The 7th Physics Seminar Series (JEF) took place from 15th to 17th March and attracted students from Técnico and from other universities. The JEF are organised by students and aim to bring together future engineers, future scientists, researchers and professionals in the field of Physics. This year’s edition covered topics such as the research carried out in Técnico research centres, job market and career opportunities.
“We were able to adapt JEF to the online format. This edition largely exceeded our expectations”, says Rafael Almeida, member of JEF organizing team. “We feel that we have reached many more students, not only from Técnico but also from other Portuguese universities”, he adds.
The participants had the opportunity to attend science lectures, workshops, lab tours and to contact with companies. Rafael Almeida shares the positive feedback regarding the “Meet the Centers!”, which is an adaptation of the “Inside Views” – visits to associate laboratories and research centres that took place in previous years. “This year, we have split the students into breakout rooms with representatives from the various research centres and laboratories”.
The Alumni Talks were a success. The online format allowed to reach several Técnico alumni working or doing research abroad. Nuno Loureiro, professor and researcher at MIT, João Pedro Canhoto, Data Scientist at Expedia Group, Tiago França, PhD student and teaching assistant at Queen Mary University of London, and Carlos Russo, Product Owner at Critical TechWorks, shared their career paths.
Marija Vranic, researcher at Group of Lasers and Plasmas – Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (GoLP/IPFN), gave a science lecture on extreme plasma physics titled “Mundo mágico dos Plasmas Extremos”. “More than 90% of the visible universe is made up of plasma, which is often called the fourth state of matter”, she said. After explaining how does plasma behave when in the presence of a magnetic field, the researcher showed how it can be reproduced in laboratory.
Marija Vranic enumerated the latest developments in this area and clarified how they can help answer some open questions, namely the dynamics of astrophysical objects. “This type of work that links fundamental plasma processes in laboratory and in space shows us that most of these events are fundamental and that laboratory experiments can be relevant for Astrophysics, and vice versa”, she concluded.
“The online format allowed us to reach a broader audience, both participants and speakers” points out Rafael Almeida. “This great outreach is certainly something to maintain and to improve in the next editions; on the other hand, the in-person format is something that we must keep in mind; so, a hybrid event may be a pssoibility in the near future”, says the student.
