The student won the 3rd edition of the Celfocus Merit Award, which recognizes the best student in the Machine Learning course at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The monetary prize of 2,500 euros was awarded to the master's student during a ceremony held on March 24th in the DEEC meeting room on the Alameda campus.

Based on academic performance, five students were selected to present a 5-minute pitch about their projects. After the presentations, the jury, consisting of Professors José Santos-Victor, Margarida Silveira, and Catarina Barata from Técnico, and Luís Carlos Santos, Director of Artificial Intelligence at Celfocus, announced the winner.

The main objective of these initiatives is to emphasize the importance of partnerships, exposing our students early to business environments and accelerating connections with companies.

Rogério Colaço, President of Técnico

The jury praised the high quality of the work presented, highlighting João Castelo-Branco’s curiosity and motivation as decisive factors in his distinction. Luís Carlos Santos also emphasized the importance of effective communication: “The ability to present and communicate clearly in an understandable language is a talent that should not be undervalued and is something visible in Técnico students.”

The ceremony also included the awarding of participation certificates to the other students and featured a donation of 1,670 euros from Celfocus to improve the learning conditions of the Machine Learning course at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Sérgio Pequito, Vice-President of DEEC for Research, Development, and External Relations, thanked the initiative and congratulated all the students involved. “This support is crucial for us to continue promoting excellence and providing better learning conditions,” he stated.

It’s very rewarding to receive this prize. Besides being motivating, it’s reassuring to know that companies like Celfocus are paying attention to the talent at Técnico.

João Castelo-Branco, Master’s student in Electrical and Computer Engineering

News and photo: Técnico