Miguel Rosa, a final-year student in the Bachelor’s degree in Electronics, Telecommunications and Computer Engineering at the Department of Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering (DEETC) of the Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL), won first prize in the student category of the international competition promoted by the H2O & Sustainability Innovation Hub, held on October 14 and 15 at the University of Algarve, on the Penha Campus in Faro.

The winning project, titled “Smart System for Microplastics Quantification and Analysis in Water”, was developed under the co-supervision of ISEL professors António Serrador and Nuno Datia, and Jan Halfar, professor at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (Czech Republic).

This is the first ISEL undergraduate final project developed in collaboration with the U!REKA European network. Its goal is to deepen understanding of the presence of microplastics in the watersheds of the municipalities of Oeiras and Lisbon, including their impact on the marine environment, thereby contributing to research and monitoring of one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The project also received support from the Municipal Councils of Oeiras and Lisbon, strengthening collaboration between higher education institutions, local authorities, and innovation ecosystems dedicated to sustainability, the blue economy, and environmental transition.

The recognition achieved by Miguel Rosa highlights the work carried out at ISEL and within the Polytechnic of Lisbon in promoting applied research and technological solutions with real social impact — helping to train professionals capable of addressing the environmental challenges of both the present and the future.

Text by MFC/GCI
Images courtesy of the University of Algarve