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Archives: Planeta Coppe

Nature: Emissions from international shipping can be reduced by up to 86%

Coppe/UFRJ researchers are among the authors of an international study on maritime shipping decarbonization. The article International shipping in a world below 2 °C was published on May 22 on the Nature Climate Change website. Professors Roberto Schaeffer, Alexandre Szklo, Joana Portugal-Pereira, and Pedro Rochedo and PPE (Energy Planning Program) researchers at the Cenergia laboratory, Eduardo Müller-Casseres (lead author of the paper), Luiz Bernardo Baptista, and Rebecca Draeger, are among its authors.

The article will be published in the print edition of Nature Climate Change this June and indicated that international maritime transport has a high level of technological inertia, revealing the need for investments in low-carbon fuels, new engines, and new infrastructure (for storage and supply) to prepare the sector for the transition to renewable energy.

The study is the result of an international collaboration involving several integrated assessment models (IAMs) and demonstrated the potential to decarbonize maritime transport, with a reduction of up to 86% in annual emissions by 2050 after implementing low-carbon fuels. The authors highlight how important it is to implement a renewable energy portfolio, with fuels ranging from drop-in biofuels, renewable alcohol fuels, and green ammonia to conventional marine fuels, and reiterate the concept of green corridors for sustainable shipping practices.

According to researcher Luiz Bernardo Baptista, the study was motivated by a recurring international discussion among researchers about the need to “zoom in” on hard-to-abate sectors. “Is international maritime transport difficult to decarbonize or are we not paying enough attention?” This question motivated the lead author’s doctoral thesis and studies on integrated assessment models, such as Coffee (an IAM model developed by Coppe), and how they would behave with changes in the variables for maritime transport.

“We and five other research groups from different countries have the support of the Navigate project, funded by the EU2020 European fund, and we are working together to analyze the decarbonization goals that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set for 2050”, he added.

According to Bernardo, some of the reasons that classify maritime shipping as a hard-to-abate sector are the long service life of an operating fleet and its high replacement cost. “It takes about 25 to 40 years to decommission ships, similar to large power plants. By implementing drop-in fuels – straight or hydrotreated vegetable oil, biodiesel (FAME), among others – there is no need to replace the existing fleet”, he explained. He also pointed out that there are challenges in fuel storage and distribution logistics, as they are different depending on the country.

“Brazilian gas stations have no difficulty having ethanol fuel because it is common in our country. Our supply chain is prepared for it because there was a political decision to do so. Studies and goals need to be revisited, otherwise decisions cannot be made and the window of opportunity to reduce emissions in a timely manner will become narrower. We need to regard feasibility under a critical lens”, he added.

New lactation room inaugurated by Coppe students

Students from the Nuclear Engineering Program (PEN) at Coppe/UFRJ have inaugurated, on May 13, the Center of Parental Care. Its facilities consist of a comfortable environment for breastfeeding or expressing breast milk.

This idea comes from the current need to offer a proper and safe place for mothers and fathers who are also students and researchers of the PEN. The proposal was approved from its conception by the coordination of the PEN, who made sure that the room was available and that it was duly prepared for the activities to come. The implementation process for this room took the opinions and needs of students and researchers into account and successfully guaranteed that they were met.

“Many mothers end up quitting their studies because they do not have a support network or an appropriate place to change diapers and breastfeed”, says the PEN student representative Thais Hauradou.

Initially, the place will be used by the mothers and fathers of the PEN and DNC (Department of Nuclear Engineering) at the Polytechnic School/UFRJ, due to the size limitations of the lactation room.

It is located in Room 200, Block G, of the Technology Center at UFRJ, and has been equipped with a minibar for storing baby food, a nursing chair, a baby highchair, a crib, and a changing table. It also includes fun and educational toys, as well as a set of children’s chairs and table for activities.

Occupational Health and Safety: a series of news articles outlining Coppe’s actions and projects

April 28 is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work. It defines a moment of reflection on the importance of developing a safe and healthy workplace.

COPPE/UFRJ has a commitment comprising collective efforts within its institutional and academic agendas to meet the growing need for emotional care, continuous monitoring to prevent accidents and occupational illnesses, and developing applied research projects to improve the health and safety of workers in various sectors.

