The Symposium on Mining Engineering and Geo-Resources (SMEGR), held as part of the Doctoral Congress in Engineering 2025 (DCE25), took place early last week at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). It was successully organized by PhD students Rania Rebbah and Ernesto Fernandes from the Doctoral Program in Mining Engineering and Geo-Resources (PDEMGR), with the support of CERENA-FEUP.
The event brought together researchers, professionals, and students from FEUP and Instituto Superior Técnico, sparking dialogue on a wide range of topics within the field of Mining Engineering and Geo-resources. The discussions were aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing the role of engineering research in addressing global challenges.
The symposium counted with a broad international presence, with PhD students joining remotely from institutions abroad. These included Juliana Sanchez (UFRJ/CERENA, Brazil), Elena Casco (HU/CERENA, Spain), Ani Putkaradze (DEMSSO/CERENA, Georgia), and Amir TavallaieNejad (PDEMGR/CERENA, Canada), reflecting the global dimension of the community that is actively involved in the research on these topics.
The program featured both oral and poster presentations, culminating in awards for outstanding contributions:
- Best Oral Presentation:
Valente Paciente, MSc student at FEUP and CERENA, was recognized for his work titled “Hydrometallurgical processes for the recovery and extraction of metals from ores.” - Best Poster Presentation:
Elena Castaño, PhD student at FEUP, CERENA, and the University of Huelva (Spain), received the award for her poster titled “Development of a new mathematical procedure for radon diffusion coefficient measurement; application to eco-friendly construction materials.”
The SMEGR symposium was one of 16 thematic symposia held during DCE25, a multidisciplinary platform designed to showcase doctoral research across engineering fields. Under the motto “From University to Society: Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders,” the Congress provided a platform for knowledge exchange among students, academics, and industry stakeholders, reinforcing the role of engineering research in driving innovation and societal progress.