Pedro Carvalho, Hélder Castro, Ana Filipa Sequeira, Hélder Fontes and Cândido Duarte (CTM)

“CTM would like to nominate the Organising Committee for CTM 2020 Summer Internships: Pedro Carvalho, Hélder Castro, Ana Filipa Sequeira, Hélder Fontes and Cândido Duarte.

The fourth edition of the “Summer Internships” initiative at CTM was organised under very difficult circumstances, due to the pandemic. Unlike previous events, this edition was organised and mostly took place at a distance. Despite this, the organisation was able to engage the Centre, which presented a significant number of summer projects, and the students, with a significant number of applications.

This edition met the main objectives, thus promoting INESC TEC as an institution of excellence to host theses and research projects among students.

We would also like to thank the colleagues in charge of the proposals for summer projects, namely for monitoring the activities, and the assessment and acknowledgment of the initiative’s value, particularly in the final meeting.”

–The Coordination of CTM

How did you first came into contact with INESC TEC during your professional path?

It happened more or less in the same way for everyone. As first degree/master’s degree students, we were interested in pursuing PhD and research activities, and INESC TEC is a reference institution in our engineering fields. The interest in research encouraged us to keep collaborating with the institute, and those of us who have been here the longest believe to have contributed to the institution’s progress until today.

What motivates you to participate in the organisation of initiatives such as the CTM “Summer Internships”?

The coordination and advanced training of human resources, as well as their introduction to research, are deeply rooted in the activities of INESC TEC, and CTM in particular. Thus, the organisation of internships was somehow natural, namely when we thought of ways to improve our interaction with students from institutions that are part of the INESC TEC ecosystem. In addition, it is gratifying to witness the students’ interest in the topics we work on, and to introduce them to new areas of knowledge.

Unlike previous editions, this edition was organised and mostly took place at a distance. How did you manage to work as a team despite all the obstacles?

The planning of the internships started in a normal way, before the beginning of lockdown – with a strong sense of teamwork, and the definition of the whole process and dates considering a scenario similar to previous editions. Due to the lockdown, there was a period of uncertainty regarding the completion of the internships, and the respective system. Having made the decision to move forward, the unity and collaboration of the organising team was essential to overcome the distance barrier and meet the deadlines initially established. The same commitment and dedication by the supervisors and the interns were also crucial to the internships during this period of “new normality”.

You are part of different groups at INESC TEC and CTM. What are the main benefits from initiatives like this, which promote interaction between the different fields of the centre?

Research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, and it can benefit greatly from activities between different research groups. The sharing of knowledge and experiences is valuable to researchers and can enable the identification of new job opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed. For these reasons, CTM has been promoting activities dedicated to improve the interaction between the different fields. In addition to the scientific benefits, these activities encourage a greater personal interaction among researchers, thus helping them overcome difficulties caused by the institution and centre’s growth.

How do you comment on this nomination?

We’re very proud and thankful for this nomination, since it shows that the centre’s coordinators believe that the work carried out has significantly contributed to the mission of the CTM.