Interview to Ana Luísa Gonçalves: FEUP researcher wins L’Oréal Medal of Honor

FEUP researcher wins L’Oréal Medal of Honor

Interview: Raquel Pires Photos: reserved rights

Ana Luísa Gonçalves, researcher at the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE) in the Faculty of Engineering of the Porto University (FEUP), was one of four young Portuguese scientists distinguished with the prestigious L’Oréal Portugal Medal of Honor for Women in Science, awarded by the multinational cosmetics giant. The award- -winning project aims to assess the potential of microalgae to treat industrial effluents more efficiently and sustainably, which, even after primary and secondary treatment, continue to show high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus.

How did you end up choosing biological engineering? What attracted you to this area? The choice was essentially due to the fact that the field covered by the Bioengineering degree draws together two aspects that I consider very important: the research area and its development within the industrial area. This allows students’ training to be based on the curiosity and critical thinking characteristic of each research area, while also strongly linked to the application and management of resources, which are key elements in any industry. In addition, the Biological Engineering branch is one of the most comprehensive in that it allows knowledge and tools to be combined in ways that can be applied in different industries: chemical-biological processes (pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, aromas), enhancement of natural materials (wood, leather, materials and products of marine origin) and environment and environmental health (treatment of contaminated waste, environmental quality in hospitals and health care companies).

How did the opportunity to do research at LEPABE come about?

The opportunity arose during my academic career. At the time, I chose one of the research topics proposed by the laboratory (microalgae culture for CO 2 capture) to carry out my Master’s thesis and, as the work progressed, I realized that it was an area of great interest for research and with great potential application for different industries. At the end of this period, I began my PhD in the same area and I’ve gone on conducting studies in this area of research until today. Right now, I’m focused not only on remediation applications associated with microalgae, but also on potential ways of enhancing the biomass produced, in order to obtain more efficient, profitable and sustainable processes.

Generally speaking, what does your research work involve?

This project aims to assess the potential of microalgae in the treatment of industrial effluent from two important national economic sectors: the paper/cellulose industry and the textile industry. In addition, due to the very rich composition of microalgae biomass in terms of photosynthetic pigments, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, among other elements, this project also aims to study possible applications for biomass produced during the treatment stage, in order to generate value for these industries and, therefore, make their production process more efficient and sustainable. One of the possible applications envisaged is the extraction of pigments so that they can be used as dyes in the textile industry; the extraction of lipids and subsequent conversion to biodiesel and the production of biofertilizers from biomass resulting from the aforementioned extraction processes.

What impact could this work have on the lives of ordinary people?

The development of an effective method of removing nitrogen and phosphorus from industrial effluents such as those produced by the paper and textile industries will allow industries to observe the limits established by national and European legislation for the discharge of such effluents, thus contributing to a reduction in the concentration of these nutrients in aquatic ecosystems. The use of microalgae cultures for this purpose is an advantage over the physical-chemical and biological methods currently applied. This is because physicalchemical methods involve the precipitation using iron and/or aluminium salts, which results in the production of large amounts of waste contaminated with these chemical compounds. On the other hand, biological methods

require an additional carbon source as well as oxygenation, leading to dramatic rises in operating and energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions. With the use of microalgae to remove nutrients from industrial wastewater, we are able to obtain an effective treatment, without the use of additional chemical agents. As photosynthetic microorganisms, microalgae use light as an energy source and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a carbon source. This means that when incorporated into the tertiary treatment of a wastewater treatment plant, microalgae can contribute to the reduction in carbon emissions typically associated with wastewater treatment.

Besides all these advantages, this project also seeks to enhance biomass (whether for the production of pigments, biofuels or biofertilizers), thus contributing to the development of a circular economy, since the biomass produced in the treatment will later be used and integrated into the value chain of the two industries proposed in the project. Concerned with the concept of circular economy, the project will also contribute to increasing the sustainability of wastewater treatment processes in the paper and textile industries.

What did this award from L’Oreal mean to you?

This award represents an important recognition of the work that I have been carrying out and will certainly play a key role in furthering my research career in the area of microalgae. As well as helping me to develop and enrich my research in this area, this award is an important milestone in establishing my scientific independence.

This new generation of young Portuguese researchers has shown that there is new talent in this country. How do you view investment science in Portugal?

