- Carolina Felgueiras was distinguished by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Program for her work with Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC);
- The international entity granted the student a scholarship worth 10 thousand euros for the research she is carrying out and will also cover the cost of her monthly fees;
- The scholarship program is aimed at students and aims to inspire young women to build academic careers in the field of research in nuclear physics.
Carolina Felgueiras, a master’s student in Physical Engineering at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (CIÊNCIAS ULisboa), was distinguished by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The highlighted project focuses on work with RPC – Resistive Plate Chambers – which measure neutrons. The student received a scholarship worth 10 thousand euros, which will support the project she is developing as part of her master’s thesis.
But, after all, what are RPCs? Simply put, it is a work tool designed to measure thermal (or slow) neutrons and Carolina intends to find a more comprehensive solution that can also measure fast neutrons. Despite being used in a laboratory environment, these RPCs have applications in everyday life and can be useful tools for purposes as diverse as detecting landmines (used and applied) or even in agriculture, to detect and measure the presence of water underground (conceptual design).
The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme supports this research: “This opportunity represents an important step in consolidating my career, allowing me to deepen my knowledge in the area of nuclear physics and join an international network of researchers”, says master’s student Carolina Felgueiras. “The presence of women in this field is essential to promote a more inclusive and diverse science. Furthermore, this achievement demonstrates that it is possible to develop excellent research in Portugal, benefiting from international collaborations and infrastructures.”
Awarded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Program aims to inspire and encourage young women to pursue a professional path in this area. Awarded internationally, this scholarship program is aimed at students aiming to pursue a Master’s degree in the field of Nuclear Energy, and there are also internship opportunities provided by the IAEA. This distinction aims to support advances in the safe and peaceful use of nuclear science and technology in areas as diverse as Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, Nuclear Medicine, Radiobiology, Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Legislation.
Daniel Galaviz Redondo, professor of the Physics Department and advisor to Carolina Felgueiras, recalls that this is a way of “reaffirming the importance of the work and an incentive to continue promoting academic excellence in the area of Nuclear Physics.”
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