Loading...
7 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
- Development of vocations in engineering in secondary schools in PortugalPublication . Silva, Paulo; García-Holgado, Alicia; Felgueiras, CarlosEducation is essential to future professionals, preparing them for the labor market, by providing knowledge and practical experiences. Through educational models, adapted to each level of education, students are equipped with knowledge, experiences and notions that help them to understand which path they should follow in their professional career. For several reasons, this foundation can fail and lead students to embark on careers that do not satisfy them and leading to a dropout in university education. Another phenomenon is the lack of attractiveness that Engineering career seems to have for secondary school students and the underdeveloped vocations in this scientific area, leading students to avoid some kind of subjects such as mathematics, physics, or science. To study the present case, actions will be carried out on secondary school students, measuring the impact that it may have on choosing a career in Engineering. At the end of the study, it is expected to discover the origins of the problem and identify possible solutions to resolve and stabilize the situation, as it would be desirable for more secondary students to pursue a career in Engineering.
- Engineering Education for a Sustainable Future A systematic literature review and a perspectivePublication . Silva, Paulo; Felgueiras, Carlos; Caetano, Nídia; Martins, Florinda; Onofrei, George; Blue, Juanita; Sintejudeanu, Mara; Acitores, Adela; Cruz, Francisco; Erro, Alfonso Martín; Moreno, Susana; Davey, Todd; Collins, Monica Holly; Spada, DominicEducation represents a fundamental pillar of society, being an important factor in shaping and building each individual for their future. It is common sense that society, like the world we live in, undergoes adaptations and modifications over time, especially due to the need to resolve issues that allow for improved comfort and greater chances of survival in these changes. There-fore, a question arises: what factor must be highlighted in order to respond to this need? Sustainability presents itself as a preponderant factor in humanity's response to building a more sober, educated, conscious and cohesive society. Educating an individual with tools and qualities based on sustainability, who in the future will have the capacity to reach many other individuals in an educational context, presents itself as a possible way to enhance and disseminate sustainability in social, academic and professional aspects. This study is based on the premise of an ERASMUS + project that aims to provide a possibility for a more sustainable education in the field of Engineering, having as its central point a holistic approach that must be the center of society: Sustainability.
- Skills in Engineering Education and its challenges to the labour marketPublication . Silva, Paulo; García-Holgado, Alicia; Felgueiras, CarlosSince childhood, education is an essential element in shaping and building knowledge, wisdom and character. What the child absorbs in this knowledge shapes their interest in their attitudes and preferences, directly impacting their school career and, consequently, their professional career. More importantly, education directly impacts the skills each individual is equipped with and can use daily. Skills in the field of sustainability, for example, have become quite relevant nowadays as we need increasingly more technological solutions that have less impact on the environment. If students do not have these skills, then this will mean that professionals in the labor market will not have sufficient skills to respond to the needs of society, and consequently fail to meet national and governmental commitments to outlined goals. It therefore becomes important to understand students' needs for a more complete education adjusted to the needs of society, preparing these future professionals for an increasingly technological, demanding and competitive labor market. This study aims to provide an overview and approach to some findings within the scope of an educational project in STEAM learning and an ERASMUS + project related to education and sustainability.
- Energy Policies, Education and Sustainable Development Goals Applied to Low Developed Countries - a Symbiotic Case StudyPublication . Martins, Florinda; Silva, Paulo; Felgueiras, Carlos; Almeida Santos, Adriano Manuel; Pereira, Filipe; Caetano, NídiaEnergy, its use and management, weighs heavily on the burden that each society can impose on a fragile balance of nature, with implications not only environmental and financial, but also social, creating jobs and improving quality of life. Devising strategies that combine these three factors are a valuable option that will yield good results, meeting the challenge of fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The most important thing is to implement the old maxim: "no one is left behind", so low developed countries are an opportunity to achieve impressive results, while allowing them to improve their way of life and their comfort. It’s often said that ‘action begets reaction’, so any positive action taken in the community can have social repercussions, such as improving the quality of education and knowledge about sustainability. This study will provide an overview of how energy management and environmental mitigation strategies can impact underdeveloped countries.
- An Energy Storage System for the Alto Douro Wind Power Plant: A Technical StudyPublication . Magalhães, Alexandre; Xavier, Celso; Felgueiras, Carlos; Pereira, Filipe; Almeida Santos, Adriano Manuel; da Silva, A. Ferreira; Silva, Paulo; Caetano, Nídia; Machado, JoséRenewable energies are crucial to meeting global demand for environmentally friendly energy at a time when fossil fuels are being cut back. In recent years, and essentially due to the reduced reserves of fossil fuels, Portugal has been promoting investment in renewable energies as a way of freeing itself from energy imports and dependence on fossil fuels. However, despite the high number of hours of sunshine per day and the use of wind and hydraulic energy, production is unstable due to climate variability. All this climate instability translates into fluctuations in the energy released to the grid. In order to minimize this problem, energy storage systems have become a key element in guaranteeing the stability of the renewable energy supply at times of low production. This article presents a feasibility analysis of a renewable energy storage system with the aim of maximizing the profitability of a wind farm located in Portugal's Alto Douro region. As a starting point, a demand analysis is presented, as well as simulations of the system's performance in terms of energy use and profitability as a function of efficiency and power. Taking these assumptions and the analysis into account, a modular lithium battery storage system with high efficiency and fast charging and discharging powers was chosen.
- Challenges and singularities of Energy Poverty in Portuguese society: A case studyPublication . Silva, Paulo; Felgueiras, CarlosThe impossibility and lack of accessibility for several households in Europe to resort to efficient heating and cooling technologies in their homes or to carry out energy rehabilitation in buildings has been a growing concern, not only in the European Union, but also in many Member States. These households that are energetically vulnerable belong to the statistics of the phenomenon identified as energy poverty. Multiple factors justify the growing concern about this problem within the European Union, either due to the need to assess the consequences of the liberalization of energy markets on the most vulnerable consumers, or due to the creation, exposure and identification of situations of poverty, social exclusion, health problems public health, decrease in comfort and living conditions. These factors tend to influence the country's macroeconomic outlook to the extent that they undermine energy policy options, reducing their efficiency and making it difficult to implement energy policies that are more environmentally friendly and capable of facing the challenges of climate change. Since the built environment is the largest consumer of energy, the fight against energy poverty should be encouraged in this sector due to the impact it may have on the country's socioeconomic indicators.
- Research and Development of a Creative Instrument to Allure Students Towards EngineeringPublication . Aires, Bento; Conde, Anabela Silva; García-Holgado, Alicia; Felgueiras, Carlos; Silva, PauloNowadays, with fast technological progression and an increasing complexity of problems, society needs more efficient and more sustainable solutions. This entire dynamic must be based on sustainable development goals (SDGs) as they present themselves as a common global vision of humanity's goals and targets. Within this premise, education is a key factor in producing responsible, competent, multidisciplinary, and highly trained Engineers who can respond to society's needs. However, there is a global opposite trend where there is a decreasing number of students enrolled in higher education in courses in this scientific area. With the objectives of awakening a sense of ingenuity and promoting vocations in Engineering in elementary and high school students, the Ha Engenharia em Mim® (There is Engineering in me) program was developed by the national professional association of Engineers in Portugal, the Ordem dos Engineers. Through this creative tool, curiosity, sagacity, astuteness and attractiveness towards Engineering are stimulated in a simplified and captivating way, meaning that the widespread implementation of this program can mitigate or reverse the trend of students moving away from choosing careers in Engineering.