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The EDAM focus area at the University of Minho ended the year of 2017 with an Engineering Design Roundtable entitled “The route to SMART IMPLANTS: a glimpse into 2028”, jointly organized with the research center CMEMS-UMinho (through the Project HAMaBICo), which was held on December 15^th, at the Campus of Azurém - University of Minho.

Following the trend from the previous roundtables, this one discussed the recent developments on the field of medical implants in an attempt to foresee its next 10 years. The reason for choosing the year of 2028 to name the roundtable was due to a quote from John Maynard Keynes:

“[in 2028] for the first time since his creation, man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem – how to use his freedom from pressing economic cares, how to occupy the leisure, [….], to live wisely and agreeably and well”

This was written in 1928 (he was looking 100 years ahead), and in very simplistic manner he predicted that by 2028, men will be free from the daily burden. He made this essay from an economical perspective, but this Roundtable brought it to the implants’ scope.

With four major talks, given by:

• Inês Pinto, Cell Mechanics Laboratory, INL (Portugal);
• Michael Gasik, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Aalto University (Finland);
• Lia Rimondini, Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale (Italy);
• Filipe Silva, Department of Mechanical Engineering, CMEMS-UMinho (Portugal);

The roundtable bridged cell physiology, concepts, design and manufacturing throughout the day, promoting large periods of discussion. The debates were also focused on understanding cells behavior around implants and on materials, concepts and new hybrid subtractive-additive technology for development of new type of implants. The idea was the development of implants able to interact with host tissues rather than just being accepted by host tissues, e.g. active implants rather than passive implants. It is expected that these new ‘smart’ implants are able to constantly interact with surrounding cells redirecting their response (even remotely controlled, when needed), thus increasing their long-term survival. Implants should survive during the whole life of the patients instead of existing implants whose life is about 10 to 15 years.

The roundtable led to the discussion of some interesting ideas that researchers from different companies and universities will now try to put into the form of innovative solutions.   

Overall, more than 40 persons actively participated in the roundtable, including PhD students, researchers and faculty members.

The EDAM-UMinho team is already planning the next Roundtable that will take place in February 7, 2018, and will be dedicated to the “Engineering Education in the 21st Century”. Further details will soon be given.

Do you really know yourself and of the world around you? Are you fully aware of your working skills? Do you have the means to effectively transform your personal and professional life? These are some of the topics that the 1^st EGOS Forum, a top-level workshop for the faculty, researchers and students from the Bioengineering Systems focus area of the MIT Portugal Program, addressed. The event took place on two separated dates and locations, 4th and 5th December in Braga and on the 13^th and 14^th December in Lisbon (FCTUNL Caparica Campus) and was led by Professor Adriano Freire, the President of EGOS Institute, an international management consulting and training organization.

Over the last 20 years, Adriano Freire has conducted many top-level projects for multinational, large and medium-sized companies focused on behavioural development, strategy and innovation. Adriano Freire earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration in Tokyo, Japan, and he is Professor at the Lisbon MBA (American-European MBA Program from MIT, Portuguese Catholic University and Nova University). Following Prof. Richard Thaler’s Nobel Prize for his pioneering work on “Behavioral Economics”, the EGOS Forum has incorporated leading-edge knowledge from behavioural sciences into the MIT Graduate Programs in order to help participants analyse their personal and professional lives and find answers to their questions. By better understanding themselves and others, in both academic and professional contexts, they are better able to understand who they want to be.

This method defines and combines four core psychological profiles (Entrepreneur, Governor, Operational and Social), which are positioned on the EGOS Map, an innovative personality model based on solid biological, psychological, sociological, and managerial foundations. Before the EGOS Forum participants filled out an online questionnaire and received their own EGOS Maps, so they could leverage the results during the two days’ event and apply all topics (communication, teamwork, time management, stress, decision making, change management, etc.) to themselves. And with the support of the EGOS Map they were able to set their own transformation goals and determine the change paths.

At the end of the event all 23 participants were undoubtedly pleased with the outcome of the workshop, here are some of their testimonies:

The EGOS Forum was a truly revealing experience. In order to understand how we can perform at our finest and put our true potential to the best use, we need to be fully aware of our strengths and weaknesses. During the EGOS Forum, Prof. Adriano Freire taught us the EGOS methodology and gave us the tools to understand our personality more deeply and identify opportunities for personal development. The self-discovery journey that the EGOS Forum provided will help me strategize my next professional challenges and improve my adaptation skills to settings and teams.

António Vicente

I would like to say that the EGOS Forum made me realize that I need to understand my personality first, where did I come from, who I am now and what do I want in life, regarding my personal and professional life. It also called my attention to my virtues and flaws which I need to work on to become a better person with my family as well as with my colleagues at work.

Emingarda Castelbranco

The difference between having a tool such as the EGOS Map and using it in our daily and professional life, and not having it, is like making a puzzle seeing each piece of it and knowing the final picture, against making this puzzle blindly. Only when we know the shape and colours of each piece of the puzzle (i.e, when we know who we are and how we behave) we can then fit each piece (i.e, build coherent, constructive and successful teams) in its right place. No team building activities and efforts will succeed if each team member fails to first know who he/she is and how he/she relates with the others. Prof. Adriano did not just design this tool; he is also great at explaining it! I advise all research groups, departments, companies willing to boost their success to learn this tool and use it!"

Fátima Lopes

If you want to apply to a PhD Scholarship under the MIT Portugal Program, you can submit your online application by January 3rd. The 40 PhD scholarships, to study in Portugal and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), are funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and are available in the Program´s four areas:

• Bioengineering Systems – PD/526/2012 (10 scholarships)
• Leaders for Technical Industries – PD/76/2012 (10 scholarships)
• Sustainable Energy Systems – PD/395/2012 (10 scholarships)
• Transportation Systems – PD/539/2012 (10 scholarships)

The call is open to applications for individual scholarships for the doctoral programs, according to the regulations of the Research Grant Holder Statute (Law 40/2004, of August 18), and according to the FCT Regulations for Advanced Training and Qualification of Human Resources, Decree Law 234/2012, changed by the Decree Law 339/2015 of June 17.

For more information on the application process, please check the Apply page.

Good luck!

Nick Schwartz, who performed a internship in Portugal under the MISTI Portugal program in 2016, was one of the three MIT students to be named winners of the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Nick won the scholarship Funded by the British government that supports one or two years of graduate study in any field at a U.K. institution. This year, Marshall Scholarships were awarded to 43 top American students.

During his internship at CEIIA, a world class Center for Innovation and Creative Engineering in Porto, he helped enhance drone technology and had the opportunity to meet the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, and even take a group photo to capture the moment.

Nick Schwartz (on the right) with Prime Minister António Costa

In 2016 and 2017 the MISTI Program brought to Portugal seven students per year from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a unique internship experience abroad. The success of the collaboration between MISTI and the MIT Portugal Program, which started officially in 2014 and already gave the opportunity to 25 MIT undergrads and graduate students to emerge in the Portuguese entrepreneurial sector.

 MISTI is a pioneer in international education, by helping MIT students to develop practical intercultural skills through hands-on opportunities in over 30 countries. MISTI's mission is to ensure that students have a rich experience that broadens their academic, professional, and personal horizons and prepares them to be global leaders in their field of study.

 More information about Nick´s profile here.