From Number Theory to Neural Networks: Sci – Tech Students Explore Barcelona’s Icons
IE Sci-Tech’s Bachelors students journey through geometry and innovation.
IE University’s Bachelor in Applied Mathematics (BAM) and Bachelor in Computer Science and AI (BCSAI) students recently travelled to Barcelona for a unique field trip that brought their studies to life through two unforgettable visits: the Sagrada Familia and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. The experience showcased mathematics not just as theory, but as an active force shaping the physical and digital worlds.
At the Sagrada Familia, students explored Antoni Gaudí’s iconic architectural vision through the lens of applied mathematics. Beneath the towering columns and forest-like canopy, they saw how geometry and symbolism combine to create structural beauty and strength. Gaudí, who incredibly had no formal math training, intuitively employed precise ratios and avoided the golden ratio entirely—favoring simpler rational numbers and proportions based on multiples of 7.5 meters. His use of catenary arches, hyperboloids, and ellipsoid forms demonstrated a masterclass in balancing form and function, while details like a magic square summing to 33 and parabolic light wells highlighted how mathematical ideas serve both structural and spiritual roles.
The afternoon offered a sharp contrast with a visit to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, home to Mare Nostrum 5, one of Europe’s leading high-performance computing facilities. Housed inside a repurposed chapel, the supercomputer is at the centre of Europe’s push toward quantum computing. Students saw first-hand how engineers are scaling quantum systems inside "La Capilla," building up qubit capacity incrementally and exploring hybrid classical-quantum processing.
Sci-Tech student Patricia Nistor reflected on the day: "It was inspiring to see how math can create both something so timeless and expressive like the Sagrada Familia, and something so cutting-edge and powerful like Mare Nostrum. It gave me a new perspective on where our skills can take us."
Before heading back the students received practical insights into future-ready careers—encouraged to explore fields like MLOps and to embrace tools like Consentomatic that reflect an increasingly privacy-conscious tech landscape.
For the students the visit was a fascinating insight into mathematics’ versatility – seeing the same principles applied across centuries and disciplines, from sacred architecture to quantum computing.