The Production and Systems Department of the School of Engineering at the University of Minho, a pioneer in the teaching of Industrial Engineering and Management in Portugal, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout this year.
The programme began on 27 May with a conference in Guimarães, followed until December by meetings with alumni and partners, an international week, a commemorative book, and co-creation and employability events, amongst other activities. The aim is to recognise the journey undertaken, value the present, and strategically affirm the future.
Over five decades, there have been more than 3,000 graduates in the field, a third of whom were postgraduates, with 90% of these having written dissertations applied to the business and social sectors. There have also been more than 1,100 Erasmus study and internship placements with 60 partner institutions, 40% of which were hosted by UMinho. The Department of Production and Systems (DPS), currently headed by Professor Paulo Sampaio, has also contributed to teaching numerous subject areas at this university, organising leading international conferences, as well as leading and participating in hundreds of educational, scientific and societal projects, involving the Algoritmi Centre, spin-offs, associations, industry and policy-makers, amongst others.
Academic and business impact
The celebrations began on 27 May at 5.00 pm in Auditorium B1.10 on the Azurém campus, with the conference “Industrial Engineering and Management in Portugal: paths, convergences and futures”. The speakers were José António Cabral (Portuguese Association of Industrial Management and Engineering), José Fernando Oliveira (University of Porto), Joaquim Borges Gouveia (University of Aveiro), Susana Relvas (Instituto Superior Técnico), Virgílio Cruz Machado (Nova University of Lisbon) and Madalena Araújo (UMinho). The session was moderated by Anabela Alves and Carina Pimentel, from the management teams of the Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes in Industrial Engineering and Management at UMinho, respectively.
The Alumni Gathering takes place on 20 June, inviting former students from 20 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes linked to the DPS for an intergenerational get-together, featuring a sunset event and a performance by DJ 2ICE. From 22 to 26 June, International Week will welcome 28 students and 20 academics from various countries to share ideas and best practices in entrepreneurship, innovation and higher education ecosystems, as part of the European Arqus alliance. A reunion of (former) staff members who have played a key role in the history of the DPS is scheduled for July.
On 23 and 24 September, the Azurém campus will host the Ideathon, bringing together companies and students to co-create solutions to real-world organisational challenges, and the Empresa à Vista initiative, which promotes employability, links between academia and industry, and the development of dissertations in a business context. The book “50 Years of Production and Systems”, featuring testimonials from various prominent figures, is due to be launched in December. The committee commemorating this 50th anniversary is chaired by retired professor Madalena Araújo.
– Watch the video invitation here.