Please check the three news articles below for more information on Coppe’s actions to implement a safety culture and promote wellbeing in the workplace.

Acolhe Coppe records an 88% increase in the search for psychosocial care

Risk Management studies at Coppe to improve accident prevention strategies

Coppe Researchers from the Production Engineering Program develop new ergonomic solutions

Green April

April 28 is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, established in 2003 bythe International Labor Organization, but it is also the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured. What used to be a day of mourning for the dead has become a day of fighting for life and for proper work conditions.

Data from SmartLab – Observatory for Workplace Health and Safety reveal 612,920 reported occupational accidents in Brazil in 2022. The figures cover only the population with formal employment relationships, meaning that informal work was not taken into account.

Over the last decade, many institutions, companies, unions, and government agencies have embraced the cause with the Green April campaign, raising awareness among workers and employers on the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases. Although not yet officially enacted by the federal government, Green April (Abril Verde) is a bill (PL 1063/2022) proposed by Senator Paulo Paim (PT/RS), pending in the Federal Senate.

This campaign is, therefore, an opportunity for companies and organizations to review their workplace safety policies, procedures, and practices, encouraging transparency and corporate responsibility.

Coppe Researchers from the Production Engineering Program develop new ergonomic solutions

Among the many initiatives at Coppe to improve staff wellbeing, its researchers have developed and increased workplace safety with many applied research projects in companies from the most diverse sectors.

The Ergoproj (Laboratory of Ergonomics & Projects) is a laboratory from Coppe’s Production Engineering Program (PEP) that carries out Ergonomic Workplace Analysis and Safety Culture Maturity assessments in oil platforms, refineries, thermal power plants, gas treatment units, vessels, and warehouses. According to the coordinator of Ergoproj, Professor Francisco Duarte, their goal is to improve existing safety practices such as accident analysis, feedback, and reflective practices that build trust between working teams and their managers at a strategic level to eliminate organizational silence, which is considered to be the number one enemy of safety.

With the knowledge of how onboard operational teams work, they seek to develop new ergonomic solutions and innovative projects for oil platforms. “We can say that for the first time, ergonomics is a discipline in projects ranging from initial stages (basic project) to full implementation after detailed studies”, explains Professor Francisco.

The Ergoproj team has also been contributing to the safety of operations in oil platform decommissioning projects, a new challenge for the Brazilian offshore industry.

Ergonomics is a multidisciplinary area that studies the human-machine-workplace interaction, playing a crucial role in preventing musculoskeletal injuries, fatigue, stress, and other work-related health problems. Understanding and optimizing this interaction is essential to ensure not only workplace safety but also worker wellbeing and productivity.

Ergoproj is a result of Coppe’s institutional and academic agendas and a part of its efforts to meet the growing need for emotional care, continuous monitoring to prevent accidents and occupational illnesses, and developing applied research projects to improve the health and safety of workers in various sectors.

Please check the news articles below for more information on Coppe’s actions to implement a safety culture and promote wellbeing in the workplace.

Acolhe Coppe records an 88% increase in the search for psychosocial care

Risk Management studies at Coppe to improve accident prevention strategies

Risk Management studies at Coppe to improve accident prevention strategies

To ensure safety and regulatory compliance in the workplace, the Coppe/UFRJ Department for Occupational Safety, Environment, and Health Management (GSMS) is currently mapping risk areas, safety resources, and evacuation procedures of the institute’s physical spaces to prevent incidents and accidents. According to Tharcisio Fontainha, Coppe’s Deputy Director for Institutional Development and Planning, the goal is to ensure the safety of people and to correctly estimate the necessary resources to achieve it.

It includes the continuous monitoring of fire extinguishers so that they are always in a suitable condition for use. In 2002, the Institute prepared 13 new projects and reviewed 43 existing projects for escape routes, emergency lights and beacons, and fire extinguishers, among others, along with detailed descriptive reports of its environment, contributing to a more effective crisis response.

That same year, the GSMS carried out training sessions in fire extinguisher handling and good practices in Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and Collective Protection Equipment (CPE) in laboratories and classrooms. Those who took the training acquired essential knowledge to ensure personal and collective safety in daily activities within the institution.

