The Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Award (MLPA) was established by Técnico in 2016, in the memory of engineer Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, Técnico alumna and national leader with a decisive role and impact on Portuguese society. The award aims to recognise and reward annually two women graduated at Técnico. Engineers Paula Panarra and Catarina Belém were the winners of MLPA’s 4th edition. The award ceremony took place this Wednesday, April 21, in hybrid format.
The Técnico president, professor Rogério Colaço, attended the opening session and highlighted “30% of our students are women, the percentage of women faculty at Técnico is 30%, and 60% of IST technical and administrative staff are women, of which 50% hold management positions. We are taking full advantage of female talent in engineering. Not wasting talent due to gender issues has been and will always be one of our main concerns”.
“This prize is one of Técnico initiatives to combat a polarized gender thinking”, said professor Helena Geirinhas, Vice president of Técnico for Administrative Management and jury member. “This prize is a tribute to Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo and an opportunity to reward female talent, namely at Técnico”.
Professor Helena Geirinhas announced that Filstone will join the next editions of Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Award. “In 2016, Técnico has strengthen its commitment to equality between men and women because we believe that diversity enhances our mission and reinforces our identity”.
Catarina Belém: “I found my passion for learning and sharing knowledge at Técnico”
Engineer Catarina Belém, winner of the prize in the “Young Alumna” category, highlighted the importance of financial support that enabled her “to have access to a high-quality public education in Portugal” and to continue her studies, and also “to discover my passion for research and teaching”; she did not forget to mention her colleagues and family, and her positive experience at NAPE and NEIIST.
The Técnico alumna expressed special gratitute to her master’s thesis supervisor, professor António Menezes de Leitão, who invited her “to be part of a high-quality research group with high shares of women researchers”. “I found my passion for learning and sharing knowledge at Técnico. Professor António and the research group inspired me to do research. I learnt how to go beyond my limits at Feedzai [where she currently works]”, she said.
“I am sure that choosing Técnico was the right decision for me”, says the Técnico alumna (Computer Science and Engineering), who will start a PhD at the University of California, next September.
Paula Panarra: “Believe me, the opportunity actually exists and it is worth it”.
“Técnico promotes several initiatives that actually have a positive impact on diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities”, says Paula Panarra. “I left Técnico a few years ago and I am sure that the success I’ve had in my career is due the skills I acquired there”.
The General Manager at Microsoft Portugal stressed “there is still a long way to go so that more women can hold positions most often associated with men, particularly in the technology sector, in leadership positions”.
“We need all available tech talent, female and male, because tech jobs are going to be in high demand in the coming years. Attracting female talent into science and technology should involve 3 pillars: education, companies, and the society itself”, she stressed.
Paula Panarra shared “I have the privilege of leading a company like Microsoft that has been following this path for many years, using different strategies, such as partnerships or setting its own goals, empowering and building a Global ecosystem”. The alumna said a few words to the current and future Técnico students: “Believe me, the opportunity actually exists and it is worth it”.
Video messages from the president of FCT and the Minister of Territorial Cohesion
The president of Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), professor Helena Pereira, praised the ceremony and the award winners. “Diversity is a key element for present and future generations”. “A sustained growth depends on broader connections between language and knowledge, but also approaches, emotions and experiences”.
Professor Helena Pereira highlighted some FCT’s guiding principles: “Expanding Science and promoting knowledge, rewarding expertise and encouraging advanced training, without forgetting the importance of scientific diversity and gender balance. The evaluation panels of major FCT competitions have an equal percentage of women and men as from this year”.
The Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, recalled the pioneering journey of Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, “who broadened horizons and minds”. “She showed that there are no jobs dominated by men or women and, above all, she showed women that they can be anything they want to be. This award honours her legacy and promotes social and territorial cohesion”.
“This award will inspire other women to make their own choices. The most important thing is that we can make the choices that make us happy, whether we are men or women, and that society and the community where we live respect those choices”, added Ana Abrunhosa. “It is an honour and a privilege to be invited to participate in this session that honours the work of two women, and pays tribute to a great woman of our country”.
