Inês Ferreira and Pedro Faria are the winners – ex-aqueo – of the 2024 Professor Luís Vidigal Award. The award was presented on 29 June, at the Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade, during Técnico ElectroDay, an event that aims to showcase the projects developed within the scope of the 1st Cycle Integrative Project in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PIC1) Curricular Unit.
In this edition, 15 “works of exceptional quality from various master’s programmes” at Técnico applied for the award, according to the jury chaired by Isabel Ribeiro, a researcher at the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa) and a professor at Técnico. Inês Ferreira (MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Pedro Faria (MSc in Electronics Engineering), won the competition with their dissertations “Parallelisation of the Kaczmarz Algorithm” and “Scalable Coil Sensors Readout for Eddy Current Testing Array Probes”, respectively. Inês Ferreira was the third woman to win this award.
Inês analysed the behaviour of the Kaczmarz algorithm method (used to solve systems of linear equations) and its sequential variations, which showed that a randomised version of the algorithm that samples equations without replacement outperforms both the original and the randomised Kaczmarz methods. Applying this method to solve real-life problems showed that it is possible to minimise the construction error in images obtained by computed tomography.
Pedro Faria developed a sensor for layer-by-layer quality control of metal parts produced on PBF (Powder Bed Fusion) 3D printers. The device makes it possible to obtain layer-by-layer imaging that fully reconstitutes the metal part being produced.
Established in 2020 by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and INESC, this award has honoured authors of works from eight different master’s programmes at Técnico.
In the 2023 edition, the jury of the Prof. Luís Vidigal Award is composed of: Isabel Ribeiro , Arlindo Oliveira, João Miranda Lemos, Teresa Correia de Barros, Moisés Piedade, Pedro Lima, Sónia Pinto, Miguel Pupo Correia, Pedro Carvalho, Bruno Martins, Rui Valadas, Carlos Silvestre and Jorge Fernandes.
