Universidade Federal do Ceará
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Teleinformática

On February 26, 2025, professors Tarcisio Maciel and Fazal-E-Asim, members of the Graduate Program in Teleinformatics Engineering (PPGETI) and the National Institute of Science and Technology Signals (INCT Signals) paid a technical visit to the Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering (PPGEE) of the Federal Rural University of Semiarido (UFERSA), Mossoró. Professors Tarcisio and Fazal were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Isaac B. T. da Silva and Prof. Dr. Humberto D. de Andrade, coordinator and vice-coordinator of PPGEE-UFERSA, both PhDs in Electrical Engineering, and by Prof. Dr. Idalmir S. Queiroz Jr, PhD in Physics, and by Prof. Dr. Samanta M. de Holanda, PhD in Electrical Engineering, all of them members of the Integrated Innovation Center of Semi-Árido (CITed) laboratory and researchers actively working in the area of telecommunications and applied electromagnetism at UFERSA

During the visit, Professor Isaac presented UFERSA’s PPGEE, highlighting its main lines of research and also scientific collaborations, some of which were developed in partnership with UFC and universities abroad. He also highlighted the main research carried out by the group in the areas of telecommunications and applied electromagnetism at CITed, including computational models and prototypes of frequency-selective reflective surfaces. Professors Tarcisio and Asim were also shown the structure of the PPGEE laboratories and the equipment used in the development of studies in applied electromagnetism and telecommunications in the UFERSA master’s program.

Professor Tarcisio introduced the PPGETI-UFC, highlighting its areas of concentration, lines of research and developed technical collaborations, in addition to sharing information about the research groups responsible for several of the laboratories linked to the program, such as INCT Signals, LPSA, GTEL, LESC, and LATIQ, among others. Professor Tarcisio also introduced INCT Signals, which focuses on signal processing, communications, and sensing, and where applied electromagnetic technologies such as smart antennas and reflective surfaces find several applications. Based in the Signal Processing and Applications Laboratory (LPSA) of the Department of Teleinformatics Engineering (DETI), INCT Signals is organized into several work packages and currently involves five institutions distributed in the Northeast, South and Southeast of the country. During the visit, professors and students of the PPGEE at UFERSA who work in the telecommunications area were able to interact with PPGETI professors and discuss possible paths of collaboration, including accreditation and co-supervision at the master’s and doctoral levels. In addition, strategies were also discussed to intensify technical and scientific cooperation between the research groups of the programs in joint projects.

For Professor Tarcisio, the visit represented an excellent opportunity to learn more about the skills of the UFERSA group and to foster cooperation between the institutions: “We were very well received by the UFERSA professors and were very impressed by the group’s long experience and competence in the design of antennas and frequency-selective surfaces using specialized software, adopted in the industry, as well as in the physical construction and electromagnetic characterization of devices in the form of prototypes”.

For Professor Asim, the visit represented an important window of opportunity to bring the institutions closer together and promote the exchange of experiences: “They have extensive experience in the area of applied electromagnetics. From the undergraduate level, they encourage students to familiarize themselves with commercial antenna design software and the characterization of electromagnetic materials, and they maintain their own internal documentation on materials and methods applied to the design and analysis of electromagnetic devices.”

For Professor Isaac, the visit represents an excellent opportunity to foster new partnerships: “Receiving researchers from established institutions such as UFC is essential for the growth of our graduate program. These interactions allow our students to have contact with different research perspectives and open doors to collaborations that can benefit both universities.” Professor Humberto emphasized the importance of initiatives like this. “The interaction between graduate programs strengthens scientific production and the training of qualified professionals. Our intention is for this visit to be the first step towards more concrete collaborations in joint projects and exchange of researchers.”

All involved agree that the visit reinforces the importance of communication between researchers from different institutions and the sharing of knowledge for the advancement of research in the area of telecommunications and electrical engineering. The expectation is that new opportunities for collaboration will arise from this meeting, strengthening the technological and academic development of the region.