Pablo Andrade Carvalho Barros, a student at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Applied Mathematics (FGV EMAp), won a Grand First Prize at the 30^th International Mathematics Competition for University Students (IMC). In addition to this notable achievement, the Brazilian delegation also won seven Second Prizes and four Third Prizes.

By winning a Grand First Prize, the FGV EMAp student was Brazil’s best performer and he came ninth out of 393 students from the world’s most prestigious universities. “Taking part in the IMC was certainly an unforgettable experience for me and the whole team. As well as winning a medal and coming first in Brazil, my interaction with people from all over the world and the experiences I had will remain in my memory for a long time,” Barros said.

“Even though I had prepared a lot, I had years of experience participating in Olympiads and I was very motivated to show a return on the investment people have made in me, I really didn’t expect to win a Grand First Prize at my first ever IMC and perform better than any other Brazilian in the history of this event. I hope to make the most of this victory and perform even better in the coming years. I also hope that my example will inspire other students to take part in math competitions and I hope they can have the same opportunity that I had,” he added.

The delegation included representatives of FGV EMAp, the Aeronautical Technology Institute, the Military Engineering Institute, Rio de Janeiro Catholic University, the University of Sao Paulo and Ceará Federal University.