Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, visit MIT

The Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, visited the MIT Portugal Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), on November 28 and 29. This was the first official visit of the Minister Elvira Fortunato at MIT since she took office as Portuguese Minister of Science and Technology.

At MIT Elvira Fortunato was accompanied by the President of the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT), Madalena Alves, the National Director of the MIT Portugal Program (MPP), Pedro Arezes, both MIT Portugal co-directors at MIT, John Hansman and Doug Hart, and the Consul General of Portugal in Boston, Tiago Araújo.

| Meeting at Media Lab, with Dava Newman.
Left to right: John Hansman, MPP co-director at MIT; Madalena Alves, President of FCT; Minister Elvira Fortunato; Pedro Arezes, MPP National Director; Dava Newman, Director Media Lab, Former Director of MPP; Doug Hart, MPP co-director at MIT; Tiago Araújo, Consul General of Portugal in Boston|

The visit was hosted by the MIT Portugal Program and included meetings with Ernest J. Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems Emeritus and Thirteenth United States Secretary of Energy; Melissa Nobles, Chancellor; Daniel Hastings, Associate Dean of Engineering for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Dava Newman, Director Media Lab and Former Director of MPP.

During the visit the Portuguese leaders had the opportunity to meet with the MIT Portugal Directors to discuss the longstanding collaboration between MIT and Portugal, and to share views on the future of the highly valued MIT Portugal Program.

They also gathered with faculty and students involved in joint research collaborations between MIT and Portuguese institutions and had the chance to learn more about the research led by MIT Portugal area leaders, including John Hart, Professor of Mechanical Engineering; John Leonard, Professor at Department of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering; and Christoph Reinhart, Professor at Department of Architecture.

The day concluded with a tour through some workspaces at MIT, namely the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship led by Bill Aulet Professor of the Practice, Sloan School of Management; and the MIT.Nano, led by Vladimir Bulovic, Professor of Engineering, MacVicar Fellow.

| Visit to Christoph Reinhart’s lab; A. John Hart’s lab and John Leonard’s lab with students;
  Meeting at MIT.nano with Director Vladimir Bulovic on the left | 

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