The 32nd edition of Chemical Engineering Seminar Series started this Tuesday, 19th February, and will end on Friday, 22nd February. This year’s edition will include lectures, workshops, technical visits and case studies.
Professor Jorge Calado, Emeritus professor at Técnico, gave a lecture mainly about Dmitri Mendeleev, the famous Russian scientist who published the first version of the periodic table of chemical elements. After sharing with the audience the extensive list of scientist who contributed to the development of the periodic table, he asked: “Is the periodic table a collective scientific discovery?”. And then he answered: “I don’t think so. Dmitri was the most well prepared chemist at that time to accomplish the task. He was a great pedagogue who used irony to arouse students’ curiosity. The students loved him”, said the professor.
During the afternoon, the Técnico alumni Djêide Rocha (The Navigator Company), Catarina Domingos (Cipan), Guilherme Gonçalves (Galp) and Luís Belchior (McKinsey & Company) shared their experiences with the audience. The experience of studying at Técnico and the challenges they faced after finishing the course, were some of the topics addressed by the alumni. “Enjoy learning, make decisions based on the things you really like”, said Djêide Rocha. “When you discover something that interests you, fight for it and try to be better”, said Catarina Domingos. “Being able to communicate effectively is very important and it is also important that we improve this ability throughout the course”, she added.
According to Beatriz Colaço and Joana Marques, members of JEQ’s organising team, the main goal of this event is to help participants “to have a clear idea of what they want to do in the future”. “As we move towards the end of the course, we realise how much this is important. It’s very important to receive feedback from someone who is already inside the labour market”, stresses Joana Marques. “JEQ enriches us because it improves our ability to organise and manage our time, and helps us to develop teamwork and creativity skills”, says Beatriz Colaço. “We are very pleased and proud of our work. Everyone noticed a significant difference this year, when comparing to previous editions”, they said.
