The award ceremony for the second edition of the NOS Merit Award in Parallel and Distributed Computing recognised the achievements of João Pedro Miranda, a master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Técnico. The award, valued at 2,500 euros, was presented on 26 May, in the Main Building’s Meeting Room, at Alameda campus.
The president of Técnico, Rogério Colaço, highlighted the importance of partnerships with the business sector for effective technology transfer. He noted that these awards serve as ‘a motivational factor for students and contribute to the enhancement of the Curricular Units’. He also emphasised the transformative role of Técnico Partner Network, congratulating all participating students and mentioning that ‘participation in such events will be beneficial for entering the job market’.
During the ceremony, three students were invited to pitch their projects. Daniel dos Santos Ferreira and Diogo Ribeiro, master’s students in Computer Science and Engineering, and João Pedro Miranda, a master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, delivered their presentations, followed by a discussion with the jury, made up of Técnico professors José Monteiro and Luís Silveira, and Carlos Canau, Operations Tech Manager at NOS. The project focused on a particle simulator using parallel and distributed computing.
Pedro Amaral, the vice-president of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, congratulated the students, highlighting the challenge of ‘bridging the gap between scientific research and real-world applications’. Regarding the partnership with NOS, he noted that it is ‘one of Técnico’s most significant partners’ and expressed pride in it being ‘a fully Portuguese-developed company’. Cristina Estevão, Head of Recruitment at NOS, emphasised the importance of these initiatives ‘in fostering skills beyond technical expertise’, warning that “great ideas can be lost due to communication failures.”
The ceremony also included the presentation of participation certificates to Daniel dos Santos Ferreira and Diogo Ribeiro. Additionally, NOS made a donation of 1,660 euros to enhance the teaching conditions of the Parallel and Distributed Computing curricular unit within the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (DEI). Ana Teresa Freitas, a Técnico professor and head of DEI, thanked the students for their commitment to the programme and congratulated them. “These initiatives facilitate greater interaction on campus and enhance our students’ soft skills”, she added.
