Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey at IST.

I'm Javier, a Spanish student and the oldest of 10 siblings. I came to Portugal in 2013, studied at Colégio Planalto, and later joined IST. I studied LEIC at Alameda, collaborated on a research project (DIVINA), to which I was invited by Prof. José Fragoso, and I'm currently finishing my first year of MEIC, specializing in Cybersecurity and Algorithms and Programming. Inspired by several extraordinary professors from DEI, I also started teaching as a teaching assistant this year, in the courses of Machine Learning, Software Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence.

What did winning this award personally mean to you?

At Técnico, especially for new students, it can sometimes be a challenging environment, requiring students to make a leap in terms of both academic rigor and maturity. In my specific case, dealing with COVID in the first year added an extra challenge to the transition of entering Técnico. For me, this award represents recognition of the success in my journey, of adaptation, and the ability to thrive in a competitive and excellent environment. Therefore, I cannot fail to express my gratitude to the entire teaching staff, who made this possible.

Why are awards like this important?

Awards like this are important because they are concrete manifestations that motivate students to strive for excellence in their academic journey. Furthermore, they enable greater interaction with companies, which, on one hand, facilitates a better alignment of courses with what the job market demands, and on the other hand, opens the door for the recognized talent from the award to be recruited by these companies.

In your opinion (aside from awards ;) ), what can and should be done to attract more students to Computer Engineering at Técnico?

I think one aspect is the appreciation of knowledge for its own sake. It's true that in Computer Engineering at Técnico, one equips themselves to become one of the best professionals in the field. However, what I found to be common among the professors who serve as my role models is going beyond mere skill acquisition; it's about realizing and conveying that Computer Science is not just about learning to work with computers. It's about learning to think in processes, developing abstraction skills, and cultivating multiple perspectives and approaches to the same problem. Arthur C. Clarke captures it well in his third law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In the case of Computer Science, we are surrounded by "magic," and we mustn't lose the ability to be enchanted by its beauty and, perhaps, contribute a little of our own. Unfortunately, sometimes the frenzy of the trimesters makes this process challenging.

Do you have any advice for future students of Computer Engineering at Técnico?

Yes, take advantage of the professors you have. One of the great treasures that I only discovered halfway through my journey at Técnico was the availability of clarification sessions. Not only do they facilitate understanding any topics and issues that may not be clear, which otherwise could take me four or five times longer to grasp on my own, but they also (when possible) provide opportunities to interact with professors, delve deeper, and go beyond in subjects of particular interest. This led me to get to know several professors, and one of them even invited me to collaborate on a research project.