“In my capacity as the Rector of Universidade de Lisboa (Lisboa), I confer the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by ULisboa, on Professor Ricardo Galvão”, said Luís Ferreira on 4th December, in the Great Hall of Instituto Superior Técnico. The audience erupted in applause, giving a standing ovation that lasted a full minute.
This title will be an achievement to add to many others for Ricardo Galvão. The Brazilian scientist currently chairs the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and he is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. As a researcher, he has dedicated himself mainly to plasmas and nuclear fusion and was involved in the construction of the first tokamak in Latin America. He chaired the Brazilian Physical Society (2013-2016), he was the director of the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics (2005-2012) and the National Institute for Space Research (INPE, 2016-2019). His last term came to an early end with a resignation ordered by the then president of Brazil, after INPE published data showing an increase in the rate of deforestation in the Amazon that year. Despite the pressure he was under, the scientist ensured the rigour of the results, recalling fundamental principles of research integrity.
Speaking at the start of the solemn ceremony, the president of Técnico Rogério Colaço recalled “we must have the courage to defend our values” and “Professor Ricardo Galvão is an example of that courage”. “His life journey inspires us all,” he added. Carlos Varandas, a former professor at Técnico and a colleague of Ricardo Galvão for over 40 years, delivered the laudatory speech, highlighting that the researcher’s academic and professional achievements were a “very difficult task” to do in the time available, he added.
A few minutes later, and wearing the Doctor Honoris Causa medal, Ricardo Galvão greeted the audience and honoured the memory of his research colleagues. His collaboration with Técnico, an institution that according to him “has enormous international prestige in the field of plasma physics”, dates back to 1982. That year, on the occasion of the first Latin-American Workshop on Plasma Physics, he met some Técnico professors – one of them, Carlos Varandas, would deliver his laudatory speech 41 years later at this ceremony.
In his speech, Ricardo Galvão emphasised the key points of his scientific career, including various collaborations between Brazil and Portugal. With regard to Técnico, he highlighted the collaborations between the University of São Paulo and the Nuclear Fusion Centre and, later, the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (IPFN). Speaking later that day, the researcher reiterated “cooperation in science and technology between Brazil and Portugal had always been extremely important”.
ULisboa awards the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to “eminent personalities, national or foreign, who have distinguished themselves in academic, scientific, professional, cultural, artistic, civic or political activity, or who have rendered high services to the University, the Country or Humanity”.
IST Distinguished Lecture – “Current Brazilian Environmental Policy for the Amazon Rainforest”
On the same day, at 3 p.m., Ricardo Galvão gave the IST Distinguished Lecture “Current Brazilian Environmental Policy for the Amazon Rainforest”, at Abreu Faro amphitheatre, Alameda campus.
“In a way, I feel that part of my soul is connected to Técnico because of the times I spent here and the good friends I made”, the scientist shared at the start of his lecture. Ricardo Galvão enlightened the audience with information about the Amazon, an area that is often associated only with Brazil, but which extends over the territory of nine countries, the so-called Pan-Amazonian countries. In addition to discussing the role of the Amazon rainforest in maintaining the planet’s ecological and environmental balance, the scientist recalled the indigenous people who live there and their relationship with it.
The second part of the lecture focussed on the problem of deforestation and the evolution of its magnitude over the years. Using data collected by monitoring projects carried out in the Amazon rainforest, Ricardo Galvão emphasised the negative effects of the Brazilian government’s change in environmental policy between 2019 and 2022, and shared the initiatives for preventing illegal logging and the occupation of Amazonian territories.
“I would like to see more Portuguese institutions – particularly Técnico – working with Brazilian researchers on problems relevant to the Amazon,” said the researcher as he left the amphitheatre. Recalling the 30 million people living in the Amazon region, Ricardo Galvão stressed some obstacles that could be tackled by this scientific cooperation, such as the region’s remote and difficult access and logistic difficulties. “Nowadays, with solar energy production and even the possibility of satellite internet, it’s possible to study groups in a specific location and their problems”, he added. The scientist urged his Portuguese colleagues to “keep an eye out for the scientific problems in the Amazon” and “to look for the most convenient partners in Brazil”.
