MSE Coimbra Student Profiles: New Faces on Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh Campus

Joining Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus this semester are four graduate students in the dual degree Master of Software Engineering (MSE) program in conjunction with the University of Coimbra in Portugal. All four students have strong engineering backgrounds and broad interests in cultural immersion.

Ana Rita de Almeida Ferreira Rodrigues

Ana Rita Rodrigues

Rodrigues graduated in 2002 from the Instituto Superior Técnico with a B.Sc. in Informatics and Computer Engineering. She is now a software developer at Portugal Telecom-SI where she works for the Billing Department. Before Portugal Telecom she worked for Optimus, a major cell phone operator, where she was involved in configuration management. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her nephews, traveling abroad, and studying photography. How is the Pittsburgh campus different from your home campus? “The Pittsburgh campus is larger, since it is composed of several colleges and institutes. So, there are many

extracurricular activities that are very interesting. Back home the campus is smaller and [our program space is] closer to the center of campus. Since we are the first group of MSE students in Coimbra, we have a room just for us on the campus there. Here in Pittsburgh we share an open space and schedule meeting rooms, which can be tricky. But it has also been an opportunity to know people from different cultures, since our colleagues come from different parts of the world.

What do you think of living in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has cultural places there are very interesting, like the museums. The program is very demanding so I don’t often have the opportunity to visit them all, but I'm planning to. The parks seem very nice but in this time of the year the weather prevents me from enjoying them as much as I'd like. On the other hand, I had the chance to practice sports. It has been an adaptation to be away from family and friends, with such cold weather (although I like the snow), and without some of the things I'm used to (like a car). Still, I consider Pittsburgh an interesting experience.

Why did you decide to do the dual degree program?
I selected this program because it is aimed at professionals in my area and because it will contribute my professional growth. The semester in Pittsburgh was an additional motivation, because it allows me to be in the top university in software engineering and close to experts in the field. Also, it gives me the chance to learn about different cultures.

Anselmo José Gandarão Pereira da Silva

Anselmo da Silva

da Silva has been a project manager at Portugal Telecom-SI for 10 years. He has worked in several units including Customer Management, Document Management, and Content Management Solutions. He holds a B.Sc. in Informatics and Systems Engineering from University of Minho and a PMP certification by the Project Management Institute. Anselmo is married and has a lovely one-year-old daughter named Alice. How is the Pittsburgh campus different from your home campus? Maybe the major differences are the cultural and athletic facilities available on the Carnegie Mellon campus. Also, we are able to attend conferences, talks and presentations that

normally aren't available on the Coimbra campus. Otherwise, the two campuses are mostly the same.

What do you think of living in Pittsburgh?
It has been a nice experience, but unfortunately we don't have enough time to explore the region as much as we would like. The city has nice museums, good restaurants, and an active cultural life.

Why did you decide to do the dual degree program?
I was looking to get a Masters in Software Engineering for awhile. Fortunately, my company (Portugal Telecom) started to sponsor university studies and offers the employees who get accepted good benefits. So far, the experience has been extraordinary as we are being challenged to improve ourselves.

Jacinto Daniel Marcelino Barbeira

Jacinto Barbeira

Barbeira graduated in Informatics and Computing Engineering from the Faculdade de Engenharia at the University of Porto. He has since been employed at Portugal Telecom-Inovação with responsibilities in developing learning contents and management systems. How is the Pittsburgh campus different from your home campus? There are two main differences: our campus in Portugal is only about 10 years old and the architecture in Coimbra is more functional than aesthetic. The second and main difference is that in Pittsburgh the campus is located in the middle of the city. This offers more opportunities for off-campus activities

and also brings the city to the campus, thus enabling a richer exchange of activities.

What do you think of living in Pittsburgh?
Although it lacks the “sunny” possibility of going out to an esplanade and enjoying an afternoon at the sun, it has other possibilities. There are lots of events and places you can go, both for sports, culture, or shopping. However it is also a quiet place to live (at least where we are staying), which is very nice when you want to seclude yourself to work.

Why did you decide to do the dual degree program?
Besides the opportunity to try something new in an area that is still green in Portugal, the idea of getting a masters degree in one of the most reputed institutions in the world made me forget about the workload and take the challenge.

Nuno Alexandre Martins Seixas

Nuno Seixas

Seixas is a software developer at Portugal Telecom-Inovação where he works in Healthcare Information Systems. He holds a B.Sc. in Nursing from the Polytechnic School of Coimbra and also a B.Sc. in Informatics Engineering from the University of Coimbra. In his free time, he enjoys reading and watching quality TV shows. Recently, Seixas was interviewed for an article in Portugal’s Sol newspaper regarding his MSE studies at Carnegie Mellon. How is the Pittsburgh campus different from your home campus? The Carnegie Mellon campus is different because it has many more activities. We can attend a conference with a Nobel Prize

winner, listen to a lecture from any academic department, or even discuss social issues, like how Pittsburgh deals with the different cultures that live in it. This campus, for its size and level of activity, presents the students with many new opportunities, not only related to one’s specific area of study, but also in more broader areas.

What do you think of living in Pittsburgh?
The first difference I felt in Pittsburgh was of course the weather. Back in Portugal we don’t have these low temperatures and we have much more sun. Here, we have snow and cold, but it has been fun coming to campus and seeing all the snow. The area where the campus is located is very nice to live in, and it feels good to be here.

Why did you decide to do the dual degree program?
I identified this program as one of the best in the world and, therefore, it would be a very good opportunity for me to grow as a professional. Also, the benefits that Portugal Telecom gives me are very good and allow me to really engage in this program as a full-time student.

The faculty and staff of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal program thank our MSE students for their time in helping us present these mini-interviews. We are all very pleased to welcome these students to our Pittsburgh campus for this semester, and we wish them all the best in the MSE program studies.