Brazilian Math Institute in International Spotlight

The New York Times reports on Rio de Janiero's National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), one of whose researchers, Artur Ávila, is among the 2014 winners of the Fields Medal.

The institute charges no tuition, recruits promising math students while some are still in high school, and does not require researchers to speak Portuguese, the national language of Brazil.

“IMPA is one of Brazil’s islands of excellence, really in its own league,” said Arminio Fraga, a former president of Brazil’s central bank and one of the institute’s largest donors.