The GSMS played yet another major role in the removal of chemical waste from laboratories. In 2022, they collected 4.2 tons of chemical waste, promoting environmental responsibility and preventing improper waste disposal.

“We also have a project to implement a chemical sharing system between laboratories. Products discarded by a laboratory may be useful as inputs for other laboratories”, explains Professor Tharcisio. He also states that Coppe is developing contingency plans against adverse situations in partnership with the Firefighters Corps and other agencies. “Our goal is to standardize, improve, and formalize the procedures to follow in case of accidents”.

The former Fire Brigade of Coppe, which was part of the GSMS organizational chart until 2023, is now under the command of UFRJ.

The GSMS is a result of Coppe’s institutional and academic agendas and a part of its efforts to meet the growing need for emotional care, continuous monitoring to prevent accidents and occupational illnesses, and developing applied research projects to improve the health and safety of workers in various sectors.

Please check the news articles below for more information on Coppe’s actions to implement a safety culture and promote wellbeing in the workplace.

Acolhe Coppe records an 88% increase in the search for psychosocial care

Coppe Researchers from the Production Engineering Program develop new ergonomic solutions

Acolhe Coppe records an 88% increase in the search for psychosocial care

Since 2020, with the creation of the Acolhe Coppe Center for Psychosocial Care, Coppe has expanded its attention beyond regulatory compliance, embracing a more comprehensive approach to workplace wellbeing. This project consists of a multidisciplinary team with psychologists, art therapists, an integrative therapist, and a social worker. The services include brief individual psychological care, a support group, and an art therapy group, along with integrative and complementary practices (PICS), such as reiki, chromotherapy, reflexology, auriculotherapy, floral therapy, and aromatherapy. In 2023, the project recorded a total of 885 workers who sought emotional care, an increase of 88% when compared to 2022, with a great demand for integrative practices and art therapy.

“The high demand for emotional care seems to reaffirm the importance of a safe, qualified, and ethical intra-institutional space to care for and monitor the emotional health of workers and students using validated scientific techniques that have already been widely recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS)”, says the technical coordinator of Acolhe Coppe and psychologist Josiane Barros.

In 2023, Acolhe Coppe developed other projects in partnership with Coppe’s HRM, such as the project Preparing for Retirement, a new approach to psychosocial care with qualified listening and in line with the Brazilian Statute of the Elderly to promote healthy aging. Another example is psychoeducational projects that include outsourced workers from the cleaning teams, focusing on integration, appreciation, belonging, and overcoming harassment, among others.

Acolhe Coppe is a result of Coppe’s institutional and academic agendas and a part of its efforts to meet the growing need for emotional care, continuous monitoring to prevent accidents and occupational illnesses, and developing applied research projects to improve the health and safety of workers in various sectors.

Please check the news articles below for more information on Coppe’s actions to implement a safety culture and promote wellbeing in the workplace.

Risk Management studies at Coppe to improve accident prevention strategies

Coppe Researchers from the Production Engineering Program develop new ergonomic solutions

Coppe researchers develop softwares for connected car security

Privacy has become a critical aspect in the development of vehicle connectivity technologies due to the massive data collection of many different services and devices.

Modern electric vehicles have sensors that generate large amounts of information on the status and operating conditions of their components, their location, their most frequent routes, and driver behavior, among other data. Based on the collected data, the automotive industry can develop a variety of competitive applications that bring their product much closer to the driver’s style.

This equation has been studied in depth by researchers from the Research Group of Teleinformatics and Automation (GTA) at Coppe/UFRJ, who are developing an innovative software architecture with the collaboration of researchers from the Laboratory of Alternative Energy Sources (LAFAE) and the participation of the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science (ICMC) at USP, Stellantis, and the startup company Mobway.

This research is part of the AVADiP project (Vehicle Applications with Privacy-Preserving Distributed Learning), which includes structuring the architecture for any data collection application while guaranteeing the user’s privacy.

Coordinated by GTA/Coppe Professor Miguel Elias Mitre Campista, the project was approved in 2023 with the Priority Program for Vehicle Connectivity led by the UFMG Support Foundation (Fundep), which is part of the National Program for Green Mobility and Innovation (MOVER). The goal is to stimulate investment and strengthen Brazilian companies in the automotive industry by developing and applying new and more sustainable technologies.

