Have you ever thought of integrating methods of Neurosciences and Engineering in order to learn more about the functioning of the nervous system and to develop solutions for the limitations and dysfunctions related to it? This is the daily life of a Neuroengineering student. This field of knowledge unites aspects of Biological Sciences, Health Sciences, Engineering and Computation. The state of Rio Grande do Norte has the first and only postgraduate program in this area recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education, based in the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD, as portuguese abbreviation), in the city of Macaíba. Aiming to spread information about this research area, ISD promotes in partnership with the School of Science and Technology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), introductory lectures targeted to students and researchers interested in the field. The event will take place on the 6th of April, 2022, at the Auditorium C from the School of Science and Technology. Certificates of attendance will be available for the participants after the event. 

The lecture will happen in two different times (10:50 am – 12h:30 or 04:50 pm – 6:30 pm) and will count with the presence of the professor-researcher and Coordinator of the Master’s in Neuroengineering from ISD, Abner Rodrigues Neto, who develops studies in the field of Computer Science with emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), Signal Processing and Time Series Analysis applied to Neuroengineering and also of the professor-researcher André Dantas, who studies Signal Processing, Systems of PID Controllers, Predictive, Fuzzy, Adaptive and Intelligence applied to Neuroengineering. Plus, students from the Master’s Program of ISD that are alumni from the School of Science and Technology will also participate in order to share their experiences and research in the field. 

“Neuroengineering is still unknown by the greater public, even amongst people who are already working with other types of engineering. Few people know that right beside them, in the city of Macaíba, there is a national hub of Neuroengineering. So I believe that right away, the most important thing about the event will be presenting this field of knowledge to students and researchers in order to spark in them the interest of developing researches in this area”, says the Coordinator of the Master’s program in Neuroengineering, Abner Rodrigues Neto. 

Interdisciplinarity

The director of the School of Science and Technology, Douglas Nascimento, highlights that interdisciplinarity and the possibility of transiting between many fields of knowledge are also premises of the Bachelor’s program in Science and Technology of UFRN. “When a student experiences many realities in its formative process, they acquire a holistic and integrated view of how to solve problems in their professional futures. In this process, the student develops their capacity of working in multidisciplinary teams, debating and finding solutions to problems that don’t seem at first sight directly linked to their area of origin. They can see the possibilities of changing their focuses without necessarily changing their formation, and they can understand the language of other professionals, which makes the interaction easier”, he explains. 

As en exemple, many alumni from the School of Science and Technology are today part of the student’s body of the Master’s in Neuroengineering from ISD. There are students graduated in areas such as Biomedical Engineering, Computational Engineering, Materials Engineering and others, all using their specific knowledge from their areas in order to develop researches and products in the Neurosciences field. 

Professor Abner Rodrigues says that one of the interesting aspects related to this field of knowledge is the fact that many things are still new and yet to be discovered, which gives the researchers of the area unique opportunities to discover new products, solutions and researches. “We are talking about an area that is situated in the frontier of science. Many products don’t exist yet within the market or even in science itself, so there is a great opportunity to develop new studies and devices”. 

Other than that, with the increase of the life expectancy of the population, neurodegenerative diseases and technological solutions to living with movement and function limitations related to the brain, for example, are about to become even more relevant in the planet, and the interest in this field tends to grow. 

“The development of researches and devices has a decisive role in institutions of teaching and research, not only for the product and the research itself, but mostly for the significant contribution they have in the formation of the human resources that will keep spreading these products, researches and the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. They will be more than professionals, they will be multipliers”, says Douglas Nascimento. 

Master’s in Neuroengineering

The Master’s Program in Neuroengineering from the Santos Dumont Institute was approved in 2013 by the Coordination of Improvement for Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), in the field of Biomedical Engineering. The activities, however, are not limited to people who graduated in this area: bachelor’s in Engineering, Exact Sciences, Health Sciences, Biological Sciences and Technology can and are also encouraged to apply. Interdisciplinarity between these fields is one of the pillars of the Master’s in Neuroengineering from ISD. 

The activities of the Master’s take place in the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS, as portuguese abbreviation) and at the Anita Garibaldi Center for Education and Research in Health (Anita), two units of ISD located in the city of Macaíba, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. At ISD, the students develop translational research, from the laboratories, where basic research in animal models is conducted, to the development of clinical solutions that will reach the users of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). 

Besides the Master’s students, ISD also has volunteer students of Scientific Initiation that are still completing their undergraduate programs. 

Students and researchers, graduated or not, interested in learning more about the field of Neuroengineering can sign up for the lecture in advance through the form (https://forms.gle/TPgShx8hrtxYpg3L6). The event will have certificates of attendance. It is also possible to sign up on the time and day of the event, in person. 

What: Lecture – Meeting the Neuroengineering

When: April 6th, 2022

Time: 10:50am – 12:30am OR 04:50pm – 6:30pm

Where: Auditorium C, School of Science and Technology, UFRN. 

Sign up: https://forms.gle/TPgShx8hrtxYpg3L6