Amílcar Soares‘ academic jubilee took place on 30 September, in the Great Hall of Instituto Superior Técnico Nobre, at Alameda campus. The lecture titled ‘…da quantificação do conhecimento à caracterização da ignorância nos recursos naturais: a leveza de um percurso académico’, revisited and honoured the professor’s career.

The president of Técnico, Rogério Colaço, greeted the audience and said ‘We have to thank Professor Amílcar Soares for his work on behalf of Técnico’. He also highlighted his ‘already long relationship’ with ‘one of the most remarkable professors of recent years at Técnico’, emphasising the professor’s ‘resilience and tenacity’. He also recalled the meeting that resulted in the creation of the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering and the professor’s emotions following the meeting. ‘It’s done, Amílcar,’ he said, giving him a smile at the end of his speech. ‘Now it’s time to build’.

The rector of Universidade de Lisboa, Luís Ferreira, highlighted Amílcar Soares’ “fundamental role” “in stimulating sea research”. ‘The academic jubilee is a profound thank you from the institution and the people, the friends who are here’, he said.

António Costa Silva, professor at Técnico and former Minister of the Economy and Maritime Affairs, made a point of ‘honouring the passion for Earth sciences’ of the retired professor, whom he met more than fifty years ago ‘at the University of Luanda’, when they were both mining engineering students.

Maria João Pereira, Secretary of State for Energy and professor at Técnico, recalled the important role of Amílcar Soares as the first president of the Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA). ‘He’s one of those people who roots for Técnico’ and ‘his work is widely recognised by the school’, she shared.

Amílcar Soares confessed to being ‘completely overwhelmed’ by the speeches. His lecture covered subjects such as soil contamination and desertification, the relationship between lichen species diversity and air pollution, the impact of bridge construction on local bird populations and mapping the risk of COVID-19 infection.

‘I am immensely satisfied,’ he shared with the audience. ‘My soul is complete.’