On June 8, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ) awarded the Tiradentes Medal to Manuel Heitor, Full professor at DEM, former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and Doctor of Science and Technology awarded by the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

The ceremony was conducted by the president of ALERJ, André Ceciliano, and was attended by the Director General of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Marcelo Viana, and representatives of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), the Osvaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), the FAPERJ Foundation and the Portuguese consulate in Brazil.

The commendation was proposed by the president of ALERJ, for professor Manuel Heitor’s high dedication to education as a professor, researcher, former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, from November 2015 to March 2022, and former Secretary of State of Science, Technology and Higher Education, from November 2005 to June 2011.