🏆 I'm honored to announce that I received the award for the best PhD student paper at the XIX International Symposium on Dynamic Problems of Mechanics (DINAME 2023)

Many times, I heard stories of my colleagues about how nice and unique the past DINAME conferences were, but I had experience it myself to understand. This was the first time I attended to DINAME, and every single detail of it impressed me. It was held at a resort in the lovely and small city of Pirenópolis, located in the countryside of the state of Goiás, Brazil. I attended the conference with our research group, composed by members of UFRJ, UFF and UERJ. The first impressive aspect was the magnificent structure of the resort. It is a quiet and relaxing place, well integrated with the nature around. The private rooms were located at different small houses scattered around the environment, connected by small stone paths. At the center, there was a great swimming pool with a cocktail bar at the middle of it, and a couple of water slides around the pool. In my view, it was a great choice as it creates a unique, relaxing vibe for the conference.

Pousada dos Pirineus, the place were the conference took place.

Another key factor was the format of the conference. It was conducted in a single section, which, in my point of view, elevates the level of the talks and quality of the works presented. A room full of people is always more intimidating for the presenter than the other way around. In my case, it inspired me to perfect my presentation as there were many researchers there whose I admire for the valuable research they have done over the years.

I had 12 minutes to present my work entitled Analysis of Energy Harvesters Using a Nonlinear Dynamics Perspective. There, I showed some preliminary results of my PhD research, demonstrating how an analysis based on a nonlinear dynamics framework can provide valuable, distinct insights about energy harvesting systems. To exemplify the analyses, we proposed a new energy harvester, which later became a full journal paper published in the International Journal of Mechanical Sciences.

The moment of the presentation.

Unexpectedly, one week after the event, I received an e-mail from the organization granting me the award of the best PhD student paper of the event!

Receiving the award was an incredible honor, a testament to the countless hours of hard work, the late nights, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of my research. It was a validation that I’m following the right path. I also have a profound sense of gratitude for the support and collaboration of my advisor Marcelo Savi. Without him this work would be impracticable.

As I reflect on the conference, I am filled with a sense of accomplishment and inspiration. The experience has expanded my horizons, introduced me to new ideas, and connected me with researches whose work I have long admired. It has reaffirmed my passion for my field and my commitment to contributing to it.

In conclusion, the DINAME 2023 conference was more than just a conference; it was a transformative experience that has left an important mark on my academic journey. I am grateful for the opportunity and excited about what the future holds.