The External Relations Department centers its activity around the organization and promotion of initiatives that bring students and NEEM FEUP closer to the industry and relevant external entities.To achieve this, a strong commitment is made to the dynamization of two-way interactions between students and companies, whether through lectures, visits, case studies or others. We also assume the responsibility to represent NEEM FEUP and the students before individuals, institutions and associations that align with the scope of the academic community and Mechanical Engineering, promoting cooperation strategies with them.

As a collaborator of the External Relations Department at NEEM FEUP, I am responsible for bringing our academic community closer to the business and industrial worlds, by promoting initiatives that allow for direct contact between both parties.Our team organizes events such as flash interviews, round-tables, lectures, workshops, case studies, visits and networking moments, always with the intent of connecting our students with the participating industries and individuals. We also contact companies in search of opportunities for Mechanical Engineering students, such as internships and job offers.This experience allows me to exercise my communication and coordination skills, as I work daily with my team in the planning and execution of these events.

During this internship, I learnt and researched about damage tolerance simulation of aeronauticalcomposite skin-stringer panels. I performed an extensive literature review, in order to establish a consistent working basis, and tested recent models using ABAQUS, while comparing them with experiental results. This allowed to pinpoint areas of possible improvement and take additonal conclusions regarding the parametric study of the used models and obtained simulation results.