The Brilliant Mind (Brilhante Mente) Project
The Brilliant Mind (Brilhante Mente) Project seeks to inspire and empower girls and women to pursue careers in exact sciences, with a special focus on Physics, by applying statistical and computational physics to neuroscience. Through interactive activities, lectures, and workshops, the project aims to create a supportive and inclusive environment, equip participants with the tools to navigate scientific careers and challenge gender stereotypes. With an interdisciplinary approach, the project connects participants with leading scientists, promotes female empowerment in science, and builds a strong support network for future researchers.
Key initiatives include mentorship between undergraduate, graduate, and junior scientific initiation students to combat impostor syndrome. Teaching younger students helps undergraduates and graduates recognize their scientific competencies and build confidence. The project offers hands-on research activities in statistical physics and programming, encouraging the replication and publication of scientific studies. Lectures and discussions hosted by the project cover a broad range of topics, including career development, gender, race, class, feminism, ableism, motherhood, mental health, and harassment, advocating for policy solutions and collective action. Additionally, the project seeks to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in academia, such as mothers, people with disabilities, indigenous women, quilombolas, and those in or leaving the socio-educational or prison systems.
Throughout 2025, 20 female students from public schools in the state of Alagoas, Brazil, will receive a scholarship to participate in the project's activities.
The project received funding from the Brazilian agency under the Call CNPq/MCTI/MMulheres No. 31/2023 – Girls in Exact Sciences, Engineering, and Computing.
Prof. Fernanda Selingardi Matias - Physics Institute - Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió - AL, Brazil
Prof. Maria Socorro Seixas Pereira - Physics Institute - Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió - AL, Brazil