How well do you know the ground you walk on? What lies beneath the ground at different depths? How are these resources useful to society? Lots of questions and a MasterTalk to answer them – on May 21st, Leonardo Azevedo, a professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, led a MasterTalk organised by the Department of Engineering in Mineral and Energy Resources (DER), at the Técnico Congress Centre.
Motivated at first by the idea of “knowing what’s under our feet”, the professor shared his journey since his student days, highlighting the different areas he has been able to explore – an internship at an energy company, teaching and research related to geophysical data processing, modelling and interpretation, and spatial data science. According to the professor, the versatility of his career represents the range of options available to students.
The president of the Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA) explained that the energy transition will be made in a sustainable way using the knowledge acquired in this area. He spoke of ‘critical raw materials’, such as some minerals essential for producing electrical circuits that make up new, greener technologies.
“The new master’s students at DER can make a difference in the future, namely in energy transition, digital transition and sustainability of our planet”, defended Leonardo Azevedo, adding that Técnico has “leading alumni in public and private institutions and different departments – they are a benchmark in the field of mineral and energy resources”. He also described the MasterTalk as “a very important event for breaking down barriers that don’t have to exist between students and professors”.
João Sérgio, a 1st-year master’s student, came to the MasterTalk “to find out what kind of work is being done”. He says that his experience “has been very positive”. ‘I come from a different university and I was surprised here”, he shares, stressing that “Técnico promotes close contact between its students and the professional environment”.
Margarida Figueiredo is attending the third year of the undergraduate programme in Mining and Energy Resources Engineering. She wants to pursue studies in this field and she came to the MasterTalk curious about the activities carried out by the research units. “I liked the focus given to research”, says the student, “because I didn’t know about prof. Leonardo Azevedo’s research work and I realised that there are still many things to explore”.
Margarida is considering pursuing a Master’s Programme in Mining and Geological Engineering, which, along with the Master’s Programme in Energy Resources Engineering, are offered by DER.
The upcoming MasterTalk on the master’s programmes offered by the Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment will be led by João Ramôa Correia, on June 6th.
