There are lots of reasons to attend the Bioengineering Week (SBE): the broad range of topics relating to Bioengineering (lectures or panels) and more than 70 renowned national and international speakers who will provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about the scientific and technological innovations in this area.
The event also includes workshops, where participants can apply their knowledge in a dynamic and practical way, lectures by Técnico alumni, networking moments and prizes for the most active participants.
The redesign of the event, which celebrates its 6th edition this year, was inspired by the desire to go further. “The organisation saw the virtual format as an opportunity to bring together national and international speakers and participants, to address innovative scientific topics and to organise different activities”, stresses Cristiana Vaz, SBE coordinator. “In this edition, the coffee-breaks were replaced by the SBE Challenges – small prize-winning challenges on the topics covered in lectures”, she adds.
After a semester of hard work, the organizing team – composed of 60 students from the Department of Bioengineering (DBE) – is happy to see that the number of participants is higher than expected. “The feedback from our colleagues and speakers has been very positive”, says Irina Lopes, another SBE coordinator. The lectures had 100-200 participants and “the workshops were sold out”, adds the student.
The Portuguese talent in the different fields of Bioengineering has prevailed in this edition. The panel held on Wednesday, March 10, included Joana Miranda (researcher at iMed.ULisboa), Margarida Serra (researcher at iBET and Técnico alumna) and Catarina Miranda (researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology). Cláudia Lobato da Silva, DBE professor and moderator, stressed “these three brilliant female researchers will show us how to grow human cells outside the body, in vitro, using different approaches”.
The speakers highlighted the potential of cell therapies and talked about the new stem cell cultivation strategies, their projects in this area and the challenges ahead.
One of the main goals of the SBE is to disseminate the work carried out in Portugal and in the rest of the world in the most diverse fields of Bioengineering, bringing together an interdisciplinary group of students, academics, researchers and companies, in order to foster interaction and knowledge sharing. “We have maintained the Job Fair to promote networking moments between participants and companies in order to strengthen the link between universities and the job market”, stresses the SBE coordinator Maria Sousa.
The SBE APP makes the event even more dynamic, allowing participants to add their CV to their profile, access the event agenda, sign up for activities, meet the invited speakers and ask them questions during the lectures. “The app was used in the 5th SBE, in 2019, and it has been very successful among the participants since its launch, because it facilitates the dissemination of the event and the registration procedures”, points out Matilde Narciso, also SBE coordinator. “Over the years, the app has had some modifications, including the addition of a BioCoins system that allows participants to be eligible to win prizes depending on their presence at SBE”, highlights the student.
According to Cristiana Vaz, the SBE stands out due to its exclusive focus on Bioengineering, “there are not many events dealing with this topic in Portugal, so the SBE captivates Bioengineering students, who are growing exponentially not only at Técnico, but throughout the country and the world”.
