The University of French Polynesia (French acronym UPF), located in Punaauia, on the island of Tahiti, is one of the main institutions of higher education in the French overseas territories in the Pacific. Founded in 1987 and split from the University of New Caledonia by a Decree in 1999, the University is a regional center for culture and science. Mathematical reserach at UPF is concentrated at the Laboratory of Algebraic Geometry and Applications to Information Theory (French acronym: GAATI).
The director of GAATI, Dr. Gaetan Bisson decided to use the Gömböc in the mathematical curriculum as a demonstration tool for fundamental concepts in geometry and dynamical systems. The sponsor suggested to donate a Pacific Blue Gömböc model, which was first transported by diplomatic courier from Budapest to the Hungarian embassy in Paris, subsequently it travelled to Tahiti in the personal luggage of Dr. Norbert Somogyi, scientific counsellor of the embassy. At the hand-over ceremony on March 7th 2024, Dr Somogyi (upper picture, second from left), in the company of Ms Magdolna Gere from the University of Szeged (upper picture, right) presented the Gömböc to Professor Gerbert-Sylvestre Bouyssou (upper picture, left) and Dr. Gaetan Bisson, director of GAATI (third from left). The Gömböc was placed into a dedicated showcase which was also inspected by MmeTéa Frogier, secretary of state for research (lower picture, right).
The donation of the Gömböc was supported by Mr Ottó Albrecht.