On 4 December, the @nucleominasist organized the 20th edition of Santa Bárbara Conference, an initiative that for two decades has celebrated Saint Barbara’s Day — the patron saint of miners — and continues to be promoted and led by Técnico students.

The event brought together students from IST and FEUP, alumni, current and former professors, as well as several companies from the mining sector, reinforcing the central role of this conference in connecting academia, industry and the technical community.

Presentation of the ORICA/NUMIST – Professor Dinis da Gama Award

One of the highlights of this year’s edition was the presentation of the first ORICA/NUMIST – Professor Dinis da Gama Award, a distinction that recognises the academic and scientific excellence of Master’s students in Mining Engineering.

The award was presented to Margarida Grou (@mclgrou), a CERENA student, by Professor Dinis da Gama, in recognition of her outstanding work in mining engineering.
Congratulations to Margarida on this achievement!

Lecture by Professor Pedro Bernardo

The conference also featured a lecture by Professor Pedro Bernardo, who provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution of the mining industry over time, while addressing current and future challenges in mining engineering within the global context of the energy transition and the growing demand for critical raw materials.

Debate on European Legislation and Strategic Autonomy

The event concluded with a debate moderated by student Santiago Bilbao, featuring Professor Maria João Pereira, Eng. Mário Bastos, Eng. Miguel Albino and Dr. Francisco Veiga Simão.
The panel focused on European legislation concerning critical raw materials and Europe’s strategies to ensure secure access to essential resources required for the green transition. The discussion highlighted the need to reinforce Europe’s independence from external suppliers and to promote greater public awareness and education on mining exploration