activities”, “I especially liked being allowed to try solving the problems ourselves before the explanations”, “I found all the information and advice about research careers really useful” — these were some of the comments shared by participants in the programme.
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