In the 8th edition of TecStorm, the BAMN - Bistable Auxetic Materials (for the) Neck team, formed by ISEL students, won second place in the Health 4.0 category with a promising project. The event, known as the country's main technological competition, stands out for promoting young entrepreneurship and the development of innovative ideas with the potential to transform society. TecStorm took place at the Champalimaud Foundation, in Lisbon, on the 19th, 20th and 21st of April. For 24 hours, the BAMN team had the opportunity to explore their idea: an emergency medical neck brace using auxetic materials. For the members of the team, made up of students Beatriz Costa and Mariana Neto from the 2nd year of the Degree in Biomedical Engineering at ISEL, together with the student Guilherme Santos from the 2nd year of the Degree in Software Development and Applications at ISCTE, this experience was deeply enriching. Through collaboration and knowledge exchange, they learned valuable lessons that they intend to apply in the future. They see this achievement as the beginning of a promising journey. The team was supported, from conception to creation of the project, by professors Tiago Charters de Azevedo (DM/ISEL and Oficina Digital do ISEL), Nuno Costa and Joana Silvestre, and this support was fundamental in the development process. Students and teachers congratulate the entire Junitec team for the initiative. Images: Beatriz Costa e Mariana Neto

The closing event of the CUSTODIAN project, in which ISEL participated, took place on April 23rd at TERINOV - Terceira Island Science and Technology Park, in Angra do Heroísmo, Azores. Within the scope of this project, in which the group of teachers Future Internet Technologies (DEETC/ISEL) participated, with Professor Carlos Mendes as the responsible researcher, an innovative system was developed that allows fishing vessels or a system placed on land to receive, at all times, the location of fishing gear, as well as receiving personalized warnings and alerts about equipment position drifts and sea conditions. It also allows the exchange of bidirectional land-sea messages, thus making up for the lack of connectivity between fishermen and land using classic mobile communications, which occurs at moderate distances from the coast. Standing out for its impact and innovation in the field of environmental sustainability, CUSTODIAN aimed to face contemporary environmental challenges, proposing solutions and practices that aim to support fishermen and local authorities in preserving marine habitats, through, for example, enhancing reducing the loss of fishing gear, reducing the time and fuel spent on collecting or recovering them or generating alerts when entering protected areas. This project, financed by the Blue Growth Program of the EEA Grants Portugal, is the result of an international consortium led by the company SOLVIT - Innovation on Telecommunications, in partnership with the AIR Centre - Atlantic International Research Centre, LOTAÇOR - Serviço de Lotas dos Açores, S.A, the Docapesca - Portos e Lotas, S.A., ISEL, UAVision,, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and TERINOV - Science and Technology Park.     Imagens: TERINOV - Science and Technology Park

As part of the patronage, REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais) donated IT material to ISEL's Future Internet Lab. This contribution aims to renew equipment in laboratories, thus boosting the capacity for research and technological development in this higher education institution. During REN's technical visit to ISEL, the milestone of this donation, the president of ISEL, professor José Nascimento, thanked the equipment and said that, in this way, the already historic connection between the institutions is strengthened. . Jorge Mendes, engineer responsible for IT infrastructure and operations at REN and former ISEL student, expressed his excitement upon returning to his educational institution and took the opportunity to recognize REN's historic role in social causes. He highlighted the company's ongoing efforts towards sustainable development and support for communities. He noted that, at an academic level, actions like this are not that frequent and that this donation thus represents another step in an area where the company did not have much presence from the point of view of supporting society, something that REN sees as an obligation. Jorge Mendes highlighted that “it is one of the ways we have to give back to society what it gives us, due to the fact that we operate in concessions that are natural monopolies”. He also launched a challenge: “there are other ways we can collaborate and, therefore, I leave this challenge for the future”. The president of ISEL and Eng.º. Jorge Mendes thanked Professor Nuno Cruz for accepting this challenge and carrying out this action. Also for your commitment and commitment as head of the laboratory. Also present at the event were the vice-president of the area of ​​infrastructure and IT, professor Pedro Silva, the advisor for the area of ​​communication, professor Filipa Almeida, the vice-president of the department of Electronic and Telecommunications and Computer Engineering, professor Manuel Barata , the person responsible for the Future Internet Lab, professor Nuno Cruz and professor Nuno Cota, founder of this laboratory. REN's gesture, in addition to directly benefiting ISEL, serves as an inspiring example of how companies can contribute to the progress of higher education and innovation in Portugal. Highlighting the importance of strengthening relationships between the business sector and educational institutions, encouraging greater collaboration and investment in educational and technological advancement.