Diana Carballo: A young mathematician by profession and human rights defender

A mathematician who is not in some sense a poet will never be a complete mathematician "Karl Weierstrass.

By: Redacción Intertextual/ contacto@intertextualcr.com

Talking about mathematics is art like singing or poetry, difficult to imagine for some people; but for Diana Carballo, a young Nicaraguan exiled in Costa Rica and originally from the city of Catarina-Masaya, mathematics turns out to be one of her passions where she sees art and social construction.

This May 12 marks World Women’s Mathematics Day in honor of Maryam Mirzakhani who was born on May 12, 1977 and died in July 2017. She was a Professor at Stanford University (USA), in In 2014, she was awarded the Fields Medal, becoming the first woman to receive that distinction, where the contribution of her studies of Moduli spaces and Riemann surfaces was highlighted.

Mirzakhani’s existence, life and career, like that of many other female mathematicians, have served as an inspiration to the new generations of women in the world.

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Diana Carballo and Mirzakhani are two women who share something in common: admiration for mathematics and the desire to get involved in this fantastic world that for some is terror and suspense and that for centuries has been considered a science dominated by men.

I met Diana as a voice for young Nicaraguans in exile in Costa Rica. I have seen her taking the floor to defend human rights, to demand justice and to demand democracy in Nicaragua. It turns out that this young woman, barely 22 years old, is a surprise box, she likes to immerse herself between prose and poetic rhyme and is a Mathematician graduated from UNAN Managua University.

He tells us to Intertextual that he has practiced his profession giving virtual classes in Niquihinomo in an Academy called Santa María, he also gave tutorial classes to young people who were entering UNAN, and in a private school in San Juan de Oriente.

Talking about the commemoration of the World Day of Mathematician Women is a novelty for Diana since it was never a reason for celebration where she obtained her university degree. However, it is natural since the implementation of this anniversary was only in 2019, in a year of changes in the life of the young woman when a sociopolitical crisis was beginning in Nicaragua where awareness and solidarity invaded her thoughts leaving almost aside the mathematical formulas to defend rights.

Mathematics was not the first option

When he was looking for what he could study, he thought about medicine, then it occurred to him to study law, but the fourth year of high school was important for decision making.

“When I reached the fourth year of high school, the most complex year with mathematics, according to what they say; I remember that I was studying trigonometry and I got 100 in the four evaluation cycles and then in the fifth year I also repeated that scheme of 100,” he affirms.

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A simple phrase from a high school math teacher named Sergio helped her take a greater interest in that subject – “look, you’re good at math” he told her. “And that’s where my interest awoke and I started reading math books that were already more pure,” he recalls.

He tells us to Intertextual that he has practiced his profession giving virtual classes in Niquihinomo in an Academy called Santa María, he also gave tutorial classes to young people who were entering UNAN, and in a private school in San Juan de Oriente.

Talking about the commemoration of the World Day of Mathematician Women is a novelty for Diana since it was never a reason for celebration where she obtained her university degree. However, it is natural since the implementation of this anniversary was only in 2019, in a year of changes in the life of the young woman when a sociopolitical crisis was beginning in Nicaragua where awareness and solidarity invaded her thoughts leaving almost aside the mathematical formulas to defend rights.nnMathematics was not the first optionn

nWhen he was looking for what he could study, he thought about medicine, then it occurred to him to study law, but the fourth year of high school was important for decision making.nn“When I reached the fourth year of high school, the most complex year with mathematics, according to what they say; I remember that I was studying trigonometry and I got 100 in the four evaluation cycles and then in the fifth year I also repeated that scheme of 100,” he affirms.

A simple phrase from a high school math teacher named Sergio helped her take a greater interest in that subject – “look, you’re good at math” he told her. “And that’s where my interest awoke and I started reading math books that were already more pure,” he recalls.

“It was not the easiest thing to say, justice drives me. Really before opening 2018, I was not a person who was definitely dedicated to that, although I did recognize what my rights were and that they did not have to be violated, but I recognized them more as Diana, not as the collective right of people.”nnHe details that his family has always been a political activist in his hometown, opponents of the current regime in Nicaragua. That is to say, there was antecedents in her blood as a future activist: But it was the murder of Richard Pavón, the first victim of the repression in Nicaragua in April 2018 that she decided to demonstrate. And the version of an internal friend of the UNAN who tells him in a phone call that they are forcing them to repress the kids of the UCA.nn“I saw Richard Pavón murdered on 100% News, I felt indignation and anger. From there I decided to go out and march to protest. Since then I have not distanced myself from activism and I have been concerned with training in these issues of defense of human rights, citizen participation, and strengthening of territorial fabrics. It hasn’t been so easy, let’s say, because there are things that I have had to learn,» he points out.nnSince exile he has had to be resilient, to overcome the changes to survive emotionally and economically strong in his country of refuge, he has relied on reading and research to learn more every day. “That has been one of the things that has made it easier for me to make that transition (from mathematician to activist),» she says.

Art = Math

I can tell that Diana is passionate about her home career. He attributes his logic by saying that mathematics in life is always present and does not get away from what the real problems may be.nnTo explain what mathematics means, he shares the quote «a mathematician who is not in some sense a poet will never be a complete mathematician.» Karl Weierstrass. She makes an interpretation of the phrase and paraphrases it «in order to know how to make poetry, you also have to know how to do mathematics, because mathematics really is the art where the functionality of life rests.»

He also adds that mathematics is an important art for the construction of the world. “They are an art that equally contributes to society, to science and to the construction of the world as well.”

Gender Gaps in Mathematics

The training that Carballo obtained was received from female mathematicians, mostly in whom she lived what is called «inspiration», in her memories three masters predominate, she recounts. “A very good one with logic and set theory. I met her when I was in second year and she was like one of the teachers who inspired me the most because she was a person who knew a lot about math; she had a PhD in set theory. He also gave me math software 1 and two. And he had a very good ability in handling mathematical programs like maple and GeoGebra, he inspired me a lot.”

The teacher who gave him algebraic structure is another specialist whom he appreciated, the algebraic structure was difficult for him and she was waiting for him to learn. “I learned a lot from her. She was very good and she was a person with a lot of skills as well.” In his faculty, the Director of Mathematics was a woman, and she also taught him.nn“I think that now, unlike before, there are more women dedicating themselves to mathematics and there is much more recognition. And not only mathematics as such, but science, but definitely, since the contribution that these give is minimized, the activist refers.nnWomen mathematicians have focused on this International Day of Women Mathematicians to expose the problems present in the field, how they would make it invisible generated by the lack of role models for girls and young people.nnFrom Nicaragua our interviewee criticizes the educational system «they make them look so difficult» she assures, that generates disinterest.

The ideal commemoration of this anniversaryn

For Carballo, an ideal commemoration of Mathematics Women’s Day should be dedicated to recognizing the women who have contributed to this science. And that the creation of a study campaign be promoted, he adds, «that women who want to study mathematics or some related science be promoted because it seems to me that suddenly very little promotion or very little importance is given to it, especially when speaking of Nicaragua when They only see you as a teacher, but really mathematical people can contribute beyond teaching.”nnHe concludes by urging young women and girls not to be afraid and opt for mathematics “You should not be afraid to choose this beautiful career, work to achieve that dream. Mathematics is a very nice study that brings you closer to understanding life and even to recognizing the why of many things.”