Mathematician’s Day: Student chose to study mathematics due to its vast range of applications

The combination of traditional mathematics with statistical and computing techniques, creating opportunities for the development of new technologies, is one of the main areas of focus of applied mathematics. Numerical analysis, data structures and algorithms, stochastic processes, statistics, optimization and programming languages are just some of the topics that this area encompasses, assigning concepts, using techniques to understand different phenomena and tackling various real-life problems through advanced mathematics. Yolanda Nogueira, a fifth-year student at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Applied Mathematics (FGV EMAp), chose to study applied mathematics because it is directly linked to different areas of everyday life. “We’re now seeing big changes, especially since entering the digital age, and mathematicians are part of that,” she says. Solving problems in other areas such as administration, engineering, economics and data science is one of the possibilities for mathematics. How can mathematics contribute to changing the world? This is what this student reveals in an exclusive interview with FGV News. Check out the full interview below. Why did you choose to study applied mathematics? I had no idea how many possibilities there were in the world of mathematics, but after I researched its applications, I opted for this course. I wanted to explore this world and understand a little more about how to arrive at the methods I already knew about, seeking a more analytical view. How does your chosen profession contribute to society? Mathematics has a wide range of applications. For example, it was of great help to society during the pandemic, through the constant dissemination of epidemiological forecasts and monitoring. It can also help with resource optimization problems at companies and in health research, among other things. In fact, mathematics is in everything! How do you want to change the world through your profession? I believe that with all the possibilities that mathematics offers, changing the world is a consequence. We’re now seeing big changes, especially since entering the digital age, and mathematicians are part of that. I want my work to make a difference so that we can reach higher places on this journey. About FGV EMAp The FGV School of Applied Mathematics (FGV EMAp) was founded in 2011 in order to offer an undergraduate program in applied mathematics that trains professionals capable of tackling real-life issues that require the production and study of mathematical models to solve them. More recently, the school has been working toward becoming a leading center for research in applied mathematics, opening up new areas, hiring new researchers and continuing its training program by implementing a doctoral course. To find out more about FGV EMAp, visit its website.