The 4th edition of the Técnico Seminar Series, organised by the School Assembly, took place on 17 and 18 November at Técnico – Alameda Campus (Congress Centre) – Alameda Campus. Over the two days, there was an opportunity for dialogue, sharing and reflections among various panels and their audiences. The event was aimed at the entire community: technical and administrative staff, professors, researchers and students.
The central theme of this edition was “O Amanhã no Técnico” (“Rethinking the Future of Técnico”), covering topics such as well-being, the importance of skills and training, the challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching and research, teaching models and the role of students’ organisations. The School Assembly organised six panels made up of professors, researchers, students, and staff from Técnico, reinforcing the idea that Maria Teresa Duarte, President of the School Assembly, left at the opening session: “The future of Técnico must be shaped by everyone’s voice”.
In the opening session, Rogério Colaço, President of Instituto Superior Técnico, began by saying that “these seminar series focus on the future of the institution and each panel plays are crucial in this discussion”, also adding that “our world is undergoing a profound transformation and we are fortunate to be witnessing the fourth revolution – caused by artificial intelligence – given that humanity has benefited from all previous revolutions”. The President of Técnico encourage everyone to “keep your knowledge on this topic up to date, so we do not miss the boat and fail to understand what is happening”.
This was one of the major highlights of the conference. How will AI change or is already changing society? What are the challenges, main concerns, new methods, and new solutions? The debate was marked by consensus on the theme, with particular emphasis on education and research, paying special attention to rapid adaptation to new technologies and everything that this entails in learning processes. Maria Teresa Duarte argues that “it is important to invest in the development of new skills”, while the President of Técnico warns that “we cannot equip students with skills in the same way as 25 years ago, as this process involves both professors and students”.
In the panel dedicated to AI in education, Arlindo Oliveira, a professor at Técnico and researcher at Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Lisboa (INESC-ID), stated that AI “will indeed profoundly change the way we teach and learn”. However, he shared that “we are still in the early stages of this tool”, warning of the pros and cons of using AI in education. “There is an article on the teaching of physics showing that students learn better and more effectively when using artificial intelligence, but there are other articles suggesting that excessive reliance on artificial intelligence can lead to cognitive atrophy among students”, he described. He also argued that artificial intelligence “should be used to foster learning, not to replace it”.
Andrea Costigliola, Head of Global IT Analytics at Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Técnico alumnus, highlighted three points regarding the impact of AI on society. Artificial intelligence can accelerate innovation, leading to continuous advancements. It is important to master the technology to maximise its usefulness, but always be committed to ethical principles. Finally, AI can lead to a revolution in skills and work, redefining traditional roles and creating new challenges in the job market. In the same way, new opportunities may arise for universities and companies to develop new skills. He also called for “increased technological literacy for those who lack it”.
Susana Vieira, a professor at Técnico and researcher at the Mechanical Engineering Institute (idMEC), warned of the dangers of using artificial intelligence. “Unfortunately, it is seen by society as a tool that can be used for everything”. In this regard, she pointed out that “we must have multidisciplinary teams so that we do not depend on a single tool to solve every problem”. In her speech, she brought up the technical and ethical challenges of using artificial intelligence in industry. She warned about FAIR data (data accessibility) and its quality, privacy and cybersecurity, and their impact on the management of each company and/or industry.
From Well-being to the role of students’ organisations
“In a constantly changing world at an ever-increasing pace, it is necessary to develop and promote well-being activities for the entire community”,’ explained Ana Lucas, Coordinator of the Well-being and Development Unit at Técnico. She presented the Well-being Plan, aimed at all Técnico employees, which is “a collection of activities organised by the School”, she added. The Plan operates in six strategic areas: occupational health, sport, healthy eating, mental health, “ser Técnico” and social responsibility. Among the various panellists were Ana Prata, Invited Professor and Coordinator of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer at the Faculty of Sciences of Universidade de Lisboa, and Marta Almeida, Vice-President of Técnico for the Management of the Loures Campus. Ana Prata presented the “Ciências em Harmonia” project, a European-funded pilot project to promote well-being and mental health in the academic community. Marta Almeida presented Técnico’s application process to HRS4R – Human Resources Strategy for Researchers, which defines a set of measures to improve human resources practices in research, in line with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers.
Still on the topic of Well-being, the participants in the roundtable discussion “Skills and training as a differentiating factor in your career”, presented various perspectives on career progression and development. Various strategies were shared to enhance career development, taking into account different qualifications and experiences, with a focus on both technical and interpersonal skills. According to Gonçalo Moura, Coordinator of the Academic Development Unit at Técnico, “relationships are the main training ground for these skills”. The impact of job satisfaction and personal fulfilment in career development was also discussed.
During a panel discussion that included faculty, researchers, and students from Técnico, the primary focus was on the Técnico Teaching Model. The panel explored various topics, including ways to improve professors’ ability to transmit knowledge and students’ capacity to absorb it.
The discussion “The role of students’ organisations in academic education” addressed the importance of students’ organisations as complementary elements of education. Aware of the existence of various students’ organisations at Técnico and the multidisciplinary nature of the constant challenges, João Paulo Monteiro, a professor and researcher at the Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR-Lisboa), a Técnico alumnus and a former leader of one of these organisations, believes that “naturally, these organisations have opened up to all courses.’ Fernando Lau, a professor at Técnico, states that “it is important to promote the institution itself” and that “the visibility of the university within the community outside Técnico is largely due to the efforts of students’ organisations”. He also noted that the work these students carry out can serve as a pathway to companies with which they collaborate directly.
