393 professors were honoured for excellence in teaching and 155 students were honoured for academic excellence. This was the highlight of the morning of 23rd May 2024 – the day that marks the 113th anniversary of Instituto Superior Técnico, an event celebrated at the Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade, with the awarding of more than 500 diplomas and, in the afternoon, a solemn session that included speeches from various members of the school community.
The president of the Pedagogical Council, Teresa Peña, was the first speaker of the day. “It is very important to have this joint celebration”, she said, adding “the good atmosphere at Técnico campi, corridors and classrooms, comes from students and their conversations with the most inspiring professors”. Leonor Matos, vice-president of the Pedagogical Council, sees the Academic Excellence Diplomas as ‘proof of the commitment and dedication’ of students. The student also congratulated the professors awarded with the Outstanding Teaching Diploma, saying that they “had undoubtedly left their mark on many students throughout their career’.
The students were announced by name and invited to take the stage. United by academic success, the graduates were represented by three students who gave a speech after receiving the diplomas – Mariana Trindade, an Industrial Engineering and Management undergraduate student, Margarida Grou, a Mining and Geological Engineering master’s student and Miguel Silva, an Electronics Engineering undergraduate student. They stressed the importance of students as the ‘driving force of the institution’ and the important role of the students’ organisations in maintaining their motivation and good academic performance.
Similarly, the professors awarded with the Outstanding Teaching Diplomas (assessment made by students in the Course Unit Quality System) were called by name and invited to receive their diplomas on stage. Professors Nuno Martins, Otávia Monteiro Gil and Paulo Lobato Correia were also honoured with the Outstanding Teaching Awards for getting a maximum score in all assessment criteria made by their students.
At the end of the morning ceremony, the president of Técnico Rogério Colaço highlighted “Técnico students are Portugal’s top talent”, a statement that was greeted with an ovation from the audience. Given the talent inherent in each Técnico student, the president hoped that ‘the difficulty [of the journey] would never be a reason for anyone to lose confidence’. ‘Técnico is here to help everyone overcome these difficulties,’ he added, ‘whatever they may be’ – learning, economic, mental health or otherwise. The school ‘provides support to students who experience difficulties for any of these reasons.
He also made a request – ‘continue to be a source of inspiration for those who are still in the process of overcoming the difficulties they encounter along the way, whether they are fellow teachers or fellow students. It’s a win-win situation’, he assured.
After his speech, the president invited the participants to visit the exhibition ‘110 Stories | 110 Objects’, which was inaugurated that afternoon and will be open until the end of the year at Técnico Innovation Center powered by Fidelidade.
The solemn session took place in the afternoon
The president of Técnico was the last speaker in the morning and the first in the afternoon. In the solemn session that marked Técnico’s 113th anniversary, Rogério Colaço recalled the school’s origins, invoking its historic mission – “to contribute to the development of the country and its economy by training qualified people”. The school’s mission doesn’t stop there, however – ‘Técnico’s mission is also to contribute to a world that is more open to science and knowledge and more critical of dogma, obscurantism and demagoguery,’ he said.
“Founding a company, becoming a football champion, building a hydrogen boat, an electric car, a drone, a rocket, a Formula 1 car, a satellite that will be placed 500 kilometres up next summer – everything is possible here, at Técnico”, said Rogério Colaço. In this regard, the president recalled that, in the space next to the one where he was speaking, dozens of objects and prototypes recalling the history (and stories) of the School were on display in the exhibition “110 Stories | 110 Objects”, some of which coincided with the examples he listed.
Pedro Monteiro, president of the Técnico Students’ Union (AEIST) and the second speaker that afternoon, described Técnico as a “prestigious” school, which, in his opinion, was due to “the tireless dedication of its professors, researchers and non-teaching staff” and, above all, “the energy, creativity, irreverence and commitment of its students”.
Also in the afternoon, diplomas were awarded, to the School’s Departments for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Success, a moment that preceded Teresa Peña’s second speech of the day. Quoting physicist Richard Feynman, she argued that ‘“We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning. ‘Freedom also teaches us that,’ she continued, ‘[since] it allows us not to be afraid of making mistakes, doubting, questioning, exploring – that’s why it’s so important for science too.’ The president of the Pedagogical Council also left the audience some words from Alfredo Bensaúde, included in his pedagogical notes from 1922 – ‘freedom contributes to keeping teaching at a high level. The student’s work and the professor’s role consists above all in guiding them so that their efforts lead to the greatest possible benefit’.
The ceremony also honoured employees – these included professors, researchers and technical and administrative staff who have been hired or who have progressed in their careers, retired or who recently completed 25 years of service. Ana Catana, who has spent 30 years ‘at the service of the institution’ – since she joined the Civil Engineering undergraduate programme in 1994 – spoke on behalf of these employees. ‘I’ve been a freshman, a student, a scholarship holder, a lecturer, a researcher, a specialist and now a manager,’ she said. During her academic journey she found ‘a group of friends that I still consider family today’. She remembers her teaching and research days with nostalgia, and emphasised how ‘proud she was to be working at the university which, in her teenage years, was a major national and international reference’. She currently works in the International Projects Office at Técnico.
Two more awards followed – the 2024 Distinguished Professor, a title that recognises Técnico professors and researchers who make an exceptional contribution to the School’s dynamics, with a very high impact on the activity of a university professor/researcher. This year, the awarded professors were Teresa Duarte (‘One of my greatest joys has been sharing knowledge with these students who come every year eager to learn.’) and Paulo Martins (‘deeply grateful and honoured’ to receive this recognition).
The rector of Universidade de Lisboa, Luís Ferreira addressed ‘words of congratulations on the anniversary of this great School’. It’s a moment for us to reaffirm our commitment – of Técnico and ULisboa to the society – through the knowledge we produce and transmit’.
The performance by the Camerata de Estudantes do Técnico closed the solemn session, and was followed by the inauguration of the exhibition and book launch “110 Stories | 110 Objects”. The ceremony ended with a cocktail and Técnico birthday cake outside the Técnico Innovation Center, with the participation of hundreds of people and the musical performances by Grupo de Cantares Tradicionais do Instituto Superior Técnico and Tunas Universitária, Mista and Feminina do Técnico.
The School’s 113th anniversary was a celebration of the institution but, above all, of the people who make it up – students, professors, researchers and staff.