The scientific research paradigm has made some advances and the truth is that in recent years, the policies applied have led to a significant increase in the number of doctoral contracts, which is an important development for researchers (who until now had only research grants). The only issue is that most of these contracts are still fixed-term contracts, so there is always some associated instability. Accessing project finance more often and through less time-consuming processes would also be an asset.

Awarding women in innovation

In addition to Ana Luísa Gonçalves, the 16 th edition of the L’Oréal Awards also recognised the researchers Ana Rita Carlos, from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Cristina Godinho Silva, from the Champalimaud Foundation and Diana Priscila Pires, from the University of Minho.

Selected from over 80 candidates, by a scientific jury chaired by Alexandre Quintanilha, the four young researchers will receive an individual prize of 15 thousand euros, which aims to support their research in the areas of health and the environment, as well as inspire a way of doing science and, indeed, a society that is fairer and more inclusive.

It was, moreover, to promote this change in Portuguese science that, in 2004, L’Oréal launched the L’Oréal Medal of Honor. The initiative is the result of a partnership with the National Commission of UNESCO and the Foundation for Science and Technology and is part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program.

The awards ceremony for the 16 th edition of the L’Oréal Portugal Medal of Honor for Women in Science took place on February 19, 2020, at the Pavillion of Knowledge, in Lisbon.

... this award is an important milestone in establishing my scientific independence.

Engineering effectiveness in times of pandemic: the importance of serving the community

In the middle of March 2020, the threat of the Corona virus came knocking on Europe’s door with a bang. Nobody was prepared for the demanding times imposed by Covid-19: mandatory lockdown and a complete readjustment to our way of living. For many, life was suspended and the imprint of the lockdown is only now beginning to lift. Others, meanwhile, decided to channel their energies and to go on investing in technology and innovation in response to the pandemic. The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto has been one such example as I will now go on to explain.

Text: Raquel Pires Photo: reserved rights

Efforts to combat Covid-19 have multiplied and the University of Porto has heeded the calls to assist healthcare professionals working on the frontline. In an unprecedented initiative to mobilize the community, the University of Porto, in partnership with the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP), gathered over 20,000 acetate sheets in the space of a week. The sole objective was to use this material in the development and manufacture - by 3D printing - of visors for the protection of professional health workers. Largescale production - over a thousand pieces a day - began in late March and included two models of visors: one for health centre professionals and another for distribution in hospital units. This whole endeavour was coordinated and duly endorsed by health professionals from ARS-Norte in a collective effort led by researchers from FEUP, from the INEGI/LAETA and INESC-TEC research centres, and also from the Instituto Superior de Engenharia Porto (ISEP), together with assistance from students and businesses.

So far, over 8,400 visors have been produced, which have been distributed for use in the Hospitals of S. António and S. João (Porto), the Hospital of Gaia-Espinho and IPO-Porto. They were also delivered to ARS-Norte, which distributed them to Health Centres in the North region. According to Pedro Rodrigues, Vice-Rector of the University of Porto, who is responsible for the Research department and one of the main drivers of the initiative, “it is very gratifying to confirm the mobilization capacity of academia to provide essential protective equipment for healthcare professionals who are at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19”. Especially since “the model produced was de-veloped in a way responding directly to the specific needs of doctors, nurses and assistants who will use these visors daily”, he explains.

Overall coordination of visor production on the ground was led by Pedro Camacho, professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at FEUP, who was also involved in a project to print frames for goggles for healthcare professionals designed by VivaLab and ESAD, with the support of Porto City Council. In his view, the mobilization work achieved “in such a short time” was “impressive”. The INEGI researcher admits that “the design, approval and production of such a high number of visors was only possible thanks to the excellent coordination of efforts between the University of Porto and its organisational units together with a large number of students as well as businesses who, in a demonstration of great generosity, made their 3D printers and material available to produce the visors.”

Visors caption: Once completed, the visors produced - using elastic and acetate sheets - were distributed to Hospitals and Health Centres in the North region

Photos: U.Porto

PROVIDING A “DIRECT RESPONSE” TO NEEDS ON THE GROUND

A very worthwhile project in the fight against the pandemic has also emerged straight from Process, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy Engineering Laboratory (LEPABE) in FEUP’s Chemical Engineering department; namely, a low-cost oxygen concentrator aimed at delaying the need for patients to use a ventilator. The technology was developed by a team led by the researcher Adélio Mendes.

