Abstract:

“Seven seas” is inspired by the works of Pedro Nunes, a Portuguese mathematician whose works and discoveries were very important to the Portuguese odissea. In knowledge society as ours, it is fundamental to recognize the role ‘mathematics and statistics’ play to search for the best ways to face the present and navigate towards the unknown future.
This text represents an effort of synthesis in order to show:
- the role of mathematics “as time goes by”, in the building of our actual civilization: an historical perspective showing the presence of mathematics along human history and focusing on its importance on technological developments.
- its potential role on development education and global citizenship consciousness – interlinked with scientific and technical education in a interdisciplinary perspective.
We conclude by pointing out the need for developing interdisciplinary approaches to mathematics education, because it is the best way to overcome the prejudices of excessive specialization and also to show how mathematics can contribute to a better world.

Keywords:

Mathematics Education, Development Education, Engineering Education, Interdisciplinarity.