Campus and Community

Mobility Open Day introduces mobility programs to Técnico students

The initiative took place on November 19 and 20 at the Oeiras and Alameda campuses, respectively.

Francisco Carvalho holds a small packet of freshly made popcorn, a regular attraction at the Mobility Open Day, now in its third edition. On November 19 and 20, this and many other students from the Instituto Superior Técnico learned about the different international mobility programs offered by Técnico at this event, explained at stands spread across the Oeiras (in the main atrium) and Alameda (in the Central Pavilion) campuses.

For those who want to study in mobility, the only obstacle is the sheer volume of possibilities to choose from – the Erasmus+ program, mixed intensive programs (BIP), double degree programs, international internships and the ATHENS program (which, in the same week, brought dozens of students from foreign universities to Técnico) are some of the initiatives. The technical, administrative and teaching staff also had a stall for mobility programs within their functions.

“Bringing the community all the information about all the international mobility offers” – this is how Luís Moreira, coordinator of Técnico’s International Affairs Area (the organizer of the event), describes the Mobility Open Day. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm and desire [on people’s part] to be able to go abroad and do a mobility program,” he says.

Fátima Sequeira, a student studying Computer Engineering at the Oeiras campus, shows this enthusiasm. “I’m super interested in the short-term courses and I’m going to see if I can apply in January,” she said, with her sights set on Prague to visit a friend. “I know that if I were at another university, I might not have as many doors as at Técnico, so I feel grateful.”

To help students interested in an international academic path, Mobility Open Day once again hosted the Mobility Talks – talk sessions led by students who have already taken part in one of these programs and are now sharing their experiences. This is where Catarina Cristina has a lively chat with Joana Bonito, who spent the previous semester on Erasmus+ in Aachen, Germany. Fellow students on the Master’s in Engineering Technology Physics, Catarina will be starting her own Erasmus+ period at the same university in February next year, so she thinks that the Mobility Open Day “was very useful” and that having the opportunity to talk to a colleague who has already been through the experience “was excellent”.

Dinis Henriques has also studied internationally and came to Mobility Open Day to share this experience, in his case a little further afield – as part of a partnership with Shanghai Business School, he was able to spend two months studying in the Chinese city. Now in the final year of his Master’s Degree in Engineering and Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the student highly recommends the opportunity to study internationally (with an emphasis on the local cuisine) – “it was really excellent, from the moment I set foot there until I got back; these are days I’ll remember forever.”

Photogallery (updated)