Science Meeting 2017 with over 4,000 entries

Encontro Ciência 2017, which took place at the Lisbon Congress Center from July 3 to 5, had more than 4,000 people registered to take part ina vast program consisting of around 400 papers by researchers presenting the results of their scientific work, 700 posters by PhD students and dozens of on-site project demonstrations.

The opening session of the meeting was attended by the Minister of Science and Technology, Manuel Heitor, the President of the FCT, Paulo Ferrão, the President of the Parliamentary Commission for Education and Science, Alexandre Quintanilha, and the Commissioner for Science 2017, Luís Magalhães. The session also included guest speeches by Cristiana Bastos, from the Institute of Social Sciences, U. de Lisboa, who presented the paper "Atlantic Transits - Without Caravels or Compasses"; Jorge Veiga e Castro, Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja, with a paper entitled "Ancestral Yoga of Bhárata / India, Personal Development, and Citizenship" and Anil Bhardwaj, Scientific Secretary of ISRO - Indian Space Research Organization, who gave a presentation on India's space program, the guest country at the Meeting.

This first session ended with the awarding of the 2017 Science Merit Medals, which distinguished 17 personalities who have contributed to the development of science in Portugal.

This year's meeting marked the 20th anniversary of the FCT, created in 1997 by Professor José Mariano Gago as Minister of Science and Technology, and the 50th anniversary of the creation of JNICT (Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica), the FCT's predecessor institution.

The event could also be followed remotely via the Blog and the YouTube Channel where you can also read, watch and listen to the researchers and leaders of science in Portugal who took part in the meeting.

Highlights: 

Science and knowledge are our plan for the future - interview with Manuel Heitor, Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education

20 years of FCT and 50 years of JNICT: a past of scientific growth with an eye on the future - interview with Paulo Ferrão, President of the Foundation for Science and Technology

India is a guest country - interview with Luís Magalhães, Commissioner of Encontro Ciência 2017

Applying knowledge to defend the forest - interview with a researcher from the University of Lisbon's Center for Forestry Studies Forest Protection Manager at The Navigator Company