The project meets the ever-increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and is expected to last for three years, by the end of which it will provide the automotive industry with computational tools for new machine learning models that enable users to protect personal data they do not want to share. Professor Miguel Campista from the Electrical Engineering Program at Coppe explains that even though the proposal is to study two applications of AI, the resulting architecture can enable several other applications that will enhance generated data usage by connected vehicles in the ecosystem consisting of services and public interfaces.

According to him, the input of any machine learning system is the data generated from user behavior, which is collected and stored in the cloud to be used by the automotive industry when developing applications, as a competitive way to have a product that is much better adapted to each driver.

Furthermore, the project has three simultaneous work streams, starting with data collection and management with technical support from Stellantis and two of their vehicles, one of which was recently made available at the end of January, being fully electric and currently located at Coppe. “Our first challenge is to produce and store data to train the application models. For this initial stage, data collection is being implemented via an offline test bench. In addition, we are simultaneously developing machine learning models while maintaining privacy and software architecture. In the later stages, when we have stored enough data, we will integrate all work streams into a single system”, he explains.

Two new applications will be developed based on the resulting software architecture. The first one will identify vulnerable users near the vehicles. The second one, in turn, will predict battery health and electric vehicle range. Both applications are affected by driving patterns and use models generated by machine learning algorithms with distributed data acquisition architecture.

Coppe implements a hybrid electric-hydrogen bus for testing in urban environments

The researchers at the Coppe/UFRJ Hydrogen Laboratory (LABH2) welcomed, last Wednesday, April 10, a delegation from the Local Government of Maricá and discussed the details of the hybrid electric-hydrogen bus and its implementation in the city of Maricá. This vehicle was developed in partnership with Coppe and the company Tracel Industrial.

Led by the Undersecretary for Economic Development of Maricá, Magnun Amado, and the Director of Innovation and Science at the Maricá Institute of Science, Technology, and Innovation (ICTIM), Ciro Torres, the delegation also visited Coppe’s laboratory facilities and traveled around the Cidade Universitária campus aboard the vehicle that will be traveling in Maricá over the next few months during the real-world testing period.

Brazilian and French companies have already shown their interest in manufacturing the vehicle. Last month, during the 8th Brazil-France Economic Forum, the Secretary for Economic Development of Maricá, Igor Sardinha, and the coordinator of LABH2, Professor Paulo Emílio Valadão de Miranda, signed a memorandum of understanding with the president of the French company HYFIT, Bertrand Ciavaldini, and the director of the Brazilian company Ydrogenio, Pedro Henrique Kool Monteiro, expressing the interest of these companies in the industrialization of hybrid electric-hydrogen buses in Maricá.

Coppe to receive an award for Education in SDGs with projects for literacy and clean shores

The Letramento de Jovens, Adultos e Idosos (Literacy for Youth, Adults, and the Elderly) and Orla Sem Lixo (Clean Shore) projects will receive tomorrow, April 4, the Selo ODS Educação 2023 award (2023 Seal for Education in SDG), in a ceremony promoted by UFRJ.

“We are contributing towards a future in which a whole demographic that has been made invisible ceases to be so, becoming fully integrated citizens with better opportunities”, celebrates Denise Dantas, who is the education coordinator of the Letramento de Jovens, Adultos e Idosos project at Coppe/UFRJ.

For Susana Vinzon, a Professor of the Marine Engineering Program (PENo) at Coppe and coordinator of Orla Sem Lixo, an initiative conceptualized by the Polytechnic School of UFRJ, this award helps disseminate the project and values the collective commitment to revitalize the shore. “It means the acknowledgement of our efforts to restore Ilha do Fundão and Baía de Guanabara and an incentive to continue on this path”, she explains.

In total, there were 360 awarded projects from about 40 educational institutions, 38 of which were projects of UFRJ .

Conceived by the Selo Social Institute in a partnership with the UnB 2030 Program and the Civil Society Working Group for the 2030 Agenda, this SDG Education award is a certification that stimulates the effective participation of educational institutions in achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda. The end goal is to increase the impact on SDG 4 (Quality Education).

