Luís Tarrataca, Técnico alumnus (Information Systems and Computer Engineering – Taguspark campus), currently teaches at the Federal Center for Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET / RJ), where he tries to inspire and motivate his students.
Luís Tarracata’s fascination with IT started very early, through video games. Adolescence would further consolidate his passion, giving him the opportunity to watch the beginning of “major companies such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft as constant source of innovation that showed a bright future with high potential transformative impact on society. I remember discussing enthusiastically with friends about the potential that all these innovations would have in our lives”, recalls Luís Tarrataca.
The Técnico alumnus had no difficulty in choosing the right university since he closely worked with university professors who collaborated scientifically with Técnico professors. “They were always saying that Técnico was a top engineering school and the Information Systems and Computer Engineering course was a high-quality course and very demanding”, recalls the alumnus.
According to Luís Tarrataca “the first years at Técnico were challenging. There is no other way to describe it”. The course was very demanding as well as the practical works. “Learning to deal with all this was an excellent learning process, and it is something that still helps me today, and that will probably be a constant throughout my life”, he stresses. “Técnico taught me to deal with complex problems, time and people. I learnt a broad set of values at Técnico, namely spirit of self-sacrifice and resilience capacity. These are undoubtedly important values that I preserve in my life”, he says.
“Acquiring additional knowledge is both very rewarding and challenging”
Once the adaptation phase was over, the alumnus started to enjoy the scientific research process. “When I was a 4th year student, I had the opportunity to participate in a partnership between PT-Inovação and professor João Cardoso from ANCORA group at INESC-ID, which was key to follow an academic career”, recalls the alumnus. “Trying to solve an innovative problem is something that fascinates me”, says Luís Tarrataca. In this way, the idea of pursuing a PhD became natural. “Acquiring additional knowledge is both very rewarding and challenging”, he stresses. “This experience was even more interesting under the guidance of professor Andreas Wichert, to whom I am deeply grateful, not only for the opportunity but also for the guidance itself. The whole process was extraordinarily enriching”, he adds.
Técnico alumnus had his first teaching experience when he was doing his PhD (2nd year). “It was very interesting to see students’ difficulties. Although I hadn’t much experience, I realised that my knowledge in this area had evolved”, he shares. “I acquired a lot of skills at Técnico, not only to teach, but also to deal with students” he says.
Luís Tarrataca’s research career would start at ANCORA group – INESC-ID. Then he decided to carry out research on quantum computing, at the suggestion of professor Andreas Wichert, from GAIPS group, where the alumnus would end up staying until the conclusion of his studies. “GAIPS was the perfect spot to do my PhD and provided me insight into the most diverse areas of artificial intelligence”, he says.
The opportunity of going to Brazil, where the alumnus currently has a consolidated career in teaching and research, came from the Técnico professor Paulo Mateus. “He told me that he knew people in Brazil who worked in a similar area, namely professor Renato Portugal, who was a researcher at the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, Rio de Janeiro”, he says. When he finished his PhD, in 2013, Luís Tarrataca decided to apply for a scholarship at the Brazilian National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). “CNPq is very similar to FCT. It promotes scientific and technological research and human resources training”, explains the alumnus. The result of scholarships applications was announced in February, and in April the alumnus officially started his postdoctoral studies in the area of quantum computing. “I had a greater level of interaction with people who worked exclusively in this area at the LNCC [National Laboratory for Scientific Computing]”, says the Técnico alumnus.
When he started teaching at the Federal Center for Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca (Cefet / RJ), where he currently teaches, Luís Tarrataca realised that students should be trained to meet the needs of industry. “In Brazil, computing engineering / computer engineering students must do an internship in a company for at least 6 months”, he explains. “In order to reconcile the needs of the industry with the students’ profile, I opted to focus on artificial intelligence, data science and algorithms”, he adds.
“Watching students go through this transformative process and see their evolution is very gratifying and somehow surprising”
“My idea was to do devote myself exclusively to scientific research”, he confesses. However, a postdoctoral fellow encouraged him to take the public exam to become a professor in Brazil. “At the time, I thought that going through this experience would allow me to expand my knowledge beyond scientific production”, he recalls. Luís Tarratacata quickly realised that a professor “is actually a leading figure, who has not only the ability of passing on technical knowledge, but also the duty to inspire and motivate students to overcome themselves”. “”Watching students go through this transformative process and see their evolution is very gratifying and somehow surprising”, says the Técnico alumnus.
Concerning the Brazilian public higher education, Luis Tarrataca stresses “Public universities attract more students because they have a better teaching quality”. Brazilian public universities do not charge tuition fees, regardless the household income. Therefore, many students from different social classes attend higher education”, says the alumnus. According to Luís Tarrataca, “there is a great difference between students who attended public schools and those who attended private schools during secondary school”. “Unfortunately, Brazilian public education up to secondary school suffers from many gaps”, he stresses.
According to the alumnus “there is a big difference between students from public and private schools. This does not mean that students from private schools achieve better learning”. “There is definitely still room for improvement in Brazilian education system, which must involve all Brazilian society”, he adds.
“Interestingly, I have been approached a few times by Brazilian secondary school students about the possibility of studying at Técnico”
“The university where I work has cooperation agreements with several institutions in Portugal, but Técnico is not included. As a result, I end up encouraging more students to do a MSc or a PhD at Técnico”. “Interestingly, I have already been approached a few times by Brazilian secondary school students about the possibility of studying at Técnico”, he says.
“I miss Portugal very much, that’s why I travel to Lisbon several times a year”, he shares. “I continue to maintain close connections with my family and friends” he says. “As an emigrant, I think this is a very natural feeling. In my case, I left Portugal without any resentment, I left just because I had an interesting job opportunity”, says Luís Tarrataca.
“I was extraordinarily welcomed here, from day one. I made new friends and I deepened family relationships”, he highlights. “The Brazilian culture, although similar to other Latin cultures, is substantially different. And that is also very attractive to me”, he says. “Brazil has been a very positive experience in my personal life and professional growth”, he highlights.
“Técnico continues to be a top engineering school”, says the alumnus. According to Luís Tarrataca “companies like Talkdesk, Unbabel and Codacy are excellent examples that show the entrepreneurial spirit of Técnico students”, highlights the alumnus.
Based on his personal experience, Luís Tarrataca believes “that a large number of Técnico students don’t understand, in the first years, the importance of demanding course”. Only later he became aware of its importance. “Técnico provided me with a set of technical knowledge, taught me to deal with criticism and to learn from hypothetical failures”.
