The ceremony to deliver the EPCOL Award to the Best Student of the Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, concluded in the academic year of 2023/24, Simão Nieto de Castro, took place on July 14, 2025, at the Amphitheatre AM, in the Mechanics II Building of Técnico, starting at 5:00 pm.

The EPCOL Award, established by the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM), in collaboration with the Coordination of the Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and with the sponsorship of EPCOL (formerly designated as Apetro), aims to encourage and value excellence in the academic performance of students of the Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. This year, the EPCOL Award honoured the Best Student of the Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, concluded in the academic year of 2023/24, Simão Vitoriano Lourenço Nieto de Castro, being the 7^th edition since it was established (although the first time under the name EPCOL).

The ceremony featured a series of brief speeches praising the awarded student, and inspiring him to be henceforth an ambassador of IST and DEM, namely, by Professor Rogério Colaço, President of IST, by Professor Inês Lynce, Vice-President of the Scientific Council, by Professor Miguel Teixeira, President of the Pedagogical Council, by Professor Paulo Fernandes, President of DEM, by Professor Aurélio Araújo, Coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, by Doctor Beatriz Mendes, Coordinator of the Corporate Partnerships Office, by Eng. Dina Dimas, Vice-President of the Order of the Engineers, and by Eng. António Comprido, Secretary General of EPCOL.

At last, the awarded student, Simão Vitoriano Lourenço Nieto de Castro, honoured by the distinction of the EPCOL Award, gave a sincere and moving speech, thanking his family, colleagues and Professors for supporting his academic performance as a student of the Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at IST, as well as DEM, as a whole, for the appreciation of its students. In particular, the awarded student, highlighted Professor Vânia Silvério and Professor Viriato Semião (who passed away earlier this year), as Supervisors of his Master's Dissertation, entitled "Real time hemodynamics for intracranial aneurysms practical and fast prediction using CFD-supervised deep neural networks". At present, Simão Nieto de Castro is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at University College Dublin, carrying out research in the area of xenotransplantation.

This ceremony to deliver the EPCOL Award to the Best Student of the Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, concluded in the academic year of 2023/24, aims to celebrate excellence, congratulating especially the awarded student, Simão Nieto de Castro, to give due thanks to EPCOL, as well as to recognize the meritorious role of DEM and its Professors, together with the family support of the awarded student, in creating an ecosystem conductive to the excellence achieved.

DEM praises and congratulates the awarded student, Simão Nieto de Castro.