The awarding ceremony for the 38 outreach projects will be held at the Praia Vermelha campus, UFRJ. The event is open to the entire UFRJ community, but it is requested to confirm attendance here beforehand.

About Projeto Letramento

This project aims to bring literacy to any and all people who did not have the opportunity to complete primary and/or lower secondary school, as well as to provide a more solid foundation for those who had to interrupt their studies and to give them more security so that they can return to formal education.

About Orla Sem Lixo

Orla Sem Lixo is a project by the Polytechnic School of UFRJ that brings together a multidisciplinary team with more than 20 researchers from many diverse research areas. It aims to develop solutions in intercepting, collecting, transporting, and recycling in an easily replicable, low-cost, and effective process that engages with and includes the local community. Its proposal is to prevent areas of shoreline degradation and transform the floating waste from the production chain into an opportunity, while also ensuring the economic and environmental sustainability of the solution.

Coppe to host MIT Center in the city of Rio de Janeiro

Coppe/UFRJ will host the Senseable Rio Lab (SRL), a branch of the MIT Senseable City Lab in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which is a laboratory specialized in digital technologies and urbanism. The agreement is the result of a partnership between the Local Government of Rio de Janeiro and the Senseable City Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was signed today, April 4, at the Rio de Janeiro City Hall.

The MIT, or Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of the world’s leading centers for research in science, engineering, and technology. Its alumni and professors have been awarded 98 Nobel prizes (the best known of which is Richard Feynman, the father of quantum physics) and hundreds of them have won major technology awards.

Senseable World Labs is a family of global cities that address humanity’s greatest challenges through the creative use of new technologies.

As a founding member of the Senseable World initiative, the Senseable Rio Lab (SRL) is a five-year collaborative project between the city of Rio de Janeiro and MIT’s Senseable City Lab.

The main purpose of the laboratory is to promote, for five years, new resources and methods of articulating knowledge about the city of Rio de Janeiro to improve the quality of life of its residents as an outcome of the critical scientific research it develops. During this execution phase, Rio de Janeiro will be used as a living laboratory, with the resulting experiments and prototypes being conducted and implemented in the city.

SRL will operate at Coppe’s Laboratory of Computational Methods in Engineering (Lamce), implementing innovative methodologies that will allow technological advancements in data-driven approach, field research, and research on tools to improve public policies and urban projects for the Rio de Janeiro. The bench-level tests will focus on four research pillars: urban informality, artificial intelligence, urban modeling, and solutions that aim to make Rio de Janeiro a more equal and carbon-neutral city by 2050.

In order to promote the urban development specifically of the city of Rio de Janeiro, the SRL has outlined a number of initial research protocols of academic interest. The main project is called Favelas 4D and uses 3D laser scanning technology to analyze the urban morphology of favelas, with the purpose of making urban informality visible to enable improvements in the public actions of the local government. To this end, it will research digital means of detecting, analyzing, and managing informal settlements to improve health quality and the environment, as well as other development opportunities as enabled by the data and tools in question, such as improvements in housing and regularization of such informal settlements.

The SRL initiative will initially recruit six full-time MIT researchers who will focus on Rio de Janeiro, half of which will be working in loco, while the other half will stay at the headquarters in Boston (USA). During the project, MIT will engage with students from across the Rio de Janeiro region, providing knowledge about the methods and tools the city needs to enable future generations to lead urban transitions.

Coppe’s Director, Professor Suzana Kahn, says that this partnership will allow for all the institution’s expertise in digital transformation to be used towards improving urban quality of life and preparing cities for the climate crisis.

Applications open for new faculty positions at Coppe

Applications are open until June 11 for the civil service exam for tenure-track faculty at UFRJ. Out of the total offered openings, 13 are for new faculty at Coppe.

“It has been a long time since the Ministry of Education opened so many positions for federal universities. Here at Coppe, this exam supplies our faculty with new talent and maintains its excellence, which is one of our hallmarks, while also preparing our institute for the future”, says Professor Jean-David Caprace, Director of Academic Affairs at Coppe.

UFRJ often ranks as the leading Brazilian federal university in international university rankings, and Coppe is an academic unit for education in Engineering with the highest number of grades 6 and 7 (maximum grade) awarded by Capes, meaning academic excellence comparable to the best institutions worldwide. In addition, Coppe has the biggest Latin American laboratory park in Engineering, with over 130 high-level laboratories.

