In this edition of Shine Bytes we interview Laura Muliar, winner of MIUP 2024.

Tell us a little about yourself and your journey at IST

My name is Laura, and I am a first-year undergraduate student in Computer Science and Engineering at Técnico.  

Over the past few years, I have participated in computer science and mathematics competitions.  

It was competitive programming, and my passion for programming that inspired me to chose my current degree.  

I enjoy overcoming challenges, pushing my limits, challenging myself, and learning more—some of the reasons why I participate in olympiads.

What did winning this competition mean to you personally?

I had a lot of fun in this competition. It was different from those I had previously participated in, as it was a team event rather than an individual one, and I was already quite familiar with the other two members of my team, Cod(e)fichers. I’ve participated in several olympiads with Tiago Sousa (Biological Engineering), and this year I attended the IOI (International Olympiad in Informatics) with Miguel Pereira.  

I think we did an excellent job; we helped each other and were efficient in solving the proposed problems.  

Winning this competition showed me that training, dedication, and effort pay off.  

I’m motivated to keep training and to compete in the next stage of this competition, SWERC.

Why are competitions like this important?

Competitions like this are important on several levels.  

They allow for personal growth. Personally, when I participate, I feel capable.  

They motivate me to grow and learn to become even better.  

They help build and show a community of people interested in science beyond what is typically taught. In this case, it’s algorithms, programming, and even technology.  

These are people united by a shared passion.  

They also develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Interestingly, competitive programming problems often are based on peculiar real-life issues.

In your opinion, what can and should be done to attract more students to Computer Science and Engineering at Técnico?

In my opinion, computer science is an extremely interesting field, but many students have never been exposed to it.  

I believe that more opportunities need to be created for engagement with this technology. How?  

• By promoting more competitions like Topas, Bebras, and ONI (National Olympiad in Informatics). Unfortunately, there is little contribution in this area. The existence of all these competitions in Portugal is largely thanks to Professor Pedro Ribeiro from FCUP.  
• By publicizing existing competitions more widely, as they could attract many more participants if students were aware of them. 

For example, last year, Bebras (a competition for students from 3rd to 12th grade) saw participation from 683 schools, while in Portugal, there are 4,000 primary schools alone.  

This also applies to activities aimed at teaching and introducing computer science, such as programming clubs in schools, extracurricular classes like those organized by AfterSchool by TreeTree2, and broader initiatives like the world's largest programming class organized by Técnico.  

Through these activities, students get a taste of computer science and know what to expect in this engineering field.  

All of this provides experience and potentially sparks an interest, as it did in my case.

Do you have any advice for future female students in Computer Science and Engineering at Técnico?

No, I’m still at the stage of asking for advice, not giving it. 😅