Ceremony in Honour of the Installing Committee of the Department of Civil Engineering

On the 14th of April took place the Tribute Ceremony to the Installing Committee of the Department of Civil Engineering (DEC).

The Commission was established on the 8th of February 1994 by Professors António José Correia Mineiro,Manuel Américo Gonçalves da Silva and Fernando José Pires Santana. The Department rapidly became a quality reference in education and research in Civil Engineering in Portugal.

"In good time they remembered this tribute that honours the memory and the history of the School and is important for what the School can be in the future. And it was one more of the many efforts of Professor Santana, who did so much for this School," said the Dean of FCT NOVA, José Júlio Alferes.

The President of the DEC, Corneliu Cismasiu, recalled the history of the Department, which was born with the Installation Commission created from a need that the Faculty identified. "FCT NOVA identified the lack of a public university course in civil engineering on the south bank of the Tagus, a region with a marked industrial presence and great demand for professionals in this area," he explained.

On the same day, it was announced the naming of two rooms of the DEC after Professors A. Mineiro and G. da Silva, a gesture that intends to contribute for the preservation of the history of the Department and FCT NOVA.

The session went on in the Library Auditorium with the honorees recalling the genesis of the Civil Engineering Degree. Professor António Correia Mineiro evoked his professional and teaching path until he was the first President of the DEC from 1996 to 1998 and the importance of having been on the Rector's team before and after that period. Professor Manuel A. Gonçalves da Silva historised the strategy followed in the initial phase of the Department and the most significant contributions to its development until 2005 when he ceased to be President of the Department. He also analysed the entry and career path of students, demonstrating some of those who have already obtained a PhD and others in successful professional practice.

Present at the session were the Dean of FCT NOVA, Presidents of the Departments, the President of the Students Association, representatives of NuCivil, former teachers of the CED, friends and family.