Por Ronald Herman*
I am pleased to respond to the request to write this
short article. It is my privilege to be associated with your
campus and institution as a visiting academic from the
University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Some years ago I
met Prof. Vladimiro at a conference and his obvious level of
expertise impressed me. At subsequent conferences I had the
opportunity of gaining his acquaintance on a more social
level. These necessary 'bridge building' experiences paved
the way for us to embark on the joint authorship of a book
on load modelling. Despite the fact that I cannot speak any
Portuguese, the door was graciously opened for me to present
a postgraduate module on load modelling in English. I have
also been invited to stay here for a further couple of
months so that we can work on the book. So, in a very real
sense I have experienced the rewards of this mutual
friendship.
It further suggests to me the importance of academic
institutions and individuals adopting an expansive attitude
towards people and places outside of their comfort zones. As
engineers who are very familiar with the concepts of risk
you might argue that such a policy involves a degree of risk.
That is undoubtedly true. It is also true that those who do
not venture will never win - as expressed in the old English
idiom: 'a feint heart never won a fair lady'. In some ways
our countries have similarities. Very few countries take
South Africa seriously - except perhaps for our mining. Yet
the engineers trained at our universities have more than
held their own in all parts of the world. Your country is
now part of the European Community and you might also feel a
bit insecure in the company of the major partners. I assure
you at INESC Porto that you are respected in the electric
power engineering field by those that have taken the trouble
of getting to know you.
We are living in a world that is getting progressively
smaller in many respects - a global village. Last week I
arranged a weekend in Paris for my wife and myself using my
laptop and the internet. I was able to scan for the cheapest
flight, make the booking and pay for it via Kentucky in the
USA, make a reservation and pay for a hotel room in the area
I wanted - via Melbourne Australia while I am in Porto and
my bank account is in Cape Town! It is little different in
the fields of research or on the academic front. These are
also becoming competitive - the best students are attracted
to the best universities and the biggest research grants are
offered to institutions that have become known through their
publications. This also requires a modest, yet realistic
exercise in marketing one's image. As the girls will agree-
attractiveness is an asset, but it needs constant attention.
We can often enhance our image through social and cultural
channels. In South Africa many businessmen play golf - more
for the opportunity to socialize with prospective clients
than to get fit!
It is a fact (fortunately or unfortunately) that English
is the language of engineering endeavour. I would encourage
Portuguese speaking students to become proficient in this
language if they have aspirations of making their work known
to the world of engineering. Offering postgraduate
course-work in English would be an excellent way of
achieving this.
I have enjoyed the politeness of the Portuguese people
and the hospitality of the staff at FEUP and at INESC. If
you maintain this openness towards foreigners like me, you
might someday entertain someone of great fame - unlike me!
Keep up the good work and do not hesitate to make your
achievements known.
Desejos melhores
Ron Herman
*
Professor
convidado do INESC Porto
