With the arrival of new students through the National Entrance Exam, ISEL renews its commitment to a balanced and successful integration into academic life.The Student Support Space provides a specialized team of psychologists and dedicated professionals who offer psychological support, mentoring programs, and career guidance, among other services, helping students face personal, academic, and professional challenges.These free services aim to support not only adaptation to higher education but also promote well-being, mental health, and the development of skills that will be essential throughout their academic and future careers."We want our students to know they are not alone. ISEL supports them from day one, creating a safe and supportive environment so they can reach their full potential," emphasizes the Student Support Center team.More information about the available services can be found at: ISEL Student Support Center.

The "Verdito" project is the overall winner of the ACE Challenge ideas competition run by the Polytechnic of Lisbon, a joint venture of the ACE - Academy of Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. The initiative, which has been running since 2019, aims to foster entrepreneurial spirit among students and empower participants in various initiatives to develop projects that present solutions to challenges and needs across the various educational areas of the Polytechnic of Lisbon's schools.The idea behind Verdito is to help companies and consumers guarantee the authenticity and sustainability of their products in the market by granting them a seal.Created by students Rafael Romão of the Lisbon Institute of Engineering, Ana Beatriz Nobre of the Lisbon School of Health Technology, and Diogo Carvalho of the Lisbon School of Music, the Verdito project offers a personalized analysis for each company or producer, evaluating the entire process, from origin to distribution, to ensure ethical and sustainable practices, both from an environmental and social perspective. With this solution, Verdito aims to combat phenomena such as greenwashing by providing consumers with clear and reliable information. For Ricardo Pinheiro, vice president of research and artistic creation, entrepreneurship and internationalization at IPL, “The ACE Challenge represents the spirit of innovation, creativity and collaboration that the Polytechnic of Lisbon seeks to foster among its students,” he said. The AnthoSuture project, developed by students Rui Quintas, Susana Cabral, and Pedro Afonso, from the Lisbon Institute of Engineering, won second place, worth 1,500 euros. The idea proposes the development of an innovative suture thread, produced from naturally occurring materials with the ability to change color based on the wound's pH. By reacting early to changes in pH, AnthoSuture acts as an immediate visual indicator, enabling a rapid and effective response, contributing to the prevention of hospital-acquired infections.This smart thread turns blue after use, purple in the event of a potential infection, and red when the healing process is proceeding normally.The finalist projects were presented on July 14, 2025, to the jury, chaired by José Rui Soares of BTEN, and composed of Ricardo Pinheiro, vice president of research and artistic creation, entrepreneurship, and internationalization at IPL, Olímpia Silva of CGD, and José Vasconcelos of BTEN.The ACE Challenge awards ceremony is scheduled for the start of the 2025/2026 academic year. The winning group will represent the Polytechnic of Lisbon in the national Poliempreende competition, which will be held in Aveiro from September 1 to 5, 2025. 1st Prize | VerditoRafael Romão - Instituto Superior de Engenharia de LisboaAna Beatriz Nobre - Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de LisboaDiogo Carvalho - Escola Superior de Música de LisboaPrize: 2.000€ | CGD2nd Prize | AnthoSutureRui Quintas, Susana Cabral, Pedro Afonso - Instituto Superior de Engenharia de LisboaPrize: 1.500€ | Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa[flickr-photoset:id=72177720327577059, size=q, num=10]Ver no flickr Texto de MFC/GCIImagens de DS/GCI

Professor João Gomes (DEQ/ISEL), a professor and researcher at ISEL, recently wrote an opinion piece in the newspaper Diário de Notícias, entitled "Fighting Forest Fires as a National Purpose," published in the August 27, 2025, edition.The article reflects the professor's concern about one of the biggest problems affecting the country and reinforces the academic community's contribution to the public debate surrounding forest management and fire prevention.The publication of this article in Diário de Notícias highlights the relevance of the work developed at ISEL and the active role of its professors and researchers in sharing knowledge and encouraging reflection on structural challenges facing the country.The article can be found on the Diário de Notícias website: Read the full article.

ISEL participated in the Energy Transition Alliance (ATE) Conference at the Super Bock Arena Congress Center in Porto.Some of the 80 partners of the ATE project were present, and the "Multimodal Public Transport Management Platform" project was highlighted in the demonstration area, with a presentation of the prototype installed at Ermesinde Station and on buses managed by Maia Transportes e Carris.ISEL was represented by Professor José Simão (DEI/ISEL) and João Cravo, a Master's student in Computer Engineering and a project scholarship holder.The ATE project, in which ISEL is a partner, aims to develop a structural ecosystem that promotes a profound transformation in the energy sector, based on a concerted and multidimensional strategy for carbon neutrality, including new sustainable mobility solutions. It is expected that 60% of the investment will be in high TRL innovation, that is, technologies with a high level of maturity and the ability to be demonstrable in real use scenarios. In the image (from left to right): Professor António Andrade (IDMEC/IST), student João Cravo (ISEL), Professor José Simão (ISEL), Professor Virgínia Infante and Researcher Nuno Matos (both from (IDMEC/IST))

ISEL professor and researcher Matilde Pós-de-Mina Pato (DEI/ISEL) served as Session Chair at the prestigious KDD (Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining) Conference 2025, held in Toronto last August.This invitation stems from the recognition she received after being named Outstanding Reviewer in two consecutive editions of the conference (February and August). Session Chair status is granted to outstanding researchers and constitutes a mark of prestige within the international data science and artificial intelligence community.In this role, Matilde Pato coordinated the following sessions:Machine Learning OptimizationRecommender SystemsEfficient Data ProcessingKDD (Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining) is one of the most relevant and respected conferences in the world in the field of data science and artificial intelligence, rated A* in the international rankings.The distinction granted to the ISEL professor reinforces the institute's visibility and recognition in the international data science and artificial intelligence research arena.