On 11 July, the 13th edition of the FAQtos Award took place at the Congress Centre on Técnico's Alameda campus. The initiative, promoted by INOV in collaboration with Técnico and coordinated by Luís Correia, a faculty member at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC), challenges secondary school students to develop projects with social, health and environmental impact involving electromagnetic fields generated by telecommunications sources (radiofrequency band). This year's theme was "Radiofrequencies in Action", and all projects included a final report and a video presentation. The jury consisted of Luís Correia, Custódio Peixeiro, a DEEC faculty member, Luísa Furtado Jervell, representing NOS, and Carolino Monteiro, from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon.

"This competition has encouraged students to engage in extracurricular activities while also involving their local communities," says Luís Correia. He also highlights the importance of Técnico's role in strengthening the connection between academia and society: "As a leading engineering school, Técnico's involvement helps motivate students and encourages them to take part in the Award."

The team Guarda-Rios, from Colégio Ribadouro (Porto), won the competition with the project Guarda-Rios. The students developed a system that uses a network of low-cost, energy-autonomous sensors to monitor the physicochemical parameters of river water in real time. The data collected make it possible to identify potential sources of pollution and are made available through an online platform to support more effective water resource management.

Second place went to VisionGlass, from Escola Secundária Francisco Franco (Madeira), with the project RFs in Skin Health Analysis and Monitoring. The team developed a prototype combining radiofrequency technology, electronic sensors, artificial intelligence, facial recognition and augmented reality to support skin health analysis and monitoring. The system is also connected to a mobile application, allowing users to monitor the data in real time.

The team The Pulse, from DIDÁXIS – Cooperativa de Ensino (Braga), secured third place with the project SafeZone – Technology that Cares. The initiative aims to help locate and protect patients living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia through a GPS-based geofencing system. The students developed a wristband that remains continuously connected to a central unit, enabling users' locations to be monitored at all times.

An Honourable Mention was also awarded to the team Wavengers, from Escola Secundária Carolina Michaelis (Porto), for the project Mira Ondas, which aimed to develop a prototype capable of detecting microwave radiation emitted by microwave ovens and assessing its potential risks to public health.

This year's edition received submissions from 56 teams, involving 204 students and 47 supervising teachers from 37 schools across Portugal. During the final ceremony, the 10 best projects were presented, and three prizes (€2,000, €1,500 and €1,000) and one Honourable Mention were awarded. The projects were assessed according to criteria including the quality of the project video and final report, originality, innovation, critical thinking and analytical skills, and the level of collaboration between schools and other organisations.

View photos from the event through this link.

News and photos: FAQtos