Ao abrigo de uma Bolsa Fulbright para Investigação com o apoio da FCT, Filipe Cruz, estudante de doutoramento em “Physics” da Universidade de Lisboa, desenvolveu parte da sua pesquisa sobre “practical fusion energy ” na University of California-Los Angeles, CA, EUA.
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«My nine months at the Plasma Simulation group at the University of California, Los Angeles, were a very rewarding experience. The research conducted there is on a different scale from what I was used to, with much larger experimental facilities and many world experts in my field. My supervisors treated me as one of their own students, which made it easy to share ideas.
At UCLA, I worked on ways of mitigating the instabilities that limit fusion energy. Being in such a different research environment led me to new ideas and projects that were not in my original plan, and to collaborations that I hope will continue for many years.
The Los Angeles community was just as welcoming. From the first days, I was invited to barbecues and dinners, and everyone was curious to learn more about Portuguese history, music, and cooking. My flatmates often invited me to board game nights and to explore the city. Los Angeles is also a pioneer in technology, and it has great art museums and sports events.
I also had the chance to travel during my scholarship. Glacier National Park was the most beautiful place I visited in the USA. At the Fulbright seminar in Philadelphia, I learned more about early American history and met grantees from many countries who had all made the same decision to study in the USA.
I am very grateful to the Fulbright Program for this experience, and I hope that many more scholars are given the same opportunity.»
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Thank you, Filipe, welcome home!