The exam involves a few phases. Applications for the first phase can be made until 11:59 pm on June 11, 2024. Click here to sign up, apply for the exam, print the payment slip, and keep track of your application.

The exam dates and other deadlines corresponding to each opening will be disclosed in due course, according to the specific schedule of each academic unit in charge of the respective opening, on the website of the Assistant Rector’s Office for Personnel (PR-4) of UFRJ.

Below are the Programs with faculty openings and their corresponding research areas.

Rules on Application Approval and Exam Phases for Coppe

Criteria for Exams in a Foreign Language (CD) – amendment
Criteria for Exams in a Foreign Language (CD)
Resolution on Evaluation and Accreditation – CAD
Complementary criteria for application approval and evaluation of titles and work for Class A Faculty.

Contact Information: docente@concursos.pr4.ufrj.br

Coppe joins a UNCTAD/UN partnership for harnessing Earth Observation technologies

The Laboratory of Computational Methods in Engineering (Lamce) at Coppe/UFRJ has signed a partnership with UNCTAD, an intergovernmental organization within the UN for trade and development, to assess the available geospatial Earth Observation technologies and harness them for urban planning in Brazil and South Africa.

With a joint project called Harnessing Space Technological Applications in Sustainable Urban Development, their teams will support the development of technical and human abilities to help both countries leverage science, technology, and innovation for sustainable urban development. The project focuses on analyzing settlement patterns in many territories and the impacts of meteorology and oceanography on urban metabolism. This joint work will provide Brazil and South Africa with much-needed data to support evidence-based urban planning and management and to report on their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Fabio Hochleitner, a researcher at Lamce/Coppe, explains that space technologies can revolutionize the way these countries capture, visualize, and analyze data on the Earth’s surface, such as disaster-prone areas, local air and water quality, and transport networks. “The collected data on processes pertaining to air quality, bioclimatology, meteorology, and oceanography is directly related to applications for the environment, healthcare, agriculture, urban planning, and port management in the development of ‘digital twins’ for the areas of interest.”, explains Fabio.

UNCTAD’s economist Eugenia Núñez says that this project is an answer to the need to further support developing countries in using geospatial technology as a catalyst for smarter, more resilient, and inclusive cities. According to Eugenia, local partners and policymakers will be able to explore a programming language called “Julia” to integrate Earth Observation data with health and socioeconomic data as they step up their efforts to improve living conditions in informal settlements.

The two-year project will be launched in Brazil between April 3 and 5, at the Inovateca building in the Science Park of UFRJ, at Rua Aloísio Teixeira 564, Cidade Universitária. The event will present studies in line with the project, as well as computational tools in geoprocessing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that help with geospatial and temporal analysis. Click here for the full schedule.

Lamce was chosen by UNCTAD for being the hub of the AIR (Atlantic International Research) Center in Rio de Janeiro since 2019. Its team of researchers had already been working for this Center on new information about climate change and issues related to the Atlantic, connecting deep-water technologies to space technologies through global cooperation. The accumulated knowledge at Lamce, which is coordinated by Professor Luiz Landau from the Civil Engineering Program of Coppe/UFRJ, can now help Brazil increase its capability in Earth Observation through this project with the UN.

Coppe Director appointed as member of the Amazon Fund Technical Committee

The Director of Coppe/UFRJ, Suzana Kahn, is now part of the Technical Committee of the Amazon Fund (CTFA), having been appointed by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA), Marina Silva. 

Suzana and five other experts will attest to the carbon emissions from deforestation calculated by the ministry. As such, they will analyze the methodology used to determine the deforested area as well as the estimate of carbon per hectare used to calculate carbon emissions.

The experts in this committee have an unblemished reputation and notorious technical and scientific knowledge and were appointed by the MMA after consulting the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change (FBMC). The term of office is three years and may be extended once for another three years.

In addition to Suzana, the committee includes the coordinator of Forest Inventory and Information at the Brazilian Forest Service, Humberto Navarro de Mesquita Junior; Embrapa Digital Agriculture researcher João dos Santos Vila da Silva; the director of National Programs and Scholarships of Capes, Laerte Guimarães Ferreira Junior; the coordinator of the Greenhouse Gas Laboratory at the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), Luciana Vanni Gatti; and the vice president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Thelma Krug.

