It was not yet 10 a.m. and small groups were already gathering at the entrance to the Oeiras Campus of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa. While some children ran towards the kids’ inflatables, secondary school students were searching for information on laboratory tours, courses and projects that would “help them imagine the future”.

On 16 May, the Oeiras Campus hosted another edition of Técnico Open Day – Oeiras Campus, this year together with the Técnico Family Day. Throughout the day, around 200 participants visited the campus to take part in workshops, technology demonstrations, guided tours and activities tailored to different age groups.

Fifteen-year-old Duarte had traveled from Sines with his parents, with a very specific aim: “to explore potential future opportunities”. He is interested in programming and video game development, so he made a point of visiting the Games Lab, having already checked out the robotics and telecommunications areas. “I wanted to come and get to know the university and its courses. I really liked the Games Lab and it made me even more eager to study here”, he said.

His parents explain that the decision to make the trip arose from the need to turn online information into a real-life experience. “It’s one thing to see what’s on the website. It’s quite another to come here, talk to students, experience the atmosphere and hear about their experiences”, explained Catarina Ramos, Duarte’s mother. “We felt it was important for him to start envisioning his future”.

Throughout the day, questions poured in about entry requirements, Erasmus opportunities, accommodation and career prospects. In the laboratories and corridors, secondary school students rubbed shoulders with children trying their hand, for the first time, at activities related to robotics, electronics and science.

Laboratory tours, students’ organisations and family activities

The programme also included Family Day initiatives, organised by the Wellbeing and Development Unit of Técnico’s Human Resources Department. Amidst taekwondo, yoga and Krav Maga classes, games and kids’ inflatables, the venue was gradually filled with families who “took the opportunity to explore the campus”.

“We wanted to combine our initiative with the Open Day because we believe that creating synergies leads to better results”, explained Joana Cruz, the event organiser. “It’s important for people to learn about Técnico’s different campi. We often become too focused on our own space, and events like these help us understand the broader scope of Técnico”.

At the Técnico Family Day event, Ricardo Sousa and Susana Cruz participated in various activities. After the morning’s events, they decided to join tours of the available laboratories. “It was a way of combining the two experiences”, they said.

Alongside the demonstrations, direct contact with students was a “central role throughout the day”. At the students’ organisation booths, conversations quickly transitioned from formal introductions to engaging topics such as adapting to higher education, extracurricular projects, and the academic routine.

Manuel Vaz, an Electronics Engineering student and president of the Electronics Engineering Students’ Organisation (N3E), spent the day engaging with visitors through robotics demonstrations and soldering workshops. “At a certain point, it stops being a presentation and becomes a conversation. They start asking what we enjoy about the course, what academic life is like, and what we do here. That’s what helps them envision themselves in this environment”, he said.

“The Open Day is an opportunity for us to open our doors to anyone who wants to come”, said Joana Mendonça, Vice-President of Técnico for the Oeiras Campus. “Here you can have a glimpse of what goes on at the campus, from robotics to bioengineering, computer science, games and satellites. It’s like welcoming people into our home”.

Throughout the day, visitors explored the laboratories of the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa), GAIPS, the NanoSat Lab, the Games Laboratory, and the Stem Cell Bioengineering Laboratory, with successive groups coming through. According to Susana Encarnação, who is responsible for Student Support, this sense of connection is what continues to distinguish the initiative. “It is an excellent opportunity for those in an exploratory phase to gain a better understanding of what their path in higher education might look like”.

Photo gallery (available soon)