Science Matters Outside the Lab!
A student in the Doctoral Program in Health Sciences, Laura Mendonça conducts her research at iCBR – Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, where she is working on her PhD project, “Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of the Côa Valley.”
Why did you decide to participate in PubhD Coimbra?
It was João’s invitation, he’s my colleague and knows my work, and he thought I could make a good contribution to the session.
How was your experience at this edition of PubhD Coimbra?
It was very positive! I already knew about it, I’d never attended in person before but was familiar with the concept and thought it was interesting, and it really was a lot of fun. I was a bit nervous at the start, but I always get nervous [laughs]. But it was a very welcoming environment, and more than just the presentation, the conversation and discussion part was really interesting, we could dive deeper into several topics, and there were also comments that made us consider things we hadn’t thought about before.
Would you recommend participation to other colleagues?
Yes, absolutely. I’m going to become an ambassador now, spread the word, because it really is very interesting and very important. As they said at the beginning [of the session], our work is important, and it’s not just important inside the institute where Science is done, Science matters out here too, and this opportunity is incredible.