Between 1 and 3 September, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC) organised several activities for new students joining the Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (LEEC) as part of Técnico's Welcome Week.

On the first day, following the Official Welcome Session to Técnico, a programme session dedicated to the LEEC took place, with the participation of Nuno Horta, President of DEEC, Paulo Correia, LEEC Coordinator, and several students from the programme. During the session, Professor Nuno Horta introduced the department to the students, presenting its scientific areas, main fields of research, and the programme's employment rate.

Next, Paulo Correia, LEEC Coordinator, presented the structure of the programme, emphasising that the academic journey should not be viewed solely as a means of achieving good grades or obtaining a degree, and that nothing can be achieved without discipline. To illustrate this perspective, he used the metaphor of an iceberg, highlighting the importance of several elements that, although not always visible, play a fundamental role in the learning process. These include understanding, practice, knowledge, perseverance, and the experiences gained throughout academic life.

The session also featured Luana Oliveira (member of the Técnico Students' Association of Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Matilde das Neves (member of FST Lisboa), who shared some of their experiences within their respective student organisations.

After the programme session, the students met their respective ElectroBuddies – second-year LEEC students who will act as their mentors and be available to answer questions related to academic life. They then took part in the first icebreaker activity proposed by the programme coordinators, Paulo Correia and Teresa Vazão. During the "Engineering Challenge", students were encouraged to develop a solution in just 20 minutes using limited resources: to build the tallest tower possible, with a marshmallow on top, using only 10 strands of spaghetti and a few centimetres of tape and string. The team made up of Luís Semião, Henrique Sendim, António Costa, Afonso Duarte, Henrique Silva, Guilherme Prudêncio, João Colaço, Iago António and António Carvalho took first place, building a prototype measuring 80 centimetres in height.

The activity aimed to promote team spirit, cooperation, and communication among the students.

The second day began with an outdoor activity: taekwondo. Throughout the morning, the students took part in a practical workshop organised by Vermelhudo Martial Arts. The students were encouraged to develop leadership skills, discipline, and determination. During the activity, Pedro Vermelhudo, who led the session, highlighted the importance of mistakes as a driving force in the learning process and encouraged students to support one another, particularly when facing difficulties. At the end of the activity, each student was challenged to break a wooden board, symbolising the overcoming of obstacles.

In the afternoon, the students and programme coordinators travelled to Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome, where they took part in a solidarity challenge. During the activity, participants sorted fruit and canned goods, contributing to the preparation of food baskets.

The final day featured two hands-on workshops, organised in collaboration with the Students' Association of Electrical and Computer Engineering (NEEC) and Técnico's Information Systems Services (SI). In the first workshop, students worked alongside their mentors to build a banana piano, which consists of a simple electronic circuit using pieces of fruit, programmed with Arduino, resulting in a system that produces sound when touched.

In the workshop organised by SI, students learned how tools such as Fénix work and how they will be relevant throughout their academic journey.

The morning also featured the session "I Got into Técnico. Now What?", with the participation of Miguel Gonçalves, CEO of Magma. During the conversation, Miguel Gonçalves encouraged students to pursue their ambitions regardless of other people's opinions and to engage with real-world problems in order to develop the ability to adapt and create solutions in different contexts. He also emphasised the importance of discipline and proactivity throughout the process, stressing that students can start looking for answers and building the path they want to follow from an early stage. In this context, he also highlighted the value of knowing how to ask questions. Miguel Gonçalves further emphasised the importance of making the most of opportunities, noting that it is sometimes not necessary to create new solutions, but simply to transfer existing ones to contexts where they are not yet available.

The afternoon also featured a quiz based on the workshop organised by NEEC, as well as the session "A Conversation with Those Who Have Been Through It", presented by students Constança Sousa and Martim Castanheira, both second-year LEEC students and members of the ElectroStart organising team. The conversation began with an icebreaker activity, during which Constança Sousa and Martim Castanheira encouraged the new students to talk a little about themselves, covering topics such as who was a student from outside Lisbon, whether they already knew other students on the programme, and who had chosen LEEC as their first choice.

The discussion then covered topics such as building friendships, the importance of attending classes and creating study groups, participation in extracurricular activities, adapting to teaching methods and the academic demands at Técnico, time management throughout the semester, among other issues. Throughout the session, Constança Sousa and Martim Castanheira also highlighted the availability of both senior students and teaching staff to support newcomers, regardless of the difficulties they may encounter along the way.

One important thing is that you will not be doing this alone.

Martim Castanheira, LEEC student

The day concluded with a review of the week, organised by the LEEC coordinators. The "Engineering Challenge", "Most Participative Team", awarded to Maria Mafalda Lopes, Lourenço Ganhão, Bernardo Alves, Francisco Bernardes, João Figueira, Francisco Teixeira, Eduardo Amorim, António Guerra, Dinis Gil and Bruno Montez, and "Lightning Round" prizes were presented, with the latter awarded to the team that won the quiz related to the workshop organised by NEEC. During the ceremony, the work of all members of the organising team was also recognised, including secretariat staff, teaching staff, and the ElectroBuddies, who also received a symbolic gift from the department.

View the complete photo galleries through the following links:

📷 Official Welcome Session to Técnico

📷 ElectroStart: LEEC Welcome 2026