New MagLev-Cobra due to come into operation in the second half of 2024

Coppe/UFRJ’s magnetic levitation train, MagLev-Cobra, has acquired an industrial version and is due to return to the Cidade Universitária campus in mid to late 2024. The new vehicle arrives at Coppe on March 22 and was designed by Aerom, a Coester Group company, with automation, cooling, and door systems that meet international quality standards. The next phase begins the following week and consists of integrating the vehicle with the railway and implementing the automation system. To this end, the project will be joined by SeaHorse, a company originating from Coppe’s Business Incubator.

Coordinated by Professor Richard Stephan from the Electrical Engineering Program at Coppe/UFRJ and from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Polytechnic School/UFRJ, this new version of MagLev-Cobra features a visual identity in line with the global standards of the most efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transport. With financial support from Faperj, this project incorporates advanced manufacturing and contributes significantly to the new commercial mission of the vehicle and its systems.

Similarly to the first testing phase, which took place between 2015 and 2020, the MagLev-Cobra will run on the 200-meter experimental railway that connects the Technology Center 1 (CT1) and Technology Center 2 (CT2). In all, more than 20,000 people have boarded the MagLev-Cobra until it was suspended with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Richard Stephan explains that the vehicle used during the early testing period was a preliminary version. The new one, on the other hand, meets industrial standards with an automated system and no need for a pilot.

According to him, the next step after this phase will be to test the MagLev-Cobra on a railway of at least 1 kilometer with curves and inclines and that enables a speed of 70 km/h or higher. The goal of this step is for the project to reach technology readiness level 9 on the TRL scale proposed by NASA.

About MagLev-Cobra

Developed under the coordinator Professor Richard Stephan, the MagLev-Cobra operates silently and with no emission of pollutants. It is a solar-powered vehicle using solar panels along its experimental railway. During test runs, it travels at a speed of 10 km/h, which is enough to demonstrate the viability of levitation technology, but it could safely reach 70 km/h or higher on longer railways.

As for the implemented technology, he explains that the vehicle uses magnetic levitation instead of wheels, with superconductors installed in the lower part of the vehicle and “rails” made of rare earth magnets.

Class for the General Public with Brazil’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change

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Coppe/UFRJ is opening its 2024 academic year by hosting a Class for the General Public with the Ambassador André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, Secretary for Climate, Energy, and the Environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Corrêa do Lago has been a diplomat since 1983. He is the chief negotiator for climate change, coordinating many initiatives within the scope of the G20 meeting to be held in Rio de Janeiro in November, 2024. The Class will be entitled “At the Forefront with Science and Technology: how G20, BRICS, and COP 30 broaden horizons and break boundaries” and will be held on March 19 in our Auditorium at the Technology Center, Building 2 (CT2), Coppe, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Brazil will be the country hosting the G20 meeting in November, 2024 and the Secretariat for Climate, Energy, and the Environment, commanded by Corrêa do Lago, will coordinate the bioeconomy initiative, the working groups (GTs) on energy transition and environmental and climate sustainability, as well as the task-force on global mobilization against climate change. 

This Secretariat will also play a major role in organizing the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 30), which will be held in the State of Belém between November 10 and 21, 2025. Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago was the chief negotiator for the Brazilian government at COP-28, which was held last year in Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

About André Corrêa do Lago

Diplomat André Corrêa do Lago has been the Secretary for Climate, Energy and the Environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since March 2023. In addition, he was the ambassador to Japan (2013-2018), India (2018-2023), and Bhutan (2019-2023) cumulatively. He is Brazil’s Chief Negotiator for Climate Change and Sustainable Development, a position he also held at Rio+20 (2002). Corrêa do Lago has been a diplomat since 1983. In his career, he worked at the Mission to the European Union in Brussels (2005-2008) and at the Embassies of Buenos Aires (1999-2001), Washington, DC (1996-1999), Prague (1988-1991), and Madrid (1986-1988).

With a degree in economy from UFRJ, he is also an advisor to the Brazilian Center for International Relations (Cebri).