Participants gathered around magnetic resonance imaging equipment in one demonstration led by Biomedical Engineering students at the South Tower of the Técnico – Alameda campus. Nearby, another group of secondary school students prepared to observe an electroencephalogram being performed, learning about this method for analysing brain electrical activity.
These are the first of many events of the Biomed Summer Camp organised by the Biomedical Engineering Students’ Organisation (NEBM), from 15 to 18 July, aiming to engage two dozen secondary school students in practical experiences within the field of Biomedical Engineering.
“We aimed to cover various areas of biomedical engineering”, explained Marta Vasconcelos, a third-year Biomedical Engineering student and NEBM’s External Relations Team Leader. To achieve this, the summer camp included three themed days: the first focused on medical imaging, the second on computational biology, and the third on epigenetics (which featured chromosome analysis in a laboratory setting).
In addition to exploring these three branches, the students were challenged to explore a topic of their choice, creating a scientific poster to present at the end of the week. At the beginning of the week, participants also had the opportunity to visit IT laboratories.
Vicente, a student finishing his 12th grade, intends to enrol in the Undergraduate Programme in Biomedical Engineering at Técnico, having already selected it as his first-choice course and he eagerly awaits the placement results. “It was definitely the right choice”, he said, noting he had made this decision even before attending the Biomed Summer Camp. His experience further confirmed his expectations of Técnico as “a place of excellence in Portugal; I’ve always aimed to attend the best universities”.
His group’s poster focused on Brain Machine Interfaces, a subject Vicente only learned about during the camp. “I didn’t know that chips could be implanted in the head to control an arm”, he confessed enthusiastically. The surprise would become even greater—his team won the poster competition held among the four groups.
Beatriz, a student who has just completed 10th grade, had never heard of biomedical engineering before this week. She commented, “This was a great opportunity to explore a new field”. “Not only about learning about the undergraduate programme at Técnico but also about meeting new people who have had different experiences, which I find very interesting”, she shared. As she spoke, she twirled a small blue block resembling a Lego piece between her fingers, which she had modelled and 3D printed during one of the previous day’s activities. Beatriz readily recommends the activity – “for those familiar with this engineering field, it’s a good way to deepen your knowledge and confirm that you are on the right track. But for those who don’t know much about it, it’s a great chance to explore and consider another option”.
