The auditorium of the Pavilhão de Civil hosted dozens of participants for a sharing of experiences organized by the Núcleo de Estudantes de Matemática do Técnico (NMATH). The session featured reflections from faculty members such as Cristina Sernadas, Luís Magalhães, and Manuel Ricou, who were involved in the course's creation.
The faculty recalled the initial challenges in creating LMAC, including opposition from other institutions, but highlighted their passion for mathematics as the primary motivation. Manuel Ricou emphasized that "our first motivation was the love and respect we have for mathematics," while Cristina Sernadas stressed that "it was from the mutual demand [between students and professors] that the course's excellence emerged."
Lina Oliveira, the course coordinator, listed LMAC's "collective personality," emphasizing "mutual help, the good camaraderie among students, and the scientific discussion stemming from genuine curiosity." She expressed the hope that the Department of Mathematics will continue to support the course for the next 40 years.
The round table included professors who were students in the first cohort. Cláudia Philippart recalled the tradition of buying summaries attributed to "Professor Carvalhosa," a staff member with strong ties to the students. Manuel Cabral Morais shared his first experience with computers and welcomed the creation of QueerIST.
Other professors and alumni, such as Isabel Santos and Pedro Santos, offered recommendations to students, emphasizing the importance of hard work and critical thinking, and cautioning against the "ease" of language models. Rosário Oliveira encouraged the development of critical thinking to assess the "probability" and "physical realism" of mathematical results.
The event featured a quiz with questions about colleagues and professors, and the awarding of "Oscars" to faculty members, with categories like "Best Class" and "Most Chaotic Board." The event concluded with cake, and Luís Magalhães's words that "LMAC is in good health and recommends itself."