Oxygen concentrators are devices that purify oxygen from atmospheric air, providing oxygen with a purity of up to 95%. They are devices that can play an important role in places where there is no access to the hospital gas network (as in the case of field hospitals) or for patients who require respiratory care at home.

The prototype has been developed by Adélio Mendes’ team in partnership with the company Paralab and supported by Lígia Lopes, who as a researcher at FEUP’s Design Studio has provided industrial design expertise. It is already in the testing phase and will then go on for certification and expert approval. The idea will be to produce these concentrators locally, whenever requested, in a low-cost version. Rui Soares, CEO of Paralab, states that from the outset, commitment to achieving a low-cost version of the concentrator has always been on the table: “A commercial unit of 5 L/min costs on average 1,200 euros, but one of our goals is also to make a low-cost version, whose design will be available on an online platform so that it can be replicated in other countries.”

Frederico Relvas, a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at FEUP, has been working closely on this project with Adélio Mendes. He affirms the high feasibility of this oxygen concentrator, since the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends its use as a first-stage alternative to ventilators. The researcher further explains that “an oxygen concentrator purifies oxygen from atmospheric air by up to 95% and can be used in oxygen therapy, which is applied in treatments for respiratory diseases to maintain oxygen levels in the blood. In the case of Covid-19, oxygen therapy is recommended for all severe and critically ill patients, being administered through a nasal cannula or a Venturi mask. In other words, a concentrator can be used both in a “pre-ventilator” stage and can also be coupled to a ventilator”. This, therefore, reinforces the importance of this piece of equipment in the context of a pandemic like the one we are experiencing.

MULTIDISCIPLINARITY AS THE KEY TO SUCCESS

When it comes to technological innovation, much of its success lies in the partnerships that have been established. FEUP and the Institute of Systems and Computers Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC) joined forces to develop PNEUMA: a pandemic ventilator with a low-cost, easy-to-assemble self-inflating balloon, to support Portuguese hospitals within the overall effort to combat the new coronavirus.

This alternative ventilator, created with the purpose of enabling conventional ventilators to be released for more serious cases of Covid-19 (and beyond), offers support in second and third-line hospitals to patients awaiting transfer to central hospitals. In practice, it works as an alternative in emergency situations, for example in ambulances or back-up hospitals.

The technology can also be used for transient invasive ventilation, in patients with respiratory failure that requires control of volume and respiratory rate. In the event of an extreme lack of ventilators, PNEUMA is also a solid alternative. Inspired by original research conducted at Rice University (USA), the device involves a system whereby a self-inflating balloon (Bag Valve Masks - BVM, e.g. AMBU®) is automatically compressed and decompressed, mimicking the manual use of such a balloon. It resembles an emergency transport ventilator and can be used without being plugged in to the mains power supply.

“PNEUMA enables control of volume, respiratory rate and inspiration/expiration ratio, including stop detection alarms and a HEPA filter to mitigate risk of infections, among other features. It is based on an approved medical device that is part of the medical routine (self-inflating balloon) and is quickly replicable; that is, it is easier, faster and cheaper to produce solutions like this than new ventilators”, acknowledges Nuno Cruz, professor at FEUP and researcher at INESC TEC.

According to the project coordinator “the prototype has already been tested in pre-clinical trials and will now enter the stage of manufacture, production and assembly, in response to the challenges posed by ARS Norte. He concludes that “as well as being a technological challenge, it has also been a logistical challenge to make ventilators available to our health units in good time and in sufficient numbers.”

Together with FEUP and INESC TEC, the project also includes the Faculty of Medicine (FMUP), the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS) and the Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering (INEGI). In addition, they are joined by ARS Norte, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João (CHUSJ), the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto - Hospital de Santo António, the Instituto Electrotécnico Português (IEP), as well as various companies and individual doctors and engineers.

VOLUNTARY ENGINEERING: WHEN A CRISIS ENDS UP CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

With repeated requests from Portuguese health organizations at the frontline in fighting the pandemic, the need was soon felt to create a taskforce at the Faculty of Engineering in order to facilitate contact between researchers and the outside world. Named “FEUP – Voluntary Engineering”, the movement has also extended to heeding the requests for social and humanitarian aid that have arisen following the pandemic.

