The program ESTALMAT-Catalunya is an extracurricular project aimed at stimulating mathematical talent among boys and girls in the first years of secondary school in Catalonia. It is jointly organized by the Catalan Society of Mathematics (SCM) and the Federation of Entities for the Teaching of Mathematics in Catalonia (FEEMCAT).
The program is part of the ESTALMAT initiative conceived by Miguel de Guzmán in 1998 in Madrid, and later extended to various territories: Catalonia and the Canary Islands (2003), Andalusia and Castile and León (2005), Galicia and Valencia (2007), Cantabria (2008), Castilla-La Mancha (2012), and the Balearic Islands (2016).
General objectives
1. Promote mathematical culture
Promote mathematical culture among new generations and highlight the importance of mathematics as a key element of scientific development. It works with real problems and connections to other disciplines.
2. Provide tools for autonomous learning
Provide students with tools and resources that foster autonomy in learning and encourage the critical use of new technologies as a source of information and knowledge.
3. Discover and stimulate mathematical talent
Detect and enhance the talent of young people with high reasoning ability through extracurricular activities that boost curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
4. Open doors to the scientific community
Facilitate direct contact for students with the university and research environment, broadening their academic and scientific horizons.
Impact and trajectory
Over the years, ESTALMAT has boosted interest in mathematics among hundreds of students and has notably contributed to the scientific training of many young people, some of whom have oriented their careers toward scientific and technological research and development.
In Catalonia, the program draws on boys and girls who have discovered their talent through the Kangaroo Test. The program offers training and accompanies young people on a path that may lead them to the Mathematical Olympiads. Thus, the program contributes to an ecosystem that favors the development of mathematical talent, the basis for multiple professions, and helps train the science and technology professionals of the future.
Support
The program is made possible thanks to the collaboration and support of various entities and institutions.
- Institute of Catalan Studies, through the Catalan Society of Mathematics, with administrative and service staff for the administrative, economic, and legal management of grants and sponsorships.
- Spanish Foundation for Science and Innovation (FECYT), through grants from competitive calls (requested by IEC-SCM).
- Department of Education and Vocational Training, which collaborates by paying for a trainer for each session.
- Faculty of Mathematics and Statistics of the UPC, which collaborates by providing spaces for all sessions on Saturday mornings.
- Casio educational division, which collaborates with scientific calculators.
Consult the specific website ESTALMAT-Catalunya for more information about the various cohorts, current teaching staff, etc.