Category: Sem categoria

Organized by Native Scientists, the 4th edition of the Scientist Returns to School program officially began on October 31st, in Vila Franca do Campo, on São Miguel Island, Azores. This year’s edition was led by Ana Cristina Esteves, Assistant Professor at CESAM/DBIO at the University of Aveiro, who prepared dynamic and interactive activities, introducing science into learning, making the day even more special for the participating children.

This year’s edition was remarkable, as, for the first time, the program was present on all the Azores islands, expanding its reach and educational impact throughout the archipelago. The objective for the 2024/2025 academic year is that all islands can have this unique experience, and this year’s edition had the support of the Government of the Azores, the Bensaude Group, the US Embassy and the Luso-American Foundation .

This collective effort aims to awaken the interest of new generations in science, promoting knowledge in a playful and practical way, while strengthening ties between scientists and the Azorean school community.

The event was highlighted on the RTP Açores program “Açores Hoje”. You can watch the report (15:03 to 23:30) here.

Ana Hilário, researcher at CESAM/DBIO and the University of Aveiro, was highlighted in the media for her role in the expedition to the Gorringe Seamount. As a specialist in deep sea ecosystems, Ana Hilário was part of a multidisciplinary team that studied the biodiversity of this unique ecosystem in the Atlantic. The objective of the mission was to document the biological diversity of these submerged habitats. The idea is to collect information that supports the creation of the first Marine Protected Area offshore in Portugal, an objective aligned with the global challenge of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030.

The Gorringe Seamount is a refuge and breeding area for several vulnerable marine species, such as rays, as well as including unique habitats such as deep kelp forests.

Helena Vieira, Coordinating Researcher and holder of the ERA CHAIR BESIDE at CESAM/DAO, was a guest on RTP2’s Civil Society program to discuss the importance of biotechnology, including its contribution to sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, energy and textiles. Portugal’s potential in the area of ​​biotechnology, particularly marine biotechnology, was also highlighted. Watch the full episode on RTP Play.

The documentary series “Guerreiras pela Natureza”, produced by PlaySolutions Audiovisuais and written by Joaquim Pedro Ferreira from CESAM/UA, was awarded 2nd Prize in the Environment and Ecology category at the 17th Edition of the ART&TUR Festival, which took place at city ​​of Lousã on October 25th.

The distinction was shared with the report “Vou Voar Contigo”, from RTP, which also received 2nd place in the same category. This report, written by journalist Mafalda Gameiro, highlights the research work of José Alves, Principal Investigator at CESAM/DBIO and the University of Aveiro, on the migration patterns of shorebirds between Iceland and the Tagus estuary.

The ART&TUR 2024 festival had four days of programming, showing 67 films selected from 302 entries from 43 countries. The selection was made by an international jury made up of 44 members, reinforcing the prestige and importance of the event in promoting audiovisual productions about the environment and sustainability.

“Warriors for Nature” also highlights the research carried out by Isabel Lopes, Principal Investigator, and Susana Loureiro, Associate Professor, both from CESAM/DBIO and the University of Aveiro, whose commitment to ecology and conservation is highlighted in the series.

It is worth noting that, this year, “Guerreiras pela Natureza” had been awarded the “Silver Award” in the Wildlife and Conservation category at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa 2024, which took place in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa.

The latest report from the European Commission on the State of Soils in Europe, released on October 22nd, featured contributions from Dalila Serpa, researcher at CESAM/DAO and UA, and presented alarming data on soil degradation across the European continent. The research, conducted in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Environment Agency (EEA), reveals that 1 billion tonnes of soil are affected by erosion annually, with water erosion being the most common.

The report also warns of increasing nutrient imbalances, affecting 74% of agricultural land, and the concerning reduction of organic carbon, essential for soil health. The urgent need to improve monitoring systems and adopt sustainable soil management practices is considered fundamental for achieving the European Union’s environmental and climate goals.

Find more here.

Last week, members of CESAM and DAO (Research Group on Emissions, Modelling and Climate Change) were present at ITM2024 – International Technical Meeting On Air Pollution Modeling And Its Application, which took place between 14-18 October in Copenhagen. The international conference brings together experts from around the world to discuss advances and innovations in ​​atmospheric pollution modeling.

Among the participants were CESAM/DAO members Alexandra Monteiro, Assistant Researcher, Ana Isabel Miranda, Full Professor, Michael Russo, researcher, and PhD students André Barreirinha and Daniel Helm, who had the opportunity to present their work and discuss the most recent developments with other researchers.

Alexandra Monteiro presented the poster entitled: “Air quality in Portugal under different climate change scenarios”, André Barreirinha participated with an oral presentation on the topic: “Improving the LOTOS-EUROS dry deposition scheme for Mediterranean climate conditions”, and Daniel Helm with an oral presentation, addressing the topic: “Coupling steady-state emission inversions of NO₂ and NH₃ with a chemical transport model in the Iberian Peninsula”.

Special recognition

André Barreirinha, student of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, was awarded 3rd place in the ITM2024 Best Young Researcher award, thanks to the scientific quality of his oral presentation, held during a special session on nitrogen modeling, organized by FONDA project.

