[{"jcr:title":"Research developed with Braskem takes undergraduate students to a conference in Manchester","cq:tags_0":"area-de-conhecimento:engenharia","cq:tags_1":"area-de-conhecimento:tecnologia","cq:tags_2":"programas:graduacao","cq:tags_3":"tipos-de-conteudo:acontece-no-insper/programa-de-bolsas"},{"richText":"Celina Melo, from Mechanical Engineering, and Talissa Gonçalves, from Mechatronics Engineering, transformed their final project into a paper presented at the Conference on Life Cycle Engineering","authorDate":"10/06/2025 12h03","author":"Tiago Cordeiro","madeBy":"Por","tag":"area-de-conhecimento:engenharia","title":"Research developed with Braskem takes undergraduate students to a conference in Manchester","variant":"image"},{"jcr:title":"transparente - turquesa - vermelho"},{"themeName":"transparente - turquesa - vermelho"},{"containerType":"containerTwo"},{"jcr:title":"Grid Container Section","layout":"responsiveGrid"},{"text":"On April 6th, Celina Melo from Ceará, 25 years old, and Talissa Gonçalves from São Paulo, 24, attended a reception at the Manchester Museum, in the English city located 330 kilometers north of London. Surrounded by dinosaur fossil reconstructions, they began their participation at the Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, a conference organized by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP) aiming to gather researchers, academics, and industry professionals to share knowledge and advancements in the fields of life cycle engineering and sustainability.   They were the only ones representing a Brazilian educational institution — there were other researchers born in Brazil but working at foreign universities and research centers, especially European ones. They were also the only undergraduate students selected to present a project — other initiatives were conducted by people already pursuing Master's or Ph.D.   The program extended until April 9th and concluded within the stadium of the traditional football club Manchester United. Before that, on April 7th, they presented the article they submitted to the organization based on their final project for the Insper Engineering Capstone.   Conducted for Braskem, the project was developed along with students Gabriel Salvator Benatar and Lister Ogusuku Ribeiro, under the guidance of professor Alex Bottene, leader of the design track of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering programs and associate director of the Advanced Program in Digital Transformation at the school, and co-guidance by Daniel Guzzo da Costa, a former professor at Insper who is currently conducting research in the area at the Technical University of Denmark, where he completed his postdoctoral studies.   “The Capstone has the mission of connecting real-world problems to undergraduate challenges. Generally, the demand isn't completely defined, and there is an initial stage that consists of defining the scope. It's a journey, and we are always surprised by the results achieved,” says Bottene, who at the time of the project's inception was developing research alongside Braskem — the demand for undergraduate students arose from this interaction.   Analysis tool   The Capstone developed by the students aimed to create a tool capable of evaluating the circularity of developed packaging. The work was divided into two stages. The first consisted of developing a flowchart to identify the necessary steps and decisions, from the definition of the packaging to the creation of a circularity graph by cost of the available options.   With the objective of testing and refining the tool, the second stage focused on creating five material combinations for a one-kilogram packaging of dry dog food, through a matrix containing different materials and the requirements they meet.   “This was a different Engineering project that did not deliver a prototype, but rather an industrial flow analysis tool. Part of our mission consisted in teaching the company how to use the tool we developed,” states Talissa.   “To develop the tool, we needed to work with various variables, according to each requirement that each packaging must meet. The challenge was greater than I imagined. It became clear how much recycling and circularity represent significant difficulty for the industry,” reinforces Celina.     Peer recognition   Both Talissa, born in Sorocaba (SP) and graduated in April this year, and Celina, from Fortaleza (CE), whose graduation is scheduled for September, are Insper scholarship holders and lived in the [Toca da Raposa](https://www.insper.edu.br/pt/conteudos/newsletters/a-rede-de-apoio-do-insper-para-alunos-contemplados-pelo-programa-de-bolsas-que-vem-de-fora-de-sao-paulo) , the university residence of the institution. After attending a workshop with Insper members during high school, Talissa knew where she wanted to pursue her undergraduate program. “I decided on [Mechatronic Engineering](https://www.insper.edu.br/pt/cursos/graduacao/engenharia/engenharia-mecatronica) and obtained a full scholarship. I knew what to expect from college, but Insper continued to surprise me,” she says.   She engaged in several academic activities, including the role of leader at Toca and introductory actions for other students. She completed four holiday internships — in the most recent, she was hired: she now works at Teachy, an artificial intelligence startup for professors. She also studied abroad. “I spent six months in France, taking courses in the business area. I really like communication and marketing, and the analytical profile developed in engineering represents a significant advantage,” she says.   Celina, on the other hand, has been interested in mechanics from an early age. She started industrial mechanics at the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Ceará and was a scholarship holder at a private school, where she learned about Insper, which was beginning to offer the in-person entrance exam in Fortaleza. She also obtained a scholarship for the undergraduate program in [Mechanical Engineering](https://www.insper.edu.br/pt/cursos/graduacao/engenharia/engenharia-mecanica) , and moved to São Paulo. “It’s impossible not to fall in love with Insper. Its approach is differentiated, and the entire education is based on practical projects. It’s an excellent college with an incredible scholarship program,” she says.       Research interest   Naturally, Celina and Talissa interacted at Toca da Raposa. But the friendship strengthened during the Capstone, and later throughout the trip to England. “I have never traveled abroad. My sister was in France for an exchange program, we met in London. It was a very enriching experience. Meeting people from the academic community, who study similar topics and seek to interact and share knowledge, introduced me to a new world, the world of research,” says Celina.   The article was developed after the successful presentation of the Capstone, reports professor Bottene. “I realized, in partnership with Professor Daniel, that it would be interesting for the students to present the project to a challenging committee active in this area. And it was the evaluators who identified the potential to develop an article in this work. The two students proceeded with the idea,” he says.   “The success case of Celina and Talissa makes it clear that when the group is dedicated, motivated, and proactive, a Capstone can achieve results that go far beyond a final project,” continues the advisor. “It can yield a product, a patent, a startup, a master's research, or even participation in academic conferences.”   The two students had never produced an article before. Now, they consider the possibility of continuing to engage in research alongside their professional careers — Celina did an internship at BTG Bank, at beverage manufacturer Ambev, and at technology company Oracle, and currently works at motorcycle rental startup Mottu. “I've been thinking more about engaging in research,” says Celina. “I intend to pursue a master's degree abroad, and among the options I’m evaluating is the University of Manchester,” Talissa states.    "},{"jcr:title":"Manchester congress participants","fileName":"Congresso Manchester 1.jpg","alt":"Participantes do congresso em Manchester"},{"jcr:title":"Celina Melo and Talissa Gonçalves at the Manchester United stadium","fileName":"Celina Melo e Talissa Gonçalves_alunas Engenharia.jpeg"}]