Ao abrigo de uma Bolsa Fulbright para Investigação com o apoio do Governo Regional dos Açores e no âmbito do seu mestrado em ‘Criminal Law’ da Universidade de Coimbra, entretanto concluído, Beatriz Mamede desenvolveu parte da sua pesquisa na University of Washington, Seattle, WA, EUA.
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«Because my area of studies was Law and not Philosophy, at first it seemed challenging to understand the language, the references and even the arguments and ideas behind the Professors’ work, but with time – and with lots of questions, always answered with a smile – I was able to dive into this field and learn a lot. To add on the schedule, I started going to events of the Aging Group, an interdisciplinary group that organized talks and social events to discuss aging processes and present different forms of interpreting the phenomenon. The ones that stood out to me the most were the presentations by Andrea Stocco on “The Secret Life of Memories” and Sasha Johfre’s on “The Social Construction of Age”, where I was able to think about some unexpected psychological and sociological parallels with my Master’s thesis topic.
During my last weeks, I also had the opportunity to follow the recruitment process for a new faculty member position as a Philosopher of Science. In doing so, I became familiar with how the university works and organizes itself in this type of process.
Overall, during these months, I had the privilege to listen to a lot of well-known academics, as well as enjoy the coffee breaks and have the chance to ask questions related or not to the talks. I would even highlight that not only had I many opportunities to hear and learn in a formal setting, but it was a common practice to go for a coffee to continue conversations.
I would like to note that there were many dynamic social events, either related to a special time of the holiday or occasion (e.g. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas time or end of Winter Quarter celebrations) or general weekly gatherings getting the whole department together, either rotating bars or having tea time in the philosophy floor. The four-month experience – from October to February – was a perfect socio-academic balance and, without a doubt, a life-changing experience that will always hold a special place in my heart. »
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Thank you, Beatriz, welcome back!