Colégio de São Tomás visits the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
On April 2nd, we welcomed more than 90 students from Colégio de São Tomás. The visit began with a presentation by Professor Sónica Pinto from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC). The students learned about the areas of intervention and research of DEEC, as well as the contributions of some of the department's faculty members.
Next, the professor talked about extracurricular activities, student groups, the undergraduate and master's programs, the general structure of study cycles, and the entry grades for the current academic year.
The morning was filled with activities, with the students visiting four modules: two on Electronic Systems, one on Multimedia and Telecommunications, and one on Networks and Computers.
In the Electronic Systems module, the students learned about the Elónica project, which aims to restore vision to blind people by connecting an electronic system with cameras to the visual cortex, providing the brain with an image. Professor Pedro Tomás gave the presentation, with student participation to demonstrate how the system would work.
Still in the area of Electronic Systems, the students built a "banana piano" with the help of António Ribeiro from the Student Group of Electrical and Computer Engineering (NEEC) at Técnico. After learning a bit more about the group, the students participated in assembling a system that, using the Arduino program and some electronic components, allowed the bananas to emit sound when touched in a closed circuit.
In Multimedia and Telecommunications, the students visited the photonics laboratory of the Institute of Telecommunications (IT), where they learned about the use of quantum physics in network communication. The researchers are working on solutions to make this medium more secure for users in different contexts.
In Networks and Computers, Professors António Grilo and Paulo Pereira explained the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), which allows the connection of different devices to the internet. In this context, they demonstrated how a remote-controlled object detection sensor works, controlled via a mobile app. The sound of the sensor, when detecting an object nearby, could be turned on and off through the smartphone.
The visit ended with a photo at the entrance of the North Tower and an invitation for future visits to DEEC.