The taskforce is led by Renato Natal, professor in the Mechanical Engineering department, which has enabled him to be in contact with people from the faculty who he would not normally deal with, thus making him enthusiastic about the collaborative spirit of the FEUP community in the midst of the lockdown. He recognizes that “the term ‘learning’ has adopted an even more transversal meaning because we have all had to learn to work and collaborate in a way that we were not used to, at least with this intensity. One stand-out example of the spirit of mutual assistance can clearly be seen in the acts of solidarity from all members of the faculty to aid and support the health services”. He affirms that “generally speaking, everyone has been able to adapt appropriately to the current situation, including teachers and students in distance learning and

PNEUMA: similar to an emergency transport ventilator, the device can be used without being plugged in to the mains power grid

Photo: reserved rights

teaching activities, non-teaching staff in the support they have continued to provide in the various activities that have not stopped and in other new projects that have arisen through teleworking.”

Renato is used to working closely with doctors and other health professionals in the scope of the research projects he leads at FEUP. Given the threat to public health, he highlights the importance, of developing new equipment and therapies, supported by a truly multidisciplinary skills set, in which engineering plays a very significant role. As he explains, “currently, especially in Western society, it is difficult to conceive the relationship of citizens with the various health providers without the intervention of some form of equipment, both in diagnosis and therapy.” At the diagnostic level, he mentions, for example, the thermometer, essential for measuring temperature, adding, however, that “in the case of mass analysis of body temperature measurements, reference should be made to the use of thermographic chambers, which in recent years have been used in many other contexts, such as physical and rehabilitation medicine, dental medicine, stomatology, otolaryngology, orthopaedics and plastic surgery, among others, and which are currently used on a large scale (in airports, businesses, and so on).”

He further explains how “in the area of pulmonology, where respiratory failure is generally a serious health problem, and which in the case of Covid 19 can play a crucial role in patients’ lives, the use of assisted ventilation is particularly important. This procedure is performed by using a ventilation device, enabling induction of positive pressure applied to patients’ airways.” He goes on to highlight how “the development of these devices involves skills not only in the health field, but also in several areas of engineering, especially the field of materials (a material in contact with humans must be biocompatible), the field of mechanics, both at the level of materials (the components must withstand the applied pressures without breaking) and also at the level of fluids (the respiratory tract is an excellent example for the application of fluid mechanics), as well as the field of control engineering (procedures are controlled using electronic components).”

“Another area of engineering that has been shown to be very significant involves the manufacture of parts. One of the technologies that has evolved most in recent years is additive manufacturing - often called 3D printing - which put simply can be seen as a system that encompasses a set of physical modelling technologies, aimed at the rapid manufacture of prototypes based on data from computer-generated 3D models.” In conclusion, Renato Natal emphasizes that FEUP has also been actively participating in the search for solutions and production of parts to be incorporated in various items of personal protection equipment.

Café FEUP Alive: or the need to be together?

With FEUP’s facilities closed during the critical period of the critical phase of the pandemic, it was also necessary to strengthen the sense of belonging to the community and ensure that nobody was completely isolated. Given such high levels of potential infection, leading to a mandatory lockdown, a new project was rapidly launched at FEUP, which was nothing more or less than a virtual coffee room, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The idea was to provide a digital platform that would function as a meeting point similar to what you find when you are at FEUP physically during breaks from work and thereby a way of sustaining the relationships that have been built beyond the professional routine. Designated “FEUP Alive” (FEUP Com Vida), on Thursdays, from 5 pm, there is always a guest and a topic that is openly discussed in real time for an hour.

More information at feupcomvida.fe.up.pt

TRACKING THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSMISSION OF COVID-19

“FollowMyHealth” is an app developed by researchers from FEUP in partnership with the Institute of Telecommunications (IT) and two other entities belonging to the University of Porto, namely its Institute of Public Health (ISPUP) and the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUP). The main aims of the app are to improve knowledge about the environmental transmission of the new coronavirus and to confirm the effectiveness of using a list of locations of potential infection as an indicator of self-surveillance.

Development of the app was inspired in part by a scientific paper in the prestigious Science magazine read by FEUP researcher Ana Aguiar. The article in question focused on various models of Covid-19 propagation and how technology could help to more clearly understand propagation mechanisms and help health services to better guide their efforts. Ana thus decided to channel the know-how gained from the SenseMyCity platform and the team who had for some years been working on this project, in order to develop an app capable of tracking the environmental transmission of Covid-19.

