On March 25, the Aerospace Engineering Students’ Center of Técnico (AeroTéc) celebrated its 10th anniversary. The ceremony brought together current members, alumni, faculty, and partners. The event took place in the Main Hall of the Alameda campus and began with a networking moment in a space dedicated to showcasing the center’s various projects. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about ATLAS, the Aerospace Magazine, the new website, and the rockets Amália, Baltasar, Adamastor, and Camões, developed under the RED - Rocket Experiment Division project. The center currently involves more than 200 students.

The gala began with an opening session led by Sara Casimiro, president of AeroTéc, and Alexandre Couto, vice-president, who thanked attendees for their presence and participation in the center’s projects.

These are 10 years of history, built by students, projects, professors, partners, and alumni, who throughout this time helped shape what AeroTéc is today.

Alexandre Couto, Vice-President of AeroTéc

Next, Pedro Amaral, Vice-President of Técnico for Corporate Interface, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, highlighted the students’ talent and their ability to make a difference in companies and in the aerospace job market. He also emphasized the pace of project development led by the center, a point reinforced by Professor Fernando Lau, AeroTéc’s faculty advisor.

The gala also included a brief overview of the different projects. Filipa Fernandes, project leader, presented ATLAS, which focuses on the design and construction of aircraft that compete annually in the Air Cargo Challenge. Over the years, she noted, the team faced several challenges in which ATLAS “stumbled” but “got back up” repeatedly thanks to teamwork: “we continue to grow together,” she said.

Guilherme Amorim spoke about BLUE, the project that develops small jet engines, covering its history from conception to industry partnerships and event participation. João Portugal introduced ACE-Pilot, which focuses on aeromodeling, emphasizing “autonomy, tactics, and glider precision.”

Dinis Costa presented the Aerospace Week, highlighting not only the connection between academia and industry but also the increasing participation of renowned speakers and the organization of hands-on workshops.

Students also shared the journey of RED, dedicated to building and launching rockets. Regarding the promotion of aerospace engineering, they mentioned the Aerospace Magazine, which features exclusive student-written articles, and presented the new website developed by the WEB-DEV team. They also emphasized the importance of maintaining connections with secondary schools through initiatives such as the Rockets Workshop @Schools, aimed at inspiring younger students to pursue the field.

The event also included the recognition of members and honorary members, highlighting the contributions of Afonso Vale, an Aerospace Engineering alumnus, and Fernando Lau.

Two roundtable discussions also took place, moderated by Alexandre Couto and Sara Casimiro, respectively, featuring several former members. The session “A Vision of the Center” brought together Afonso Vale, Inês D’Ávila, Inês Miguel, Inês Passinhas, and João Canas, all former board members.

The session “Routable: A Vision of the Projects” included Duarte Brito, Iara Figueiras, Miguel Morgado, Nuno Matos, and Rafaela Chaffilla, former project coordinators. In both sessions, participants shared experiences, stories, advice, and perspectives on AeroTéc’s evolution, along with questions from the audience.

The evening concluded with a closing session by the presidency.

📷 View the photo gallery here.