This recognition is a testimony to the excellence of the work that André and the entire CESAM/DAO team have been developing, consolidating the importance of research carried out within the scope of atmospheric modeling and its impact on understanding climate change and air quality.

On October 23, 2024 (Wednesday), the 2nd Workshop of the InundaRia project will take place in the Amphitheater of the Physics Department of the University of Aveiro, with a public session between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. In this session, the results obtained regarding the identification of areas at risk of flooding in the Ria de Aveiro region in the current context will be presented and discussed.

In a participatory environment, this event aims to present the first results of the InundaRia project to the community and bring together the scientific team with stakeholders and the general public, for a debate around the theme of flooding in the Ria de Aveiro region, with a view to validating the results already obtained within the scope of this project.

The InundaRia project (http://inundaria.web.ua.pt) “Flood Risk Assessment with a View to Improving Territorial Resilience in the Ria de Aveiro Region” is financed by the Technical Assistance Program 2030 (PAT2030), and aims to predict and understand the dynamics of flooding in the Ria de Aveiro. This project’s main objective is to bring together and disseminate technical-scientific knowledge in the fields of hydrodynamic modeling and flood risk assessment in the Ria de Aveiro, providing users and political decision-makers with reliable predictions that are fundamental to preparing the territory for extreme events, making it the most resilient to future threats. This project includes researchers from the Physics Department of the University of Aveiro and its partner entities are the Intermunicipal Community of the Aveiro Region (CIRA), the Port of Aveiro (APA) and the Central Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-Centro ).

See the program here.

Motivated by the desire to collaborate in initiatives that support the definition of sustainable development policies and the resolution of environmental problems, Sofia Corticeiro sees the opportunity of joining the European Environment Agency‘s (EEA) list of experts as a way of contributing to science playing a central role in strategic decision-making.

“I consider it very important to contribute to this type of initiative“, says Corticeiro, “where science must play a central role in guiding and supporting strategic decision-making, capable of tackling the enormous environmental challenges that Europe is currently facing“.

Corticeiro sees this challenge as an opportunity for personal and scientific enrichment, and for contributing to the common good. “I believe this experience could be very enriching for me, allowing me to deepen my knowledge of European policies, interact with other experts and take part in relevant discussions with a direct impact on society“.

The researcher believes that her participation will promote contact with other institutions and strengthen CESAM’s mission to transfer knowledge to society and contribute to national and European public policies.

“I also believe that this opportunity will be an asset for CESAM“, she adds, “as it will help to strengthen its links with other European institutions and increase its visibility in the international context. My participation as an expert at the EEA could open up new opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing in areas considered strategic for CESAM“.

After two months of public voting, the EduCITY project wins 1st Prize in the Innovation for Creative Cities category for the INOVA+ Award,

CESAM is one of four research units at the University of Aveiro (CIDTFF, CESAM, IEETA and DIGIMedia), involved in this project, coordinated by Lúcia Pombo (CIDTFF/DEP).

The INOVA + Award is highly sponsored by the President of the Republic and aims to distinguish solutions that respond to societal challenges with an impact on territories and fall within the S+T+ARTS (Science, Technology and Arts) concept. The Prize will be awarded at a private event on October 25th at Four Points by Sheraton, in Matosinhos.

The EduCITY team developed an open platform that allows the creation of mobile games and augmented reality content by users without programming skills, which can be used in the city of Aveiro, but also in any city in the world.

The app that brings together these educational games can be explored on walks around any city, using “learning by doing” strategies, in which interdisciplinary games in augmented reality allow for environmental awareness in the city, where citizens are “active scientists” and agents of sustainable changes, within a logic of citizen science.

Find out more here.

Recently, Portugal was hit by an extreme meteorological event leading to large fires. In addition to fire, one of the harmful effects of large fires is the deterioration of air quality, due to the immense smoke that is produced, with serious consequences for public health. Therefore, predicting the behavior of smoke resulting from forest fires is essential for implementing timely measures that lead to minimizing its effects on populations.

An innovative project, by researchers from CESAM and the Department of Environment and Planning of the University of Aveiro, called FIRESMOKE – Forest fire smoke behavior modeling system, is developing a prognosis system, based on a state prediction model weather and air quality, which also simulates the spread of fire, from the ground to the treetops, and assesses the risks to public health.

As a result of the project, a system for predicting smoke behavior and its impacts will be make available on the web. The availability of the forecast system is essential for the dissemination of the scientific knowledge produced, being an information tool for territorial managers and populations.

From a perspective of transferring knowledge to society, the results of project are available on the FIRESMOKE website, where you will also find explanatory documents on the use of the developed model and the methodologies used to create it. In this way, the results of the modeling system will be made available through a visualization tool, which will allow access to information on the progression of the fire, the concentrations of pollutants associated with it, as well as warnings of potential fire ignition.

The model created within the scope of the FIRESMOKE project is a fundamental tool to support the national strategy for preventing the risk of smoke in forest fires.