Ana Aguiar is a researcher in FEUP’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Coordinator of the Telecommunications Institute in Porto. As she explains, “since my work involves extracting information from GPS data, I thought that our platform, ready to go on the ground, and our know-how in real data processing and information extraction would be very useful.” She further explains how “in this project we intend to improve knowledge about environmental transmission and to be able to parameterize virus transmission models with more granularity, providing the user with a kind of self-surveillance indicator, through detailed evaluation and analysis of the specificities of each location (type of activity, its size, the amount of time people are in that locality, etc.) which will then allow aggregated statistics on risky behaviour to be obtained.”

In practice, the app - already available on the Google Play Store - allows users to be warned if they have been in places of potential contagion. On the other hand, it also serves to track people suspected or confirmed of carrying infection and those in prophylactic isolation.

In addition, “FollowMyHealth” also aims to understand the emotional state of people at different stages of the pandemic, which will enable the study of different types of mobility within the group of citizens using the application. To achieve this, it will be necessary to collect data on hygiene and risk behaviours.

In conclusion, let it be said that the response to the pandemic first began in science and research, before then becoming multilateral and appealing to the sense of solidarity that each of us feels. FEUP has always been very active in this fight, on several fronts, in an effort involving the community as a whole: researchers in the search for solutions, teachers supporting classes and adapting to a new system of distance evaluation, students committed to continuing to follow their course materials in a great effort to complete the academic year, and FEUP staff members who reinvented themselves from home, showing that they can still be productive in circumstances that no one had ever experienced.

Mobility in the time of Covid-19

Text: João Pedro Pêgo* Photo: reserved rights

We are living through historic times that will change the world and remain in everyone’s memory, most likely for generations. Recent months have evoked very old memories of past pandemics and rekindled fears that we long thought had been overcome. These are frightening times, and yet they are at the same time fascinating, forcing us to take an evolutionary leap forward in many aspects of our lives.

The challenges facing universities have forced them to alter procedures and attitudes that academic tradition had long taken for granted. The most obvious is undoubtedly the fact that we are prevented from gathering and working together in person, one of the strong pillars of academia. How many times have we heard of projects that were devised at the cafeteria table, or how a common room is essential for keeping teams together, promoting creativity and the exchange of ideas? We often ask ourselves what brings a student to the classroom, when most learning materials are made available by teachers or are available online. The answer, invariably, is because it is much more interesting and motivating when we learn together than when we have to do so alone.

The Covid-19 crisis has pushed universities into remote teaching and online classes. This change began in January, when China and Australia saw this way of teaching as a response to the restrictions on movement of people that had been imposed in that part of the world. As a consequence, there was an intensification in the use of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platforms and changes in teaching-learning methods, which allowed their normal teaching activities to continue. Meanwhile, however, the wave that began in Asia reached Europe. Today, almost all European universities have chosen to close their facilities and create conditions for their teachers to be able to lecture from home, in order to contribute to the effort to reduce the number of infections in the population.

European universities are making every effort to ensure that incoming mobility students feel protected and welcomed at their host institution, despite all the restrictive measures that Covid-19 has imposed. Those who have decided to return to their own country are being assured that they will be able to continue their mobility, from home, through online classes. It is a remarkable achievement, and a source of pride, to realize that Europe knew how to convey to those who had chosen its mobility programs as a means to carry out their studies, that their hopes would not be dashed. Nevertheless, in light of the obvious facts, many universities have recommended that their outgoing mobility students return to their country of origin, anticipating that the closing of borders could complicate their return.

Some international students who have chosen to interrupt their mobility at FEUP also cite financial issues as a reason to justify their return. After all, since classes will be given online, is it not more logical to attend them from home, without paying any more rent?

All of these questions compel us to reflect on what the future of mobility will be. While the movement of people will increase again, there will be behavioural changes. Next time, mobility will be more considered and in reduced numbers. Now that many teachers have discovered the new educational technologies that permit remote teaching, which have enabled them to be filmed giving a lesson for the first time, there are reasons to rethink higher education and reconsider what our stage and who our target audience are. Most likely there will be more virtual mobility students, with the teacher in one room and the students in another room, which may be on the other side of the world. In addition, there will be more international project meetings held by video conference. The experience and involvement will be different and will not replace face-to-face contact, but will be a good complement to the traditional way of doing things.

It is still too early to know what the future of mobility will be like. For now, I am pleased to note that, despite everything, students interested in mobility are already continuing to seek out FEUP for the next academic year. And this is a source of comfort, reminding me that after the storm comes the calm. Let’s hope it passes quickly so we can see each other again soon!