Social responsibility, entrepreneurship, coin minting process and the academic experiences were some of the topics addressed last Tuesday, May 21st, during the 4th alumni dinner, organised by the Técnico Alumni Association (AAAIST). Rita Wahl, from the Academic Development Unit (NDA), engineer Manuel Lopes da Costa, Técnico alumnus and one of the main drivers of Experienced Management, and professor Paulo Martins, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM) and researcher at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IDMEC), were the invited speakers.
“Scholarships provided by AAAIST solidarity fund are very important to our students”, said Rita Wahl. “AAAIST solidarity fund has already supported 41 students. In most cases, AAAIST scholarships are the only hope for these students”, she added.
“Técnico has changed my life. I have been married for many years to someone I met here, my daughters study here and I hope that, someday, my grandchildren study here too”, said engineer Manuel Lopes da Costa, who took the opportunity to share information about one of his most recent projects: The Experienced Management. “We want to show that workers over 50 can still add value to companies. Currently we have about 550 CV in our platform”, shared engineer Manuel Lopes da Costa. “AAAIST has the power to influence individuals and we must seize this opportunity. Many Técnico graduates have played an important role in society and the new generation of Técnico graduates are still among the best! We should take advantage of this in the best possible way”, said engineer Manuel Lopes da Costa.
Professor Paulo Martins made a brief and interesting presentation on coin minting process. The state of the art, the materials used, the strength of the imprint, the prototypes and the collaboration with Casa da Moeda were some of the topics addressed. “Coin minting process is the ultimate challenge. We are very lucky to develop this work in collaboration with Casa da Moeda”, said the professor. Someone in the audience asked professor Paulo Martins: “With so many knowledge and passion about this subject, are you a coin collector?”. “I have some coins. Gold coins are expensive, so I don’t have as many coins as I would like to have”, answered the professor.
The Técnico alumni will meet again Thursday, May 23rd, in the annual event Keep in Touch.
