The MIT Portugal Program’s 2009–10 academic year has begun with numerous inaugural academic and team-building activities. Also, the start of classes for 143 new students.  One of the team-building activities for new students that marked the start of the new academic year The new MIT Portugal students – who have embarked on Ph.D. and master’s studies in cutting-edge areas of bioengineering, advanced product design and manufacturing, and energy and transportation systems – reflect the truly international nature of the Program. In addition to 91 Portuguese students, many of whom claim international degrees or work/research experience, 52 (36 percent of the entering group) are international students who have arrived in Portugal from elsewhere in Europe, or from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, or the Americas. Bioengineering classes began on September 1, 2009, at the University of Coimbra (CNC) with the start of a module on Molecular Cell Biology. An official opening session for the bioengineering focus area took place on September 11. Students focusing in Transportation Systems attended an introductory session on September 7-8, during which faculty assessed the students' backgrounds and provided a crash course in Excel. Classes for the Complex Transport Infrastructure Systems (CTIS) MSc program started on September 14. PhD classes in Transportation Systems start in late September and at the beginning of October, at the Faculty of Science of the University of Coimbra, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, and IST (Technical University of Lisbon). Ph.D. and Advanced Studies classes in the Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing (EDAM) focus area started on September 21, 2009 at FEUP. The day before, students participated in a team-building event consisting of a series of challenges designed to develop their planning, communication, management, leadership, teamwork, strategy, cooperation and creativity skills. In the Sustainable Energy Systems (SES) focus area, an opening session was held at the University of Coimbra on September 11, and classes started on September 17. At IST and ISEG, classes started on September 21, while at FEUP they began on September 22. A welcoming session for SES students in Lisbon students took place at the Tagus Park-IST campus on September 23, led by MIT Portugal's National Director, Professor Paulo Ferrao. Professor Teresa Vazao, Director of IST-Tagus Park, and Professor Paulo Martins, President of IST's Science Board, spoke about the importance of MIT Portugal's research to Portugal's energy sector. In addition, FCUL Professor Filipe Duarte dos Santos addressed climate change and climate trends, and Nuno Ribeiro da Silva, head of the power utility Endesa Portugal, discussed global energy issues. Also present were Professor Alvaro Martins, coordinator of the SES focus area at ISEG, and IST Professor Jorge Vasconcelos, a member of the SES faculty. An introductory workshop on Sustainable Energy Systems Research Integration will be held at the University of Coimbra from October 9-11. The aim will be to integrate all new students in the Sustainable Energy Systems focus area and introduce them to the group’s research projects. |
